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Car features you don't like


Missy Charm

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6 minutes ago, Metal Guru said:

I had a Jeep Cherokee which you had to fully depress the clutch before starting with a normal key. Safety feature maybe, but off roading it’s useful to start the car in gear on a very steep slope. Maybe they just thought not many go off road.

Were Saabs not like that for donkeys years? Clutch in, on footbrake? 

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I drove a BMW 1 series last week, equipped with Lane Assist. FFS, the car feels like it’s fighting you with its superiority complex. Drift towards, or across to white lines and you get forcibly ejected back in centre of the lane, who thought that was a good idea?
I did find out how to switch it off, thankfully but I really couldn’t live with that, it’s like the engineers got together and decided to find a way to force BMW drivers to use indicators!

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37 minutes ago, tommotech said:

Drift towards, or across to white lines and you get forcibly ejected back in centre of the lane

If you then force it across the white line without indicating, it eventually gives up and the additional force you've put into the steering then takes over and slingshots you into the next lane at a hell of a speed. You can't win with these systems. 

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1 hour ago, Asimo said:

Like every other floor mounted automatic transmission control lever of modern times?

Except it isn't a floor mounted lever. It looks like an ornament off your grans mantle piece. Other modern autos I've driven have at least had some discernable markings on them.

 

Whatever, it just seemed quite an alien thing to do

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What about features you do like. 

Driving a new Ducato with Automatic autonomous Braking or whatever they're calling it. 

Undoubtedly helped my work mate a collision a few weeks back. It did drop the anchors and very quickly.

Did people say the same thing about ABS in the 80s? Thinking they could outsmart ABS and stop sooner... 

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Not so much a feature that does something but a feature of some Mercs is small letters and numbers in important places. I jumped into an A class to move it and found I couldn't read the crucial D-N-R symbols on its tiny column stalk gear selector, so I had to put my reading specs on before maneuvering it. 

Had a similar issue driving an Atego truck, couldn't read the MPH side of the the speedo, could read the Bigger KPH numbers. Obviously I cannot wear reading specs whilst driving so I had to do maths on the move to figure out how slowly I was traveling...

I think Mercedes Benz dont like long sited people? 

 

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I like to check the time when I get in a car. All my old cars have proper clocks and all of them show the wrong time. That’s my fault. My wife’s Golf is modern and digital and the clock is correct. But you can’t see it until the car’s gone through its start up routine. And then it moves around. And when the clocks change, despite having satnav and being connected enough to tell me of slow traffic on the M25 (just after we have committed to join it) it doesn’t update when the clocks change. First world problem I know but you did ask.

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Yep, first thing in the morning I need to know how late I am running. 

Instead I have to wait for a start up screen and then agree not to be naughty while driving and obey all laws and by then I am reversing out of the driveway so the camera takes over the screen. 

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13 minutes ago, Three Speed said:

I like to check the time when I get in a car. All my old cars have proper clocks and all of them show the wrong time. That’s my fault. My wife’s Golf is modern and digital and the clock is correct. But you can’t see it until the car’s gone through its start up routine. And then it moves around. And when the clocks change, despite having satnav and being connected enough to tell me of slow traffic on the M25 (just after we have committed to join it) it doesn’t update when the clocks change. First world problem I know but you did ask.

My better half has a Suzuki Ignis which has a clock in the dash display and one on the radio screeen thing, they both show different times as they seem to update them selves separately and we cannot figure out how to correct this, its rather amusing or massively irritating depending.............

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22 hours ago, Crackers said:

Engine Start" push buttons. I've never encountered one that just starts the bloody car. If it's keyless (see below) you have to push the brake or something before it'll start. Others, you have to put the key fob in a slot and either push it in or not push it in, then press either the brake or clutch before it'll start. Push that key in the slot a millimetre too far and it'll think you've pushed hard enough to active the eject mechanism and it'll pop out and turn the ignition back off again.

This is done for a reason. That reason being people like my sister who started her Honda Jazz up to get the air conditioning running while she put things in the boot. Opened the door, put the key in, turned the ignition to start ... And then the Jazz then proceeded to demolish the garage door. Thankfully hitting the house and stopping the car. 🤦‍♂️

 

9 hours ago, myglaren said:

My Civic does that.  Normal key but button to start engine, no dancing on pedals needed.  Turn key to stop engine.  I fail to see the purpose of the "Start" button.  Emulating Microsoft probably.

It's because Honda to keep things simple wired it direct to the starter.😟 (that emoji is accidental and the shit editor on here won't let me delete it...)

Mk9 civic with keyless ignition had it as a stop/start button. Non keyless ignition just had it all on the switch. 

I believe the start button was a favourite feature and carry over from the S2000. 

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7 hours ago, Spurious said:

Did people say the same thing about ABS in the 80s? Thinking they could outsmart ABS and stop sooner... 

Anyone who thinks they can stop faster with (properly designed) ABS in most conditions is talking shit. You will stop sooner in most conditions.

The number of cyclists and pedestrians killed and injured on the roads stays depressingly static*, however. 

 

*in 2020 it dropped markedly. I can't imagine for a moment why.

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22 hours ago, 320touring said:

The Burd's ph1 Clio 172 auto locks the doors above 5mph.

So:

Get in

reverse out space

*Doors lock*

Stop to let her in

Forget to press the button.

Rain starts, the Burd gets irritated.

 

Great*

Iirc you push and hold the lock button until it beeps to disable/enable that function. 

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7 hours ago, Spurious said:

What about features you do like. 

Driving a new Ducato with Automatic autonomous Braking or whatever they're calling it. 

Undoubtedly helped my work mate a collision a few weeks back. It did drop the anchors and very quickly.

Did people say the same thing about ABS in the 80s? Thinking they could outsmart ABS and stop sooner... 

Features I do like: remote key. Not keyless or whatever, just buttons that open the car from a distance. 

It took me a while to get a car that had this but I've always liked it.

And for a lot of us for a long time, motoring life was a key and a car without central locking. 

For me the biggest single advance is air conditioning. I wouldn't be without it now. It helps that it's usually packaged with a filter, which has helped my hay fever no end. 

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14 minutes ago, JimH said:

Anyone who thinks they can stop faster with (properly designed) ABS in most conditions is talking shit. You will stop sooner in most conditions.

The number of cyclists and pedestrians killed and injured on the roads stays depressingly static*, however. 

 

*in 2020 it dropped markedly. I can't imagine for a moment why.

ABS is more about skid control with being able to swerve and avoid an obstacle (think child/animal running out from parked cars) than anything else. Having been on a skid pan course last year with cadence braking element to it, it makes it completely clear how much difference ABS makes for the better. 

Without ABS, cadence braking it's: see obstruction, "oh shit", BRAKE, release, steer, BRAKE. While hoping you haven't just hit the obstruction and also haven't gone into a four wheel skid.

With ABS, cadence braking it's: see obstruction, "oh shit", BRAKE AS HARD AS YOU CAN, continue driving to steer around the obstruction until you stop.

Btw many people (including me) think cadence braking is pulsing the pedal. It's not! A human can't pulse the pedal anywhere near quick enough that ABS can do it.

While I did a pretty good job of avoiding the obstruction without ABS, it took a couple attempts to fully get cadence braking practiced properly. Your average Jo/Joe who hasn't got too much interest in driving but wants to get from A-to-B won't have a clue on cadence braking when they need it the most. Hence ABS makes complete and utter sense in road cars.

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38 minutes ago, SiC said:

This is done for a reason. That reason being people like my sister who started her Honda Jazz up to get the air conditioning running while she put things in the boot. Opened the door, put the key in, turned the ignition to start ... And then the Jazz then proceeded to demolish the garage door. Thankfully hitting the house and stopping the car. 🤦‍♂️

 

Or me, today, who leant through the window of my T25 to start it, it was in gear and lurched forward coming to a stop with the front wheel right on top of my foot.

No harm done, but I was stuck and couldn't reach in to knock the handbrake off or get it out of gear so the only thing I could do was crank it very quickly again to free myself.

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4 minutes ago, SiC said:

many people (including me) think cadence braking is pulsing the pedal. It's not! A human can't pulse the pedal anywhere near quick enough that ABS can do it.

My take was if you have done the "oh shit!" bit and stamped on the brake as hard as you can and your front brakes have locked up  are now sliding towards the obstacle, lift your foot and hit the brakes again,  and again and again until you either stop or hit whatever it is. The idea of pulsing is not something you are likely to do very effectively.

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27 minutes ago, Timewaster said:

My take was if you have done the "oh shit!" bit and stamped on the brake as hard as you can and your front brakes have locked up  are now sliding towards the obstacle, lift your foot and hit the brakes again,  and again and again until you either stop or hit whatever it is. The idea of pulsing is not something you are likely to do very effectively.

While that sounds a great idea, in practice at town speeds you've got so little time to do it more than once. That's why the trainer told me the advice is to brake, release, steer, brake.  If you haven't got around the obstacle on the second release, you're likely going far too fast in a built up area anyway!

I guess you would be able to do multiple goes if you're coming around a corner on a fast A-road and see an obstruction (fallen tree, broken down car, etc) that you need to get around. But then you'd probably not need to brake to steer around the obstacle. That's where the skid pan training comes in.

Btw I thoroughly recommend a skid pan course to anyone who drives a classic that doesn't have ABS, Traction Control and the like - especially RWD vehicles. Not sure it's as useful to those driving modern cars with those features standard. Good to get the skills in but you quickly realise why they became mandatory standard fitment when you try with/without. Especially given most motorists won't have any practiced skills when things go awry.

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9 hours ago, Spurious said:

What about features you do like. 

Driving a new Ducato with Automatic autonomous Braking or whatever they're calling it. 

Undoubtedly helped my work mate a collision a few weeks back. It did drop the anchors and very quickly.

Did people say the same thing about ABS in the 80s? Thinking they could outsmart ABS and stop sooner... 

Thing is abs still needs the person to decide when it's appropriate to push the brake pedal.. aeb doesnt..

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On 2/2/2022 at 10:53 AM, Fumbler said:

The BX's rear wiper and rear washer are connected together with a momentary switch on the binnacle. This is super duper annoying, because if I want to wipe condensation off the rear window, I wash it too. If I want to keep the rear wiper on while reversing in the rain, I can't because the switch doesn't latch and it also triggers the pump.

You need a BX estate switch. A light press will wash/wipe, but press further to latch the switch, and it will keep the rear wiper on intermittent. 

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12 minutes ago, mat_the_cat said:

You need a BX estate switch. A light press will wash/wipe, but press further to latch the switch, and it will keep the rear wiper on intermittent. 

I might fork out and buy one of them now. I have amassed all the components to make a wiper only switch that'll operate the wiper and not the pump at all. Finding a nice place to put it is a bit of a headache, though.

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4 hours ago, Marina door handles said:

Not so much a feature that does something but a feature of some Mercs is small letters and numbers in important places. I jumped into an A class to move it and found I couldn't read the crucial D-N-R symbols on its tiny column stalk gear selector, so I had to put my reading specs on before maneuvering it. 

Had a similar issue driving an Atego truck, couldn't read the MPH side of the the speedo, could read the Bigger KPH numbers. Obviously I cannot wear reading specs whilst driving so I had to do maths on the move to figure out how slowly I was traveling...

I think Mercedes Benz dont like long sited people? 

 

Your experience may be different but I had glasses for driving years ago, found that I didn't actually need them, just a way for the optician to make an extra couple of hundred quid,  as subsequent eye tests confirmed, but the main reason for not using them was that I couldn't see any of the instruments while wearing them.

More recently, (30 years on)I have another pair that I do use but with these I can see the instruments without difficulty and also appreciate the improved acuity to see road signs at greater distances.

The main reason I bought them was to see the TV screen to see the end titles on DVDs to see who I had been watching.  They stay in the car as I never watch the TV these days.

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7 minutes ago, mat_the_cat said:

 Might be worth comparing the wiring diagrams for hatch and estate, to see if there are differences apart from the switch...

From memory I need to switch a few wires around in the connector, but it's entirely doable.

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4 hours ago, SiC said:

This is done for a reason. That reason being people like my sister who started her Honda Jazz up to get the air conditioning running while she put things in the boot. Opened the door, put the key in, turned the ignition to start ... And then the Jazz then proceeded to demolish the garage door. Thankfully hitting the house and stopping the car. 🤦‍♂️

 

It's because Honda to keep things simple wired it direct to the starter.😟 (that emoji is accidental and the shit editor on here won't let me delete it...)

Mk9 civic with keyless ignition had it as a stop/start button. Non keyless ignition just had it all on the switch. 

I believe the start button was a favourite feature and carry over from the S2000. 

Daughter's Megane has the Stop/Start button but combined with keyless entry and ignition, which makes more sense to me.

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5 hours ago, Marina door handles said:

Not so much a feature that does something but a feature of some Mercs is small letters and numbers in important places. I jumped into an A class to move it and found I couldn't read the crucial D-N-R symbols on its tiny column stalk gear selector, so I had to put my reading specs on before maneuvering it. 

Had a similar issue driving an Atego truck, couldn't read the MPH side of the the speedo, could read the Bigger KPH numbers. Obviously I cannot wear reading specs whilst driving so I had to do maths on the move to figure out how slowly I was traveling...

I think Mercedes Benz dont like long sited people? 

 

I have a pair of bi-focal driving glasses set up so the bottom bit is right for reading the dash and the top is for distance, like bifocal reading glasses but with a slightly more distant focus point.

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20 hours ago, Spurious said:

What about features you do like. 

1. Our ability to design cars properly.

2. Our ability to build cars properly.

3. Our ability to make cars ridiculously reliable and cheap to run.

I'm not suggesting everything is a home run but we're getting there. All we need to do now it to design and build something that isn't downright nasty. Here's a thing I saw recently that should fill us all with hope. In an interview when his T50 started looking like a proper car Gordon Murray was asked about the Elan and the impossibility of building a car of that nature today. He claimed that this had been looked at and reckoned that it was perfectly possible to get a car of that weight, height and length through the various crash tests. The only problem they had was they had to make it wider to meet the side impact requirements. All they needed was an extra four inches. He reckoned that they had come perilously close to a deal on such a car but the manufacturer had bottled it.

Image that. Imagine a Lotus Elan with a bit more shoulder room and all the benefits that not being built in a shed would bring.  I'm not talking about just sports cars. Imagine a new shopabout version of the 600 Multipla - not a wanky reimagining of the car based on the FCA Small Wide platform that weighs the same as a Scania but something we haven't seen before with those levels of space and lightness. 

fita-600-multipla-taxi.jpg

Ah well. I can dream.

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