Dead features in cars that need to make a comeback

[captain_70s]

2 hours ago, rainagain said:

The central vents on my nova always blew cold air, this used to initially annoy me but it’s actually really useful. You can have the windscreen or your feet nice and toasty whilst having a lovely stream of cool air hitting your face. 

This.

Dolly and Acclaim both have "ram air" vents to the dash, a feature sorely missed on my Volvo 740.

Sometimes you just want the heater on but a cool breeze to the face while driving. 

My 22 plate Citroën van is the worst in this regard. For some reason unless the heat is dialed right up you end up with freezing feet but then you're sweltering. 

[GeordieInExile]

Engines that have been engineered to last for more than 50,000 miles.

[Supernaut]

Large diameter thin rimmed steering wheels.

[catsinthewelder]

The indicator stalk on the right on a RHD car.  That way you can change down and indicate at the same time when overtaking.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Round steering wheels. Who would have thought the Allegro would be 50 years ahead of its time . Trouble is some of them now Peugeots in particular are ridiculous tiny chunky oblong things. I drove a horrible little Mazda thing this week that was especially unpleasant to steer.

[sierraman]

The hand crank to start it. 

Bodies that rust out in 6 years

Clutches that wear out in 50,000

Exhausts that last 3 years 

No crumple zones, I preferred it when you hit something at 30mph and you ended up with some sort of serious injury

Diesels that used to shake the gear lever at idle

[MiniMinorMk3]

Engine bays where most things can be removed without have to remove anything else.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Ashtrays, useful for keeping coins in for the tunnel (not that you need coins for the tunnel anymore).

[MiniMinorMk3]

Old car smell. You know, that blend of sweaty old leather and musty wool carpets.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Analogue gauges that need to be tapped to make sure they're reading correctly.

[eddyramrod]

5 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Ashtrays, useful for keeping coins in for the tunnel (not that you need coins for the tunnel anymore).

Tunnels (and any other tolls) that you can pay for with actual coins!

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Manual chokes which require a clothes peg for factree effectiveness. 

[DSdriver]

Do I detect some sarcasm creeping in with some posts? 🙃

Engine bays where if you drop something it comes out the bottom and lands on the ground.

I loved the words of Iain Banks when asked by a fellow traveller on a tour of distilleries if his Defender had crumple zones: Something like "Yes, other cars"

[MorrisItalSLX]

Umbrella Handbrakes

Cassette Players

Electric Antennas

[Metal Guru]

1 hour ago, Supernaut said:

Large diameter thin rimmed steering wheels.

That pierced your heart and lungs in any crash over 30mph.

[MJK 24]

Dipstick for checking the engine oil level.

[sierraman]

Trunnions. Lever arm Dampers

[Supernaut]

38 minutes ago, Metal Guru said:

That pierced your heart and lungs in any crash over 30mph.

Pretty sure that was more to do with non collapsible steering columns and an absence of airbags.

[Lord Sterling]

Electrics that don't burn themselves out.

Simple mechanical parts rather than cheap PCB boards that cost ££££s to buy and hours programme and change them.

High profile tyres and good soft and dampened suspension.

Metal keys that start the car rather than keyless etc...

[grogee]

Proper jacking points. 

Mechanical boot handles. 

DIN stereos. 

Temperature gauges. 

Accessible fuse boxes. 

Overdrive switch (it just sounds cooler than 5th or 6th).

Readily available parts support. 

A centrally planned road maintenance and infrastructure improvement programme. 

TMS on LW (that isn't the car manufacturer's fault, but whatever). 

[sierraman]

Scabies and Measels

[lesapandre]

No self-cancelling indicators - especially with a bakerlite switch in the middle of the dash.

Bakerlite.

Tiny rusty metal hydraulic reservoirs with no level indicators.

Muzak window catches that snap off.

Bonnets without any security lock.

Door latches that don't close properly without regular adjustment.

Steering boxes that need topping up regularly.

Ditto lever-arm shock absorbers

Grease nipples

Single speed wipers.

Hydraulic brakes on front wheels only - rears by rod operation.

(The Austin A35 which has all these 'features')

[Zelandeth]

All of the ventilation and entertainment controls not being buried down by the gear lever, and accessories being switched by big, chunky, well illuminated buttons.  Exhibit A below.

Instrument panels with actual gauges, showing you all essential information, which you can read at a glance, in a sensible type face, and which are fully visible in both direct sunlight or total darkness.

Instrument panels with large, bright warning lights positioned such that they're in your line of sight and you've no chance of missing them.  Exhibit B.

Drove my first car with a "glass cockpit" a week or so back, and absolutely hated it.  Confusing layout, inconsistent typeface, and completely impossible to read if the sun was behind you.  Partner is really bad in this regard too, the warning lights on that dash are TINY, scattered seemingly at random across the instrument panel, and really not very bright.  Plus some idiot in PSA decided that matt silver was a smart colour to paint the dial faces.

Long travel, compliant suspension and high profile tyres are probably the single biggest item on my wishlist though.  Especially on large supposedly luxury cars where nobody with half a brain cell is going to be interested in what lap time it is going to get around a certain German race track.  Heck...Chris has a VW Multivan at the moment (Basically an ID Buzz but with a conventional engine and slightly less stupid panelling), and even that has 40 profile tyres.  It's a bloody VAN for crying out loud...

[320touring]

2 hours ago, sierraman said:

The hand crank to start it. 

Bodies that rust out in 6 years

Clutches that wear out in 50,000

Exhausts that last 3 years 

No crumple zones, I preferred it when you hit something at 30mph and you ended up with some sort of serious injury

Diesels that used to shake the gear lever at idle

Don't you already have a MK2 focus?

[I_am_Diesel]

TD wheels and tyres.

[sierraman]

26 minutes ago, 320touring said:

Don't you already have a MK2 focus?

You are one funny bastard 😂

[grogee]

1 hour ago, lesapandre said:

Grease nipples

Actually I'm in favour of this. It would help ball joints last longer if you could pump some fresh grease into them once a year. 

[MiniMinorMk3]

12 minutes ago, grogee said:

Actually I'm in favour of this. It would help ball joints last longer if you could pump some fresh grease into them once a year. 

Every 3,000 miles for that nipple lubrication.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Petrol that costs 33p a gallon.

[Missy Charm]

1 hour ago, Zelandeth said:

All of the ventilation and entertainment controls not being buried down by the gear lever, and accessories being switched by big, chunky, well illuminated buttons.  Exhibit A below.

Instrument panels with actual gauges, showing you all essential information, which you can read at a glance, in a sensible type face, and which are fully visible in both direct sunlight or total darkness.

Instrument panels with large, bright warning lights positioned such that they're in your line of sight and you've no chance of missing them.  Exhibit B.

 

What does the "EXTRA" button do?  And do higher spec versions have buttons marked, accordingly, "LEADING MAN" or "LEADING LADY".  

Something to bring back?  Coloured paint.