Details I Dislike

[Guest]

I was just thinking the other day about some clumsy details.

 

Maestro Indicators

 

They're bloody awkward aren't they? It's the brightness of the "edging" in contrast to the headlights, they've got these fairly dark-looking headlights and then just this bright white indicator lens. Looks like they're permanently smashed out. Wonder if it bothers anyone else as much as me? Montego looks fine.

 

200SX Rear Plate/Fog Surround

 

Could they not have come up with a better solution than that? I hate the way there's this big plasticky surround going all the way onto the twin fogs. It's just really clumsy.

 

323F Mirrors

 

They've created this sleek pillarless look by blacking out the A-Pillars and doorframes, then they colourcode the mirrors so they're just floating in the middle of nowhere! Annoying. Some others have done it, but I notice it most on these - probably because the triangle connecting the mirror to the window area is colour-coded too.

 

Urban Cruiser Rear Badge

 

The first time I saw one of these, I honestly thought someone had bought a load of those £1 a time chrome letters from Motorworld and done their own badging effort. Doesn't help that it's a stupid name, but then they do it in a way that isn't symmetrical, openly inviting someone to stick a "T" on the front of it and offend/confuse a load of Sikhs. Rubbish!

[mouseflakes]

The air vents in these Bluebirds really bug me. Plain lazy.

 

[Des]

To make the Urban Cruiser badge symmetrical it could be renamed Uban Loser.

[RoadworkUK]

The Mazda 626 dashboard because of that stupid bloody clock to the left of the random yawning chasm below the air vent. It has absolutely nothing in common with the rest of the dash, it looks like they just needed a clock and so bought the first one they saw in Argos. It's backlit in electroluminescent green and I hate it. If I had a 626 I'd tear the clock out, burn it and replace it with a nice carriage clock or something.

 

 

Also Mk 1 Primera rear lights have always displeased me. It looks like they started off with the lights from a Rover 214 and then added a bit at the top. Strange thing to revile, but I honestly gag when I'm in their presence.

 

[Guest]

Yeah, I have a slight problem with the Primera MK1 Hatchback lights, I don't like the taper. The Saloon ones look superb though, so there's your solution.

[warren t claim]

What really annoys me is when car makers can't be arsed changing the autobox display for RHD.

[Lord Sterling]

AE82 Toyota Corolla

 

I really dislike where the number plate is located here, I always thought it looked clumsy.

[Vinylseats]

^^

I always thought that type of Corolla looked.... unique.

 

Also Mk 1 Primera rear lights have always displeased me. It looks like they started off with the lights from a Rover 214 and then added a bit at the top.

 

So they do! I've never noticed that before.

[woolleyiain]

Urban Cruiser? Does it hang out in the park toilets after dark? Who the fuck thought calling a car Urban Cruiser was a good idea?

[RoadworkUK]

Where did all the EA82 Corolla Liftbacks go? Frinton-On-Sea used to be jammed with the things.

[barefoot]

Front fog lights on a Scirocco

 

 

It is apparent that they are just tagged on to a GT to give it 'more perceived value' than a GL... or whatever.

[dieselnutjob]

There's something messed up about the back end of the new Superb.

I'm not sure what.

Did they do that deliberately so as not to upset Audi too much?

 

[retrogeezer]

Good thread...

 

I hate how lazy MG Rover just moulded a bit into the front bumper to fill the gap where the indicators were on the older models...looks like one of those wanky front bumpers boy racers fit to the Corsas (or that one that was on Billy's Escort Cab)

 

 

 

And those awlful 'wart' side repeaters that they fitted on the Calibra....all the rest of the bodywork was super smooth and they just put the side repeater out of the parts bin on it.

 

[ashmicro]

My own car this time:

 

 

I HAT the way the word J A G U A R is split up on the rear blade. The revised model has this resolved, but I'm told that changing to the new type is a bollocks.

[retrogeezer]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

Another one of mine is when a Jag (or Rover 75) has had a private plate removed and the dealer just sticks a standard sized new number plate across the top of the old custom shaped one...

 

Some dealers just stick a bit of yellow tape or white tape over the top of an older dealers name/phone number etc that runs along the bottom of a number plate. It always makes me laugh that the owners of cars just wash them and never think 'oh, and could just peel that sticker off, that would look better'

[RedSparrow]

The recessed headlights on SD1s. Kind of like Hirst's Maestro issues, they make the indicators look ill-fitting.

 

This was made worse when they started gluing chrome trim awkwardly around the lights on later models.

[dieselnutjob]

I never noticed that chrome trim before.

That is truly horrible.

[martc]

What really annoys me is when car makers can't be arsed changing the autobox display for RHD.

 

Worse than that is when they can't be bothered to turn the windscreen wipers around - I'm looking at you Renault. And Peugeot. And several BMW's. Although I do find it funny when I see a plutocrat in his BMW 7 series squinting through the unswept section of his screen, would you pay a Kings ransom for this sort of attention to detail?

[Angrydicky]

And Ledbury Maestros. Mind you having LHD wipers is one of their best features I reckon

[Spottedlaurel]

Not changing the shapes of the rear passenger doors from the saloon/hatchback model when they make an estate. Volvo 140/240 and Citroen BX the worst offenders – seeing as how both were extremely popular as estates, wouldn’t the retooling costs have been absorbed adequately if they’d done some bespoke versions?

 

1991 Volvo 240GLT Estate by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Squarer rear door apertures are good for getting kids/objects in and out of.

[Negative Creep]

 

Appears to have a towel rail stuck to the back

 

 

 

Beautiful car except for the cross eyed headlights

[ProgRocker]

I never liked the quadrilateral C-pillar window light design on Montego saloons. The bottom of the pane doesn't even run parallel with the windows in the doors.

[chaseracer]

The recessed headlights on SD1s... they make the indicators look ill-fitting. This was made worse when they started gluing chrome trim awkwardly around the lights on later models.

Agreed. Could this be one of the very few times that having to use Fed-spec sealed-beams actually helped?

 

 

I may be in a minority here...

[Dave7]

bizarre 80s bank machine inspired rear end.

 

[warren t claim]

I hate it when Pacific Rim cars are imported with a tacky add on rear fog lamp.

[barefoot]

This is probably the most boring photo & item in this thread, but this goes beyond dislike.

 

This is the rear edge of the sliding door on my VW T2 camper thing,

On my first days camping, first thing in the morning I love to pop open the door and smell the ....

...but I am always distracted by the sound of this sharp corner ripping through the awning, again.

 

 

Not for much longer though, I've tracked down a replacement door and it's going to have the modification that VW never made.

a nice rounded off corner that won't split anything ever again - pictures to follow (by summer).

 

And this...

 

 

It's bad enough having an exhaust on each side of the car when it's a transverse FWD four pot,

But triangular tail-pipes take the piss.

I used to be offended by oval ones.

Whatever happened to 'form follows function' ?

[Mike D]

Those triangular tailpipes on the Civic are just trims in the bumper, if you look inside them you can see the tiny pea shooter round pipes!

[garycox]

I quite like the back of those Tercel 4WD wagon things. And the Corolla actually...

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

Good thread...

 

I hate how lazy MG Rover just moulded a bit into the front bumper to fill the gap where the indicators were on the older models...looks like one of those wanky front bumpers boy racers fit to the Corsas (or that one that was on Billy's Escort Cab)

 

The Rover 75/MG ZT never had indicators mounted in that space between the outside headlight and wing you find so offensive.

[Polystratus]

 

 

Never a big fan of the 'extended' bumper design on these Rovers.