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The front fog lamp switch on any BMW - why don't they just wire them to the side lights!
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>All cars actually need a bright light for reading dog-eared copies of the A to Z when you're late for dinner in some obscure bit of town, or lost on Dartmoor. It should be in the front and in the middle, so that either the driver or front passenger can use it. It should also be directional so that if the passenger's using it the driver can still drive.
Just like the one in the 405, seriously, it does all you suggest.
As for my entry - the rear seats in a Nova - totally un-useable to anyone with lower limbs.
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Never really seen the point of a dashboard illumination adjuster knob. I only ever have it on its brightest setting, but perhaps thats just me.
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"Space saver" spare wheel or, even more hopeless, the absence of a spare wheel.
659.
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Never really seen the point of a dashboard illumination adjuster knob.
I agree. Mine is more trouble than it's worth because normal vibration always makes it rotate towards the dim position. I frequently have to turn it up again. And it was exactly the same in my previous (same model) car.
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L\'escargot.
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>> Never really seen the point of a dashboard illumination adjuster knob. I agree. Mine is more trouble than it's worth because normal vibration always makes it rotate towards the dim position. I frequently have to turn it up again. And it was exactly the same in my previous (same model) car. -- L\'escargot.
I disagree: I have the lights turned down, as i find the bright settings very distracting. In the Citroen, you press a button a number of times and the Almera has a rotary switch which doesn't move with vibration.
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Never really seen the point of a dashboard illumination adjuster knob. I only ever have it on its brightest setting, but perhaps thats just me.
Yes, it's just you. Mine is set nearly at minimum on my new Golf otherwise I am distracted by the radio's over bright display (when on, that is). I wish the radio's display could be adjusted separately from the rest of the dashboard's instruments.
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Yes, it's just you.
It depends on how bright the brightest setting is. On my car it's not very bright. On the dimmest setting it's only just discernible.
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L\'escargot.
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Sprice, I keep mine about mid-way - so the bulb will last longer.....I have no idea where I replace it and can bet it will be some funny fttiing which Halfords no-longer stock.
My Uno had a single lamp to light ALL switches and dials - in the dark when operated the button got brighter.....that was really clever. The whole dash was lit by many plastic fibre-optics (from one lamp) - that is really clever. I doubt if many owners really knew this. It improved reliability - those tiny bulbs are a pain, it improved energy (no switches sticking due to heat) and by making the one-bulb especially good, the reliability (chances of a failure) were much reduced.
For a small-car it was surprisingly advanced, IMHO.
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yeah, apart from the token gesture of the rear "seats"? in an Audi TT the cup holder is spring loaded and throws any nearly empty containers out when you least expect it, and is almost impossible to change gear without elbowing it.
space-saver emergency wheels and foam emergency tyre repair kits are also just as disappointing to me.
Also, never had a car with a sunroof that didn't leak at one time or another.
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oh, and another thing, I hate the over-zealous self-cancelling direction indicators on my Focus, and the Full Beam switch is a royal pain, you flash main beam too hard with all the lights off, and when you turn on dipped headlights, it is now set to full beam!!! grrr!!
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on my Focus, and the Full Beam switch is a royal pain, you flash main beam too hard with all the lights off, and when you turn on dipped headlights, it is now set to full beam!!! grrr!!
>>
I agree. It is total rubbish. Why mess with such a basic feature.
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As for my entry - the rear seats in a Nova - totally un-useable to anyone with lower limbs.
Wanna bet? On my driving test (1986) the examiners examiner came along for the ride and did fit inthe back of the D reg Nova Antibes I was driving.
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Cup-holders
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Phil
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Front centre armrest in my MK4 Golf, can't use the handbrake or change gear when its in the down position
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Automatic rain-sensitive wipers
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Nothing wrong with the 206s rain sensing wipers or automatic headlights.
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A front seat passenger unable to follow a road map...
By the way the rain sensor on my Bora is brilliant....:-)
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temperature and oil pressure guages.
madf
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A radio in an old Land Rover....
I mounted indoor speakers on the door pillars in my old series two so i could hear it, good idea but i was totally deaf when i got to where i was going.
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I was tempted to say the hazzard flasher button on the Cortina and early Mondeo.
What bright spark thought putting it on the top of the steering column rather than in the middle of the dash where both the driver and passenger can easily see it ( especially if it is illuminated) and operate it.
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Air con in a convertable.
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Speaking of convertibles, Peugeot 206 & 307 CC both have ultrasonic alarms, Cant arm the alarm & protect the cabin with the roof down.
Even 1990s Rover convertibles used microwave interior cabin sensors that could be used with the roof down so why cant PSA do the same in 2006 then?
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Air con in a convertable.
I thought that until we had one. It's very useful in winter to prevent windows steaming up. Canvas roofs hold moisture which causes interiors to steam up very quickly.
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>> Air con in a convertable.
What's a convertible? Oh yes, take a saloon off the production line, chop the roof off, stick a few girders up its jaxie to stiffen it and slow it down, buy it a plastic mac, add 12 no 15 no 20 per cent, flog it to fashion victims, bobs yer uncle innit? Pity we forgot to take the aircon out, turn it inside out, put it in a box and call it a fridge, but we're fick innit?
Anyway that's more or less what it means now. In the old days all cars were floppy so it didn't matter so much.
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Front centre armrest in my MK4 Golf, can't use the handbrake or change gear when its in the down position
On the A3 VAG have recognised this but you need to RTFM to know how it works to alleviate your problem. Put it all the way down, then lift it up an inch or two and push back down and it will lock in a slightly angled position - then all should be OK.
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Put it all the way down, then lift it up an inch or two and push back down and it will lock in a slightly angled position - then all should be OK.
won't you get cramp?
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FLOWER VASE
In a new 'Beetle'.
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and the new beetle has the same handbrake blocking armrest as the golf. my old passats have also got an airbag in place of a glovebox, that's a real pain, especially when you look at how much room they had available to top mount the ruddy thing
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To a non smoker - the cigarette stubber add on.
It makes the tiny rubbish bin a pain to empty.
I do like the hot ended cigar lighter thingy. That can be useful to deter those who shout at me through the drivers window ;-(
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The roof on a Lotus Elise. Requires a degree in origami to install and once in place adds insult to injury by failing to actually stop any water from getting in.
Agree on the Focus main beam switch. A lot of Peugeots I've driven work the same way. I've gone to flash people out or thank them and ended up blinding them when the main beam stays on. Infuriating!
Ford almost redeem themselves for their excellent fog light switch though which should be a standard design on every car on the planet.
Cheers
DP
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Ford almost redeem themselves for their excellent fog light switch though which should be a standard design on every car on the planet. If it is the switch on the Mk1 Focus and my Mondeo then I certainly do NOT agree.
I am guessing that you like the idea not being able to leave fog lights on between car trips.
I have to switch the dreaded front fog lights on if I want the rear fog lights on. WHY?
I cannot recall the last time I needed any front fog lights on.
I say their logic is wrong. First switch position should be for rear lights and second position if you wish for front fogs.
The Mondeo switch is also positioned in a poor location and its action allows you to brush it with your knee, thus turning on the parking lights for which there is no warning buzzer when you get out.
Back to the drawing board???
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I say their logic is wrong. First switch position should be for rear lights and second position if you wish for front fogs. The Mondeo switch is also positioned in a poor location and its action allows you to brush it with your knee, thus turning on the parking lights for which there is no warning buzzer when you get out.
I was indeed referring to the aspect of the design which means you can't leave them on. One of my pet hates on the road is people driving around two days after a pea-souper with their fog lights on when, as Mr. Clarkson inimitably put it "The only fog within 100 miles is between their ears!".
Can't say either of the two above bother me personally. The company Focus I first encountered this on didn't have front fogs, so it wasn't an issue. Even so, if the weather is bad enough for rear fogs (about twice in the last year IIRC) it's no hassle to have the fronts on at the same time, and after 25k in the Mondeo, I've never caught the switch with my knee. I would agree though that it's kind of stuffed on its own out of the way which is odd on a dash with otherwise superb ergonomics.
Cheers
DP
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Ford almost redeem themselves for their excellent fog light switch ..........
It's not excellent in the Focus ~ you can't have the rear high intensity light on without the front fogs. What's that all about?
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L\'escargot.
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>>Front centre armrest in my MK4 Golf, can't use the handbrake>>
I have the same feature in my Bora - it can be folded all the way up between the front seats so that it doesn't interfere with the handbrake or changing gear.
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Not so much a useless thing put in a car,
but doesn't the Honda Goldwing have an ashtray?
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That's for those blazing cigar and joint stubs that cascade into the faces of decent honest bikers as they cruise down the motorways, DD.
Just because car drivers are slobs no one should imagine that bikers aren't tidy hygienic creatures.
I believe there used to be a racing Gilera with a dustpan and brush, small vacuum cleaner and mini-bar of cleaning products cunningly let into the side of the fuel tank, behind the logo.
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Yes Stuart I'm aware of that, but in the up position its not an armrest is it? The hand brake is also the emergency brake, so with the armrest down the emergency brake (purely mechanical and does not rely on the brake hydraulics) is not usable and should be an MOT fail.
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" what do you consider to be the most useless item a manufacturer has put in a car."
If I can extend the concept of "manufacturer" to encompass "dealer", then the answer has to be Mrs Dipstick.
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I remember 16 years ago visiting an extremely wealthy potential client, R.R, MERC AND Porsche on the drive.
However the item wasn't suitable however I got on very well with the lady and as I'd never sat in a R.R previously asked if I could.
She mentioned that when the salesman came to the house to show the EXTRA'S on the car, drivers lumber support, heat, etc, she asked if it was the same in the back.
The salesman replied quizzically "No, why"
to which she responded, "You don't think my husbands gonig to spend over X thousands of pounds on this model and drive it himself" - Fair comment
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"You don't think my husbands gonig to spend over X thousands of pounds on this model and drive it himself" - Fair comment
Funny, my approach to expensive cars has always been the opposite - why would you spend x thousand on a car and let someone else have the fun of driving it?
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- why would you spend x thousand on a car and let someone else have the fun of driving it?
Exactly! Although a chauffeur and a big long wheelbase luxo-barge might be nice for those days when you need to be somewhere and the drive would be completely joyless (motorway or big city centre in rush hour), or indeed if you've had a few in a bar somewhere, or simply can't be ar**d to drive yourself.
Much as I enjoy driving, I think I would employ a part-time chauffeur with a decent lottery win once the novelty of smoking myself from A to B in my Merc S65 AMG wore off.
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Phil,
That isn't a cup-holder it's part of your CD player.
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