|
Both my wife's and my car have the same annoying positioning of the instrument clusters. The top of the steering wheel obscures the tops of both the tachometer and the speedo. With all the speed cameras around it is nice to know how fast you are going. I have noticed the same thing on several hire cars too.What annoys other back roomers about design details?.
|
What annoys other back roomers about design details?.
Not being able to find the steering wheel height adjuster?
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
|
or the seat hight?
JH
|
|
or height as it's known in English. :-(
|
|
|
|
If I adjust the seat hieght so I can see all the dials properly I cannot reach the pedals.....I am obviously of peculiar proportions as my old Sgt Major would verify...............
|
|
|
|
|
Steering wheel does not have hieght adjuster, only reach adjuster.
|
|
|
|
|
Electric seats but no memory function - why?
|
|
Or why on a Zafira when you open the bonnet any rain, water cascades down into the engine bay?
|
|
Subaru Forester. Headlamp wash button at knee height in facia to r/h of sterring column. If you have long legs, right knee catches button as you get in. Face full of fluid!
|
|
Vectra C fog light buttons that have to be found by feel only as the steering wheel obscures them.
|
|
|
|
count your lucky stars. The touran hurls water down your neck from the roof. Its so bad I have learned to park on slope to the passenger side where it goes down the wifes neck. She hasnt found out why its always her yet...
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
|
|
Where do you start with a post modern BMW ?
|
|
|
|
|
Electric seats but no memory function - why?
..especially when they're about 12 way adjustable and your other half changes *every* setting, even when she's just backing the car out of the drive!!
|
|
Main light and foglight on indicator lights you can't see. A3 has these lights on the switch which is down by your right knee and can't be seen when driving. Other Audis I've driven at least have the lights on indicator on the dash, with auto lights it's good to know when they have activated.
|
The head restraint on my MK I Focus just touches the hair on the back of my head (which I find annoying) unless I tilt the backrest back further than I would like it to be. Don't some cars have head restraints that keep well out of the way until you collide with something?
--
L\'escargot.
|
|
Saab are even worse, ruled the 9-3 out for me when was looking as my gf had to stare at her lap it was so far forward.
|
Saab are even worse, ruled the 9-3 out for me when was looking as my gf had to stare at her lap it was so far forward.
My girlfriends MX-5 seats are the opposite. The headrests (or rather the upper part of the one-piece seat back) are so far back I'm sure in a rear shunt your neck would snap before your head got anywhere near the seat!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Any Mercedes foot operated hand brake. Total madness.
|
|
I'll second that. My boss always insists on getting manual Mercs. 4 pedals to share amongst 2 legs. Hill starts are fun.
|
|
As the foot brake is released with a hand pulled handle I fail to see how it is any different to releasing a normal handbrake.
|
The handle is a release switch. It does not allow a graduated release (or reapplication) of the parking brake as you would with a conventional handbrake. So, you arrive at a set of red traffic lights on a hill. Sequence is as follows:
Brake with right foot, clutch with left. Put gearbox into neutral.
Put parking brake on with left foot. Take right foot off driving brake.
Now to pull away.
Easy - left foot on clutch, gearbox into first, right foot on accelerator pull the release handle. Suddenly the bloke in front stalls. Then you have to decide whether to go through the whole sequence again or to hold the car on the clutch because you can not put the parking brake on without putting the gearbox in neutral (only one left leg).
|
No its not
Its approach traffic lights on a hill, jump on foot operated handbrake, car slows to a halt with rear wheels locked and smoking, fine tune place of stopping with regular footbrake application
easy peasy.
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
|
"TVM's school of hootbrake driving lesson"
I'd pay to see that!
|
|
|
|
"Any Mercedes foot operated hand brake. Total madness."
MW - Are you a contortionist!?
Jack
PS Fully agree what I know you really meant.
|
|
|
Any Mercedes foot operated hand brake. Total madness. I've been reading for years that these are a nightmare to use. Does anyone like using this system, and why do M-B (or D-B!)still use it?
S6 1SW
|
I've been reading for years that these are a nightmare to use. Does anyone like using this system, and why do M-B (or D-B!)still use it? S6 1SW
I got my first MB last year after 14 years of driving cars with handbrakes and found it very straightforward to use.
|
|
I have no problems with MB foot/hand brake but mine is auto to be fair, not tried a manual.
|
|
|
|
It works OK with an automatic gearbox, as you then have the required number of feet. I used to have a manual.
Some friends lived in a house with a short uphill drive. My wife and I would swap, as despite the overall excellence of her driving, she couldn't get the Merc onto it. I could do it, but always expected to bump the car. It was one of the reasons we gave the car back to my company.
I would reverse into the drive and hit the footbrake. If I stopped too early (easy to do with a brick wall behind), it'd be a case of dropping out of gear to release my foot for popping on the "hand"brake. Then back into gear and get the car to the clutch bite point and release the "hand"brake with a clang (it's instant release). If I was on too much or too little gas, I'd either roll towards the road or bounce towards the wall. Repeat ad nauseam. If there's a SAFE way of doing it without this palaver, I don't know what it is.
I would NEVER buy a manual Merc with a foot operated handbrake.
V
|
|
|
|
|
Renault Clio 2001 - 2006
Wen you open the driver window and no matter how light or heavy the rain, water drips in right onto the electric window controls. Damn annoying!
|
|
Citroen Xsara with electric window switches on the dash. PITA when you're trying to change gear, steer, and get the window open for a ticket booth.
|
|
Painted bumpers on any car. Bumpers are there to be bumped or scraped.
|
Not just painted Bromptonaut, but ridiculously flimsy and expensive too.
Hear hear.
|
|
|
|
A remote key that is easily triggered either in your pocket or with a bunch of other keys. You only found your car was left unlocked when you returned to it. Simple answer was to remove the battery from the key.
Volumetric alarm sensors that are set off if a window or sunroof is left ajar on a hot day, or on a windy day. So I have dissabled the alarm for peace and quiet.
--
Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
|
|
I just park three streets away.
|
|
|
... You only found your car was left unlocked when you returned to it.
Mine re-locks itself if a door isn't opened within a certain number of seconds. This can also be annoying but it's a safer option!
|
|
Might seem a bit out of date but I once had a Triumph TR7. The door frames were steeply angled back and I was dating a particularly well endowed young lady at the time. we didn't last long as an item - but then neither did the car!
|
Honda Accord outside temperature display is hidden behind the total mileage display so you have one or the other.
Why didn't they put it on the central radio and climate display adjacent to the internal temp setting.
|
|
|
|
"Mine re-locks itself if a door isn't opened within a certain number of seconds. This can also be annoying but it's a safer option!"
That's OK until you hear the story from my local garage - they had a car in like that (but didn't know). The mechanic threw the keys onto the passenger seat and left the car. Came back to a locked car in the entrance to the workshop.
V
|
|
But as the door should only relock if a door isn't opened, how come the car locked itself when the mechanic threw the keys onto the passenger seat? To do this, he must have opened the door, and therefore the car shouldn't have relocked.
|
|
|
The mechanic threw the keys onto the passenger seat and left the car. Came back to a locked car in the entrance to the workshop.
But how could the keys have been thrown in if the door hadn't been opened? Once a door has been opened, the countdown to re-locking stops.
|
Dunno, guv - just reporting it as I heard it.
V
|
Suspect some cars need an engine start, or at least key in ignition to stop countdown.
Well dressed lady spotted on station car park last November trying to break rear window on a LR Disco. Apparently she'd opened it and chucked keys and bag inside while scraping off frost; halfway through process car re-locked.
Car and house keys locked in - fortunately her husband was at home!!
|
I know I've posted this before - probably more than once :-)- but I'll tell you all again . . .
On my Citroen Berlingo, when I press the button to squirt water on the windscreen, the wipers go over the windscreen first, resulting in a worse mess than before you started.
|
|
|
Suspect some cars need an engine start, or at least key in ignition to stop countdown.
Luckily mine detects the signal via the interior light.
|
On my 03/03 Focus you can have the front foglights on without the rear foglights ~ which I would never do ~ but you can't have the rear fog lights on without the front fog lights ~ which I would sometimes like to do. Why on earth didn't they make the switching sequence the other way round?
--
L\'escargot.
|
On my 03/03 Focus .......
.........when you switch off the heater fan the heater defaults to recirculated air ~ and what's the point of that if the fan won't recirculate the air anyway because it's been switched off?
--
L\'escargot.
|
|
I think it's based on an assumption that you must want no airflow. Without going to recirc, you still get airflow from the car's movement - if you want to stop it you need to close the vents. Sounds like Ford were trying to avoid this on yours.
|
|
My 02/52 Mondeo: Amazing lack of storage space in front centre of car. Nowhere for CDs etc. It has an arm rest which when lifted up gives a useless space the size of a large coke can.
_______
IanS
|
Picasso- buttons to reset trip meter on left hand side of central binnacle (cheap RHD conversion). Not a big thing but is blatant penny pinching.
Also on the Picasso- the indicator repeater sounds just like a child impersonating the noise of the indicator repeater (hope this makes sense).
|
|
|
It's possible if you only open the door a crack. My Dad has done it several times on Mum's Xsara - fortunately only in the drive at home!
--
RichardW
Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
>>The top of the steering wheel obscuresthe tops of both the tachometer and the speedo.
>>
I've noticed this in Japanese cars - they're all about 5' 6'' so the steering wheel is probably at about the right height for them.
|
|
|
