Little things you... miss?

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Sun 14 Jun 2009 19:15
Little things you... miss? - Bilboman
I could probably write a list of 100 little features which I've found on some cars I've owned or travelled in over the years, which are now almost forgotten. Nothing earth-shatteringly revolutionary or particularly hi-tech; just a few little features which for some reason made the daily ritual of driving that little bit more agreeable...
Half a dozen to start the ball rolling...
1. Little green tell tale light on the end of the indicator (Leyland 1100/1300)
2. Felt-lined coin tray right where you can reach it (1970s Honda Accord)
3. Full size gloveboxes for both driver and passenger (Morris Minor)
4. Vinyl loops instead of grab handles for rear passengers of 2-door cars (VW Beetle and Golf up to Series III)
5. Opening/swivelling quarter lights.
6. Cubby hole above rear view mirror (1998 Vectra). Best place to keep spare glasses/sunglasses, really!
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Sun 14 Jun 2009 19:44
Little things you... miss? - Robin Reliant
An analogue clock thet could be set in two seconds by turning a little knob, as opposed to some stupid digital thing whose operating instructions run from pages 56 to 73 in the owners manual.

Edited by Robin Reliant on 14/06/2009 at 19:44

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Sun 14 Jun 2009 20:25
Little things you... miss? - bathtub tom
Foot operated dip switch.
Indicator stalk on the right.
Wing mirrors.
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Sun 14 Jun 2009 20:32
Little things you... miss? - Hoseman
The Horn Ring that was on my Hillman Super Minx 1963 model much better than modern cars.
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Sun 14 Jun 2009 20:38
Little things you... miss? - bell boy
a 17 year old girlfriend sat in the passenger seat :-(
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Sun 14 Jun 2009 20:51
Little things you... miss? - madf
"a 17 year old girlfriend sat in the passenger seat :-("

I preferred mine in the back seat :-)
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Mon 15 Jun 2009 11:45
Little things you... miss? - mrmender
a 17 year old girlfriend sat in the passenger seat :-(

At my time of life i would be made up if i could get a GF under 40 Y/O in the passenger seat :)
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Sun 14 Jun 2009 20:42
Little things you... miss? - madf
Read engine oil level on fuel gauge by pressing a button (Rover P4).

High geared driver's window winder: half turn to FULLY open/close window. (Rover 16).. (far quicker and better than electric windows..)


Gear lever mounted overdrive switch (Triumph 2.5PI) operated on 2,3,4.





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Sun 14 Jun 2009 20:42
Little things you... miss? - gmac
Centre tray in FIAT Coupe exactly the right width to work as a mobile phone cradle (for the era; Nokia 3650 a.k.a. the enormous brick). Phone sat perched above the centre console at just the right hight and angle for the plug in and with bluetooth just the right angle to see the screen who was calling.

Edited by gmac on 14/06/2009 at 20:42

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Sun 14 Jun 2009 20:47
Little things you... miss? - rtj70
>. Centre tray in FIAT Coupe exactly the right width to work as a mobile phone cradle (for the >> era

My phone in the era of the FIAT Coupe did not have Bluetooth! :-) But I first sat in a FIAT Coupe in 1997. I don't think Bluetooth was even invented then.

Edited by rtj70 on 14/06/2009 at 20:48

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Sun 14 Jun 2009 20:54
Little things you... miss? - gmac
Bought my FIAT in April or May 2000 at fourteen months old (first sat in an N reg in 1996 but family restrictions stopped me buying one). Bought the phone in 2002. Ah ! modern history...
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Mon 15 Jun 2009 13:01
Little things you... miss? - oldnotbold
"The Bluetooth specification was developed in 1994 by Jaap Haartsen and Sven Mattisson, who were working for Ericsson Mobile Platforms in Lund, Sweden."

From Wiki
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Mon 15 Jun 2009 13:09
Little things you... miss? - Altea Ego
"The Bluetooth specification was developed in 1994 by Jaap Haartsen and Sven Mattisson who were
working for Ericsson Mobile Platforms in Lund Sweden."


And I think first appeared in an Ericson T36 around the end of 2000,
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Sun 14 Jun 2009 22:24
Little things you... miss? - Avant
Sadly - and quite needlessly - in a few years' time a thread like this may contain things we miss like:

- the starter operated by a further turn of the ignition key
- a full-size spare wheel
- a proper mechanical handbrake between the front seats
- an indicator switch that stays where you move it and self-cancels after the manoeuvre.

The vast majority of us prefer to keep these as they are: there's nothing wrong with change but it must constitute an improvement. I can't think why manufacturers won't listen - at least to the extent of allowing them as no-cost options.

Edited by Avant on 14/06/2009 at 22:25

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Mon 15 Jun 2009 03:58
Little things you... miss? - Pizza man
2. Felt-lined coin tray right where you can reach it (1970s Honda Accord)


1995 lexus LS400 mk3 and 2000 Seat cordoba both have this i keep change for tolls in mine :)
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Mon 15 Jun 2009 09:26
Little things you... miss? - Happy Blue!
An automatic gearbox gear tell-tale in the dash as well as on the selector. I hate having to look down to see what gear I have moved the lever to.

External temp gauge.

Interior lights at the front of the car that come on when you open the doors (take note Subaru!).

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Mon 15 Jun 2009 09:59
Little things you... miss? - Altea Ego
An automatic gearbox gear tell-tale in the dash as well as on the selector. I
hate having to look down to see what gear I have moved the lever to.


would you look at the gear lever when changing gear on a manual?
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Mon 15 Jun 2009 11:37
Little things you... miss? - Happy Blue!
No - but in a manual you have little risk of dropping into neutral without wanting to. In an auto, you want to move the selector into Drive from Park, but sometimes in cars with simple straight line housings and detent buttons, you go into 2 or 3 instead without realising unless you look at the lever or see it on the dash. If you then move the lever up it is possible to get neutral and not drive and therefore send the revs up too high. Worse would be to get Reverse and then destroy the box.
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Mon 15 Jun 2009 12:00
Little things you... miss? - Altea Ego
No - but in a manual you have little risk of dropping into neutral without
wanting to.


Never had that problem, specially with the straight gate. The feedback of the stick as it moves through options and the interlock button needing to be pushed to get into certain options always made it feel intuitive and just like stiring a manual.

Never had to look at it,

flappy paddles, now that a different ball game, you need visual feedback for that at times,
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Mon 15 Jun 2009 13:24
Little things you... miss? - Old Navy
A friend who only drives automatics pulls the lever right back from park with the button pressed and then releses the button and moves the lever forward to the stop(drive). Not being an auto driver is this an OK procedure?

Edited by Old Navy on 15/06/2009 at 13:25

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Mon 15 Jun 2009 19:34
Little things you... miss? - Happy Blue!
Yes - it doesn't matter how you move the lever. However some cars do not have a detent between D and N permitting inadvertent movement from D to N thereby overrevving the engine.
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Mon 15 Jun 2009 09:59
Little things you... miss? - madf
Even my Yaris has an external temperature gauge...
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Mon 15 Jun 2009 11:26
Little things you... miss? - NARU
I miss...

Heater that blows hot within 500 yards (Triumph 1500 FWD)
Heated Windcreen (Various Mondeos)
Sound of the engine (Stag)

I don't miss ...
Overheating on a hot day (mini)
Breaking down whenever it rains (mini again, though I did eventually solve it)
Strange handling on corners (Maxi)
The nose pointing to the sky when the boot was loaded (Maxi again)
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Mon 15 Jun 2009 12:09
Little things you... miss? - OldSock

DIRAVI self-centreing speed-sensitive power steering from the Citroën CX (and SM).

Made wonderful 'slurping' sounds in operation, and made every contemporary steering system seem stoneage by comparison.
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Mon 15 Jun 2009 12:39
Little things you... miss? - El Hacko
deep windows especially rear screen for proper vision (e.g. Honda Civic positively dangerous from that aspect)
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Mon 15 Jun 2009 12:44
Little things you... miss? - David Horn
I just missed a small child once. s'pose that counts.
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Mon 15 Jun 2009 17:08
Little things you... miss? - redviper
The Big red Hazard Switch Button in the centre console between the front seats of my Mk1 Laguna

It looked brilliant as it glowed bright red, at night when the lights where on, and when asked you could say it was the Ejector Seat Button

I thought it looked Brilliant, and was in a really handy place i thought anyway.
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Mon 15 Jun 2009 19:59
Little things you... miss? - Dynamic Dave
I miss the kerb lights that my Vectra-B had on the doors. I actually renamed them something else - dog poo lights. Handy for seeing those little (and sometimes big) gifts that dogs occasionally leave on the pavement when its dark.

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 15/06/2009 at 20:04

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Mon 15 Jun 2009 21:22
Little things you... miss? - zookeeper
not missed but remembered, a starter button in the engine bay ,
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Mon 15 Jun 2009 22:17
Little things you... miss? - madux
Folding pic-nic tables in the mkII Jag.
Real walnut veneer in anything cheaper than a Roller.
Petrol at 10 bob a gallon.
My Guzzi 850T3 - Suppose that is quite a big thing, really.......
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