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What Automotive Features Do You Hate?


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How about LED taillights w/ a regular incandescent bulb in the HCMSL, or vice-versa (although the latter is less annoying than the former).

 

Yes, Ford is one of the worst offenders, particularly on Lincoln. I think the CHSML used in the Fusion/Milan/MKZ wouldn't be suitable on a Chinese car, it's so cheap. I can't believe the Fusion gets to loose it but the MKZ keeps it, gah!

 

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the fender vents, or fake vents ;).

 

My biggest pet peeve are fake windows, like the one on the Cruze and Sebring.

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Yes, Ford is one of the worst offenders, particularly on Lincoln. I think the CHSML used in the Fusion/Milan/MKZ wouldn't be suitable on a Chinese car, it's so cheap. I can't believe the Fusion gets to loose it but the MKZ keeps it, gah!

 

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the fender vents, or fake vents ;).

 

My biggest pet peeve are fake windows, like the one on the Cruze and Sebring.

 

I was going to say fender vents....but I like them if they're integrated properly/go with the design well.

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I was going to say fender vents....but I like them if they're integrated properly/go with the design well.

 

Me too, like them on the new Taurus for example.

 

I would also say that the Auto Highbeams are a feature that doesn't seem to work well and people think I'm flashing them :)

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1. DRLs. I know some folks here like the idea, but I never did, and never will.

2. Speed-Compensating Volume Control on stereos. Some automakers' systems outright suck!

 

 

Your Turn!

 

 

I don't like how Chrylser puts volume (and other) controls on the back of the steering wheel in some models.

 

 

Both of those for sure. I didnt even notice the controls on the new Caravan until the last day i had it. (had a rental the other week)

 

I HATE Honda's floor mounted gas door and trunk release. Ive hit it too many times uninentionally.

 

HATE the trunk release in the glovebox of lots of 90s Fords.

 

HATE the LED "look" tail lamps on lots of cars made in the last few years. Ford does it too on the F150 i think. The reflectors are designed to look like la bunch of LEDs when the standard bulb is lit. FAIL

 

Daytime running lights really piss me off.

 

OH one more!

 

i also seriously despise the Honda instrument cluster gear shift selector light thingy. USELESS and ANNOYING to stare at.

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Both of those for sure. I didnt even notice the controls on the new Caravan until the last day i had it. (had a rental the other week)

 

I HATE Honda's floor mounted gas door and trunk release. Ive hit it too many times uninentionally.

 

HATE the trunk release in the glovebox of lots of 90s Fords.

 

HATE the LED "look" tail lamps on lots of cars made in the last few years. Ford does it too on the F150 i think. The reflectors are designed to look like la bunch of LEDs when the standard bulb is lit. FAIL

 

Daytime running lights really piss me off.

 

OH one more!

 

i also seriously despise the Honda instrument cluster gear shift selector light thingy. USELESS and ANNOYING to stare at.

 

Toyotas have that floor-mounted gas/trunk release too - must be a Japanese thing. I hate it too.

 

I'm not sure how I feel about the "LED look" taillights. Sometimes it can look ok, but IMO, why not just put LEDs.

 

I hate the apparent aversion to LED bulbs on trucks....blatant example - the Caddy EXT, it uses almost the same taillight assembly as the regular and ESV Escalades, yet it's as sixt9coug said, regular bulbs made to look like LEDs.

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and one for you RMC

 

HATE the BMW fuel economy gauge lol

 

anything in particular about it?

 

EDIT: sorry, just noticed the word "economy" was in there.....I had read it before as "fuel gauge" somehow missing "economy"

 

Yeah, I hate that thing too, but thankfully, ours doesn't have it (removed by one of the packages we have). It would drive the heck out of me watching that thing go all over the place for every little tap/release of the gas.

Edited by rmc523
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Rain sensing wipers. i like to think people are not that retarded

 

Stalk controls for anything other than turn signals and lights. This includes gear selector, horn, CC, ANYTHING ELSE

 

Centerline mounted exhaust. I don't want to look at a car with an exposed Anus, I'm not that guy.

 

Audi's eyeliner lights.

 

Non-functional spoilers and ugly functional spoilers.

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On my 2002 Taurus I don't like the wiper switch on end of turn signal stalk whereby you have to take your hand off of wheel, then twist the end of it. I prefer the wiper stalk to right like the Focus whereby you just use it like turn signal up and down.

 

Also, the rear opening off trunk when rear seats are down could be bigger so that bulkier items would fit better. Also with trunk, don't like how the ends of the trunk hinge protrude and crush your stuff in trunk. I use my trunk a lot and it could be better designed. My bike will fit in trunk ok, but I have to take front wheel off to make it fit decently.

 

So I have very few complaints, but would like better wiper control and bigger opening between trunk and rear seats and no protruding hinges.

 

One feature all vehicles should have are headlights that turn in tight turns as the blind spots on dark streets during turns drive me crazy. As you get older, it becomes more annoying.

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Rain sensing wipers. i like to think people are not that retarded

 

How about rain sensing wipers that you have to turn on? BMW's work like that, not sure if others operate like that, but I think it almost defeats the purpose to have to turn them on every time you enter the vehicle.

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I HATE the Climate Control in my wife's 2003 4Skinner, sorry I mean 4Runner. The controls are unnecessarily complicated to use and the A/C is always turning itself on. Just give me simple knobs to turn so I can focus on the road while dodging the morons busy yapping and texting each other.

 

At first glance the controls look fairly simple but just try using them while driving.

 

227354595.jpg

Edited by Paul Selby
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1. I loathe iDrive.

2. unlit buttons for night-time driving (Toyota, Honda the biggest offenders).

3. Console mounted window buttons (3-series, PTCruiser, Saturn L300).

 

As for my car, and probably some other current Fords...Everytime I enter my vehicle and start, it's a ritual...I gotta press the "I Agree" button on the Navi system, click the Recirculation button on the A/C because it resets each time, and turn on the A/C cooled seats for my passenger, and I. Couldn't they just remember this, and not have it reset ? It feels like I'm commanding a battleship Urrgggg

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1. I loathe iDrive.

2. unlit buttons for night-time driving (Toyota, Honda the biggest offenders).

3. Console mounted window buttons (3-series, PTCruiser, Saturn L300).

 

As for my car, and probably some other current Fords...Everytime I enter my vehicle and start, it's a ritual...I gotta press the "I Agree" button on the Navi system, click the Recirculation button on the A/C because it resets each time, and turn on the A/C cooled seats for my passenger, and I. Couldn't they just remember this, and not have it reset ? It feels like I'm commanding a battleship Urrgggg

 

iDrive isn't that bad, IMO, but sometimes annoying....the new system is supposedly a lot easier to use than past systems as well, I do prefer a touchscreen though.

 

and BMW has thankfully moved away from the console-mounted window buttons, I believe all their models have the buttons on the door now. They still have the unlock/lock button up on the dash under the hazard button though.

 

With Ford's new nav system, the "I agree" prompt doesn't go on until you actually try to enter a destination - it doesn't display at startup like it used to. The recirculation feature now thankfully is remembered. The seat controls aren't though. And I still don't know why Flex doesn't have A/C seats. :angry:

Edited by rmc523
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OOOOOOOO!

 

i also HATE, positively LOATHE, German door locks:

 

Mercedes door locks look just like they did on my parent's 72 Galaxie 500. But you can't push them down to lock the door.

 

Despite giving all the appearance of manual operation, they cannot be operated manually (at least not in my experience. Maybe I wasn't doing it right. After all, I was just pushing them down---knowing MB's engineers, I probably also needed to be pulling on something else or pushing a button somewhere else).

 

VW door locks--try locking a VW sometime without the key fob. Just try it. Know what? You can't do it from the driver's door.

 

You can't lock the driver's door by pushing down the spindle, and if you hit the central lock button with the driver's door open it will not lock that door.

 

Curiously, if you hit the central lock button with any other door open it will lock that door.

 

===NB: Fords do this as well, but only when the car's running, and even then you can still push down the spindle to lock the door===

 

And then there's BMW, which works just like VW.

Edited by RichardJensen
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OOOOOOOO!

 

i also HATE, positively LOATHE, German door locks:

 

Mercedes door locks look just like they did on my parent's 72 Galaxie 500. But you can't push them down to lock the door.

 

Despite giving all the appearance of manual operation, they cannot be operated manually (at least not in my experience. Maybe I wasn't doing it right. After all, I was just pushing them down---knowing MB's engineers, I probably also needed to be pulling on something else or pushing a button somewhere else).

 

VW door locks--try locking a VW sometime without the key fob. Just try it. Know what? You can't do it from the driver's door.

 

You can't lock the driver's door by pushing down the spindle, and if you hit the central lock button with the driver's door open it will not lock that door.

 

Curiously, if you hit the central lock button with any other door open it will lock that door.

 

===NB: Fords do this as well, but only when the car's running, and even then you can still push down the spindle to lock the door===

 

And then there's BMW, which works just like VW.

 

Hmm, I haven't really noticed that before, I'll have to see if ours does that.

 

I don't like how you have to double-pull to open the door if it's locked, unlike Ford cars, that'll unlock the door (front only) if you pull the door handle.

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Good thread. I'll run down my gripes for the current stable residents:

 

Digital Speedos Dunno why, never liked them. Digital speedos mounted cyclopically on a monolithic, millennium falcon-inspired dash board with a Playstation 2 color-scheme. It's the only thing I don't like about the Civic Coupe.....well, the rims on the EX model are pretty lame, too.

 

honda-dash.jpg

 

Sometimes, the dash tells me to do things.....yes, master.

 

The "gee, what gear should I be in" automatic transmission in my F150. Including the patented "thunk" you get when you get around 50-60 when it does finally pick a gear, only to jump ship at the drop of a hat. My father's F150 is the same way. Thank Christ for the new six-speeds.

 

The "Let's build a great off-road SUV, but forget about the little things" designers at Nissan when they made the Xterra. Want a sunroof on an 05' or better Xterra? Sorry, don't offer it. Why? Because they covered it up with the integrated roof-rack and wet-compartment storage. Ok, well my roof-rack better be pretty awesome to cost me a sunroof, right? How about those super-diameter roof tubes on it that don't work with a single after-market roof-rack system? I had to buy a Thule rack system with strap adapter crossbars. Soooooo...I have the Nissan huge diameter crossbars, which are useless, with the Thule adapter bars which work with everything. So yeah, I have 4 cross bars and 2 roof racks.

 

post-29423-1232689798_thumb.jpg

Edited by the_spaniard
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What the? Just replace the cap & rotor.

 

 

Apparently you have never seen a set of points Richard. What do think they did before electronic ignitions?

There was more to the distributor than the cap and rotor.

 

Cars did not always have a Hall Effect sensor with an armature to trigger the coil.

 

The breaker points had a fiber shoe that road on cam in side the distributor the cam opened the points and caused the voltage in the primary field of the coil to collapse thus generating the High Voltage low amperage out put on the secondary winding that is sent to the distributor cap and to the spark plugs. Points are simple and idiot proof. But require adjustment and lubrication every few thousand miles.

That was back in the era when you actually had tune ups. Adjust the breaker points adjust the carb ( idle air screws and idle settings High and Low) gap the plugs check the coolant level ( over flow bottles were not used then) and top off the battery's electrolyte. Tune ups today in the traditional sense are a thing of the past. (thank christ)

 

And I second the not able to open locked front doors with the interior door handle. That is just about my single biggest pet peeve.

 

 

 

 

The VW's and alot of the German stuff you can not lock the drivers door and then close it. You either have to lock it with the Key in the lock cylinder (pre fob era) Apparently they think that people are not smart enough to not lock their keys in the car. Use the fob or alternatively you can hold the door handle in the open position and then close the door that works as well. Either way it is a pain.

 

Single sided keys are anouther major pain like Chyco and GMC used to use.

 

Anouther one I do not not miss is the seat belt ignition interlock that was near mandated in the early 70's.

You could not start the car unless the drivers seat belt was buckled up. Fortunately it was easy to bypass.

 

The brake pedal interlock is anouther idiot safety feature that I could do with out. Nothing like having the interlock solenoid failing and end up being stranded. And of course that always happens at the most inconvenient time or in the middle of freaken no where.

 

Anouther one I hate is Auto locking doors when you drop it in drive I disable it in every vehicle I own.

 

Anouther is a separate stalk for the windshield wipers leave the damn things on the turn signal stalk where they belong. And leave the head lights on the dash. They are way easier to use on the dash than trying to fumble fuck with them on a stalk. Thanks Christ for auto lamps.

 

 

Matthew

Edited by matthewq4b
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2. unlit buttons for night-time driving (Toyota, Honda the biggest offenders).

3. Console mounted window buttons (3-series, PTCruiser, Saturn L300).

 

AMEN, why oh why does my Sienna have HALF the buttons lit at night and the other half without lights... AARRGGHHH!

 

Digital Speedos Dunno why, never liked them.

 

1. Ditto, choose either Analog or Digital, having both is annoying.

 

2. What I bemoan is the loss of bench seats in the front row of family cars.

Sometimes I think a souped up lowrider is more comfortable than modern tight little cars.

 

3. Also, why do some cars have power seat tilt/height & forward-rear but the seatback must be manual.... duh! Cheap!

 

4. Leather seats that aren't perforated.

 

5. Convertibles that come without integrated wind deflectors.

 

6. Car stereos that don't have USB ports for flash drives.

 

7. Cars that don't have homelink in their overhead consoles (the Sienna got that right)

 

BTW- The lights/signal/wipers & CC is just right on my Mustang.

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