Most pointless features in a car

[HDi fun]

What do you think are the most pointless (or least worthy) features in a car. It doesn't have to be your own car, just a feature that you think should be deleted and never even offered as an option on any car.

I'll start with cup holders. Why the hell were these things so revered? They are useless, pointless and needless.

Secondly, specific sunglasses compartments. My Laguna had this stupid feature. Why? Surely if you need to be wearing the things then why wait until you're in the car to don them?

Thirdly, sunroofs. Manual or electric. Pointless. They rob headroom. They are noisy when open, many are not properly sealed when closed and create a potential water ingress problem which results in mould or corrosion.

What are your pet dislikes?

 

[lutonmatt]

i dont like sunroofs

sunglass holders are only good if you have normal glasses if you have a pair of oakleys they dont fit anywere

 

[obi_waynne]

The arm rest in Audis costs about £170. With it down it is impossible to engage the hand brake and changing gear is pretty hard. So effectively it is only applicable on long cruises where you won't need to do either of those things.

Rear parking sensors! DOH you've really got me going. When these things work which in my experience is never the beeps are really irritating, surely a camera would be a better fix.

There is another option which stops the car rolling backwards on hills? Isn't that a skill we are supposed to learn in our tests? What happens when someone who actually needs this options jumps into an ordinary car?

Brakes! Who needs these things? Not me!?? Um I'm getting a bit carried away here aren't I.

 

[stamford]

On having a hire car whilst my Discovery was being repaired I had a VW 4x4 of some descripton, not the toerag, the smaller one..............anyway it had this daft switch of a handbrake, not the conventional one................why? It also had storage areas by the sides of the seat, which you couldn't reach, perhaps they were there to catch the overspill from our pockets?

 

[herb]

digital climate control what is the point!!! give me the old twisting knobs any day!

panoramic windscreens i really cant see a point in these!!!

hids or any ultra bright bulb (lamp for you paul) imho if you need to brighten up the road to see properly you should get your eyes tested!

the running lights you are seeing appear on all sorts of cars they looked gash imo on the audi's and look even worse on everything else im seeing out there!

 

[ronniecalcutta]

Brakes! Who needs these things? Not me!?? Um I'm getting a bit carried away here aren't I.

HAHAHA ! Come to Calcutta and you'll know why it is needed...

 

[ronniecalcutta]

Mostly the sunroofs, Beige interior (I like Black) and the infra red night vision (most of the time they don't show objects which you can see in naked eye).

 

[Yugguy]

Actually I LOVE sunroofs and I'll tell you why. They let you have warm air round your feet and cool air round your head. Way back in the mid 90s I had a Rover 216 and it had console air vents that could be set to feed directly from the outside. Superb in winter as again I could have warm feet and a cool head.

4x4 capabilities in 'crossover' cars. In fact crossover cars in general. Oh, and the Audi A5.

 

[HDi fun]

Actually I LOVE sunroofs and I'll tell you why. They let you have warm air round your feet and cool air round your head. Way back in the mid 90s I had a Rover 216 and it had console air vents that could be set to feed directly from the outside. Superb in winter as again I could have warm feet and a cool head.

4x4 capabilities in 'crossover' cars. In fact crossover cars in general. Oh, and the Audi A5.

I remember those Rovers. I had a basic 214Si on loan and that, too, had superb ventilation.

I still cannot see, though, how some people consider a sunroof to be a viable alternative to A/C.

That's like saying that you don't need a fridge in your kitchen because the windows can be opened.

 

[dpsubaru]

parking sensors, extremely annoying and they just seem to beep at anything - the Mondeo is a nightmare with this - the sensors start beeping about 1 metre from the edge and then crescendo into the high pitched wail when you still have anough space to park a bus in.

 

[HDi fun]

parking sensors, extremely annoying and they just seem to beep at anything - the Mondeo is a nightmare with this - the sensors start beeping about 1 metre from the edge and then crescendo into the high pitched wail when you still have anough space to park a bus in.

Yes, I 've got those too. They kick off like a bunch of spoilt children if they get dirty.

 

[Yugguy]

I remember those Rovers. I had a basic 214Si on loan and that, too, had superb ventilation.

I still cannot see, though, how some people consider a sunroof to be a viable alternative to A/C.

That's like saying that you don't need a fridge in your kitchen because the windows can be opened.

It's a bit different - AC tends to dry you out, plus it's airless, at least I find it so. I like a bit of fresh air. Even in winter I have the windows open a bit and hot air on my feet.

Stamford, tell me about your ZS200 - a fettled 180 I'm guessing. I had a ZS180 you see and loved it.

 

[HDi fun]

It's a bit different - AC tends to dry you out, plus it's airless, at least I find it so. I like a bit of fresh air. Even in winter I have the windows open a bit and hot air on my feet.

It is drying but I can blend some outside fresh air with the climate controls.

Full A/C with recirc is stifling

 

[RobBentley]

Most useless feature....

"Forward Alert" on the Range Rover. If you enable it, it basically uses the Cruise Control rader, but when cruise isn't activated to warn you if your approaching the car in front too quickly. It then gives you a little "bleep bleep" and flashes "Driver Intervene" on the trip computer display.

The fact is... if I haven't noticed the car in front has stopped by the time "Forward Alert" has decided to beep at me, I really shouldn't be driving and I am pretty convinced I'd have plowed into the car in front by the time you've figure out what is beeping.

 

[HDi fun]

That's why MB has the active cruise control setup which will apply the brakes for you in this situation.

 

[RobBentley]

That's why MB has the active cruise control setup which will apply the brakes for you in this situation.

Yeah, I have adaptive cruise.. and I love it, which will apply the brakes (etc). This is an entirely different feature activated by a button on the dashboard which basically says "alert me, but do nothing about it".

 

[Celtic Eagle]

Reversing sensors on anything less than a Tuck or Bus. If you can't reverse a car without them you shouldn't be driving IMHO. More of a distraction than a help

 

[Yugguy]

Yeah, I have adaptive cruise.. and I love it, which will apply the brakes (etc). .

Blimey, do you really trust it? I'd hate that control taken away from me.

 

[RobBentley]

Blimey, do you really trust it? I'd hate that control taken away from me.

I have been known to stand on the pedal a few times just as a natural reaction... but it does work, I can vouch for that. It just takes a bit of getting used to.

 

[Loz]

Automatic wipers/headlights, parking sensors & auto parking systems.

If you can't decide when to turn on your wipers or headlights you shouldn't be driving.

The parking sensors on the works van drive me up the wall & are not needed, even in a long wheel base van like mine.

Automatic parking systems make me laugh, the sort of person who may use them probably wouldn't know how to initiate the system in the first place.

 

[HDi fun]

Don't mind the auto wipers - last 2 cars have these but I could still live without them

 

[herb]

i 2 like the auto wipers not cause they start automatically
but cause they are great when the rain is is coming down and your wiper choice is either 2 quick or 2 slow

 

[HDi fun]

But BMW takes it too far by allowing me to adjust the sensitivity. Why not just use the more conventional variable delay intermittent system?

 

[herb]

i to can change the sensitivity on mine
my intermittent isnt variable

 

[Loz]

Okay fine, I'll let you have autowipers. :amuse:

 

[Yugguy]

I like autowiper sensitivity - mine will go faster if it suddenly deluges.

 

[HDi fun]

I like autowiper sensitivity - mine will go faster if it suddenly deluges.

I know - that's the whole idea really. But I'd happily swap the auto wipers for electric seats. Those I really do miss from the Peugeot

 

[a6george]

Vanity mirror on the drivers sun visor and vanity mirror with light ? on the driver visor.

 

[Yugguy]

Vanity mirror on the drivers sun visor and vanity mirror with light ? on the driver visor.

I've seen loads of lasses doing their makeup at traffic lights who'd disagree with you.

 

[HDi fun]

:embarrest: :embarrest: :embarrest: :embarrest:

I've seen loads of lasses doing their makeup at traffic lights who'd disagree with you.

 

[a6george]

I've seen loads of lasses doing their makeup at traffic lights who'd disagree with you.

as i said pointless

 

[aston]

Passenger seats and any door over one LOL, Stuntman Mike had it taped in Death Proof.
the most bizzare extras I have owned are sonic mirrors on a Lexus Soarer, You would press a button and the mirrors would vibrate the water off the mirrors. Auto seatbelts in my Merc SEC, Yankee style, when you sat in the car the seat belts are presented to you via a robot arm so you don't need to twist or look back and finally, Hand/Foot operated parking brake, a la Mercedes, (My SEC, E Class and C Class all had them) Makes Hill starts a pain, Do merc still use these?

 

[MustangMan]

built-in navigation systems. they usually suck, and even the good ones cost around $2000. just get the small portable ones. they're much better

iHATE iDRIVE ALSO

O and power seats people are so lazy these days

 

[HDi fun]

I really like power seats as they allow almost infinitely small adjustments to be made.

 

[Yugguy]

Sonic mirrors????

They would be SUPERB. Talk about bragging rights at the pub when someone's banging on about some minor little accessory, you drop in "sonic mirrors".

 

[Loz]

Sounds like something Dr Who would have on his car & when they broke he'd use his sonic screwdriver to fix them.

 

[HDi fun]

Sounds like something Dr Who would have on his car & when they broke he'd use his sonic screwdriver to fix them.

I want a sonic windscreen then to displace bird c*** and squashed flies. And a sonic rear seat to displace stroppy kids.

Sorry, that's called an ejector seat. So I suppose I'd better get used to the idea of a sunroof as well then!

 

[bigbadjoe]

The electronic indicator stalk things in the vaxhaul's. There was nothing wrong with the normal ones. When you drive one you spend most your life letting other drivers know you are going left, then right, then left again, then right, then you feel as though you have to turn off just to cancel the things.

Oh, and cruse controll. Yeah, everyone loves it, woooo hooooo, yeah its great. WHAT A LOAD OF POOO. Its for lazy drivers, and if your a lazy driver then there are big problems.

While im on one. Heated seats. WHY??????? Everytime I go in somones car who has heated seats, and they decide to turn them on without telling me, all I end up with is a sweaty crack. I hate these things.

Them wind screen wipers that start either end of the car, you know, like the new pugs have got. Why do this?? Now I know ill get someone like Glabus now telling me its to lighten the car, and statistics show that they give 3% move visability or some carp like that, but honestly ??? What was wrong with the NORMAL way?

 

[Jagz]

Auto wipers :blink:

It's the random wipe you get on a bright sunny day!...Haven't had rain for a week and suddenly off they go leaving half the wiper blade behind because it has stuck to the screen and then the wiper arm scratches its way across your screen.

If you can't tell it's raining or too lazy to lift an index finger to switch them on you need castrating :???:

 

[turbonutter69]

I don't like the running lights. Seriously what is the point?
Auto lights are pretty pointless too.