Rarely seen factory fitted optional extras

[gibbo37]

Remote parking heater in my VW Touareg- seems absolutely pointless until the depths of winter when you climb in to a warm car and drive away without having to scrape the windows, I love it...

[The Mad Monk]

f1nn said:

HTP99 said:

I've seen many a Volvo with these.

Actually, that looks like such a simple solution, it's a wonder more manufacturers don't include some thing similar.

What - simpler than this?

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3...

[The Mad Monk]

housen said:

one leather steering column ...now thats gotta be rare on a 911 as a option

Surely a leather steering column would flex too much?

[X5TUU]

mp3manager said:

Baseball stitching on the Audi TT. Mike Brewer said on TV it was rare, so it must be true.

Not particularly rare but was rare enough to secure a proper negotiated price for my TT when it was written off as there was no other TT for sale in the UK with that interior at the time, so they had nothing to compare their prices to, but I had a handful of recently sold ads from vapid outlets PDFd as examples to lend them lol

[RobM77]

My E90 3 series has a tow bar that extends and retracts at the push of a button; it's really handy, but I've never seen it on another secondhand 3 series.

[egomeister]

mp3manager said:

Baseball stitching on the Audi TT. Mike Brewer said on TV it was rare, so it must be true.

There must be a reason that's rare, but I just can't put my finger on it...

[Grunt Futtock]

gibbo37 said:

Remote parking heater in my VW Touareg- seems absolutely pointless until the depths of winter when you climb in to a warm car and drive away without having to scrape the windows, I love it...

I saw mention of this in my V70 manual but never seen it specced. Looks like it can be retrofitted to P3 V70s (2007 onward) and integrates with a phone app so you can choose to pre-heat your car. Must be more common in Sweden!

[HTP99]

egomeister said:

mp3manager said:

Baseball stitching on the Audi TT. Mike Brewer said on TV it was rare, so it must be true.

There must be a reason that's rare, but I just can't put my finger on it...

I'll give you a clue; it looks bloody awful!

[Jimmy Recard]

Grunt Futtock said:

I saw mention of this in my V70 manual but never seen it specced. Looks like it can be retrofitted to P3 V70s (2007 onward) and integrates with a phone app so you can choose to pre-heat your car. Must be more common in Sweden!

Diesel L322 Range Rovers had it as an option (my dad had one). It even had a Volvo remote fob to activate it.

[james_tigerwoods]

I think you can get it more often now, but my Saab 9-3 (57 plate) Vector "Sport" has dimming wing mirrors which is quite handy

[Hugh Jarse]

The Mad Monk said:

f1nn said:

HTP99 said:

I've seen many a Volvo with these.

Actually, that looks like such a simple solution, it's a wonder more manufacturers don't include some thing similar.

What - simpler than this?

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3...

Integrated to the seat is safer, less chance for submarining or sliding. The argos one is fine though.
They reduce the squab thickness to a few mm once someone is sitting there, i.e. blooming uncomfortable, thats why they are usually now in the centre position.

[MaximumJed]

Hugh Jarse said:

The Mad Monk said:

f1nn said:

HTP99 said:

I've seen many a Volvo with these.

Actually, that looks like such a simple solution, it's a wonder more manufacturers don't include some thing similar.

What - simpler than this?

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3...

Integrated to the seat is safer, less chance for submarining or sliding. The argos one is fine though.
They reduce the squab thickness to a few mm once someone is sitting there, i.e. blooming uncomfortable, thats why they are usually now in the centre position.

We saw these on an E39 M5, initially thought it was brilliant, but even after a 10 minute test ride the people in the back were complaining at how uncomfortable the seats were.

[hondansx]

paralla said:

housen said:

any way ill add that one leather steering column ...now thats gotta be rare on a 911 as a option

Love my leather covered steering column, inner door sills and backlit illuminated carbon door sills. The steering column is actually one of the better value bang for your buck XXX covered in leather options from Porsche since its right in front of you and it has the all important coloured stitching. It's not really about the leather, deviated stitching is king.

Nice. Collectively, the little things like that all add up to make it feel a lot more of an event when stepping inside!

I would have one for alcantara though! Assuming that is an option.

[rodericb]

Buster73 said:

Velour upholstery in an A4 Avant , mine had it fitted for some reason , when it came to px the salesman who checked the car over reckoned he'd never seen another A4 fitted with it.

Funnily enough I've seen a picture of my old car on here a few years ago and I sold it in 2000 and someone up the thread mentioned Hartwell VW in Birmingham , well this car came from Hartwell Audi next door., coincidences eh ?

Velour is (was?) the premium seat covering in Japan. I think part of the reason that they don't like the smell of leather.

[Podie]

Fabia vRS Mk1 - leather (on non-SE cars) and sat nav

Mondeo ST220 - heated rear seats

[paralla]

hondansx said:

I would have one for alcantara though! Assuming that is an option.

Alcantara not an option for the steering column but it is for the sun visors, I got them to match the alcantara headlining.

[LeighW]

Amongst the £7k of options that the first owner of my Jag added was a compass(!) in the rear view mirror. £80.

[HTP99]

paralla said:

FiF said:

Never encountered heated rear seats in anything that I'd call normal vehicles. I'm sure they'll be common in large luxury saloons like S class etc.

I once had heated leather rear seats it in a Hyundai Tucson (Disclaimer, the car was given to me by my company, I didn't choose it)

Just remembered; I took in a Hyundai ix35 as a part exchange earlier on in the year, that had heated rear seats, I'd never seen them before and it wasn't a particularly high spec model either.

[Jimmy Recard]

LeighW said:

Amongst the £7k of options that the first owner of my Jag added was a compass(!) in the rear view mirror. £80.

Did you buy it from Ray Mears?

[LeighW]

Jimmy Recard said:

LeighW said:

Amongst the £7k of options that the first owner of my Jag added was a compass(!) in the rear view mirror. £80.

Did you buy it from Ray Mears?

No. A retired accountant. From Watford.