Annoying but unimportant features on cars
Discussion
My SMG Z4 screeches at you for 10 seconds with an ear-piercing beep when you put it in neutral and switch off the ignition (which is what you're supposed to do). Leave it in D or R and switch off the ignition then slide it into neutral (naughty - not supposed to do this according to the handbook) - no noise and you get to walk away with your hearing.
It also has a annoying US-style bleep-bleep when you use the central locking.
It also has a annoying US-style bleep-bleep when you use the central locking.
Had a Nissan Juke higher car for day trip to Southampton (500mile round trip from Liverpool) and it occasionally beeped, for a reason still no yet known.
Sometimes it would do an hour before beeping again, other times a few times in a minute or so, each time just one singular beep noise.
Passenger did a reasonable amount of googling about it, and when I handed the back I mentioned it to them, but still very much non the wiser!
Sometimes it would do an hour before beeping again, other times a few times in a minute or so, each time just one singular beep noise.
Passenger did a reasonable amount of googling about it, and when I handed the back I mentioned it to them, but still very much non the wiser!
dhutch said:
Had a Nissan Juke higher car for day trip to Southampton (500mile round trip from Liverpool) and it occasionally beeped, for a reason still no yet known.
Sometimes it would do an hour before beeping again, other times a few times in a minute or so, each time just one singular beep noise.
Passenger did a reasonable amount of googling about it, and when I handed the back I mentioned it to them, but still very much non the wiser!
When I first got my V40 it would chime occasionally. Turned out that even though the SatNav was off with a blank screen and no route set it was alerting me to speed cameras. Sometimes it would do an hour before beeping again, other times a few times in a minute or so, each time just one singular beep noise.
Passenger did a reasonable amount of googling about it, and when I handed the back I mentioned it to them, but still very much non the wiser!
RobM77 said:
otolith said:
RobM77 said:
xactly my point. What's the point of the three flashes mode? Indicators should be switched on before a manoeuvre, with sufficient warning for others to know what you're aiming to do next, and then left on during the manoeuvre. Almost always that means more than three flashes, so what's the point of three flashes? I can't think of any sequence that can be safely completed within the time three flashes gives you.
Typically, before the exit of a small-ish roundabout.The one touch 3 flashes is pretty much the ideal duration for indicating to leave a roundabout.
carlove said:
mrbarnett said:
In my XK, the front parking sensors are usually more bother than they're worth, going off in traffic or when reversing in a tight space. Combined with the rear sensors (which are much more useful, as they only come on when going backwards), the cabin becomes a symphony of bongs and beeps.
The XK is of the generation of luxury car where almost all non-driving controls are buried in a touch screen (covered already here - looks cool but needs a co-pilot to use safely when driving), yet Jaguar chose to fit a real button to turn the front sensors off. Somehow I get the feeling this was added late into development with some resignation.
I agree about front parking sensors, never had them in my own car but was in a Renault Captur hire car and reversing into my driveway was really annoying, as they were beeping constantly even though I was nowhere near the gates, but it was really off putting, luckily found the button to turn it off. Annoyingly though I found the rear sensors quite useful as it's quite a tall car (also had a camera) but switching the front off turned the back off as well.The XK is of the generation of luxury car where almost all non-driving controls are buried in a touch screen (covered already here - looks cool but needs a co-pilot to use safely when driving), yet Jaguar chose to fit a real button to turn the front sensors off. Somehow I get the feeling this was added late into development with some resignation.
ian_uk1975 said:
Scrolling indicators.
Serve absolutely no purpose, except making them cripplingly expensive to fix when the ECU controlling them goes bang.
PS. Also totally agree about the 3-flashes thing that most cars do when nudging the indicator stalk. I typically use 5-7 flashes for most lane-change manoeuvres.
First seen on an early 60's Ford Thunderbird I believe.Serve absolutely no purpose, except making them cripplingly expensive to fix when the ECU controlling them goes bang.
PS. Also totally agree about the 3-flashes thing that most cars do when nudging the indicator stalk. I typically use 5-7 flashes for most lane-change manoeuvres.
acme said:
Not sure if it's been mentioned, keyless go/entry. A solution to a problem we didn't have.
Just got my first car with it, no choice unfortunately on the specific model, total pain.
What was wrong with a button and a key, I even remember when you had to unlock a car with an actual key!
I really like it. Would find it hard to go back to a car without it. Just got my first car with it, no choice unfortunately on the specific model, total pain.
What was wrong with a button and a key, I even remember when you had to unlock a car with an actual key!
RicksAlfas said:
acme said:
Not sure if it's been mentioned, keyless go/entry. A solution to a problem we didn't have.
Just got my first car with it, no choice unfortunately on the specific model, total pain.
What was wrong with a button and a key, I even remember when you had to unlock a car with an actual key!
I really like it. Would find it hard to go back to a car without it. Just got my first car with it, no choice unfortunately on the specific model, total pain.
What was wrong with a button and a key, I even remember when you had to unlock a car with an actual key!
acme said:
Not sure if it's been mentioned, keyless go/entry. A solution to a problem we didn't have.
Just got my first car with it, no choice unfortunately on the specific model, total pain.
What was wrong with a button and a key, I even remember when you had to unlock a car with an actual key!
I find it handy, especially if you have both hands full of shopping bags.Just got my first car with it, no choice unfortunately on the specific model, total pain.
What was wrong with a button and a key, I even remember when you had to unlock a car with an actual key!
RicksAlfas said:
I really like it. Would find it hard to go back to a car without it.
Genuine question, why? This is not the usual PH trolling nonsense. My issue is that due to theft I can’t keep the key near the front door, have to put it in a faraday pouch & need to use a crook lock, which I did 20 years ago when I first started driving.
Then if the keys on the bunch with the rest in the garage lock I can’t lock the car as it’s a metre away. Then when in the car the bunch of keys slide around rather than hang off the ignition. Plus I love the mechanical element of turning the car over. For me it’s a PITA.
thebigmacmoomin said:
I find it handy, especially if you have both hands full of shopping bags.
The Renault hire car I had recently had it, and first time I've used it, I quite liked it, only issue being a very awkward shaped key. The only redeeming feature the captur actually had, I actually gave the car back, that was more due to the mix of uncomfortable seats and doing high miles.
Slow said:
Basically every car does this now. So damn annoying when im just going down my driveway to put the bins out, or to the yard to grab something. I highly doubt im going to be needing my seatbelt at 20/25 mph on my driveway....
If I was doing 25mph down my drive I'd definitely need a seatbelt, haha!Mike335i said:
Speaking of Hyundai, they have a blue light to indicate doors are locked on some of them. Just a terrible idea and very distracting at night.
I have an i30. It has a blue screen for the radio. Most of the time I don't notice it. But on quiet motorways at night it can be very distracting, and shines in the upper part of the windscreen. I tried switching the radio off, but the blue screen remains, just without the radio frequency listed on it.Using the dim instrument lights control doesn't help much, because if you get the blue screen to a comfortable brightness, it has dimmed the speedo and instrument cluster to such an extent you can't see it.
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