Pointless OEM Features on Cars

[Silent1]

The original Mini Cooper S didn't have a bonnet scoop
But when they brought out the new supercharged one (R53), the top mounted intercooler required one, so they put a hole in the bonnet.

Then when they released the new turbocharged one (R56) they fitted a front mount intercooler thereby negating the bonnet hole requirement. Yet they still have one although it's now blocked off by a solid plastic fake grille.

The Sagaris is another, it had grills above the front wheels yet when they tested it the paint got hammered by stones, so they blocked them up leaving them in place, so they ended up on the production models as a sort of halfway house.

What is the point, is it so the proletariat know it's an expensive one?
and can anyone think of any others?

[007 VXR]

monaro scoop

[Silent1]

007 VXR said:

monaro scoop

That one? Really, i thought it fed something, although not something that needed that much air.

[Puddenchucker]

Aren't the quad exhaust tail pipe on the Lexus meant to be dummies?

[sebhaque]

The vents on the Mk2 ZS. Do absolutely nothing except look pretty.




As for other OEM features, I really hate the "after-wipe" you get on some cars - where you press the button/flick the lever to wash your windscreen, and then a few seconds after the wipers have stopped, er, wiping, they go a last time to ideally clear the beads of water that run down from the top of the screen.

Even more so annoying in the winter when you use the wash a lot to wipe salt off your screen, and the after wipe just succeeds in smearing it all over again.


I also don't like cars that haven't got a boot lever outside the car - incredibly annoying when I'm carrying some shopping and I have to either fanny with the key or open the door and pull the lever.


While I'm on my soapbox, I hate the "intelligent volume control" on some cars. The idea being that it raises the volume as you increase your speed to counter-act road noise. Completely forgetting the fact that the driver usually knows how fast they're going to be going and will have set the volume accordingly - so you either get deafened on the motorway or can't hear the music as you slow down again.

[MiniMan64]

BarryBoy as standard from the factory.

[Silent1]

sebhaque said:

While I'm on my soapbox, I hate the "intelligent volume control" on some cars. The idea being that it raises the volume as you increase your speed to counter-act road noise. Completely forgetting the fact that the driver usually knows how fast they're going to be going and will have set the volume accordingly - so you either get deafened on the motorway or can't hear the music as you slow down again.

All cars i've driven with that 'feature' have had a setting to adjust it/turn it off.
Saying that, most of them have also incorporated a microphone so it's not actually a problem.

[Remagel2507]

Silent1 said:

sebhaque said:

While I'm on my soapbox, I hate the "intelligent volume control" on some cars. The idea being that it raises the volume as you increase your speed to counter-act road noise. Completely forgetting the fact that the driver usually knows how fast they're going to be going and will have set the volume accordingly - so you either get deafened on the motorway or can't hear the music as you slow down again.

All cars i've driven with that 'feature' have had a setting to adjust it/turn it off.
Saying that, most of them have also incorporated a microphone so it's not actually a problem.

The one on the previous shape Ford Fiesta was the worst ended up driving without the radio it was that bad

[Twincam16]

Silent1 said:

sebhaque said:

While I'm on my soapbox, I hate the "intelligent volume control" on some cars. The idea being that it raises the volume as you increase your speed to counter-act road noise. Completely forgetting the fact that the driver usually knows how fast they're going to be going and will have set the volume accordingly - so you either get deafened on the motorway or can't hear the music as you slow down again.

All cars i've driven with that 'feature' have had a setting to adjust it/turn it off.
Saying that, most of them have also incorporated a microphone so it's not actually a problem.

I'm still waiting for a car stereo that allows you to listen to orchestral music properly. The Pixies and Nirvana might be known for their mastery of the quiet-quiet-LOUD structure, but classical music has passages that can be completely obliterated by road and engine noise, so you turn the stereo up to hear it, only to get your eardrums perforated when the loud brass-section bits come in.

[Blue Meanie]

Silent1 said:

007 VXR said:

monaro scoop

That one? Really, i thought it fed something, although not something that needed that much air.

I thought the GTO scoops were added for the US market? They never had them originally over here, then were added in 2005.. I could be wrong.

Edited by Blue Meanie on Friday 23 April 19:21

[gib6933]

Idrive! Just give me buttons, not something I have to take my eyes off the road to use!

[Silent1]

Blue Meanie said:

Silent1 said:

007 VXR said:

monaro scoop

That one? Really, i thought it fed something, although not something that needed that much air.

I thought the GTO scoops were added for the US market? They never had them originally over here, then were added in 2005.. I could be wrong.

Edited by Blue Meanie on Friday 23 April 19:21

That's an australian cv8 monaro, i've no idea about american ones.

[Twincam16]

gib6933 said:

Idrive! Just give me buttons, not something I have to take my eyes off the road to use!

I'm surprised they don't just have a mouse on the centre console, frankly.

Or a car where everything's set-up fine according to the way the engineers suggested in the first place.

The M-button, for example. You could say that until you press it, an M-car isn't an M-car. So why isn't it on all the time?

[Blue Meanie]

So is this...

[Jonny671]

Auto lights?
Auto wipers?
Keyless start?

We've done fine so far, why do we need these?

[Silent1]

Twincam16 said:

gib6933 said:

Idrive! Just give me buttons, not something I have to take my eyes off the road to use!

I'm surprised they don't just have a mouse on the centre console, frankly.

Or a car where everything's set-up fine according to the way the engineers suggested in the first place.

The M-button, for example. You could say that until you press it, an M-car isn't an M-car. So why isn't it on all the time?

Don't be silly, an M car isn't defined by it's performance.

Blue Meanie said:

So is this...

I bow down to your superior knowledge, i thought they were on all of them.

[balders118]

sebhaque said:

The vents on the Mk2 ZS. Do absolutely nothing except look pretty.




As for other OEM features, I really hate the "after-wipe" you get on some cars - where you press the button/flick the lever to wash your windscreen, and then a few seconds after the wipers have stopped, er, wiping, they go a last time to ideally clear the beads of water that run down from the top of the screen.

Even more so annoying in the winter when you use the wash a lot to wipe salt off your screen, and the after wipe just succeeds in smearing it all over again.


I also don't like cars that haven't got a boot lever outside the car - incredibly annoying when I'm carrying some shopping and I have to either fanny with the key or open the door and pull the lever.


While I'm on my soapbox, I hate the "intelligent volume control" on some cars. The idea being that it raises the volume as you increase your speed to counter-act road noise. Completely forgetting the fact that the driver usually knows how fast they're going to be going and will have set the volume accordingly - so you either get deafened on the motorway or can't hear the music as you slow down again.

In contrast I quite like the "after wipe" feature.. When driving a car without it I always found myself giving a quick flick of the wipers a few seconds after they stopped wipping, only to have this brilliant hassle saving feautre fitted on the car I bought after! fantastic!

[Blib]

Jonny671 said:

Auto lights?
Auto wipers?
Keyless start?

We've done fine so far, why do we need these?

IMO, auto lights and auto wipers are "A Good Thing".

[Silent1]

Blib said:

Jonny671 said:

Auto lights?
Auto wipers?
Keyless start?

We've done fine so far, why do we need these?

IMO, auto lights and auto wipers are "A Good Thing".

They're also not pointless as they do something.

[Jonny671]

Blib said:

Jonny671 said:

Auto lights?
Auto wipers?
Keyless start?

We've done fine so far, why do we need these?

IMO, auto lights and auto wipers are "A Good Thing".

Why?