Frustratingly daft pieces of design
Discussion
I'm replacing the clutch master cylinder on my Skoda, which is a bit of a fiddly, yoga-position job, to get my head in the footwell. Having dropped a 13mm nut (and it typically dropping down the back of the carpet >just< big enough for it, and not bouncing off the top and into the large and spacious footwell), I had to pull the footrest off to lift the carpet... I noticed Skoda (or rather VW, I expect it's the same) have decided to use two different types of clip to hold it in place - it's a frustrating enough job without having to get two tools for the same piece of trim...
There's millions of bits like this over the car, for example - the button that tells the car if the door is open, for the courtesy light - most cars have a simple button switch somewhere in the door shut. Not the Mk4 Golf based cars - it's hidden away, inside the door itself, connected to the latch mechanism. I've never had a normal one fail, but even if I did it's two quid and a thirty second job... and its a common failure on these cars.
Why do car companies do this? I'm sure it's not just VW-Audi, other car makers must do it as well?
There's millions of bits like this over the car, for example - the button that tells the car if the door is open, for the courtesy light - most cars have a simple button switch somewhere in the door shut. Not the Mk4 Golf based cars - it's hidden away, inside the door itself, connected to the latch mechanism. I've never had a normal one fail, but even if I did it's two quid and a thirty second job... and its a common failure on these cars.
Why do car companies do this? I'm sure it's not just VW-Audi, other car makers must do it as well?
I nominate some pillarless door frames, which need to drop the window in order that you may operate the door and which slot into the upper part of the door frame when closed.
When it gets cold, they ice up, the windows don't drop, so you end up not being able to open/shut the door properly, leading ultimatley to lots of annoying issues with electric window mechanisms and stuff.
It is beyond stupid
When it gets cold, they ice up, the windows don't drop, so you end up not being able to open/shut the door properly, leading ultimatley to lots of annoying issues with electric window mechanisms and stuff.
It is beyond stupid
The combined headlight/foglight switch which means you can't use the rear fogs without switching the front ones on as well. Why? There are plenty of situations where I might only want the rears on, why should I have to switch on the fronts too? Every other car I've had has managed to have seperate switches for fronts and rears, so why change it?
Also the little "Convenience" features built into the screen washers. You spray the screen and the wipers do one or two passes, no problem. But then it will wait a few seconds and then WIPE AGAIN, giving just enough time for some fresh grime to land on the screen and smear it everywhere
Also the little "Convenience" features built into the screen washers. You spray the screen and the wipers do one or two passes, no problem. But then it will wait a few seconds and then WIPE AGAIN, giving just enough time for some fresh grime to land on the screen and smear it everywhere
Ford Puma, can't open the tailgate in the rain without it flooding into the boot.
Merc Vito/Sprinter, the on/off button on the radio is exactly where your knuckle wants to be when changing into third.
Fiat Panda, where the SRC button is mounted on the steering wheel, I'm frequently pressing it accidentally, then having to press it several more times to cycle back to the station I was listening to.
Merc Vito/Sprinter, the on/off button on the radio is exactly where your knuckle wants to be when changing into third.
Fiat Panda, where the SRC button is mounted on the steering wheel, I'm frequently pressing it accidentally, then having to press it several more times to cycle back to the station I was listening to.
The light on the heater knob in the Alfa that tells me when the AC is on is too small. Can't see it when the sun's behind you. If you turn the AC off but then change the setting significantly, it tends to turn itself on again.
Only a small design niggle, and not the worst from Alfa by far, just one of the ones that really irritates me.
ETA:
One of the most annoying design things on ANY car is when they spec auto wind on leccy windows on the way down, but then you have to hold your finger on the switch for 'up'. Which is when I'm trying to drive away and need one hand on the wheel and the other to change from 1st to 2nd.
Fortunately the Alfa has Auto down on both sides, and Auto up on the drivers. Why they didn't just go the whole hog baffles me. It can't cost that much extra surely? Happily the MG just has winders and they only take 2 turns to drop completely.
Only a small design niggle, and not the worst from Alfa by far, just one of the ones that really irritates me.
ETA:
One of the most annoying design things on ANY car is when they spec auto wind on leccy windows on the way down, but then you have to hold your finger on the switch for 'up'. Which is when I'm trying to drive away and need one hand on the wheel and the other to change from 1st to 2nd.
Fortunately the Alfa has Auto down on both sides, and Auto up on the drivers. Why they didn't just go the whole hog baffles me. It can't cost that much extra surely? Happily the MG just has winders and they only take 2 turns to drop completely.
Edited by alfa pint on Thursday 9th December 11:47
pilchardthecat said:
I nominate some pillarless door frames, which need to drop the window in order that you may operate the door and which slot into the upper part of the door frame when closed.
When it gets cold, they ice up, the windows don't drop, so you end up not being able to open/shut the door properly, leading ultimatley to lots of annoying issues with electric window mechanisms and stuff.
It is beyond stupid
A friend of mine was locked out of her E36 cabrio with this. Awesome design.When it gets cold, they ice up, the windows don't drop, so you end up not being able to open/shut the door properly, leading ultimatley to lots of annoying issues with electric window mechanisms and stuff.
It is beyond stupid
Easy for robots to assemble.
clips are designed to go in on the end of the robot arm.
if the switch is in the door assembly the robot doesn't need to put it into the pillar and run the wire to it etc.
Robots don't have to take them out, so the designers and production team don't care!
The dealers can charge more labour to do the job, so they don't care!
The purchaser doesn't even think about it, they just think "ooo, that looks nice"
clips are designed to go in on the end of the robot arm.
if the switch is in the door assembly the robot doesn't need to put it into the pillar and run the wire to it etc.
Robots don't have to take them out, so the designers and production team don't care!
The dealers can charge more labour to do the job, so they don't care!
The purchaser doesn't even think about it, they just think "ooo, that looks nice"
To the OP: The reason they do stuff like this is usually simple... cost. If Skoda can save 50p on every car produced, and they produce 1,000,000 of them, then they've just put 50,000,000 pence straight onto the bottom line of operating profits. It's the reason cars have tungsten rear bulbs instead of LEDs, it's the reason that my old Kawasaki's footpegs were made from plastercine, and its the reason my dad's steering-wheel looks like a wet donut.
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