Worst Features/Ideas from Auto Manufacturers

[MR2 Fan]

My pick to start...automatic seat belt thingys. So many things wrong with this that are pretty obvious. From what I know of them (meaning there were probably a few different kinds), it wouldn't really save a step as you'd still have to buckle the lower part), the mechanisms could break, they easily get in the way getting into the car if you're holding things and several other things.

https://static1.hotcarsimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Automatic-Seatbelts-2.jpg

[Tom Servo]

That one specifically had a huge problem (which I'm realizing I'm saying from a story my driver's ed teacher told, I have not verified this, so take it with a grain of salt). Like you said, the lap belt was a separate step, but as I heard it, a lot of people didn't bother with that one because hey, automatic seat belt! Then you get in a crash and now your lower body is not restrained and you end up hanging yourself/breaking your neck on the shoulder belt as your body tries to submarine under it.

Similarly, the ones where the belts were connected to the door. That seems fine right up until you end up in a crash that causes the door to open.

https://cdn.motor-junkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/18-1990-pontiac-grand-am-in-colorado-junkyard---2016-murilee-martin-the-truth-about-cars.jpg

[retsmah]

Did the auto belts not work as intended though? My impression (from a very limited understanding of what was going on at the time) is that automakers used them because it allowed them to skip installing air bags, which would have been more expensive.

This is a smaller one, but my 2014 Hyundai immediately switches away from bluetooth audio input when it doesn't have a bluetooth connection. Which is really annoying because every time you get in the car it switches back to radio, and you have to keep pressing the input button to get it back to bluetooth whenever it reconnects. Just leave it on bluetooth!

[dodint]

Autopilot

[MR2 Fan]

That one specifically had a huge problem (which I'm realizing I'm saying from a story my driver's ed teacher told, I have not verified this, so take it with a grain of salt). Like you said, the lap belt was a separate step, but as I heard it, a lot of people didn't bother with that one because hey, automatic seat belt! Then you get in a crash and now your lower body is not restrained and you end up hanging yourself/breaking your neck on the shoulder belt as your body tries to submarine under it.

Similarly, the ones where the belts were connected to the door. That seems fine right up until you end up in a crash that causes the door to open.

https://cdn.motor-junkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/18-1990-pontiac-grand-am-in-colorado-junkyard---2016-murilee-martin-the-truth-about-cars.jpg

Right, and something about "passive restraint requirement" law or some crap which might be also considered substitute for an airbag.

[Phil_SS]

I believe the auto belts were dictated by the US federal government. The way I remember it, they were really struggling with getting people to wear seat belts and they thought the auto belts would get people into the habit. I don't believe it had anything to do with airbags when it is just as important to wear a safety belt with an airbag.

My current pet peave is adding gigantic screens in place of knobs. Nobody is asking for this and I am appalled that it was even allowed and passed usability standards.

[dodint]

I wrote this for another forum earlier in the year so I'll repost it here. Can't believe it came up twice in 2023:

Jimmy Carter mandated that by 1983 all cars would have either automated seatbelts or airbags. So there is this short period where some manufacturers opted for automated seatbelts whereas others installed airbags. By 1997 airbags were mandated for all cars.

Automatic seatbelts could have stuck around on their own; however, they're expensive to produce and maintain. The motors go bad, they fall off their tracks, etc. Because a seatbelt is a safety item they're subject to indefinite recall that has to be repaired for free by the manufacturer. So rather than repair every seatbelt mechanism in perpetuity manufacturers opted for the simpler and less costly manual seat belt. Somewhat ironically the Takata airbag recall ended up costing these manufacturers millions of dollars as those were installed in just about every vehicle from the mid-90s through the late 2000s.

[samoht]

It's perhaps notable that US safety standards for cars include cases where the occupants are unbelted, whereas EU standards only require the car to protect correctly restrained people in a crash. (Passing reference to http://gtxforums.net/showthread.php?2137-Why-the-A110-isn-t-available-in-the-states ) Which perhaps reflects that legislative thinking that one or the other will help, whereas I think a better approach is to consider seatbelts being fundamental, and airbags another layer on top.



My current pet peave is adding gigantic screens in place of knobs. Nobody is asking for this and I am appalled that it was even allowed and passed usability standards.

Completely agree, my biggest frustration is playing pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey to adjust a temperature slider on a touchscreen while driving along a winding road. I'd like to see a special circle of hell created for the people who made such systems, in which the temperature alternates between freezing cold and boiling hot, never reaching a comfortable temperature in between.

[Tom Servo]

That was a disappointment on the Volvo, I thought that the dial was for AC but it's just for volume from the stereo. The climate control stuff is touch screen, though at least it's just "hit this button to increase or decrease the target temp" and then it tries to do the rest. Ideally, I guess you don't adjust it that much once you have that target temp, but I can tell you my target temp gets much lower when I'm leaving the gym than it does the rest of the time, so I still adjust it a lot.

The worst was the time it failed to initialize properly and we did a 45 minute drive with no ability to adjust the climate control. Turns out you can reboot the head unit just like an Android phone, but we didn't know that a week into owning the car.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yeah, can’t blame carmakers for the automatic seat belts. That’s mostly a product of stupid regulations. Overall, for sure regulations have made cars much safer today, but every once in a while, good intentions go bad. Most likely due to 2 sides compromising into something that doesn’t quite make sense.

Anyway, my main beef against modern cars is that they’re just too difficult and expensive to repair now. I suppose prettt much all products are made this way now? They figure out the cheapest possible way to produce it but pay little attention to future repairs… they’d just rather you junk it and go buy a new one!

Any relatively minor fender bender on an older car can easily be totaled loss from insurance’s perspective.

I’ve seen on Kia Sorento forum where some guy had his shark fin antenna torn of in a car wash and due to the extensive labor require to take off the ceiling liner… dealer’s asking $1000 to repair that!

If that happened to my Kia, I’d just forget about it… since I rarely listen to the radio and I can just use CarPlay as GPS! :p

For cars like Model3 where you control pretty much everything thru a screen… I wonder how much that will cost to repair… :rolleyes:

I wish car makers could just keep things simple and easier to fix.

I really think my 2002 Honda S2000 is the near perfect car for me. Other than the fact that I can’t carry my entire family of 3 all at the same time, I really can’t ask for anything more! Wish Honda would stick to that design philosophy.

[CudaMan]

it failed to initialize properly and we did a 45 minute drive with no ability to adjust the climate control. Turns out you can reboot the head unit

This is what's wrong with silicon valley getting too involved in the car business. It makes me livid that we have all these new problems to deal with due to tech being so loved, and yet so frustratingly inane at times.

I was at the chiropractor yesterday and instead of telling the chiropractor in 10 seconds "it hurts here and here in this way" and having a short conversation, I had to spend 10x longer filling out long forms and drawing a diagram on their office tablet.

And the ~3hrs I've spent over the last two days with AT&T just trying to get my ID verified to complete my order process for a trade-in. The number of tech failures along the way, and the inability for a human to do anything in person, was astonishing.

How easy we forget tech needs to make our lives easier, not harder.

[Tom Servo]

I think there is a tradeoff there. I know we all hate Ticketmaster, but now you can (maybe) buy tickets from your phone whereas in the old days you would sit in the dark at 5am waiting in line at the box office.

I hate that we couldn't use climate control, but I also love the fact that I can get navigation displayed on my dash.

For what it's worth, those of us in the tech industry understand that everything is a tradeoff, and nothing we're putting out is perfect, but we are honestly trying to make life easier. It just occasionally sucks in new and inventive ways we haven't sorted yet.

I am surprised, however, that the climate control failing is a possible failure mode. It's difficult to control all the failure modes, but that's one of those one's you'd think you'd put some effort into.

[Tom Servo]

I actually wonder how much of this is the result of the "everything's a tradeoff" mantra that most of us engineers have. Like I said, I'm willing to trade the standard CD-based head unit for something that has live maps and navigation and integrated Pocket Casts and Spotify in exchange for it not being as rock solid as it used to be.

I can tell you that the memory seats/mirrors makes our lives massively better. The system's difficulty figuring out what's happening when both of our keyfobs are nearby, not so much.

Check engine lights are annoying, but often let people tackle problems before they become real problems.

It's a new era in cars right now, cars that are more complicated and more prone to problems, but also are more capable of self-diagnosing those problems before they become bigger problems. Everything's a tradeoff.

[neanderthal]

Why can't phones, which connect directly to bluetooth in the car, disable all video and screen using apps once they detect they are in the car. Too many fuckwits driving with their attention on the phone!

[Tom Servo]

They can, but that won't sell.

[neanderthal]

They can, but that won't sell.

One of my favorite sayings is " don't bring common sense here!!" and I really should've thought about that a little bit harder.

[MR2 Fan]

I think there is a tradeoff there. I know we all hate Ticketmaster, but now you can (maybe) buy tickets from your phone whereas in the old days you would sit in the dark at 5am waiting in line at the box office.

I hate that we couldn't use climate control, but I also love the fact that I can get navigation displayed on my dash.

For what it's worth, those of us in the tech industry understand that everything is a tradeoff, and nothing we're putting out is perfect, but we are honestly trying to make life easier. It just occasionally sucks in new and inventive ways we haven't sorted yet.

I am surprised, however, that the climate control failing is a possible failure mode. It's difficult to control all the failure modes, but that's one of those one's you'd think you'd put some effort into.

I like my 2019 RAV4 as it has touchscreen for audio and navigation BUT it still has volume buttons and other physical buttons for features. The climate control is completely separate and has huge knobs you can't miss if you want to turn the temp up or down without taking your eyes off the road.

Sure the screen isn't the greatest or most feature packed but I don't need all of those other things....plus it has buttons on the steering wheel for most functions and it's laid out pretty well.

https://cars.usnews.com/static/images/Auto/izmo/i110536476/2019_toyota_rav4_dashboard.jpg

[retsmah]

It's not everyone, but there's a subset of the population that really loves touch screens and apps for everything, regardless of whether it makes any sense. I know someone who has a couple of these electronic white board things (https://myboogieboard.com/products/versaboard-reusable-writing-tablet) that don't do anything differently then a whiteboard. You can write on them, and erase them, and that's it. You can't like save it or email it or anything, they take a picture of it when they want to take the grocery list to the store.

I think the big touchscreen with no physical buttons is just cost savings. I think it works pretty well for Tesla because their target market is also the type that like apps and touch screens and the clean look, even if it's harder to use.

I watched MKBHD's video about Model S Plaid long term ownership, this bit about the steering wheel is insane to me (https://youtu.be/34VZzBWBDN0?t=665). He doesn't even seem that bothered by this whole wheel and capacitive buttons that to me look very difficult to use, but he frequently has to make right turns without signaling because the button is unreliable. I can't imagine just having to live with that.

[Godson]

Anytime a safety item, such as a turn signal, isn't working reliably, it shouldn't be used.

Yes,I know BMW driver's never signal, but the ability to signal reliably is important.


I'll give my most hated idea from auto manufacturers.


Cars that can't maintain cruise without some serious fuckery.

I'm looking at you Porsche

[Crazed_Insanity]

I believe Porsche engineers intentionally did that because their machines are not meant to be driven using cruise control!!! :p

As for what retsmah's saying, yeah, touch screen control looks nice, minimalistic and futuristic and super easy to update via software too! Not to mention this should also make manufacturing cheaper...

However, it's just not very functional in a dynamic environment. Also can be very expensive and difficult to fix later on when something goes wrong...

[CudaMan]

To be clear I wasn't knocking the Volvo or tech in general, just the idea of having systems hang and fail and need the ol' CTRL ALT DEL or turn it off and try again thing like a printer seems wrong to me. It's climate control, it should just work barring a mechanical component wearing out. The glass half full view I guess is that A) it was rebootable in the first place, and B] that fixed it. Hopefully that doesn't happen on a recurring basis.

At the surface level I'm not sure I buy software being cheaper than a switch. The switch is engineered once and is done (possibly for a decade or two with some manufacturers), and the component cost is probably not huge. Software is continually being updated and reevaluated and fixed and I understand software engineers don't come cheap. :) Regardless, I think most of us agree tactile buttons/dials are better for driving.

To get off my grumpy soapbox for a moment :), some tech can be really welcome. Proximity keys comes to mind, they just work and they make our lives easier. And there's a pretty easy backup solution in the event of a dead battery.

To keep this post somewhat on topic, I nominate LED headlights 4-6 feet off the ground. Horrible idea for everyone unfortunate enough to be caught in the path of those beams.

[MR2 Fan]

To be clear I wasn't knocking the Volvo or tech in general, just the idea of having systems hang and fail and need the ol' CTRL ALT DEL or turn it off and try again thing like a printer seems wrong to me. It's climate control, it should just work barring a mechanical component wearing out. The glass half full view I guess is that A) it was rebootable in the first place, and B] that fixed it. Hopefully that doesn't happen on a recurring basis.

At the surface level I'm not sure I buy software being cheaper than a switch. The switch is engineered once and is done (possibly for a decade or two with some manufacturers), and the component cost is probably not huge. Software is continually being updated and reevaluated and fixed and I understand software engineers don't come cheap. :) Regardless, I think most of us agree tactile buttons/dials are better for driving.

To get off my grumpy soapbox for a moment :), some tech can be really welcome. Proximity keys comes to mind, they just work and they make our lives easier. And there's a pretty easy backup solution in the event of a dead battery.

To keep this post somewhat on topic, I nominate LED headlights 4-6 feet off the ground. Horrible idea for everyone unfortunate enough to be caught in the path of those beams.



Part of why I love Gordon Murray's new cars is that he focuses entirely on the experience without any touchscreens, pure tactile, high quality buttons/knobs and basically monochrome information screens...proper stuff.

[retsmah]

Ok hopefully this isn't annoying to keep talking about it but I find this topic interesting:



At the surface level I'm not sure I buy software being cheaper than a switch. The switch is engineered once and is done (possibly for a decade or two with some manufacturers), and the component cost is probably not huge. Software is continually being updated and reevaluated and fixed and I understand software engineers don't come cheap. :) Regardless, I think most of us agree tactile buttons/dials are better for driving.

I don't have insider knowledge so it'd be interesting if anyone else does, but I think there is a good chance that at least on a Tesla where they've removed a large number of switches it saves money. Touchscreens are really cheap, you can buy a single screen at retail for like $30 (https://www.amazon.com/AUO-B116XTN02-3-Screen-1366x768-Matte/dp/B01M26X5C5/ref=asc_df_B01M26X5C5/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309779531175&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=698254333029964234&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9061079&hvtargid=pla-570380123461&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=62412137260&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=309779531175&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=698254333029964234&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9061079&hvtargid=pla-570380123461)... not sure if Tesla would pay more because they have a little higher quality display than this or less because they're buying much higher quantity.

I counted 50 buttons and knobs for the front seats on my older economy car. Some of those are reused in multiple locations and can share tooling costs but most are unique. Many also have LEDs in them, and then you've got to run wiring to each one, and deal with the assembly work for each button. It's not a ton of money, but you have to do it all for like $30 or something to be cheaper than a touch screen.

I'd suspect engineering costs are kind of a wash. For tactile switches the mechanical design on all those switches takes quite a bit of time for a mechanical engineer, like anything that requires input from industrial design. Then you've got tooling design for all the parts, and manufacturing engineers have to plan the assembly steps and write work instructions and set up the assembly line for those steps.


To be clear though, I don't think this is good. I think like every study done on the subject shows that tactile buttons are a lot safer. But I think if a car company can get away with something cheaper that doesn't annoy their buyers enough on a test drive to buy something else, they're going to do it. They're definitely going to if they're Tesla and the buyers view it as a premium feature despite it actually being less expensive.

[Tom Servo]

I am definitely unclear on why Volvo decided to go with the on-screen climate control stuff. There is a physical volume knob and play/pause button, as well as a few other hardware buttons on the center dash, as well as the full compliment of buttons on the steering wheel and on the turn signal/wiper stalks. It's the only one that doesn't make sense to me right off the bat.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I agree with retsmah that it’s mostly for cost cutting. Cost of buttons and knobs may be small, but all these little parts can add up during manufacturing. Now if we’re talking space craft, minus all the knobs and wiring can also save a lot of weight! However, I still question whether flat panel controls are really as functional and safe…

Climate control, especially for high end cars are typically very automated now. At least I personally don’t touch climate controls much unlike volume knobs… so perhaps it makes sense for Volvo to cut those?

[Rare White Ape]

Fully anecdotal, but I saw a tweet from someone who claimed to have taken a USB stick with them to a car dealership and took a bunch of cars for a test drive, replacing all the cars’ operating systems with Linux.

This allowed them to brake by typing an instruction in the command prompt (pretty dangerous to do on a touch screen, surely a physical keyboard would be better for this) and install Bitcoin mining software.

If true, then we’ve come a long way from BMW’s iDrive system.

[Yw-slayer]

I watched MKBHD's video about Model S Plaid long term ownership, this bit about the steering wheel is insane to me (https://youtu.be/34VZzBWBDN0?t=665). He doesn't even seem that bothered by this whole wheel and capacitive buttons that to me look very difficult to use, but he frequently has to make right turns without signaling because the button is unreliable. I can't imagine just having to live with that.

Wow. That is a recipe for disaster, not to mention getting third-fingered.

Or maybe it explains a lot about Tesla drivers in HK?

[Cam]

Leaded gasoline. We are still breathing poisoned air decades after its use was discontinued in developed countries.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Can't really blame car manufacturers on that!

https://ourworldindata.org/leaded-gasoline-phase-out

Learned something new today thanks to google... Thomas Midgley Jr turned out to be the culprit! Not only lead, this chemist also invented the CFC which destroyed ozone!!!

Man, thanks to this guy that your wife has a job and gets to visit the White House! :p Anyway, Mr. Midgley is really a climate disaster... However, I suppose it's not entirely his fault. Surely I have rode in cars powered by leaded gas and enjoy the cool AC breezes thanks to the CFC he invented...

Just another trade off I guess... :(

[CudaMan]

To be clear though, I don't think this is good. I think like every study done on the subject shows that tactile buttons are a lot safer. But I think if a car company can get away with something cheaper that doesn't annoy their buyers enough on a test drive to buy something else, they're going to do it. They're definitely going to if they're Tesla and the buyers view it as a premium feature despite it actually being less expensive.

It brings up an interesting question. Are physical buttons going to start to be considered a premium feature in higher priced cars or trim levels? I'd guess not, as humans are enamored with tech and probably generally feel that screens and menus are more premium. On the bright side, we have seen Honda bring back a physical volume knob pretty quickly after the CTR came out without one, and all the YouTube car reviewers hate the MK8 GTI's capacative sliders.

Can you really get a large automotive-grade multi-touch screen for $30 though? I'd imagine those are basic laptop replacement screens without touch and with modest brightness/contrast levels.

The biggest question of all, though, is are we making humans' lives better or worse through the forced use of touchscreens and software in cars? Those in position to influence how people experience the world have a responsibility here. When we're all being transported in fully autonomous vehicles this approach may make more sense but that seems to be a ways off in the future.

[MR2 Fan]

It brings up an interesting question. Are physical buttons going to start to be considered a premium feature in higher priced cars or trim levels? I'd guess not, as humans are enamored with tech and probably generally feel that screens and menus are more premium. On the bright side, we have seen Honda bring back a physical volume knob pretty quickly after the CTR came out without one, and all the YouTube car reviewers hate the MK8 GTI's capacative sliders.

Can you really get a large automotive-grade multi-touch screen for $30 though? I'd imagine those are basic laptop replacement screens without touch and with modest brightness/contrast levels.

The biggest question of all, though, is are we making humans' lives better or worse through the forced use of touchscreens and software in cars? Those in position to influence how people experience the world have a responsibility here. When we're all being transported in fully autonomous vehicles this approach may make more sense but that seems to be a ways off in the future.

This reminds me of the TV situation recently and I think it's a similar thing. Why "upgrade" your TV to a new one if your existing one works fine? We went through the CRT, then Plasma, then LCD, LED, but after that, if your TV works, other than buying a larger one, why get a new one?

Then 3D was huge in theaters, so they tried to sell that, then smart apps, etc.

The same with cars. If your car is nice and reliable, what entices you to buy new, other than styling and perceived reliability of buying something newer (but probably also more expensive)?....High tech (looking) features!

[dodint]

That's why I've owned so many BMWs from 2002-2008. They peaked there, I'm not missing anything I can't add back in myself.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yeah, I have no intentions of buying a car until prices fall under MSRP again! MSRPs already includes hefty profits, I can’t bring myself paying on top of that unless I absolutely need a car I guess.

It’s amazing really that we can now buy a fancy tv as big as a wall for few hundred dollars, but a 4 year college degree or a short stay at the hospital might end up costing us hundreds of thousand…

Wouldn’t it be nice that the stuffs we ‘need’ can become better and cheaper over time too?

All complaints aside, car manufacturers have really improved a lot over the years. If it weren’t for Covid, they probably would remain more affordable with plenty of tech and safety features.

My main gripe is that they’ve become increasingly difficult and expensive to fix.

Also, even assuming we all convert to EV, who knows what kind of new pollution or problems we’ll end up having in the future?

[MR2 Fan]

EV is not the solution...yet...HOWEVER, it seems like a bit of a "necessary evil" right now. What I mean is that the only way for companies to invest in improved technology, battery tech, weight savings, etc. is to expect a large market for it. There's IMO a lot of bad things happening due to EV's in the short term, but in the long term, advancements may help.

I do wish there would be more focus on smaller, lighter cars than 5,000 to 10,000 pound cars because they're EV and people want a long range. It's the antithesis of what I believe in for performance and safety.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yeah, EVs are great for errands or commutes. Probably perfect for the likes of Amazon deliveries! However, we probably need charge as we go road infrastructure in place in order to totally give up ICEs. Probably also need to figure out fusion too…

It is crazy to pack so much batteries into a car. Fire fighters are already having helluva time fighting these battery fires. I can’t imagine if everyone starts to drive EVs of today… also, I hope those old batteries are truly recyclable.

[MR2 Fan]

Does ANYONE want to buy a 10 year old Tesla? that's another issue, older EV's that are not great or easily recycled as far as I know

[Godson]

If it wasn't a tesla, sure.

[retsmah]

Can you really get a large automotive-grade multi-touch screen for $30 though? I'd imagine those are basic laptop replacement screens without touch and with modest brightness/contrast levels.


Ooops yeah the one I linked is not a touch screen. This is probably closer at $36 (https://qdyesh.en.made-in-china.com/product/nZjGipwMrskr/China-Hot-Seller-12-Inch-Vehicle-Navigation-Screen-Car-Navigation-Screen-Automotive-Touch-Screen-Touch-Panel.html). I don't have any actual knowledge of what a company like Tesla would be paying, but it seems like it'd be hard to spend over like $100.

It seems to me like it would be pretty reasonable to have legislation that says touch screens and capacitive buttons cannot be active when the vehicle is moving, since it's not really safe to be using a button you have to look at. Obviously Tesla doesn't care about anything like that, but both our Accent and Fit lock out messing around with settings on the radio/navigation units when driving.

[neanderthal]

That's why I've owned so many BMWs from 2002-2008. They peaked there, I'm not missing anything I can't add back in myself.


E38 7 series. E39 5 series. E46 3 series. Z8.

No lies detected. The absolute pinnacle of BMW engineering and design.

[MR2 Fan]

The only new features I really appreciate are rear view cameras and theoretically, if it works as I luckily haven't tested it yet... front crash prevention sensors

[dodint]

You can add a rear camera in most cases. My 2003 TrailBlazer had one. As did my E350.

[Yw-slayer]

Those top-down 360 cameras are a great idea, though, especially on large rental cars.

Wait, aren't we supposed to bitch about crap ideas in this thread?

[MR2 Fan]

You can add a rear camera in most cases. My 2003 TrailBlazer had one. As did my E350.

Right, which is cool, I'm just saying most other new "features" don't really interest me much

[Tom Servo]

Those top-down 360 cameras are a great idea, though, especially on large rental cars.

Wait, aren't we supposed to bitch about crap ideas in this thread?

I absolutely love the top-down 360 camera. Most of the time it's just a cool novelty, but when it comes to those parallel parking spots where they have little painted markings delineating the spots, it's great to be able to line up perfectly without having to get out and check where you're at.

Okay, back to ideas that suck.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Oh just thought of one…

The shiny piano black panels/trim pieces in my Kia Sorento. Very difficult to keep that clean. At least Kia is smart enough to not make a shiny touch screen.

I recall my leased Honda Clarity EV having a shiny touch screen. When the car is not on… the screen just looks unbelievably filthy. Just have to keep on wiping the thing…

[Kchrpm]

Okay, back to ideas that suck.

The built-in vacuum cleaners in some minivans.

[CudaMan]

:lol:

Plastic headlight lenses. The degradation from sun exposure is huge.

[Crazed_Insanity]

The built-in vacuum cleaners in some minivans.

You ain't got no kids, so you just don't understand!

[Kchrpm]

You ain't got no kids, so you just don't understand!

Yes I do! They suck...up all the small dirt and debris.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Oh man! My bad. You're right, they really do suck you Komedianrpm! :p

[Tom Servo]

:lol:

Plastic headlight lenses. The degradation from sun exposure is huge.

Also those small taillights on the back of older Lexus GS's. Those things are always faded.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/attachments/gs-second-generation/220782d1314504496-pink-faded-tail-lights-painting-light1.jpg

[Freude am Fahren]

Subscriptions to unlock features that already have the hardware (heated seats, radar cruise, etc.).

To me this is disgusting, and I hope they al get hacked free.

[Yw-slayer]

Also those small taillights on the back of older Lexus GS's. Those things are always faded.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/attachments/gs-second-generation/220782d1314504496-pink-faded-tail-lights-painting-light1.jpg

Not only that, but they were and are ugly AF.

[Tom Servo]

Okay, I promised we were going back to bad, but now I wanted to come to the defense of my new Volvo. The AC controls on the touch screen are a little annoying, but I just found out that I can control it all by voice and it works really well. "Ok Google, set driver's temperature to 70" and it just works. Works for the fan speed and heated seats too. Okay, back to stuff that sucks.

[Cam]

I unsuccessfully tried that with the Subaru.

[Tom Servo]

Volvo just switched to an Android based system for 2023, and it works as well as my phone/smart home things do, which is to say, very well. So far, I haven't had it misunderstand a command, but I haven't tried to get it to do something like "Play x song on Spotify", which normally my Google Home does terribly.

[Yw-slayer]

Since I've had to swap from Android Auto to Carplay (because Google decided to disable Android Auto in unsupported territories) I've not bothered to figure out jwo to use Siri to do that stuff. I really should. But I don't want to.

On that note, leaving car infotainment and controls to someone like Google or Apple can hence rank as both a great but also terrible decision. Since the tech company can always turn off whatever crap or make it a paid feature and get away with it. As Google have done here. Gone are the days when you can expect every new version to be an improvement.