DH106 wrote:

Turn signals that flash a minimum of 3 times+ when the stalk is momentarily pressed.

One of the actually useful features for Highway lane changes.

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

DH106 wrote:

Turn signals that flash a minimum of 3 times+ when the stalk is momentarily pressed.

One of the actually useful features for Highway lane changes.

Not if you have to change your mind about the lane change.
Perhaps if you could cancel it by flipping the stalk the other way momentarily I could see its use, but there's no 'cancel' I can see, least not on my Audi anyways.

DH106 wrote:

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

DH106 wrote:

Turn signals that flash a minimum of 3 times+ when the stalk is momentarily pressed.

One of the actually useful features for Highway lane changes.

Not if you have to change your mind about the lane change.
Perhaps if you could cancel it by flipping the stalk the other way momentarily I could see its use, but there's no 'cancel' I can see, least not on my Audi anyways.

No canceling on my Mercedes, either, but never ran into that problem. It’s only three flashes, by the time you change your mind, it’s stopped. I’m pretty antediluvian—never use cruise control in a million miles, turn off stop/start anytime I drive a car with it, adjust my side mirrors so blind side assist is redundant. I like looking at passing cars, should there be any, their blind side lets me know what they are seeing. If their light is on and cut in, I’m ready.

I don't like to drive at night anymore because of the super bright headlights. What's worse, some of the headlights move. Whoever in the Federal Govt. allowed these super bright headlights has made an error.

DIRECTFLT wrote:

I don't like to drive at night anymore because of the super bright headlights. What's worse, some of the headlights move. Whoever in the Federal Govt. allowed these super bright headlights has made an error.

It's particularly annoying with taller vehicles, and I don't mean commercial motor vehicles... Pickups and large SUVs have their headlights pointed right at head height. It's super aggravating.

Boaters for years have been held responsible for using all aids available on their boat in the event of a collision or accident - you have radar? The Coast Guard will ask why it was turned off. You have a radio? Why wasn't it set on channel 16 (or whatever the local channels direct). Aviation pilots are expected to use the appropriate AP and other assists. You get in a car accident, and it goes to trial - increasingly those sorts of questions will be relevant.

I’m currently renting a new BMW that only unlocks the drivers side when I hit unlock. Very annoying that I have to mash the button 9x or leave my SO outside of the car….

Kno wrote:

I’m currently renting a new BMW that only unlocks the drivers side when I hit unlock. Very annoying that I have to mash the button 9x or leave my SO outside of the car….

There is a way to program it to unlock all or just the drivers door. Its in menu and settings on the cars iDrive system (which is very confusing and annoying),.

“Objects in mirror are closer than they appear”.

1. I know. I also know that water is wet and fire is hot, don’t need a sign telling me so.
2. Why is this only a thing in North American and the Middle East? Are drivers there considered to be more stupid than the average?

Touchscreens instead of dials and knobs

I know it’s a cost thing, but it’s not user friendly, not intuitive and certainly not clever. Previous car had a touch screen, but it also had knobs and dials for the radio and a/c, and it had a rotary dial to control everything else. Never, ever, did I use the touch screen. Next car will be different: Whilst it does have separate controls for the a/c, they and the knobs and dials on the steering wheel have been replaced with “haptic feedback” touch thingies. I will probably get used to it, but what’s the point of having to get used to something when there’s a perfectly viable alternative that doesn’t require a getting used to it period?

DH106 wrote:

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

DH106 wrote:

Turn signals that flash a minimum of 3 times+ when the stalk is momentarily pressed.

One of the actually useful features for Highway lane changes.

Not if you have to change your mind about the lane change.

If you’re having second thoughts about lane changes so frequently the 3-flashes is an issue, perhaps you should consider whether you’re doing it right rather than blaming this feature?

If you're wearing gloves while driving, and want to select something from the touch screen ? ? ?

Forgetaboutit

DH106 wrote:

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

DH106 wrote:

Turn signals that flash a minimum of 3 times+ when the stalk is momentarily pressed.

One of the actually useful features for Highway lane changes.

Not if you have to change your mind about the lane change.
Perhaps if you could cancel it by flipping the stalk the other way momentarily I could see its use, but there's no 'cancel' I can see, least not on my Audi anyways.

On BMW it can be changed to the number of times desired to flash in the settings menu. Currently driving my mother’s 2008 Mazda which only flashes for as long as you hold the indicator lever part depressed (or stays on til cancelled when fully depressed). It’s been catching me out on dual carriageways as I’ve been tapping it like in my BMW but it only flashes once.


The door unlock driver or all as mentioned elsewhere can be changed in settings too.

I used to have a VW golf and first thing I did after pressing start was turn off the auto stop start function. It’s dangerous.

Now have a 330e which doesn’t suffer with the stop start issues because it’s quite aggressive off the battery as the engine starts so there’s no dangerous lag when you’ve decided you can actually pull out (in our ever busier and less friendly world where many don’t have the kindness to spare three seconds to let someone out).

My car is a 21 plate and has physically buttons for climate and heated seats, volume knob (and buttons in the wheel!) and 8 buttons that can be programmed for various functions. I use them for a couple of radio stations and a couple of more common settings shortcuts. It’s a great feature.

And it’s all gone on the latest version which is all touch screen. It really annoys me because car brands market that as a great feature when in fact it’s all about them reducing their costs and being able to up-sell apps and add-ons (which is a disgrace in itself, you’re already lugging around the equipment for it, but you have to pay extra to enable it).

Can use voice control but it’s slightly laggy which is very frustrating.

B777LRF wrote:

If you’re having second thoughts about lane changes so frequently the 3-flashes is an issue, perhaps you should consider whether you’re doing it right rather than blaming this feature?

This is a thread about annoying car features. It has annoyed me on occasion - who said anything about 'frequently' ?

B777LRF wrote:

2. Why is this only a thing in North American and the Middle East? Are drivers there considered to be more stupid than the average?

Perhaps not more stupid, but certainly more litigious.

B777LRF wrote:

If you’re having second thoughts about lane changes so frequently the 3-flashes is an issue, perhaps you should consider whether you’re doing it right rather than blaming this feature?

In heavy traffic you very well could.

FLYFIRSTCLASS wrote:

Kno wrote:

I’m currently renting a new BMW that only unlocks the drivers side when I hit unlock. Very annoying that I have to mash the button 9x or leave my SO outside of the car….

There is a way to program it to unlock all or just the drivers door. Its in menu and settings on the cars iDrive system (which is very confusing and annoying),.

Thanks for the tip.


Pretty dumb feature.

cjg225 wrote:

B777LRF wrote:

If you’re having second thoughts about lane changes so frequently the 3-flashes is an issue, perhaps you should consider whether you’re doing it right rather than blaming this feature?

In heavy traffic you very well could.

Two things I need before a lane change, see the trailing car in both the rear view and side view mirrors. If I can’t, I stay put or make an adjustment to increase spacing.

And the next useless trend coming to a car near you:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0K8ORPeRCLs

Kno wrote:

Thanks for the tip.


Pretty dumb feature.

I'd hazard a guess it's a makes-you-feel-safer-than-it-really-is feature for cities/dark places.

Auto light. Drivers rely much on it. They simply switch to mode auto once and forget about it. They lost the elementary item of checking if light is needed or is working. Then this feature is not 100% accurate, so nothing replace the good old habit of switching on before driving whatever weather and time was, and off before leaving. Plain simple stupid.

Kno wrote:

FLYFIRSTCLASS wrote:

Kno wrote:

I’m currently renting a new BMW that only unlocks the drivers side when I hit unlock. Very annoying that I have to mash the button 9x or leave my SO outside of the car….

There is a way to program it to unlock all or just the drivers door. Its in menu and settings on the cars iDrive system (which is very confusing and annoying),.

Thanks for the tip.

Pretty dumb feature.

It depends on where you are. I have my car set up for driver-door-only unlock for both the fob button and the door handle sensor. I also have mine set up so that putting the transmission in Park does not unlock any of the doors. Why? Because I am - now and then - in less than ideal places and do not want to find my other doors suddenly opening and being car-jacked, robbed, or worse. I am elderly, so take precautions.

ACDC8 wrote:

And the next useless trend coming to a car near you:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0K8ORPeRCLs

What is it? This is just a random link with no proper description which is against the rules.

Not everyone wants to watch a video.

cpd wrote:

What is it?

Lexus steer-by-wire yoke nonsense.

M564038 wrote:

DIRECTFLT wrote:

1. Not allowing the user to permanently have the Auto Stop/Auto Start option OFF as a Default Setting

Why would you want to have your car burn fossil fuel that destroys the environment while you are at a standstill?

This feature shouldn’t be allowed to turn off except for emergency vehicles.

Because if I hit the accelerator, I want the car to go now, not wait for the engine to start first and then go.

WildcatYXU wrote:

AirKevin wrote:

I agree. For the longest time, I wanted a Jeep Wrangler, but at some point in my truck driving career, when I had some down time in California, I rented one to go to the beach. Needless to say I didn't want one anymore after that. Half a year later, when I was back out there again with time to kill, I managed to get my hands on a 4Runner. Obviously I liked it better than the Jeep Wrangler. It would certainly help when trying to do this, because last time I tried that with one of these....let's just say it didn't end so good.

What was your problem with the Wrangler? I drove the JK and JL generations for 8 months when I was on a project at the island of St. Croix. While the JL was literally killed by the ancient AT it had, the JL with the in-house version of the ZF 8HP was acceptable even for me with my hatred of automatics.

As far as the 4Runner goes, I only drove one on the highway and it was nothing to write home about. The V6 with the ancient automatic was so lazy. I got into it straight from an Ford Explorer and when I took off, I couldn't believe the lack of acceleration. I event stopped to verify if the parking brake isn't on.

My problem with the Wrangler was every time I hit a bump or a bridge deck at high speed, I would get this severe lateral vibration that was making me nauseous. I wasn't sure if it was just that one Wrangler that had that issue or if it was a common issue, so when I eventually returned it and got back to my truck, I looked it up. Apparently that's known as the Jeep Death Wobble. As for the 4Runner, I personally didn't have an issue with it when I drove it. Both the Wrangler and the 4Runner had been operated on the same highways when I had rented them.

Kno wrote:

I’m currently renting a new BMW that only unlocks the drivers side when I hit unlock. Very annoying that I have to mash the button 9x or leave my SO outside of the car….

Every car I have driven only unlocks the driver's side when you hit unlock. It's after you hit unlock the second time that the remaining doors unlock.

B777LRF wrote:

DH106 wrote:

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

One of the actually useful features for Highway lane changes.

Not if you have to change your mind about the lane change.

If you’re having second thoughts about lane changes so frequently the 3-flashes is an issue, perhaps you should consider whether you’re doing it right rather than blaming this feature?

I've had it happen before where I put my hand on the turn signal lever to prepare to hit it, and even a slight tap would cause it to flash three times when I hadn't intended to do it. Mind you these were all with rental cars, so I didn't know that was even a feature until after it had already happened.

AirKevin wrote:

M564038 wrote:

DIRECTFLT wrote:

1. Not allowing the user to permanently have the Auto Stop/Auto Start option OFF as a Default Setting

Why would you want to have your car burn fossil fuel that destroys the environment while you are at a standstill?

This feature shouldn’t be allowed to turn off except for emergency vehicles.

Because if I hit the accelerator, I want the car to go now, not wait for the engine to start first and then go.

WildcatYXU wrote:

AirKevin wrote:

I agree. For the longest time, I wanted a Jeep Wrangler, but at some point in my truck driving career, when I had some down time in California, I rented one to go to the beach. Needless to say I didn't want one anymore after that. Half a year later, when I was back out there again with time to kill, I managed to get my hands on a 4Runner. Obviously I liked it better than the Jeep Wrangler. It would certainly help when trying to do this, because last time I tried that with one of these....let's just say it didn't end so good.

What was your problem with the Wrangler? I drove the JK and JL generations for 8 months when I was on a project at the island of St. Croix. While the JL was literally killed by the ancient AT it had, the JL with the in-house version of the ZF 8HP was acceptable even for me with my hatred of automatics.

As far as the 4Runner goes, I only drove one on the highway and it was nothing to write home about. The V6 with the ancient automatic was so lazy. I got into it straight from an Ford Explorer and when I took off, I couldn't believe the lack of acceleration. I event stopped to verify if the parking brake isn't on.

My problem with the Wrangler was every time I hit a bump or a bridge deck at high speed, I would get this severe lateral vibration that was making me nauseous. I wasn't sure if it was just that one Wrangler that had that issue or if it was a common issue, so when I eventually returned it and got back to my truck, I looked it up. Apparently that's known as the Jeep Death Wobble. As for the 4Runner, I personally didn't have an issue with it when I drove it. Both the Wrangler and the 4Runner had been operated on the same highways when I had rented them.

Kno wrote:

I’m currently renting a new BMW that only unlocks the drivers side when I hit unlock. Very annoying that I have to mash the button 9x or leave my SO outside of the car….

Every car I have driven only unlocks the driver's side when you hit unlock. It's after you hit unlock the second time that the remaining doors unlock.

B777LRF wrote:

DH106 wrote:

Not if you have to change your mind about the lane change.

If you’re having second thoughts about lane changes so frequently the 3-flashes is an issue, perhaps you should consider whether you’re doing it right rather than blaming this feature?

I've had it happen before where I put my hand on the turn signal lever to prepare to hit it, and even a slight tap would cause it to flash three times when I hadn't intended to do it. Mind you these were all with rental cars, so I didn't know that was even a feature until after it had already happened.

I’ve owned and driven a very wide variety of cars and trucks of many generations makes and models. 2x wasn’t getting that BMWs passenger side door open…

It has to programmed to either one click unlocks driver’s door or all the doors. Been true for 16 years st least

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

It has to programmed to either one click unlocks driver’s door or all the doors. Been true for 16 years st least

Exactly. A bit strange to state this as annoying when on a hire car. That’s like complaining that the sat nav is in local language.

Read the manual and set the vehicle up how you want it (hire cars tend not to have manuals but they’re freely available online… and on modern BMWs the manual is also in the infotainment system).

TS-IOR wrote:

Auto light. Drivers rely much on it. They simply switch to mode auto once and forget about it. They lost the elementary item of checking if light is needed or is working. Then this feature is not 100% accurate, so nothing replace the good old habit of switching on before driving whatever weather and time was, and off before leaving. Plain simple stupid.

Could not agree more

Every time I drive at night here in Florida I see several cars driving without lights, it’s incredibly dangerous, I think these drivers assume the auto head light function is infallible and don’t check their lights are actually on

I think the answer is to have all cars designed to have their headlights and taillights permanently wired to the on position, it wouldn’t do any harm in the daytime and at least you could see them at night

Automatic seat belts were pretty annoying

How about a useful idea ?

Brake lights that go brighter based on how hard you press on the pedal

I think this would prevent a lot of accidents

Max Q wrote:

TS-IOR wrote:

Auto light. Drivers rely much on it. They simply switch to mode auto once and forget about it. They lost the elementary item of checking if light is needed or is working. Then this feature is not 100% accurate, so nothing replace the good old habit of switching on before driving whatever weather and time was, and off before leaving. Plain simple stupid.

Could not agree more

Every time I drive at night here in Florida I see several cars driving without lights, it’s incredibly dangerous, I think these drivers assume the auto head light function is infallible and don’t check their lights are actually on

I think the answer is to have all cars designed to have their headlights and taillights permanently wired to the on position, it wouldn’t do any harm in the daytime and at least you could see them at night

High beam is annoying too when people use it needlessly, particularly in traffic jams blasting away into the cars ahead and blinding the people in those cars.

Need a pop up mirror to reflect the light back at the offending driver. It’s always some Ford Ranger, Amarok or Toyota Hilux…

Newark727 wrote:

It's a relatively recent thing, but there are some cars that will blink the brake lights when you first stomp on the pedal.

Very useful feature, actually. They flash rapidly and grab your attention easily.
Not sure if it's based on pedal pressure or measured decelaration.

Max Q wrote:

I think the answer is to have all cars designed to have their headlights and taillights permanently wired to the on position, it wouldn’t do any harm in the daytime and at least you could see them at night

I think the "lights off" option is a remnant from when cars had actual light bulbs inside, with very limited lifespans. With modern LEDs, yeah just keep them on all the time.
Even during the daytime, having lights on makes it easier to see a car. For planes, it's normal to have lights on during the day as well.

Ok, price replacing these fancy—my replacement was over $US 1000. I nearly fainted when presented with the bill. My car doesn’t have an OFF setting, annoying that the lights come on entering or exiting garage. Maybe expensive, too.

mxaxai wrote:

Newark727 wrote:

It's a relatively recent thing, but there are some cars that will blink the brake lights when you first stomp on the pedal.

Very useful feature, actually. They flash rapidly and grab your attention easily.
Not sure if it's based on pedal pressure or measured decelaration.

Max Q wrote:

I think the answer is to have all cars designed to have their headlights and taillights permanently wired to the on position, it wouldn’t do any harm in the daytime and at least you could see them at night

I think the "lights off" option is a remnant from when cars had actual light bulbs inside, with very limited lifespans. With modern LEDs, yeah just keep them on all the time.
Even during the daytime, having lights on makes it easier to see a car. For planes, it's normal to have lights on during the day as well.

That’s correct, exterior lights are on below 18000’

ACDC8 wrote:

- Subscription based features requiring monthly payments to use (heated seats, etc.).
- "Vegan" leather aka "Pleather".

I agree so much with the negative reception against subscription based features. They are another way to erode your true ownership of the vehicle. Also, I don't mind pleather that much - yes I prefer the nappa leather stuff but pleather is fine as long as the price is right.

ACDC8 wrote:

- LED headlights.

I do have to agree with you with this, LED headlights suck. Even as a passenger they still blind you.