Bad designs on cars

Citroen Xantia, if you have front fog lights they put the fog light switch where normal light switch is on a car without fogs.

Sounds silly, but I did own two Xantias, one with front fogs and one without.

Oh Baz, I drove a Pug 405 with the electric mirror control next to the hand break. Very odd, especialy on a car with windup windows (great car though).
 
Baz said:
Also, why do some manufacturers decide to put window controls anywhere else apart from on the door amazes me...
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Yes this is one thing which really annoys me about the E46. The window switches on the centre console WTF? And why on earth is there no auto down or up on the drivers window, this totally amazes me, especially considering how slow the windows go up and down.
Also the handbrake lever in it, difficult to reach because the useless arm rest thing is in the way. Oh yeah and why are there no cup holders!?
 
Anyone mentioned the "Bright" switch on UK Impreza Turbos MY99/00?

Makes the rubbish little LCD clock in the dash go from dim to not quite so dim - BRIGHT is being optimistic.

Not so much a bad design, just rather pointless and quite an unnecessarily large button for such a useless act.

Oh - Armrest Vs handbrake on an 02 Audi A4. Now that is a bad design.
 
Changing the rear section of my exhaust this week meant dropping the rear subframe. In all fairness to Ford they did revise this issue on later models though.

Mk2 Mondy Estate. (early Mk2 (R-reg))
 
Clarkey said:
Yes this is one thing which really annoys me about the E46. The window switches on the centre console WTF? And why on earth is there no auto down or up on the drivers window, this totally amazes me, especially considering how slow the windows go up and down.
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Oh yeah and why are there no cup holders!?
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Both of these are present on proper E46's :D
 
Define 'proper' then. It is an SE, I mean these are both basic functions that even my basic japcrap supermini has, why are they not present as standard?
 
I've no idea but later 330i's for example definately have one touch windows (As does my E39). Cupholders are an accessory you can add.
 
InvaderGIR said:
Is that like a Jeep, where the handbrake is by the passenger seat and the arm rest is next to the driver. Kept making me try to pull on the arm rest when driving one. :p

InvG
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i think on the a4 it stops the arm rest from opening, but passenger sided handbrakes are very annoying nad getting more and more common :(
 
Chopper said:
amen to that, id put it down to the worst design in the history of cars.

bloody thing doenst cancel and then you hit it the opposite way and sometimes it cancels the other it starts indicating the opposite way grrrrr.
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AHHH I hate this! this is the worst design in history!
 
K.C. Leblanc said:
Citroen Xantia, if you have front fog lights they put the fog light switch where normal light switch is on a car without fogs.

Sounds silly, but I did own two Xantias, one with front fogs and one without.
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Yes, that is dumb, used to catch me out but now I just always turn the last centimetre to get the lights on. Works in either car.

Something to consider with the french cars is they generally don't 'design' the right hand drive models - they just whack all the stuff over to the other side of the car from the original LHD design. - In the Xant, witness the left-foot foot rest in both the driver and passenger side, much bigger on the left...

And the handbrake/centre console is literally back to front in a RHD as they didn't even change it. So the handbrake is 'on the wrong side'... plus many others.


<edit> Just remembered on the LX, the rear dash switches are Hazard, Fog, Demister, but on the Activa they are Hazard, Demister, Aircon - cue me firing up the rear fog light instead of the demister when getting confused which car i'm in.


Also, I had a Kia Picanto for a while. aside fomr it's general cheapness, (probably a design goal) the indicators were in the right, and the wipers on the left. The electric windows were reveresed, i.e. press Down for up, and up for down.

When loading in the rain, the boot fills with a puddle of water and upon closing you get a free shower... nice
 
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MK3 Mondeo doors, rubber trim at the bottom of the sill which means rain water sits there and rusts the bottom of the doors which Ford didn't paint correctly. (Hopefully getting fixed under warranty).

Also Mondeo hatch gives you a nice puddle in the boot when you open it after raining.

Also pug 206 with wrong way round wiper blades.
 
Spare wheels that are mounted underneath the car.

The screw rusts up so that when you do need to use the spare it is a nightmare to get it out. Then you need to put the duff wheel back in otherwise the bracket and carriage will rattle about, you then need to go through it all again when you go to get it changed/fixed.

My spacesaver wheel is at least inside the boot but I gallantly offered to help a woman in our work who had a 306 with a flat...sorriest thing I ever did. Thing was rusted solid and no WD40 so in the end I went to the local garage and got her a can of foam. She bought me some beer mind you so not all bad.

She also got an AA membership after that which is a wise move.
 
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