Bad designs on cars

[Clarkey]

Just been out in the BM again and remembered 2 more failings of it.
Firstly, the gear gate, why is reverse left and up, and why do you have to push the lever over uber hard to select it, and going from reverse into 1st just feels wierd, never entirely sure if you're in the right gear. Would be SO much better if it was right and down, next to 6th, like any other car.
Also the so-called automatic climate control, that isn't really very automatic. You have to control the vent temperature yourself as well as engage and disengage the A/C yourself, it doesn't even automatically turn the AC on when you press demist. Also it runs the blowers seemingly the same regardless that the vent temp is cold, leaving you even colder. It's just rubbish compared with any other climate control i've seen. Oh yeah and there's the way it doesn't have an OFF button on it, ratheryou have to keep on pressing the reduce blower speed button until it goes off :/

 

[Saytan]

Firstly, the gear gate, why is reverse left and up,

lots of cars have reverse left-up

 

[Clarkey]

lots of cars have reverse left-up

maybe so, but why, i think it sucks. Probably european cars which have this most commonly because they do a half-arsed job of the RHD conversion, it's much more intuitive from the passengers side with a left-up configuration.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Also the so-called automatic climate control, that isn't really very automatic. You have to control the vent temperature yourself

No you don't. You leave it in the centre and the system controls vent temp for you. The knurled wheel is there simply to give you a manual over-ride if you suddenly decide you want warm or cold air in your face.

as well as engage and disengage the A/C yourself, it doesn't even automatically turn the AC on when you press demist.

Thats becuase it's designed in such a way that you simply leave the AC on. There is no need to turn it off.

It's just rubbish compared with any other climate control i've seen.

No, you just need to know how to use it.

Oh yeah and there's the way it doesn't have an OFF button on it, ratheryou have to keep on pressing the reduce blower speed button until it goes off :/

Thats because you are not supposed to turn it off. There will be nil air entering the cabin if you do that. Why would you want that?

And once you are used to it there is absolutely no issue at all with left-up reverse. It's not rocket science really is it?

 

[Clarkey]

No you don't. You leave it in the centre and the system controls vent temp for you. The knurled wheel is there simply to give you a manual over-ride if you suddenly decide you want warm or cold air in your face.

What is the point? If you want is hotter or colder then adjust the main temp control.

Thats becuase it's designed in such a way that you simply leave the AC on. There is no need to turn it off.

But why isn't it just automatic like every other climate system?

No, you just need to know how to use it.

In that case it's overcomplicated.

Thats because you are not supposed to turn it off. There will be nil air entering the cabin if you do that. Why would you want that?

Turn the air off in any other car and you still get the natural airflow coming through the vents...

And once you are used to it there is absolutely no issue at all with left-up reverse. It's not rocket science really is it?

No it isn't, but its just not as good as right-down, and with right-down you don't have to use herculean force to get 'over the notch' every time you want reverse.

You seem to have your rose-tinted BMW specs on, but I can't blame you for that i suppose.

 

[[TW]Fox]

What is the point? If you want is hotter or colder then adjust the main temp control.

Becuase what if you fancy a blast of cold air on your face but you dont want the entire car to be 16c? What if you fancy a little bit of heat but don't want to increase the temperature of the entire car?

The system gives you the option. If you'd rather use the temp control to adjust the temp simply leave the knurled wheel in the neutral system and do that. You dont HAVE to use it, its simply there if you need it.

But why isn't it just automatic like every other climate system?

Why on earth should it be? What reason is there to have it as automatic? If it was automatic it'd be kicking the AC compressor in and out all the time like 'every other system', how very clever.

In that case it's overcomplicated.

No, you just can't be bothered to RTFM. As with any system you just need to learn how it works. I thought it was rubbish as well the times I'd borrowed BMW's with it in. Then I learnt how it works. It's actually great.

Turn the air off in any other car and you still get the natural airflow coming through the vents...

Well guess what, it works differently to that. If you want natural airflow simply select the lowest blower setting. Gosh isnt that challenging?

No it isn't, but its just not as good as right-down, and with right-down you don't have to use herculean force to get 'over the notch' every time you want reverse.

Herculean force? Either you are phsysically retarded and need to see a GP, or the gearbox in the car you've borrowed a couple of times is broken.

You seem to have your rose-tinted BMW specs on, but I can't blame you for that i suppose.

You are posting tripe.

 

[Clarkey]

defensive are we?

 

[[TW]Fox]

Is that Clarkey-speak for 'Damn, I've been made to look daft and can't think of proper responses'?

 

[Clarkey]

not at all, personally I think you're the one who is starting to make yourself look daft, I was just pointing out some things which i think could have been designed better and you throw your dummy out of the pram.

 

[spoonz]

I watched Top Gear too.

My immediate thoughts are that the indicator clicks on the new polo (and possibly golf) are too quiet and that it can be difficult to hear them (If this is somehow adjustable then I duly apologise). My dad always forgets bless him.

Also the dash is illuminated in blue, which the eye is least receptive to and can blur easily under low levels of light. This is a well known design fault.

I was speaking from my experience with my EP3 CTR. Seems they havent fixed it in the FN2 either, pathetic really.

 

[spoonz]

Is that Clarkey-speak for 'Damn, I've been made to look daft and can't think of proper responses'?

Fox in "Your opinion is less valid than mine, I win" shocker!

change the record

 

[[TW]Fox]

not at all, personally I think you're the one who is starting to make yourself look daft, I was just pointing out some things which i think could have been designed better and you throw your dummy out of the pram.

You were criticising something without knowledge of how the system worked - you said it was bad becuase you HAD to use the wheel to change the temp. This was false!

If I had posted 'I hate the Nissan 300ZX becuase you cant get the turbos to spin up at less than 5krpm' you would quite rightly have pulled me up on that as well - you cant say something is a design flaw and then be annoyed when someone says 'actually it doesnt work like that...'.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Fox in "Your opinion is less valid than mine, I win" shocker!

change the record

Why? A stuck record works well enough for you? Yours has been stuck on 'What I think people post becuase I cant be bothered to open my eyes' for months now.

 

[spoonz]

Why? A stuck record works well enough for you? Yours has been stuck on 'What I think people post becuase I cant be bothered to open my eyes' for months now.

change the record

 

[Clarkey]

You were criticising something without knowledge of how the system worked - you said it was bad becuase you HAD to use the wheel to change the temp. This was false!

If I had posted 'I hate the Nissan 300ZX becuase you cant get the turbos to spin up at less than 5krpm' you would quite rightly have pulled me up on that as well - you cant say something is a design flaw and then be annoyed when someone says 'actually it doesnt work like that...'.

ok ok ok, i'm sorry I honestly didn't know that, and I DID read the manual. In fact if you do a search you will find that a few months back I actually started a thread on this very topic and was informed that the dial had to be used to set the temp. My bad.

But still, this thread is now turning to trash can we all give it a rest now.

 

[Saytan]

i'm on my 4th or 5th car now - i honestly dont remember which had left-up and which had right-down reverse gears because...... wait for it.......... it doesnt make THE SLIGHTEST BIT OF DIFFERENCE! swapping from one to the other takes maybe 3 seconds to remember which is which and then it's sorted, permanently

 

[Sone]

one thing that always annoys me is "executive cars" with semi-autos. Like on the Crysler 300c. Does anybody ever on a car like that change gear manually?

(i don't mean proper semi-autos, i mean auto's where you can change gear sequentionaly using the gearstick by putting it into +- or similar positon)

 

[Ben M]

i'm on my 4th or 5th car now - i honestly dont remember which had left-up and which had right-down reverse gears because...... wait for it.......... it doesnt make THE SLIGHTEST BIT OF DIFFERENCE! swapping from one to the other takes maybe 3 seconds to remember which is which and then it's sorted, permanently

push down reverse to the top left all the way though

but you're right, it makes absolutely no difference.

that said, pull-up reverse does sound a bit stupid. my mum once pulled a friend's gearknob off, because she herself had a pull up reverse, and when she went into her friend's car, which wasn't a pull up, the gearknob was loose, and ended up in the back seat!

 

[Clarkey]

one thing that always annoys me is "executive cars" with semi-autos. Like on the Crysler 300c. Does anybody ever on a car like that change gear manually?

(i don't mean proper semi-autos, i mean auto's where you can change gear sequentionaly using the gearstick by putting it into +- or similar positon)

Agreed, only one i've messed with was rubbish, about as responsive as a snail. I understand autoboxes vary a lot though so no doubt some are acceptable, still a little pointless in a luxobarge though. Not strictly a bad design though, you are hardly forced to use it

 

[richolmes72]

Semi auto's can be useful for little engines. The automatic Yaris for example is blessed with the worst auto of all time, as the car lurches with every gear change. In order to drive smoothly it's best to leave it in semi-auto and blip the throttle when you change.