ridiculous optional extras

iaind · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:15

Firestar_3x said:
This is based on the two systems i've used over a long period, the one in my Clio and the one in my Passat.

I found the ones on the clio would go spastic fast for no reason, when it stoped raining they wouldn't shut off all the time.

Ones in the Passat are slightly better, not only do they relate to the amount of rain but also to the speed the car is going, but even at the lowest sensitivity setting i think they wipe too much / step up to a high speed too fast, oh and mine have that stupid 'have to activate the system each time you start the car'.

To be 100% honest the rain sensor in my Passat hasn't been the same since the windscreen was replaced but the current issues still existed just to a slightly lesser extent.

I think it's pretty common for a windscreen replacement to mess these things up, presumably something isnt lined up properly.

I've never had them (although I test drove a Mondeo Ghia with them and they seemed OK), but friends who have had them in Pugs or Renaults have thought they were useless, friends with VWs or Audis have been pretty pleased.

Firestar_3x · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:15

iaind said:
The problem with all these "hand holding" features is it stops people thinking about it. If someone drives a car that dips the headlights for them and gets used to it, when they get back into a car without that feature, they'll end up blinding everyone because they forget they need to dip them manually!

Perhaps but i never had an issue going from one to another.

Another way of looking at it is all these automatic features allows the driver to think more about the road rather than what settings are my lights on or oh no truck has gone through a big puddle and i can't see.

uber soldat · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:15

[TW]Fox;13692322 said:
Yea man, because varying your own wiper speed manually with the amount of rain/spray is totally hardcore driving involvement, innit.

Its a slippery slope, and why do you seem to have become some sort of chav all of a sudden?

MeAnBoY · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:16

[TW]Fox;13692206 said:
They always do until you experience them, properly, on a day to day basis, then you wonder how others can do without them. Rain sensing wipers particularly.

Really? Im not sure about everyone else but most the time if im on single/dual carriageway i donn't need full beams on anyway, only really for country road use.

Mr Jack · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:16

[TW]Fox;13692322 said:
Yea man, because varying your own wiper speed manually with the amount of rain/spray is totally hardcore driving involvement, innit.

My car has 8 different wiper settings; and I can still never find one that consistently gets it right - rain and spray vary so constantly that it's just not possible. I'm all for decent rain sensing tech.

iaind · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:16

Sukh said:
Maybe we should stop people driving automatics so that if they have to drive a manual they don't forget how?

Lol, maybe. Although I didnt mean they'd forget, probably just oversee a few times. I drive a manual, but whenever I've driven an auto, I nearly put my left foot through the bulkhead when stopping for the first few times

[TW]Fox · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:17

I think rain sensing wipers are fantastic. If it looks like it might rain, you turn the system on and forget about it. Your wipers will then always be right - they'll speed up when you pass a truck kicking out loads of spray, slow down when it drizzles, etc

Matt82 · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:20

doesnt audi have a system (brake assist?) where you dont have to brake in stop start traffic, it does it for you

uber soldat · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:20

Compared to the incredible effort of clicking up once for on, and down once for off, i see your logic that's well worth an extra 200 quid :rolleyes:

Prophet · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:21

[TW]Fox;13692346 said:
I think rain sensing wipers are fantastic. If it looks like it might rain, you turn the system on and forget about it. Your wipers will then always be right - they'll speed up when you pass a truck kicking out loads of spray, slow down when it drizzles, etc

yeah man, they rox big time when blasting past truks n stuff.

Sorry, I went into Fox quote/reply mode then

[TW]Fox · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:22

uber soldat said:
Compared to the incredible effort of clicking up once for on, and down once for off, i see your logic that's well worth an extra 200 quid

Since when do you only turn your wipers on or off? :confused:

uber soldat · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:27

It very rarely rains enough to have them on constant, but even if it does it is only an extra click, no big deal and certainly not worth paying silly money to be lazy and not have to do it.

Sone · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:36

but does it not drive you made at traffic lights, have to turn then down and then back up when the speed goes up. Or in Fine drizle where you just can't get the speed right

uber soldat · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:41

Sone said:
but does it not drive you made at traffic lights, have to turn then down and then back up when the speed goes up. Or in Fine drizle where you just can't get the speed right

Not enough to pay an extra 200 quid

when this occasionaly happens i just do it manually, ie for very light drizzle just tap stalk down when there is enough rain on the screen.

Fr0dders · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:44

uber soldat said:
Not enough to pay an extra 200 quid when this occasionaly happens i just do it manually, ie for very light drizzle just tap stalk down when there is enough rain on the screen.

who charges £200 for auto wipers

even crappy citroens have these as standard on most trim levels now.

NathanE · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:54

People actually pay for these sort of silly extras?

jamief · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:56

NathanE said:
People actually pay for these sort of silly extras?

Who are you referring to?

CliffyBiro · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:56

flat-6 said:
I read the Telegraph review of the new E class, their test car had Adaptive High-Beam assist. What does that do you ask? If you are driving along single carriageway at night it will knock off the high beam when a car is coming and put it back on when it passes.

Really? Is this what the motoring public needs? How hard is it to pull the stalk on these rare occasions? This is part of the reason modern cars have little interest to me, this and rain sensing wipers seem like totally redundant extras which as just bound to fail some time in the future.

Good idea if you ask me.

Too many ****s don't dim their lights.

NathanE · 16 Mar 2009 at 14:59

jamief said:
Who are you referring to?

People in general. Piddly little £175 or whatever extra options like this are the sort of thing you just haggle into the deal and don't think twice about IMO!

Pete19s · 16 Mar 2009 at 15:00

Sone said:
but does it not drive you made at traffic lights, have to turn then down and then back up when the speed goes up. Or in Fine drizle where you just can't get the speed right

Not really, tap the stalk and one wipe later and the screen is clear. Probably helps to keep your windows clean. Auto closing bootlids are a real hatred of mine, honestly how hard is it to use your arm to pull it down? You use them to put crap in the boot afterall.