I pride myself on taking care of my car -- not so much in the looks department as in keeping it running. After 22 years with my 1988 Ford Escort (purchased new), it was time for my third car. Over the years, after someone backing into the front corner, being on fire twice, a tree falling over it, and being rear-ended twice (the second rear-ending put the appearance into its death throes), it was time. Being a tall guy in a short world (at six feet, five inches), I don't just fit into any vehicle. After much research and test driving, I ended up in a 2012 Subaru Outback.
The transition from 23-year-old auto technology to the modern world was impressive and also disappointing. As I drove the car and adapted from a small car that was a snug fit to a large one that fit very well, my little paradise began to fall apart. All the cars I have owned have been manual transmissions. So is my Outback. Yet it didn't take long for the first monkey to start taunting me.
Emergency flashers are probably one of the least-used features on a car. So where was the emergency button placed? It was in the middle of the center console, behind the stick-shift, level with the shift knob and about two-and-a-half inches away when the lever is in a forward position. More so when I first got the car but still happening on occasion, when I reach for the shift, one of my fingers will skip off the button and turn on the emergency flashers. Sometimes I catch it and turn them off. Other times, I would be driving down the road and then notice the flashing lights on the dash. I have contemplated finding a clear piece of plastic to mount over the button to help prevent the unintentional fingering, but I have yet to do so. Why did they choose that placement? Maybe because it looks nice and provides nice visual symmetry.
The seat warmer switch is also a problem. While it is a nice feature on a cold day, why did they mount it facing up on the center console, between the seat and double-drink holder? Driving my mother to a doctor's appointment, I took a drink and put the cup back in the holder. I unknowingly hit the switch, and for the next 20 minutes, I was trying to figure out if the AC was working. There I was, hot, just sitting there driving while the AC was blowing reasonably cool air. In the meantime, I was getting hotter and hotter.
And don't get me started about the radio.
This entry was submitted by Richard Bedell and edited by Rob Spiegel.
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I have a 2004 Toyota Tundra Double Cab that I love almost completely...
A couple of things I don't love...
1. My wife bought the truck while I was in the hospital for a motorcycle accident... She gave it to me on my birthday (about a month after the accident... Bad times...) I would have never paid for the seat warmers, since we live in California and I have never had my butt get cold... But she wanted them... The switches are on the top right edge of the center console, and every time we take a road trip she will at some point cross her legs and switch my seat warmer on high... There is no light that illuminates when they are activated, either on the dash or the switch itself... And the switches toggle with the slightest pressure, and they don't click audibly... The only indication that they are on is when I realize that I am uncomfortably HOT!
2. Timing belt... The V6 Tundra has a timing belt that will not cause any issues if it breaks... The truck will just stop running until you replace the belt. The V8 Tundra has an interference engine, and that means that the belt breaking will absolutely destroy the engine... The pistons will slam into the valves. As a side note, but also another major design flaw as far as I'm concerned is the fact that to adjust the valve clearances on the V8 you must remove the camshafts. The V6 shims can be changed with the camshafts in place...
3. The parking brake is almost completely inneffective... It is a design that you step on it to set it, and step on it to release it... That doesn't explain why the darn thing really doesn't work. If I set the park brake with the truck in neutral in my driveway, it will roll down to the street before it stops. And I do not have a steep driveway... I have adjusted the thing to get the max braking out of it I can, and it sucks...
4. Twice, the truck has shifted itself out of Park and went into reverse... The first time it happened I was putting chains on the truck... The thing nearly ran me over, and almost crashed into the minivan that was 20 or so feet behind me before I managed to get into it and step on the brake. I thought I must not have put it all the way into Park. The second time it did it, I was pulling my boat out... I had just climbed into the boat to raise the outdrive when the truck shifted into reverse... I was all by myself, and I ran and jumped from the boat into the back of the truck and just manged to step on the brake before the whole truck went under... The thing that saved it was the fact that the boat lifted the back wheels off, and it slowed down since it had no more traction... Another couple of feet and the weight of the truck would have pulled my 21 foot Bayliner under water... The truck was under water so far that the carpet in the front seat area got wet... After a lot of cleaning and draining my differential since the vent was two feet under water, I managed to adjust the shifter interlock so that I don't think it will happen again... But I will never again leave it running when I'm on a boat ramp... NEVER!
Sigh... And I still think Toyota makes some of the best cars on the planet...
My Tracker has the automatic lights (release emergency brake and the daytime running lights come on). Flasher switch is on top of the steering column, which seems to be OK.
My method for getting daytime headlights off is to pull up the E-brake a couple of notches. It does not engage the brake, but it does cause the headlights to go out. May not work that way on other vehicles, but it does the trick on mine. Once I'm rolling again, I release the brake all the way.
Driving up to military base gates in rental cars was always a pain in the butt. Trying to get the lights to go out so as not to blind the guard was normal practice, but in rental cars, I was always concious of looking like an idiot trying to figure it out, and since you had to show the rental papers, ID, license, etc., it was a flail.
My Tracker has the automatic lights (release emergency brake and the daytime running lights come on). Flasher switch is on top of the steering column, which seems to be OK.
My method for getting daytime headlights off is to pull up the E-brake a couple of notches. It does not engage the brake, but it does cause the headlights to go out. May not work that way on other vehicles, but it does the trick on mine. Once I'm rolling again, I release the brake all the way.
Driving up to military base gates in rental cars was always a pain in the butt. Trying to get the lights to go out so as not to blind the guard was normal practice, but in rental cars, I was always concious of looking like an idiot trying to figure it out, and since you had to show the rental papers, ID, license, etc., it was a flail.
I hate to admit I remember those days too, Rick - although I was usually a passenger...
If you google how to turn off a Lumina's headlights, this is what you get:
Turn off engine
Depress Emergency Brake
Turn on engine
I happen to be driving another Lumina (great family car) so I am going to give that a try...I bet if you jump on one of those car forums one of the guys can tell you how to turn your camaro headlights off...
Good point Nancy, and I did figure out how to turn off the automatic headlights on my new Honda Civic. There are certainly circumstances in which the automatic headlights are not desirable, but I usually keep the automatic feature turned on.
Interestingly, the automatic headlights on my pristine 1998 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 (now my weekend recreational vehicle after 10 years of daily driving), cannot be turned off. The light switch on the dash is only to turn on the headlights during the daytime.
I remember the old days when there were drive-in movie theaters. It was bad etiquette to drive in with headlights on after the show started.
I never understood why anyone would think that the red triangle warning flasher button would make a great focal point in the middle of the dash. I think it's a foreign car thing to put that thing there. Guess the rest of the world uses it more often than the US audience. Kind of like the horn. Some rebuilders have intresting jokes about that button. lol. Maybe one day it will have what is suppose to go there. Like a dial faced clock or is that too retro and not hip enough.
Rick, you may want to figure out how to turn off those automatic lights. I remember one Christmas we were all in our Lumina which also has the "feature" of the headlights turning on automatically. We were in a very long car line driving through a Christmas lights village about 9:00pm. When it was our turn to enter the village there was a huge sign that said "Please turn off your headlights so they won't distract from the enjoyment of others driving through." We had no idea how to do it and much to our chagrin we had to complete the drive through with our headlights on...
Interesting point, Jim_E. Sounds like a mix of good positions (the radio on the steering wheel) or the other controls. I've always held the view that Japanese cars are designed for relatively small people. I'm 5'8", and the Japanese cars all seem to have everything in the right place. If I were 6'3", I would imagine the controls would not seem to be in the right place.
Toyota, oh hallowed vehicle designers, why must you torment me! :)
We have a Toyota Sienna minivan and my wife loves it. At 6'3", I'm a good foot taller than her, and that makes some problems for me. I'm sure that my wife is the target audience, and can accept that, but....
- With seat and steering wheel properly adjusted, I cannot see the top of the speedometer! I have learned at 55mph is with the needle straight up and down, so that helps me a bit, since I can see the lower part of the needle.
- The windshield wiper switch is on a stalk on the right side of the wheel, rather low and close to the wheel. About every other time that I drive the van, I accidentally hit the stupid thing with my hand, causing the wipers to smear stuff on the dry windshield....
- The interior lights do not feature automatic shutoff. In a van. Made to carry around young kids. With push button lights in the back.... So, sometimes the kids push on the light over their seats, and we leave the van. Since all of the lights are on when we open a door, I don't see it. Luckily, I usally see the lights on when I'm out walking the dog later, but it had caused a dead battery before.
My 2000 Chevy Silverado has a nice feature which will automatically shut off the interior light after about twenty minutes, preventing a dead battery. But, my Silverado also featured brake lines which completely rusted out this year! One of the worse driveway repair jobs that I've ever done, since GM installed the brake lines before putting the body on! Yes, I put new stainless steel lines on this time.
As for steering wheel radio controls, they are great! My 1995 Pontiac Trans-Am has them, as well as our minivan. They even make third party interfaces which will let the buttons work with aftermarket head units (stereos).
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