The "Things I Dislike About My Car" Thread

[68_427]

I've never had a car that auto locks and that's the way I like it.

[Madman]

Maybe just have them automatically lock when you enter high crime areas.

On my Prius the two main irritants are the rattly dashboard and the truly terrible cheap radio/speakers.
The Mercedes would be the unusable COMAND system and the driver's side seat belt mechanism that needs replacing ($700)
The Infiniti: the transmission & the touchy-at-tip-off throttle mapping.

Wait a minute....   YOU have a PRIUS?!?

Hang your head in shame!   

[Lebowski]

Auto lock is a no brainer - I want it to auto lock and don't want it to auto unlock. The locked door can be opened from the inside anyway so what's the point of auto unlock?

[Morris Minor]

Wait a minute....   YOU have a PRIUS?!?

Hang your head in shame!   

It was used by my daughter. Now that she's living overseas I'm using it.  It's just that I care about our delicate planet.

[veeman]

tdi vw beetle - I really like this car.  Quibbles:

- blue tooth is crappy.  It's not a well insulated econo"dome" but the sound quality should still be better. 

- inside glossy plastics.  I think they look great but are very easily scratched.  I carried a light cardboard box in the front passenger seat which was resting on the glove box and the glove box got all scratched up.

- front bumper.  Way too delicate and expensive.  I "touched" a concrete barrier at a gas station at less than walking speed.  Got a small crack in the lip of the bumper and the only way to repair it was too replace the bumper.  Close to 1,000 dollars including labor. 

[Lebowski]

The bumper thing seems to be with all newish cars these days. Even a very low speed impact is a 4 figure repair bill.

[veeman]

The bumper thing seems to be with all newish cars these days. Even a very low speed impact is a 4 figure repair bill.

yeah dude.  That pissed me off.  I guess you can't easily repair plastic to look new and so you just have to replace the entire bumper   For a crack a few inches in length.

At least the car is short so I park purposely about two feet away from the low concrete barrier at the end of public parking spots.  Because if the lip of the bumper nicks the barrier, I'm out another grand.

[MX793]

Auto lock is a no brainer - I want it to auto lock and don't want it to auto unlock. The locked door can be opened from the inside anyway so what's the point of auto unlock?

In some cars, the rear doors cannot be opened from the inside using the handle when locked (regardless of whether the child locks are engaged).  You have to unlock them for the handle to work.

[AutobahnSHO]

FYI I read the manual on my 2004 Toyota, you can have the dealer set or unset the auto-lock or auto-unlock features.
IIRC each is independent of the other, so you can disable/enable one and not the other.

YMMV with other makes of course.

[cawimmer430]

Things I like about my car - the door handle lights. Very nice when you're parked in dark spots, even though the door handles are easy to find.

[12,000 RPM]

Hmmm....

With the Z.... gas mileage, road noise, "no chill mode", rough ride

With the Rabbit... understeer, squishy suspension tuning, headlights

With the Civic... weak stereo, weak headlights, weak tire sidewalls, black paint is going to be rough to care for, tint on rear window was poorly applied.

[AltinD]

Auto lock is a no brainer - I want it to auto lock and don't want it to auto unlock. The locked door can be opened from the inside anyway so what's the point of auto unlock?

How about you have something relatively large on the back seat and want to retrieve it (and you always forget to press the unlock button)?

[Cookie Monster]

With the 4Runner - crap wiring job on the stereo done by the PO which means no stereo anymore, and a lack of cupholders.

[12,000 RPM]

Auto lock is a no brainer - I want it to auto lock and don't want it to auto unlock. The locked door can be opened from the inside anyway so what's the point of auto unlock?

Civic doesnt auto unlock and its a little annoying. Just another step added to getting out of the car. Shouldnt be a problem to unlock the doors once you either put it in park or remove the key.

[MrH]

A few things about the Genesis:

- It's missing blindspot detection.  That's the only feature that's really missing on the car.  No idea why it isn't there when the rest of the class has it.  But I have a hard time at night determining distances to other car when changing lanes.  All three mirrors are auto dimming.  When you snap your head around to check your blind spot, the headlights don't look the same as the headlights you see in your mirrors.  Seems minor, but my brain always does a double take and it takes a second to get calibrated that it's the same car.  Also, it's a big car, so blindspot detection would be nice.

-Gas mileage is pretty crappy the way I drive

-Ride isn't all that great.  It's a little harsh at times.  Handling isn't bad, but not great either.  I think I'd like something a little softer for such a car honestly.  Might put it on airbags.  That would help a lot.

[hotrodalex]

I'm not sure that airbags would solve the issue without presenting others.

[Xer0]

I have a few little wiggles on my Si

- Gas mileage is shitty.  I'm averaging 19/18 mpg in almost 100% city driving.  Mixed driving I'll be at like 23/24.

- The informant system is finicky when trying to stream YouTube or Google maps and randomly cuts off. 

- 6th gear sucks on the highway, it's like 500 RPM less than 5th at speed.

- There is a tag that says 'premium audio system' on the center counsel that pisses me off because I feel like the car is lying to me.

[Madman]

- There is a tag that says 'premium audio system' on the center counsel that pisses me off because I feel like the car is lying to me.

[Madman]

Thread revival time!

I've had my Mazda 5 a few months now.  I'm enjoying it immensely but there are two things in particular I find annoying.

1.  The low-beam headlights.  These are the WORST headlights I've ever had in any car.  I've even upgraded to better bulbs but the headlights are still damn-near useless.  A glass jar containing a single firefly produces more illumination than the crappy reflectors in these headlights.

2.  The ride quality.  Who on Earth thought it was a good idea to put ginormous 17-inch wheels shod with rubber bands on a family-oriented mini-minivan?  I have to make a deliberate effort to steer around potholes, bumps and anything else that is likely to send a bone-jarring jolt into the passenger cabin.  Yes, there is a payoff to be had in excellent cornering ability but who buys a car like this for corner-carving?  I'd gladly trade some of that handling prowess for just a bit more ride compliance.

Other than those two things, I like it very much.  Fix the hopeless headlights and the made-from-concrete suspension and it would be the perfect car.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Oh, good thread revival


Two rod bearings spun.
Overheats.
Gas tank leaks.
Rear window is gone.
Battery won't hold a charge.
Wipers don't work.

Other than those things, I like it very much. The ride quality is excellent, and I couldn't ask for better headlights without exceeding legal limits.

[shp4man]

Well, it's not a car, but my daily driver. The paint on the hood is peeling off and the cup holder is broken. But it's rock solid dependable and it's paid for. So there's that.

[shp4man]

Well, it's not a car, but my daily driver. The paint on the hood is peeling off and the cup holder is broken. But it's rock solid dependable and it's paid for. So there's that.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Paint peeling on hood?
Good excuse to strip it down to bare metal and let it "patina".

[AutobahnSHO]

Civic doesnt auto unlock and its a little annoying. Just another step added to getting out of the car. Shouldnt be a problem to unlock the doors once you either put it in park or remove the key.

Check owner's manual, usually that can be programmed. (Toyota manual said some features must be "programmed at dealership" though)

[AutobahnSHO]

2.  The ride quality.  Who on Earth thought it was a good idea to put ginormous 17-inch wheels shod with rubber bands on a family-oriented mini-minivan?  I have to make a deliberate effort to steer around potholes, bumps and anything else that is likely to send a bone-jarring jolt into the passenger cabin.  Yes, there is a payoff to be had in excellent cornering ability but who buys a car like this for corner-carving?  I'd gladly trade some of that handling prowess for just a bit more ride compliance.

The people who want Miata handling in a minivan are exactly who the Mazda5 was made for

[Eye of the Tiger]

Check owner's manual, usually that can be programmed. (Toyota manual said some features must be "programmed at dealership" though)

frickin google that shit

http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/inside-out/7899-door-lock-tricks-auto-lock-auto-open.html#/forumsite/20689/topics/7899?page=1

[veeman]

VW tdi Beetle - I thought the knowledge that it's not "clean" wouldn't bother me in the slightest.  It does bother me though. Not enough to dump it.  Kind of like when I don't see a recycling bin next to a garbage can when I throw away an empty soda can.  It bothers me a little bit.  Not enough for me not to throw away the soda can but still I'm aware of the lack of recycling.

I'm awaiting the VW fix. 

[Laconian]

I'd be miffed about the residuals, myself.