# Foibles and Quirks about Makes of Cars **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 13, 2016, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844 "2016-03-13T06:31:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/81 "2016-03-17T18:33:14Z")
BMW, despite all their awesomeness, either have no cup holders, or they are complete shit. I don’t really have a problem with this. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/82 "2016-03-17T18:43:09Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > The battery on my BMW is in the trunk. There is a compartment under the hood where it looks like a battery could fit, but it’s empty aside from two shielded connectors–so that jumper cables can be used. And I just found where my battery is this weekend! I also discovered a cute little tool box embedded in the trunk lid. “I wonder what that symbol is and why there’s an odd bolt there? Ahhh . . .” 😃 Also on my BMW: the Steptronic transmission (the sport mode clutchless shifting) is pulled backwards to shift up – like an airplane, I think. Having grown up with true manual trannies, it’s taken a lot of mental work to remember “pull BACK to shift up, FORWARD to shift down.” I even put a reminder sticky on the dash. Not really a foible, but an “era” thing. Remember when dashboards were metal with sharp edges facing passengers? Good times! ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/83 "2016-03-17T18:44:28Z")
My Honda Fit has [I[ten\* cupholders. TEN! The dealer joked with me that if I dehydrated in the car it was my own fault. It also has the tiniest hood space I’ve ever seen, which means everything fits in there like a puzzle. You should see the size of the battery! ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/84 "2016-03-17T18:57:20Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > BMW, despite all their awesomeness, either have no cup holders, or they are complete shit. > > I don’t really have a problem with this. Ah, yes. My '02 530i cupholder that was placed under the climate control panel broke off. I’ve come to understand this is a “feature.” ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/85 "2016-03-17T19:01:38Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I had a 1984 Ford Tempo that was a fairly normal front wheel drive compact except for one feature. The horn was activated by pushing _in_ the turn signal stalk on the left side of the steering column. Many’s the time I tried to blow the horn by pushing uselessly on the center of the steering wheel. The horn was moved back to the normal position on the 1985 Tempo. My mother had a 1978 Ford Fiesta that had the horn on the turn signal stalk. Since it was front wheel drive, the floor pan was flat, and the stick shift looked more like a walking cane. My 67 Chevy Malibu had the ignition in the dash, not on the steering column, and my friend’s Rambler’s (IIRC, it was an American, but this was almost 40 years ago, so I’m not clear) windshield wipers were attached to the vacuum pump. When he let off the gas pedal, the wipers stopped. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/86 "2016-03-17T19:15:50Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > …and my friend’s Rambler’s (IIRC, it was an American, but this was almost 40 years ago, so I’m not clear) windshield wipers were attached to the vacuum pump. When he let off the gas pedal, the wipers stopped. Actually, they worked off engine vacuum, which gets significantly lower when you have the gas pedal pushed all the way to the floor–which causes the wipers to pretty much stop. I used to joke that anyone who would try to drive up a hill in a rainstorm probably deserved to die anyway 😉 Later, they added a little vacuum pump to the gas pump, and that kinda helped out when the engine was at high revs. Still, not an optimal system 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/87 "2016-03-17T20:14:07Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > My 67 Chevy Malibu had the ignition in the dash, not on the steering column, That’s not really a quirk or foible since pretty much all cars of that era had the ignition in the dash. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/88 "2016-03-17T20:38:26Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > Also on my BMW: the Steptronic transmission (the sport mode clutchless shifting) is pulled backwards to shift up – like an airplane, I think. Having grown up with true manual trannies, it’s taken a lot of mental work to remember “pull BACK to shift up, FORWARD to shift down.” I even put a reminder sticky on the dash. Consider this: My 135i and my previous 335i worked exactly as you describe. My wife’s '12 X3, nope. The right paddle is pull to upshift and the left paddle is pull to downshift. Pushing isn’t available. Here’s a foible, model specific, but an example of the manufacturer’s (lack of) thought process. My Lotus Elise had two different door lock mechanisms. If I locked the door with the fob, the key would not me in. Conversely, if I used the key to lock the door, the fob did nothing. If the fob’s battery died, or if the whole thing went through the laundry, welcome to having no way to get into your car. Maddening. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/89 "2016-03-17T21:04:47Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > My '72 was a regular Beetle, not a Super Beetle. Flat windshield. That was actually a good thing when I moved to CO, and safety inspections forced me to replace it because it had small crack in it. Very cheap replacement. I had a '71 Super Beetle with a flat windshield. The curved windshield showed up in '73. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/90 "2016-03-18T01:28:12Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > My 67 Chevy Malibu had the ignition in the dash, not on the steering column… > [@Kimballkid](#): > > That’s not really a quirk or foible since pretty much all cars of that era had the ignition in the dash. My 2000 Bonneville (the same one I mentioned having the battery under a rear seat) also had its ignition on the instrument panel (err… dash). I’m not sure if this counts as a foible or not, but instead of having a dual-marked speedometer (i.e., MPH and km/h), it had a simple push button to toggle units of measurement. I was fun to make a first-time passenger think we were moving at nearly 130 MPH. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/91 "2016-03-18T01:41:39Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > My 2000 Bonneville (the same one I mentioned having the battery under a rear seat) also had its ignition on the instrument panel (err… dash). > > I’m not sure if this counts as a foible or not, but instead of having a dual-marked speedometer (i.e., MPH and km/h), it had a simple push button to toggle units of measurement. I was fun to make a first-time passenger think we were moving at nearly 130 MPH. I have to believe that GM owns a patent on that. I can’t think of any reason no other automaker has done the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/92 "2016-03-18T01:43:52Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I have to believe that GM owns a patent on that. I can’t think of any reason no other automaker has done the same thing. Have you seen an odometer calibrated in kilometers instead of miles? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/93 "2016-03-18T01:57:43Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > My mother had a 1978 Ford Fiesta that had the horn on the turn signal stalk. Since it was front wheel drive, the floor pan was flat, and the stick shift looked more like a walking cane. > > My 67 Chevy Malibu had the ignition in the dash, not on the steering column, and my friend’s Rambler’s (IIRC, it was an American, but this was almost 40 years ago, so I’m not clear) windshield wipers were attached to the vacuum pump. When he let off the gas pedal, the wipers stopped. Also, sometimes when I tried to blow the horn using the stalk, I would accidentally turn on one of the turn signals. Completely useless feature. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/94 "2016-03-18T03:11:34Z")
Ignition switches have made their way back onto the dash in many cars, but now they’re a button. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/95 "2016-03-18T06:59:19Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > At least in my '72, there was also supposedly a cut-off valve which kept the pressure in the spare tire from dropping too far. You got used to “Windshield washer’s not working … I need to put some air in the spare tire.”. > > Bugs didn’t have oil filters. You changed the oil by loosening a plate held in place with six hex nuts, which the oil came gushing out around. The oil screen was held in place by the plate, and you were supposed to clean that rather than replacing a filter. At one point they put a drain plug in the middle of the plate, but stopped doing it because too many people were just draining the oil without taking the screen out and cleaning it. Back in my VW mechanic days I always wrote the date and my initials on the two gaskets that had to be replaced when removing and cleaning the screen during oil changes. I won bets with customers several times when they wanted proof the oil screen had actually been removed and cleaned. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/96 "2016-03-18T08:28:16Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Have you seen an odometer calibrated in kilometers instead of miles? if they’re electronic displays (and they are,) they’re not “calibrated” in anything. the mileage is just a count of how many times the vehicle speed sensor (VSS) has gone around, with an offset for the tire size and possibly the final drive ratio depending on where the car gets its VSS info from. changing from miles to km is a trivial calculation. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/97 "2016-03-18T14:14:16Z")
My 2014 Toyota Prius has a rear windshield design that puts a bar across your vision ([image](http://dallasdenny.com/Stuff/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/View-Through-Prius-Rear-Window.jpg)), which has the effect of blocking your view of the car behind you, especially at night when the bar blocks your view of its headlights. The two panes of glass back there join at an angle that distorts your depth perception if you’re checking your mirror while backing up. The design also leads to the lower pane of glass constantly getting filthy from rain/winter sludge splash-back, which then obscures the view out of the window. Almost every day, I curse Toyota for approving that design. Otherwise, I love this car. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/98 "2016-03-18T14:37:40Z")
I agree, Gallows. Whoever designed that couldn’t have been sober. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/99 "2016-03-19T10:25:44Z")
My '73 Renault had a gear change analogous to a floor-mounted stick, but it was ahead of the engine, with a bar linkage through the dashboard to manipulate it from the drivers seat. I loved it. I think some Citroens had the same arrangement. French cars also had no hole in the center of the wheel, so it could not be mounted on modern American tire shop equipment for balancing or tire changing. My '47 Studebaker had no dash lights. Instead, the numbers on the instruments were painted with glow-in-the-dark paint. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844/100 "2016-03-19T10:38:35Z")
> [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > My 2014 Toyota Prius has a rear windshield design that puts a bar across your vision ([image](http://dallasdenny.com/Stuff/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/View-Through-Prius-Rear-Window.jpg)), which has the effect of blocking your view of the car behind you, especially at night when the bar blocks your view of its headlights. The two panes of glass back there join at an angle that distorts your depth perception if you’re checking your mirror while backing up. The design also leads to the lower pane of glass constantly getting filthy from rain/winter sludge splash-back, which then obscures the view out of the window. > > Almost every day, I curse Toyota for approving that design. Otherwise, I love this car. There’s a [reason](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kammback) it’s shaped like that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foibles-and-quirks-about-makes-of-cars/748844.md?page=6)