Features I never knew my car has

JerCotter7 · 20-02-2012 3:48pm

Since my car came absolutely standard and I have put all the features into it myself, no my car does not have a feature I do not know of :P

Gophur · 20-02-2012 3:57pm

Design_Dude wrote: »

Megane has brake booster on left hand side, Passenger discovered if you press hard enough on the right part of the footwell you can press the brakes. true story!

That's a design flaw with a number of, especially, French cars.

Mr Benevolent · 20-02-2012 4:27pm

Gophur wrote: »

That's a design flaw with a number of, especially, French cars.

That's not a design flaw, it's downright sensible. Think how many time you've been in the passenger seat and the driver isn't slowing down enough or doesn't see something coming. Best feature ever.

Tea 1000 · 20-02-2012 4:39pm

Stheno wrote: »

I never knew what the TA button meant on my car stereo.

Until the day I was stuck in traffic in Lisburn and this random voice cut in on my cd to advise on the status of the traffic on the A1

I nearly had a freaking heart attack, had no idea what was going on and the fecking thing kept doing it until I got to work in Belfast city centre. I was convinced I was being stalked by some mad lunatics!

Got a right few laughs when I asked what the feck it was!
THe OH laughed himself silly as he'd lived in the UK and was used to traffic updates cutting in automatically if you'd the setting right.

They used to have Traffic Announcements over here, so the TA button used to work, but for some reason they just stopped them around 8 years ago.

Bannasidhe · 20-02-2012 4:46pm

Was telling someone about this thread and they informed me I have a 6 CD changer thingy under my passenger seat...
Last year they pointed out I have a cig. charger in the back of the car - after I had brained myself on the steering wheel while trying to inflate an air mattress during a camping trip on a lovely drizzling Irish summer's day.

I am hoping they will tell me I have a yoke under the back bumper that puts up tents next...

savagecabbages · 20-02-2012 6:16pm

Confab wrote: »

That's not a design flaw, it's downright sensible. Think how many time you've been in the passenger seat and the driver isn't slowing down enough or doesn't see something coming. Best feature ever.

Until the next time they are driving solo and the car doesn't slow down like they expect it to!

tossy · 20-02-2012 6:35pm

Confab wrote: »

That's not a design flaw, it's downright sensible. Think how many time you've been in the passenger seat and the driver isn't slowing down enough or doesn't see something coming. Best feature ever.

You are joking right?

TestTransmission · 20-02-2012 6:37pm

tossy wrote: »

You are joking right?

I hope so

Gary ITR · 20-02-2012 6:38pm

tossy wrote: »

You are joking right?

I doubt it, that's what makes it worse

Boscoirl · 20-02-2012 6:50pm

My Dad found out that my car has automatic wipers, while pouring a jug of water over it to de-ice the windscreen a few weeks ago

Killinator · 20-02-2012 6:56pm

hiscan wrote: »

Was driving home yesterday in an Audi A4 and the sun was beaming in to the car.I had both visors down but the sun was still beaming into my eyes over the rear view mirror.
I said to herself,I remember in the VW Golf I used to have,there was a handy little visor over the mirror to stop the sun coming in,I'm surprised there's not one in this.
At which point she reached up and pulled it down and started laughing,I said how come she hadn't used it before and she said because she's so small it never worked right for her

My brother drives an A4, he didn't know about that either,
I drove a '00 Polo at the time and was a passenger in his A4,
The sun was setting so and was shining in that open space above the mirror and I asked him why he didn't put that small visor down,
To which he replied "what visor?"

Sam Kade · 20-02-2012 11:48pm

Indricotherium wrote: »

My friend however puts the car in neutral and then starts it. So the two of us were sat in the car and it wouldn't start. We swapped around and I gave it a go and away she lit. Swapped again and dead. Took ages to figure it out. I thought he was taking the piss tbh.

So every time you start the car you turn it off again before your friend tries to start it again

Why not just leave it running for him as he had such trouble trying to start it

I know of a lot of car owners that don't realize that they have a switch to turn off the front fog lights :mad: Others don't realize they have indicators :mad:

El Guapo! · 21-02-2012 12:09am

My Da has a 05 merc e270 and he used to freak out when changing a flat tyre because he could never line up the holes properly, especially in the dark.
Then he discovered theres a long bolt in the boot that you screw into one of the holes to help you line the wheel up. Could've saved him a lot of heart-ache if he found it sooner!

eth0 · 21-02-2012 1:35am

I discovered my last car had heated mirrors after i broke one of them

The windscreen washer pump was also heated, only discovered this cause it was drawing a fair bit of current when idle one day testing with the multimeter cause it was giving trouble

Hal1 · 21-02-2012 1:42am

Some of the mk2 focus's have footwell lighting. Well they usually have the bulb holders anyway.

Mc Love · 21-02-2012 3:03am

Yep noticed that too!

Marlow · 21-02-2012 3:53am

Indricotherium wrote: »

My car will not start without the clutch being pushed down. I've had the car 4 years and never noticed this simply because I always put my foot on the clutch before I start any car.

Most manual cars sold in the states are like that to avoid litigation and stupid americans from doing stupid things.

/M

Raiser · 21-02-2012 12:30pm

Its a fact that ~87% of you don't know there a little button on your dash to turn off your fog lights.

- For informations sake, heres a couple I ripped outta someones dash with a teaspoon in an 'incident'

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRyKGyy2B54lNj6TOhTkMbr6hJ_JVFR8vLzu3IzkbcVMf1inP7D8Xf7LrS-rw

EPM · 21-02-2012 12:33pm

Raiser wrote: »

Its a fact that ~87% of you don't know there a little button on your dash to turn off your fog lights.

- For informations sake, heres a couple I ripped outta someones dash with a teaspoon in an 'incident'

I had a similar percentage in mind for people who don't read the charter regarding fog lights.

El Guapo! · 21-02-2012 1:54pm

Not a feature but an interesting design flaw I learned years ago was that on the old Corsa B, if you took out the hazard switch, flipped it upside down and put it back in and pressed it you'd get lights on the dash and could get the car started on a push!

Mr Benevolent · 21-02-2012 1:58pm

Dean09 wrote: »

Not a feature but an interesting design flaw I learned years ago was that on the old Corsa B, if you took out the hazard switch, flipped it upside down and put it back in and pressed it you'd get lights on the dash and could get the car started on a push!

Hah! I'll try that. Have a spare Corsa B sitting in the carpark.

Nissan doctor · 21-02-2012 2:15pm

Dean09 wrote: »

Not a feature but an interesting design flaw I learned years ago was that on the old Corsa B, if you took out the hazard switch, flipped it upside down and put it back in and pressed it you'd get lights on the dash and could get the car started on a push!

Thats the corsa A/Nova your thinking of;)

El Guapo! · 21-02-2012 2:24pm

Nissan doctor wrote: »

Thats the corsa A/Nova your thinking of;)

Ah that's the one! I always get mixed up with the model numbers.

milltown · 21-02-2012 2:53pm

Dean09 wrote: »

Not a feature but an interesting design flaw I learned years ago was that on the old Corsa B, if you took out the hazard switch, flipped it upside down and put it back in and pressed it you'd get lights on the dash and could get the car started on a push!

Anyone with one of these better have an alarm on it now.

blastman · 21-02-2012 3:16pm

My car has a digital clock in the centre console that lights up when the car is running. There's a small flap beside it that flips down to reveal the buttons that adjust the time. It was only after having the car a few years that someone told me you can press the flap to make the clock light up when the car is off.

Tea 1000 · 22-02-2012 12:10pm

OSI wrote: »

This morning I discovered my car has heated mirrors and launch control

Launch control? What kinda machine are you running?

Tea 1000 · 22-02-2012 12:44pm

OSI wrote: »

Tis a Golf GTI with the DSG box. Seems a lot of the DSG equipped VAG cars have it.

Ah right. Yep, they do alright.

Hootanany · 22-02-2012 1:23pm

OSI wrote: »

Tis a Golf GTI with the DSG box. Seems a lot of the DSG equipped VAG cars have it.

Whats Launch control

colm_mcm · 22-02-2012 2:02pm

discovered on my mothers old 323 that if you pull the drivers door handle when the door is locked, the keyhole illuminates. Her newer one doesn't have this feature cos it has remote locks.

Vertakill · 22-02-2012 4:32pm

OSI wrote: »

Tis a Golf GTI with the DSG box. Seems a lot of the DSG equipped VAG cars have it.

Just be careful how often you use it as each time is logged by the car and VW will know if you've been taking the mickey if you're going in for any warranty work! :eek:

Gary ITR · 22-02-2012 4:42pm

OSI wrote: »

Seriously? That kinda sucks. But tbh I would be surprised if it gets used more than once a year when I remember it's there and decide to test it out.

I've had it on my last 2 cars and never used it. Our race driver asked us to knock it off in the ECU because he starts without it, it's only a gimmick

Mr Benevolent · 22-02-2012 4:42pm

Vertakill wrote: »

Just be careful how often you use it as each time is logged by the car and VW will know if you've been taking the mickey if you're going in for any warranty work! :eek:

Mainly because launching is very hard on the box.

Big Nasty · 22-02-2012 4:51pm

Confab wrote: »

Mainly because launching is very hard on the box.

Just like rooting! :pac:

dcr22B · 22-02-2012 4:53pm

Didn't realise I had fold in door mirrors on my Mondeo until I was adjusting the mirrors while driving one day and instead of moving the glass, they bloody closed on me!

Vertakill · 22-02-2012 5:09pm

OSI wrote: »

Seriously? That kinda sucks. But tbh I would be surprised if it gets used more than once a year when I remember it's there and decide to test it out.

Yeah an awful lot of fairly new cars with launch control are logging this so that you don't come into them looking for warranty work on your gearbox a week after driving it off the forecourts ..

Hootanany · 22-02-2012 6:25pm

Where do I find this switch.:cool:

PaulKK · 22-02-2012 7:56pm

OSI wrote: »

Do they log how many times you open and close the windows to in case I have the audacity to make use of that feature and it happens to break?

In fairness, the windows are ment to be opened and closed by nature.

The gearbox is not ment to take a full power launch every time though.

Tea 1000 · 23-02-2012 12:47pm

Gary ITR wrote: »

I've had it on my last 2 cars and never used it. Our race driver asked us to knock it off in the ECU because he starts without it, it's only a gimmick

It's a gimmick to a point, but it's not possible to match the claimed 0-60 time without it in many cars, no matter who the driver is!

slave1 · 23-02-2012 1:40pm

Can't remember whether it's a C-Max we used to own or my current Avensis but it's fitted with a light where your feet rest (foot well?) however the car does not ship with a bulb fitted so it's up to you whether you want to pop one in or not, no mention in the manual either.
C-Max, pull the driving light dial out and you get fog lights, discovered by accident 6 months after owning the car (in fairness the wife's car so I didn't drive that often and rarely need fogs on).

slave1 · 23-02-2012 1:42pm

Just remembered, I had a Peugot X0X a while back as a rental and couldn't find how to open the book after extensive searching at the back of the car, turned out it was the "0" in the middle of the logo on the boot.

AgileMyth · 23-02-2012 1:46pm

Beer Baron wrote: »

Took me 5 minutes to learn not to lock my keys into the boot of my own Passat yet took my colleague 1 hour to do this in his new 2012 Passat(last week). :D:D:D When the car is locked and you hold down the boot key the boot pops open and when you close the boot the entire car locks itself completely. He obviously left the keys in the boot when he closed it. Never happened to me because I'm afraid of it happening when I am 350kms from the spare keys.

If somebody else is near your spare set you should be able to unlock it over the phone. :cool:

Big Nasty · 23-02-2012 1:54pm

AgileMyth wrote: »

If somebody else is near your spare set you should be able to unlock it over the phone. :cool:

Can ya fcuk!;)

Gary ITR · 23-02-2012 1:55pm

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Surely launch controlled is banned in the rules? Or is that another lovely loophole that exists in the ever changing ITCC rule book :pac:

Well stand by the grid and you'll hear cars bouncing off their pre set limiters

As far as I know it's not banned

bazz26 · 23-02-2012 9:36pm

Found out recently that my car has an indicator stalk on the steering wheel. No mention of it in the BMW driver's manual. :pac:

On a serious note, had a Ford Focus a few years ago and not long after I got it a warning symbol flashed on the dashboard along with a brief chime. At first I thought it was the EML and pulled over but then realised the symbol was in the shape of a snow flack meaning the outside temperature was close to freezing.

colm_mcm · 23-02-2012 9:40pm

bazz26 wrote: »

Found out recently that my car has an indicator stalk on the steering wheel. No mention of it in the BMW driver's manual. :pac:

On a serious note, had a Ford Focus a few years ago and not long after I got it a warning symbol flashed on the dashboard along with a brief chime. At first I thought it was the EML and pulled over but then realised the symbol was in the shape of a snow flack meaning the outside temperature was close to freezing.

My fto had that too. Got a right shock when it beeped the first time

L1011 · 23-02-2012 9:45pm

colm_mcm wrote: »

My fto had that too. Got a right shock when it beeped the first time

My Fiat has that also, you expect it on cold nights when you turn it on but not when you've been driving for a long while and the temperature drops!

Marlow · 23-02-2012 9:47pm

It's a common enough thing. BMW's do it at +3 degrees and blink the temperature in the display then.

/M

colm_mcm · 23-02-2012 9:47pm

The Mitsubishi one sounds like an alarm clock though

-Corkie- · 23-02-2012 9:59pm

AgileMyth wrote: »

If somebody else is near your spare set you should be able to unlock it over the phone. :cool:

Thats a load of bollicks.

L1011 · 23-02-2012 10:04pm

AgileMyth wrote: »

If somebody else is near your spare set you should be able to unlock it over the phone. :cool:

If you have a very specific 1990s american car and an analogue mobile phone, maybe.

Features I never knew my car has

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