Design Flaws

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

We all love our vehicles, but there is probably something about them that you find annoying or might even be dangerous. You may have noticed before you bought it, but you wanted it so much that it didn't matter, or you may not have noticed till it was too late. See my examples below.

My FJ has really bad blind spots, but I don't care, the C pillars are massive, but I've learnt to have my mirrors adjusted correctly, and to use them properly. Although the worst is reversing out my driveway, the curve of my road means it's completely obscured by the C pillar, so I generally reverse in.

The one on the Qashqai we didn't notice on the test drive, because who test drives a car at night. So when you drive at night, the instrument cluster reflects in the side window, right where the side mirror is, not good if the vehicle beside you has dim or low set headlights, and you have to put the window down if your reversing into somewhere dark. See image below. View attachment 73990

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[Coatingsarecrack]

It wasn’t designed with enough cylinders! Jk Camaro notorious for it’s blind spots


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[Eldorado2k]

I’m pretty happy with my car, and it came equipped with just about everything you could ask for 21yrs. ago including:
-heated & massaging seats for all 4 passengers
-rear electric sunshade + sunshades for the rear door windows
-nighvision camera/HUD
-rear vanity mirrors
-woodgrain steering wheel w/button controls for radio/AC/cruise/etc.
-rear parking sensors
-memory seat x2
-electric height adjustment for the seat beats
-3 lighters & ashtrays
-easy exit + many other personalization features

The only thing they didn’t order for this car that I wish it had is a sunroof.

Things I’d change:
-I don’t like how this light is on the door. It would be much better to have light in the footwell.

-It would be nice if these reflectors on the doors were actual lights instead of reflectors.

-electronic trunk pulldown motor, like the old Cadillacs used to have.

-the 25 extra HP. that the Deville DTS came with would be nice too.

Other than that I’m happy as can be with this car. I’ve always wanted this model Cadillac.

 

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

Another one I just thought of on the FJ, the rear door is the swing open kind, rather than swing up, I mainly miss that it doesn't swing up when it's raining. It's also designed for the US market, so the handle is on right hand side, which is our driver's side, but I kinda like that.

I don't wish it had any more power though , it already has enough to chirp the rear tyres if I floor it off the mark in the dry, and it's easy to unsettle it in corners. I have the rear shocks set for comfort rather than handling.

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[FUNX650]

GM’s “Cylinder Deactivation Technology";
ie: DoD/AFM; DFM/DSF… (◔_◔)

•Always considering themselves as
being an ‘innovative’ Corporation…
-GM spells flaws this way: GreMlins…



Bob

 

[PA DETAILER]

Figure every make & model has it's flaws. Had a 2010 FJ. Liked it. HATED the steering wheel shimmy. At 45-55 you could see the steering wheel shimmy. New tires, road force balance, nothing completely fixed it. They did this brand new. Right off the lot. Some worse than others. TOYOTA never did find a fix. DESIGN FLAW. Even the last year of production. The ultimate trails team had a brand new suspension. Drove a new one. Yep. It had it too.

2 JK JEEP WRANGLERS. 07 & 12. Both had water leaks around the roof and doors that were unfixable. The 12 was brand new. Makes we wonder if the new ones still leak?

 

[Bruno Soares]

On my car not much comes to mind, I wish VW had used a clutch that can hold more than stock power so I could add power to this car w/o worrying about getting an aftermarket clutch. And I wish it had power seats with memory as I really hate any time my seat is moved and I have to find my position again. For some reason they chose to do power adjustment for the backrest but manual for sliding the seat. On the Autobahn trim or Golf R it's all powered but still no memory.

 

[Ace22]

I’m pretty happy with my car, and it came equipped with just about everything you could ask for 21yrs. ago including:
-heated & massaging seats for all 4 passengers
-rear electric sunshade + sunshades for the rear door windows
-nighvision camera/HUD
-rear vanity mirrors
-woodgrain steering wheel w/button controls for radio/AC/cruise/etc.
-rear parking sensors
-memory seat x2
-electric height adjustment for the seat beats
-3 lighters & ashtrays
-easy exit + many other personalization features

3 lighters and ashtrays! That's cool and crazy at the same time. One thing about Audi and most German cars, they have small, small cupholders. No Supersize drinks for you! Nice Caddy btw!

 

[Eldorado2k]

3 lighters and ashtrays! That's cool and crazy at the same time. One thing about Audi and most German cars, they have small, small cupholders. No Supersize drinks for you! Nice Caddy btw!

Thanks. You could technically have 4 lighters because there’s another outlet under the passenger seat next to the umbrella holder, but there’s no lighter in it because it’s more of hidden power outlet where you can hide a cord to charge your phone.

 

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

Figure every make & model has it's flaws. Had a 2010 FJ. Liked it. HATED the steering wheel shimmy. At 45-55 you could see the steering wheel shimmy. New tires, road force balance, nothing completely fixed it. They did this brand new. Right off the lot. Some worse than others. TOYOTA never did find a fix. DESIGN FLAW. Even the last year of production. The ultimate trails team had a brand new suspension. Drove a new one. Yep. It had it too.

2 JK JEEP WRANGLERS. 07 & 12. Both had water leaks around the roof and doors that were unfixable. The 12 was brand new. Makes we wonder if the new ones still leak?

My FJ is a 2011, but I have never had the shimmy, except when coming off a muddy trail back onto a sealed road, which goes away as soon as you throw all the mud off the tyres. Always fun looking back and seeing the mess you left behind you.

I didn't have it with the standard wheels and tyres, and tired old saggy suspension, and not with the new raised suspension and wider tyres. Maybe it was a left hand drive issue, something to do with how the steering rack is positioned. On the highway mine drives like a train.

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[oneheadlite]

I've driven cars where instead of the common "stream" style windshield washer spray nozzles, they have 2 or 3 "fan" nozzles. Which is great for even fluid distribution, but when you're driving into the sun it gives you moments where you can't see a dang thing...

 

[BudgetPlan1]

Cayman climate control fan always comes on when ya start the car. Can turn it off once started but will revert to 'on' again at next startup.

I'm sure sure there's some overly engineered Teutonic reason for this but it's irritating.

 

[oneheadlite]

Cayman climate control fan always comes on when ya start the car. Can turn it off once started but will revert to 'on' again at next startup.

I'm sure sure there's some overly engineered Teutonic reason for this but it's irritating.

Oooh, that one drives me crazy. BMWs do that too. Fixing cars in the age of Covid, I don't want air stirring up in the car if I can avoid it, and it feels like every time I cycle the key it's cranking itself back up. Same for radios - No seriously car: I just want it off!

 

[Bruno Soares]

Cayman climate control fan always comes on when ya start the car. Can turn it off once started but will revert to 'on' again at next startup.

I'm sure sure there's some overly engineered Teutonic reason for this but it's irritating.

Maybe can be changed via OBD II port?

On my car (and all VWs) the car will forget the recirculate option for climate and always revert to open with a new start. Using OBDEleven I changed it to remember my desired setting. Also changed a bunch of other things like duration of rear defroster, how many blinks the turning signal will flash with a tap of the lever, and several other settings that aren’t on a menu but could be changed via the diag port. Many menus in that tool are in German but google/forums are a big help.

 

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

One my old vehicles, the 2003 Holden Crewman Cross 8, was the biggest, heaviest version of range. You could get it as a sedan, wagon, and a 2 door utility (think El Camino). But the Cross 8 was longer, wider, heavier, had permanent all wheel drive, and was powered by an LS1 V8, making it the thirstiest, and they fitted it with the smallest fuel tank of any car in the range. All the others had 20 gallon tanks, but the Cross 8 had only 18, in a vehicle that barely managed 13mpg in the city and maybe 21mpg on the highway. But the fuel gauge never worked properly anyway, I ended up buying an Ultragauge to plug into the OBD II port to keep track of fuel usage. Still, it was fun to drive, and back then it could beat almost any thing else in a stop light drag race in the rain.

I still have the Ultragauge, and it still works. View attachment 74026

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[opie2]

DESIGN FLAWS....the entire fleet of 4th gen silverado/serria pickup trucks. So ugly..:dunno::laughing:

Not meaning to offend anyone whom has one...its just my opinion.

This is video is a representation of general motors since coming out with the 4th gen line of trucksTruck slips off boat launch into Lake Springfield: Truck slips off boat launch into Lake Springfield - YouTube

 

[DetailKitty]

Biggest flaw with my car (when I still owned it) was no 2 door option

 

[Desertnate]

One thing about Audi and most German cars, they have small, small cupholders. No Supersize drinks for you! Nice Caddy btw!

European cars in general since it's illegal and/or highly frowned upon to eat/drink in your car while driving. Many struggle to find a place for cup holders in cars delivered to the North American Market. Also, the Europeans can't even comprehend the bladder-busting sizes of drink cups we get at fast food places and gas stations.

For some reason they chose to do power adjustment for the backrest but manual for sliding the seat. On the Autobahn trim or Golf R it's all powered but still no memory.

My Mk6 was the same way. Really wish it was the opposite. I loved the rotary knob backrest adjuster in previous gens. You could get the position perfect or make really small adjustments on long trips.

I have a few gripes with my vehicles.

BMW 435 - The A pillar is HUGE! This makes spotting pedestrians at intersections difficult on either side of the car. When I'm driving the twisty back roads or autocrossing I'm always having to look around the driver's side A pillar when entering sharp left corners at speed. The location of the manual shift lever is a problem. The car was designed around the automatic transmission shift lever, so the manual gear lever is too far back. When shifting my elbow is always dragging/bumping against the center arm rest. When I have large cups in the cup holders (see above comment!) you are guaranteed to hit the cup with your hand when going into first or third gear.

Toyota Highlander - The headlights, or more accurately the dim glowing things on the front of the vehicle Toyota says are headlights. The pattern from the projector housings are good, but the bulb/power choice means you get very little light. Even with upgraded bulbs. The seats are also an issue. They are soft and totally flat. The softness leads to back pain after long hours in the seat. The flatness makes you feel like you're going to slide right off if you do anything other than drive in a straight line. Granted I'm used to bolstered sport seats, but these are REALLY flat.

 

[Desertnate]

Oooh, that one drives me crazy. BMWs do that too.

Which Gens of BMW's? When I turn off the climate control, A/C, and then put the fan on the lowest setting (which might as well be off) it stays there through multiple on/off cycles. I'll do this at autocross events because disabling the A/C will give me a the extra .000001 of a second to move me from dead last in class to almost-not dead last in class.

I think the reason behind the fan behaviors is German regulations about how much fresh air must be circulating in the cabin at all times to keep the driver alert.

 

[oneheadlite]

Which Gens of BMW's? When I turn off the climate control, A/C, and then put the fan on the lowest setting (which might as well be off) it stays there through multiple on/off cycles. I'll do this at autocross events because disabling the A/C will give me a the extra .000001 of a second to move me from dead last in class to almost-not dead last in class.

Anything "modern" (Post E46/E39), though I honestly haven't dedicated brain power to monitoring which ones actually stay off.

What class do you run in?
I ran Street Mod back in the day, though not because I built the car for the class specifically. More it was a case where I built my cars how I wanted them, and that was where my modifications fit. Also, I could run either my E30 M3 or E36 M3 if I wanted.

I think the reason behind the fan behaviors is German regulations about how much fresh air must be circulating in the cabin at all times to keep the driver alert.

That makes a lot of sense. I'm not just turning the fan/climate control down, I'm trying to have them just stay off. To which they reply: Nein!

Other modern BMW trait that drives me crazy - Whoever designed the washer fluid filler necks must have realllllllly loved those funnel shaped coin things from shopping malls (where you run your quarter down the ramp and it spirals it's way down to the hole in the center). There are cars where the entrance to the reservoir is a 2" deep well that goes to a 90° pipe that leads to the reservoir. Clearly they've not had to fast track adding a gallon of washer fluid when it's 5° outside...