Features you've discovered about your car after a year or more

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Unlike most in America, I read the user manual. But those things are so detailed now -- thick, with French and Spanish translations included, and a dozen safety warnings in every section -- that it's hard to go through the whole thing. I tend to read the sections I'm concerned with and let the rest slide.

This weekend I discovered a feature I did not know the '16 LaCrosse had. I'm shopping for a new TV, and my concern is getting the boxed item into the car for the trip home. While I was measuring the door opening to see if the TV I want (50") could be slid into the back seat, I spotted a little latch on the shoulder of the rear seat back. "Hmm," thought I to myself, and worked it. And the left half of the rear seat folded right down and opened up a passage into the trunk. The other side did the same.

It's true that the BMW 3 Series had that feature -- I used it to crawl into the trunk and open the lid when the car was flooded and I needed to disconnect the battery. And I see in the manual the '11 Regal had fold-down rear seats too. But it's not a feature I even think about; I normally don't transport more than Miss Linda and myself, and maybe a cat carrier, at one time. Astonishing.

What have you ever discovered about your vehicle after you've owned it for a year or more?
 
After ~10 years my wife noticed a small storage tray under the steering wheel of her old RAV4 and found a place to store her sunglasses.
 
Unlike most in America, I read the user manual. But those things are so detailed now -- thick, with French and Spanish translations included, and a dozen safety warnings in every section -- that it's hard to go through the whole thing. I tend to read the sections I'm concerned with and let the rest slide.

This weekend I discovered a feature I did not know the '16 LaCrosse had. I'm shopping for a new TV, and my concern is getting the boxed item into the car for the trip home. While I was measuring the door opening to see if the TV I want (50") could be slid into the back seat, I spotted a little latch on the shoulder of the rear seat back. "Hmm," thought I to myself, and worked it. And the left half of the rear seat folded right down and opened up a passage into the trunk. The other side did the same.

It's true that the BMW 3 Series had that feature -- I used it to crawl into the trunk and open the lid when the car was flooded and I needed to disconnect the battery. And I see in the manual the '11 Regal had fold-down rear seats too. But it's not a feature I even think about; I normally don't transport more than Miss Linda and myself, and maybe a cat carrier, at one time. Astonishing.

What have you ever discovered about your vehicle after you've owned it for a year or more?

I’m going to guesstimate that 99% of vehicles (excluding pickup trucks) sold in the last 25 years have a split folding or full folding rear seat. I’m surprised it took you that long to realize it had a split folding rear seat.
 
I discovered adjustable pedal height on our Chrysler T&C some years back on the wife's minivan she had back then. They had been adjusted all the way down and I adjusted them all the way up without telling her. Sure enough, she was soon telling me there was something going on with her seat adjustment and she couldn't get it where it was in the past and quit messing around with her seat adjustment. LOL
 
I’m going to guesstimate that 99% of vehicles (excluding pickup trucks) sold in the last 25 years have a split folding or full folding rear seat. I’m surprised it took you that long to realize it had a split folding rear seat.
Well, as I say, it's not a feature I'd ever had occasion to use. The big Park Avenue, vintage 2003, didn't have it, I don't think -- but I drove it for 7 years and never thought, "Gee, I wish I had a folding rear seat."
 
Well, as I say, it's not a feature I'd ever had occasion to use. The big Park Avenue, vintage 2003, didn't have it, I don't think -- but I drove it for 7 years and never thought, "Gee, I wish I had a folding rear seat."

I can tell you my 05 Cadillac STS didn't have seats that folded down in the back. It had a tiny hole that would open up behind the rear arm rest so you could put your ski's through from the trunk. Because that's what fancy Cadillac folks are concerned with I guess.
 
I can tell you my 05 Cadillac STS didn't have seats that folded down in the back. It had a tiny hole that would open up behind the rear arm rest so you could put your ski's through from the trunk. Because that's what fancy Cadillac folks are concerned with I guess.
I'm pretty sure the Park Avenue had that. Not that I ever tested it.
 
Honda CR-Vs have fold down rear and fold down front seats. You can fold down the passengers side rear and front and create a very long passage way. You can fold down all the seats and sleep two people each in a recliner like position, but the drivers side has a little less length available for the feet because of the steering wheel so the shorter person uses that side.

Also you can fold forward the seat cushion of the back seats and leave the back of the seat still up in the normal position to create a space where you can put tall items in such as tall plants in pots.
 
I discovered adjustable pedal height on our Chrysler T&C some years back on the wife's minivan she had back then. They had been adjusted all the way down and I adjusted them all the way up without telling her. Sure enough, she was soon telling me there was something going on with her seat adjustment and she couldn't get it where it was in the past and quit messing around with her seat adjustment. LOL

Nothing like putting your wife in danger.
 
I’m going to guesstimate that 99% of vehicles (excluding pickup trucks) sold in the last 25 years have a split folding or full folding rear seat. I’m surprised it took you that long to realize it had a split folding rear seat.

The darling of BITOG, the Panther chassis, sure does not. The gas tank is in the way.
 
When I purchased my Lucerne I didn't know it had factory remote start, it was a feature they didn't list online or talk about when I went for a test drive. Couple months later I decide a new key fob and key would be nice, when I started looking around is when I noticed my fobs had five buttons instead of four.

Sorry I just noticed the OP was looking for a year or more later.
 
I discovered that my forester has a telescoping steering wheel about 2 years in. I read the owners manual and it mentioned the telescoping steering wheel with a note If so equipped. Well, I have the base model with no options so of course I'm not going to have that feature. Guess I do !
 
I found a setting on my truck that allowed me to turn on a feature, click the "unlock" on the fob twice, hold it down the second time and after a few seconds, all four windows open. Handy to cool it down a little in the summer. Also to occasionally freak out the little neighbor kids 🤭
 
Just a few years ago, I learned that my one-owner 2001 Silverado has an hour meter. I found it accidentally, and can't quite remember how. I think I was checking mileage with the key off and held the odometer button down longer than usual. That made the odometer switch from miles to hours.
 
Never drove my Tacoma (2019) with the compass on the dash center display. For some odd reason after boinking it over to display tire pressures (it was below 0°C ) and on the way around back to the standard MPG display I just drove in compass mode
Suddenly it tells me what street I am on and changes to the next street instantly as required with a turn or jog. Then suddenly the posted speed limit displays.

You have to forgive me as my 1996 Volvo and 2014 WRX were fairly austere compared to my truck.
 
I found a setting on my truck that allowed me to turn on a feature, click the "unlock" on the fob twice, hold it down the second time and after a few seconds, all four windows open. Handy to cool it down a little in the summer. Also to occasionally freak out the little neighbor kids 🤭
I had many Mercedes with the exact same feature and it took me years to know about it!
 
Okay this has gotten just plain silly. Some of you I can sympathize with regarding the hour meter on the Silverado and the express roll down window with the key fob. Those are things you wouldn’t necessarily know about unless you read the owners manual or accidentally started pushing buttons.

But how do some of you not realize that your back seat folds down or that you have a remote start button on you key fob? Those aren’t even hidden features.
 
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