Little things that are annoying in your car(s) ...

[97tbird]

After the interesting response to my thread about little things you love in your car, I thought, why not do the opposite also? after all, no car is perfect...

so what are some tiny annoyances in your cars?

here are ours:

2003 Elantra

-the little flap that covers the vanity mirror in the driver's side sun visor is flimsy.

-sun visors are kinda short and not very effective

-crazy clock - kept going on/off and wrong time - problem solved after getting aftermarket stereo - it has a clock.

-windshield fogs up easily.

-following 2 are not specific to this car really:
-rear headrests - they're good, BUT to me, they hamper the visibility from the rear view mirror.
-B pillar : after driving my Tbird coupe, which has great all round visibility, checking blind spot in the Elantra surprises me when I see the B pillar.

-passenger side air vent next to the door is not very "strong"

-steering wheel is kinda thin and material is a bit slippery: problem solved by a thick, grippy st. wheel cover.

-replacing bulb in driver's side headlight is a major PITA !!!! even the dealer techs hate doing it.

idk why but the windshield LOVES water - they just STAY there - i think it's the angle of the w-shield - in Tbird which has a VERY slanted w-shield, the rain just vanishes, wipers have little work to do.

-no O/D off button. have to shift manually to 3rd if you need to avoid shifting into o/d

-no auto turn off on rear defroster (asking too much in this class)-Tbird has this and i am spoiled.

1997 Tbird:

-auto climate control is cool - but it will engage the a/c clutch no matter what setting it's on - not really a big deal, but...

-seats are not very supportive, but i have seen much worse - wifey somehow thinks they're fine.
headrests are a joke.

-each door weighs a ton, and need to workout to open and close (but the solid "thunk" they make when they close make up for it...)

-radio vol up/down is not a rotary knob - push button hard to find when dark.

-headlight reflector design may not be the best.

-fuel filler door not lockable

-subjective: gas pedal and brake pedal are pretty close together. (i have gotten used to it)
wifey: "compared to Ellie, gas pedal is hard to push" (it's fine with me)

-wifey: "headlight on/off switch is not on the stalk that controls turn signals, and brights on/off, but the wipers ARE on that stalk!!"

-weighs 3,995 pounds.

-only a few places would dare to do a 1-piece tint on the rear windshield, due to the crazy curvy design.

cosmetic/minor: without lowering and/or bigger wheels (has oem 16"), there's a fender/wheel "gap" - I don't like it. future mod will take care of this.

 

[robertcope]

In all honesty, there aren't that many on my 2003 VW Jetta:

* The cup holders are awful, but I don't use them and don't believe cars should even have them. That is fixed in next generation.

* When the wiper fluid is low, the car beeps in the same manner as it would if the engine was having serious problems or you're out of gas. Also fixed in the next generation.

Hmm. That's about it. One thing that the next generation has that I wish I did: red LEDs that provide subtle lighting at night. Very nice feature.

robert

 

[01rangerxl]

Annoyances common to 1995+ Rangers...
- Strange HVAC controls. The truck has an AC setting, which blows AC through the dash vents, a max AC setting, which is really recirculate, a vent dash/floor setting, which is really just AC through both sets of vents (compressor always runs on this setting), then separate high and low vent settings that don't use the AC, etc. The settings just don't seem very logical.
- Poor CHMSL design. This is shared with the Super Duty. Over time the foam gasket flattens and starts to leak. It seems like a thick rubber gasket would solve this issue permanently.
- Cam synchronizer on 3.0 trucks. Design one that doesn't self destruct!

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

- audio and cruise control buttons on steering wheel aren't lighted. Not that big of a deal now that I'm used to them
- the auto function of the headlights really should be the the last option on the knob, not the first so I can have select the parking light without hitting the auto first
- the cloth used to upholster the seats isn't very durable or soft
- a lot of low end torque = chew through tires
- the hood has too much free space when closed. Even with the bump stops adjusted, it will bounce up and down a little when it's windy on the highway
- could use a couple more speakers (it has 4 + 2 tweeters)
- alhough the materials used on the door panels feel nice, it can feel more solid so it doesn't flex when push against it
- can use more sound insulation
- odd tire size means limited options
- runs best on premium
- suspension may be a bit too hard. I hate going over roads with potholes or other bumps
- bumpsteer
- trip mileage is normally 15-17% optimistic
- ergonomics can be a little better
- engine is known for burning oil and leaky valve covers. Mine doesn't burn any noticeable oil though. Don't know about the rear valve cover until it's time to change the plugs
- it has ground clearance that may be equivalent of a truck if it was any higher
- I think a minivan has a tighter turning radius

But even with that list, I still love it, especially when I floor it.

 

[chet2]

i love my focus but the cheap chinese radio cd player doesnt work and reception has been bad...car is only 3 years old...everything else runs great, esp american made transmission and engine

 

[river_rat]

2007 Toyota Tacoma, 5 speed.
The clutch. Too short of throw. Not used to it after driving my VW Bus.

 

[ls1mike]

Lack of traction at anything below 50 to 60 MPH in the Trans Am. It has a useless cup holder in the center console if you have a 6 speed car, which I do.

I hate the little cubby hole in front of the auto [censored] in the Buick. When in park it is a pain to get into.

The power window switches are in the center console in the Equinox. Just a weird spot.

The Truck is just old, so it has some rattles and the radio sucks.

 

[opus1]

On my Malibu there's a drawer on the driver's side that is supposed to act as a cupholder. The drawer isn't very deep so basically you can't use the thing as a cupholder unless you're not planning on making any turns. Fortunately, the insert is one solid piece of rubber so I can use the drawer as a coin-holder. On later models, that insert has a hole in it, so it it wouldn't even be useful as a coin-holder.

The Dakota oil filter is a PITA to change, but the Ranger is even worse.

My Cobalt doesn't have any sort of armrest on the right side. Not sure if that's due to it being the SS model or due to the car having a manual or what, but this seems to be a common complaint on the Cobalt forum I frequent. I'm also not thrilled about the battery being in the trunk, but it could be like the older Stratus models where it was buried in a fender somewhere.

 

[mpvue]

any annoyances in my 5 has to do w/ things I got used to on my VUE.
no auto-on headlights (the VUE spoiled me w/ this)
no auto-locking doors (same thing)

that's it!

 

[wirelessF]

2005 F250: The clutch makes a loud smack/slap sound if you let go the clutch pedal suddenly in neutral. Wierd parking brake design that could cause injury.

1990 4Runner: Weird crossover pipe design by the firewall. Heats up in the interior.

 

[Youthere]

2006 ford explorer

I love it except
1.never had a black vehicle before and never gonna have a black vehicle again.
2. sealed trans... i like to keep an eye on all pm things i can do and dont like this. miss the dipstick

3. 1st generation tpms sensors. I HATE THESE THINGS. its the kind that is fitted around inside the rim not the type that sits in the valve stem. When a tire is low a dummy light goes on, and you have to check which one is low. since its cold out now it will come on if my cars sits for awhile outside. its usually just a cold variance but still...

 

[labman]

The autodown driver's window switch right on the console where a dog can hit is with its paw. A baseball bat to the head of whoever came up with the idea of electric windows.

 

[huffmuds9320]

2002 VW Jetta
-rear seat leg room could be a little more but the seats have thick padding and large trunk space
-blind spots at the A and B pillar
-cup holders okay design as it can hold different sizes but blocks the radio control when open
-heating/ac not very powerful even in high setting and takes a while to defog the windows, the blower is relative quiet though
-brake pedal is positioned a little higher than the gas pedal so you you have to lift your foot a bit more when braking
-oil filter positioned at a downward angle, would be nice if it pointed straight so less messy when changing the filter
-spark plugs placed in between the intake plenum, no so easy to change, engine is SOHC design
-does about 3200rpm on the freeway 65-70mph, would be nice if it had an extra gear
-low washer fluid beeps on the dash, probably can be disabled, doesn't matter I check the washer fluid and top it off before it gets low anyways
-no key hole on passenger side door only driver side and trunk, I use remote to unlock/lock anwyays
-the wiper control stalk doesn't label mist/off/int/low/high speed, looks neater but you can figure it out
-cruise control switch is not very obvious, since the flash/high beam control is on the same stock while the headlight switch is on the dash
-chrome shifter cover, would be nice if it was just plain plastic, I don't really like chrome
-headlight beam pattern is not very good, it scatters light all over to shine overhead and signs but can't see very far with them
-seat recline is a knob, might be a safety feature but takes a lot of turns to recline the seat

 

[CivicFan]

Now we are talking. The expectations from different cars are different so here are mine for each car.

07 Audi A6 (comfort expectations)
- the information display on the instrument panel doesn't seem to remember the last setting and switches to default randomly (my biggest gripe);
- the rear view mirror is not power so I have to adjust it to my liking after someone else drives it;
- there is no way to disconnect the A/C through the climate control settings;
- the outside door handles don't have LED lights.

03 BMW Z4 (performance expectations)
- doesn't have an indicator for cruise control;
- no provision for spare tire.

03 Honda Civic (low expectations)
- have to raise the car to change the oil.

 

[Nick R]

97 cavalier: Headrests suck, cannot see them being effective in an accident in order to hit your head on it you have to lean it way the heck back. There is super glue (my fault) on the clear plastic over the instrument panel that can be distracting sometimes. Cupholder is really close to the radio, often drinks come into contact with the faceplate. When at speed, punching it results in a clunk and a thud as the transmission downshifts to 2nd. The sound system bothered me until 2 weeks ago, it had no bass and was tinny. Now has a Kenwood deck so no more bass clipping. No cruise control indicator. When putting down the driver side sun visor it often contacts/overlaps the rearview mirror and moves it unless I'm careful.Not really all that much actually.

 

[ThirdeYe]

Two of my rear defroster wires are corroded and no longer work.

My power antenna broke. Even though I didn't use the radio, it still tries to go up/down and it's annoying.

Not a lot of room for passengers in the back.

Hatch struts are getting old and take a lot of effort to get the hatch to go up. Luckily though, it stays up otherwise I would just replace them.

I'm always having problems with the brakes or the suspension... age + michigan weather + double wishbone suspension = bad combination.

Has its fair share of interior rattles/squeaks.

Front right wheel always squeaks annoyingly over bumps in the cold weather, and no mechanic can seem to figure out why even though my front suspension is pretty much overhauled and everything looks good.

One of the little backlights behind the climate control burnt out so I can't see the A/C or Defrost button in the dark, although I know where they are from memory.

The light on my shifter that shows the settings is loose or the connection is bad, I have to tap it to get the light to come on sometimes.

The cup holders are too small for anything larger than a can.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

 

[2002 Maxima SE]

2002 Maxima SE:

-OEM Radio has an issue with the ribbon cable causing the driver side speaker to cut in and out when playing CDs only.

-hard suspension

-hard to change rear plugs


2000 Ford Taurus (Duratec)

-hard to change rear plugs

-non-folding side mirrors

 

[river_rat]

1969 VW Bus:
Slow
Hardly any heat
Noisey
Breaks down regularly
Needs valve adjustments all the time
Rattles and squeaks
No cupholders
Only 4 gears
Very sensitive to cross winds
Quality parts hard to get
I love it anyway

 

[ThirdeYe]

I forgot to mention that I've been having an issue with my subwoofers cutting out for no reason until I turn off my head unit and power it back on again. Even then, it will sometimes only work for a second or two until it cuts out again. The thermal light comes on and the subs die. I've heard it can be a grounding issue, but I know nothing about stereos.

It was installed before I purchased the car. It's annoying to have them constantly dying on me.

 

[river_rat]

Maybe that's a blessing in disguise? Subs rattle your car's body parts loose and wreck your hearing. LOL