jeepr Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 I thought I would start an entertaining thread. Couldn't find a more general forum it would fit. But, have you ever had a car that after you bought it, there was one or more things so blatantly STUPID that you have to wonder if the engineers or management ever actually DROVE that car? For example, I had a '96 Toyota 4Runner, and if you had a cup in the cup holder, you couldn't use the radio or a/c controls. Similarly, an 01 Jetta, that when the cup in the holder would sweat, it would drip on the radio. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE my LGT, but I have to nit-pick on it here a bit..... What's with the TINY little heated seats "dial" and the fact that the passengers is right there too? Basically, you can't use it if you have gloves on and the passenger has to ask you to control theirs or at least make you move your elbow. LOL And, I won't even get into the "automatic" climate control that is the worst "auto" climate control I've ever had. Any other "what were they thinking?" stories about other cars or your Leggy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Power4 Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Usually that kind of stuff is because it was an afterthought. I'm sure the heated seat controls are an example of that. The thing that bugs me about the Legacy is how if it's be parked in the rain and water has collected on top and I take a turn with the window open it all pours in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisbers Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Similarly to ^, I've noticed if my car is parked in the rain and I open the trunk, some water will roll off into trunk - same spot each time. Not enough to truly soak stuff, but enough to be annoying. After seeing this, I compared to the water roll-off of other cars I have access to, many seem to be angled/sized correctly so this doesn't happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whatisit Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 The thing that bugs me about the Legacy is how if it's be parked in the rain and water has collected on top and I take a turn with the window open it all pours in X3, the most annoying part is that the water pours directly onto my left arm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmrider Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 +1 to "afterthought", more common with the non-US car makers. Cupholders are/were an American thing ( watch an episode of Top Gear UK when they drive an American vehicle ). Heated seats and dual-zone HVAC, in non-luxury cars like ours at least, are again used to entice the USDM buyer. Since we don't know what rain is in NM I cannot comment there LOL. However the poor visual presentation of rain gutters made them expendable. Just ask all the people who shave them off older vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosAngelesLGT Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 I thought I would start an entertaining thread. Couldn't find a more general forum it would fit. But, have you ever had a car that after you bought it, there was one or more things so blatantly STUPID that you have to wonder if the engineers or management ever actually DROVE that car? For example, I had a '96 Toyota 4Runner, and if you had a cup in the cup holder, you couldn't use the radio or a/c controls. Similarly, an 01 Jetta, that when the cup in the holder would sweat, it would drip on the radio. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE my LGT, but I have to nit-pick on it here a bit..... What's with the TINY little heated seats "dial" and the fact that the passengers is right there too? Basically, you can't use it if you have gloves on and the passenger has to ask you to control theirs or at least make you move your elbow. LOL And, I won't even get into the "automatic" climate control that is the worst "auto" climate control I've ever had. Any other "what were they thinking?" stories about other cars or your Leggy? RE: Toyota - Some time ago I was dating the daughter of one of the top execs at the west coasts branch of toyota usa. He told me numerous times about test driving cars personally that were coming to market. He was one of the execs saying that the SupraTurbo was too scary for the public, lol... Wonder what the uptight guy thinks of the GTR, lol. LGT? W O R S T - C L I M A T E - C O N T R O L - E V E R ! ! ! I think that the "sun" sensor here is California gets a bit confused. I have zero issue with the heated seat controls but I will second that I *HATE* how the roof of the car sheds water directly into windows, open doors and worst of all, DOOR CONTROLS! Gee I love it when I wonder if my window will go down tomorrow because it contains enough rainwater to keep a migrant family safe for a border crossing . (While they are at it, they can take shelter under a early model WRX hood scoop!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesuby Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 I have the corollary question: Do engineers ever work on the cars they design? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewLegacyOwner Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 X3, the most annoying part is that the water pours directly onto my left arm. mine pours just about close to the tweeter in the door.... Pretty obnoxious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmahh Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 RE: Heated seats... 05 - 06 the switches are great 07 - 09 the switches are cheeseball. They put the Si-Drive controller where the heated seat switches were, and then said "oh that will fit there" and stuck the worlds smallest heated seat controller where your elbow goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I 5EAT Turkey Clubs Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 The water getting in my car kills me. Even my 95 Ford Escort (Oh no did I just admit that) had aa little nub to deflect rain if the windows were down while going.At least the power controls are under the door handle but I need to put splash guards on but rain will probably still prevail. And on my 05 Leggy I can't stand that the dual climate controls can't be controlled by just the main dial if you wanted. And if they can someone please please let me know how. I am tired of having to change two dials to get an even temp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeepr Posted December 10, 2009 Author Share Posted December 10, 2009 Yeah, I agree on the "after thoughts", although, I have called them "bolt on" things, such as the non-integrated memory seats, and the HVAC. Kind of makes you appreciate the electronics on GM vehicles, in hindsight, they are pretty cool (the memory systems, etc). I'm pleasantly surprised the Nav unit integrates with the displays on the dash as well as it does. I think a lot of cars have the rainwater problem since the elimination of the rain gutters (as previously mentioned). I had a 2000 Corvette, and I know somewhere between 1997 and 2000, they did a small change so the water would NOT go in the hatch area when you opened the hatch, so that is apparetnly something they should test for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gire Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 I thought I did a pretty good job on the Veyron, and I take mine out on sunny weekends. So far I have no issues with what I designed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 LGT? W O R S T - C L I M A T E - C O N T R O L - E V E R ! ! ! I have experienced worse... Had some ****** rental car once and it did leak in cold air on my right kneecap from the center console in some way so I had to hold my right hand on the knee to avoid the pain of a too cold knee. If I remember right it was a Nissan Micra... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finse Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 The thing that bugs me about the Legacy is how if it's be parked in the rain and water has collected on top and I take a turn with the window open it all pours in This! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueWhiteBoy Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 I thought I did a pretty good job on the Veyron, and I take mine out on sunny weekends. So far I have no issues with what I designed. Designing the watermark on the invoice doesn't count While we're nitpicking though, my Veyron doesn't have enough cupholders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bdubs Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 The plastic pop-it clips that hold the fenders and all the other plastic pieces on the car. They just don't want to stay on. I may as well use scotch tape to hold the crap on. I swear I've gone through like 10 clips on one fender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 The thing that bugs me about the Legacy is how if it's be parked in the rain and water has collected on top and I take a turn with the window open it all pours in Yes, this is probably my #1 complaint, too.... well, actually I'd say #2, after the sunroof that stops half-way when you are trying to close it, even if you keep your finger on it. I really hate that, and it's NOT a safety thing since other cars don't do that. I cannot for the life of me figure out what the "value-added" attribute is for that 'feature': why would anybody want it to stop halfway when you are trying to close it??? I worked in the auto-biz in Detroit for 12 years, so I've seen a lot of hazy rationalizations given for a lot of things, but that one just boggles my mind. Regarding the water sloshing off the roof into the car, my '96 Contour had better water management than the Leggy! It's a a function of the way Subaru decided to design the interface where the roof panel meets the body side outer panel above the doors. The two panels are welded together there and most cars have a "roof-ditch" molding that covers that weld trough. Often times, that roof-ditch molding does double-duty as a water management tool, to prevent water from falling down onto the doors. Subaru chose to fill the ditch where the sheetmetal panels meet and smooth it out for a seamless look. This usually takes more effort than using a roof-ditch molding and can be considered a higher-end solution... except that it's the completely wrong choice for a car that is supposed to excel in inclement weather!! I have the same complaint with the A-Pillar as well: when driving on the freeway in a rainstorm with the window cracked open a little, the water can travel to the side, off the windshield, over the A-pillar and into the car. Some cars have a molding or channel along the side of the windshield to manage the water, but Subaru chose not to do this on ours. I did note that for the new 2010 model, Subaru does use a roof ditch molding, so that should solve the water-off-the-roof concern. I don't recall if there's an A-pillar molding as well. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. In other words: SEARCH before you post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 I'm actually quite happy with the climate controls, although I never use the 'Auto' settings, so perhaps that is the difference. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. In other words: SEARCH before you post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisbers Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 ^ - I've seen 2 Toyotas (matrix and rav4) that also do the stop-sunroof-halfway thing. Assumed it's a safety issue, I dislike it too, but I rarely open the sunroof so I'm kinda meh about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bdubs Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Every Subaru I've ever owned does that stop half way thing with the sunroof. Probably a safety feature, but why they couldn't integrate a sensor or something that automatically reverses the sunroof when a force is put on it is beyond me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrooklynBoy Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 The thing with the sunroof is to prevent a kid who manages to press the button from cutting his own head off......still annoying as hell. +1 on the rain issue.....you guys described the problem exactly......My biggest ??wtf???? comes from the stupid seatbelt chime. Not the fact that it chimes----but when it begins. Say you want to start the car on a cold morning to warm it up without sitting in the vehicle.....the damn car isn't friggin moving---there's no one in the damn seat-----but the flaming chime is chiming away!!!!! Why does it not BEGIN to chime when you put the car in gear? Would that make too much sense? Do it right the first time.........or don't bother doing it at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTTuner Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 The water thing drives me nuts too. How about my Saab 9/3? WTF with the ignition switch? I think they forgot it then said "lets stick it on the floor between the seats so it gets soaking wet if you happen to get caught in the rain with the top down. The cup holder conveniently spills your beverage into the radio controls, and you must stop the car to find the interior light switch at night. The power window switches are not acessable from the back seat, or the front seat for that matter. It's an ergonomic nightmare. It is impossible to lock the car without the key or key fob. The steering wheel blocks the fog light switch indicator, the wiper stalk has this teeny little knob for intermitent wiper adjustment, Oh, and the convertible top will decapitate back seat passengers if you put it up or down. You appreciate the Subaru when you own something like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTTuner Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 The thing with the sunroof is to prevent a kid who manages to press the button from cutting his own head off......still annoying as hell. +1 on the rain issue.....you guys described the problem exactly......My biggest ??wtf???? comes from the stupid seatbelt chime. Not the fact that it chimes----but when it begins. Say you want to start the car on a cold morning to warm it up without sitting in the vehicle.....the damn car isn't friggin moving---there's no one in the damn seat-----but the flaming chime is chiming away!!!!! Why does it not BEGIN to chime when you put the car in gear? Would that make too much sense? I hear u on the chime. Go to the McDonalds drive thru and you have to wear your seat belt while you eat unless you shut the damn car off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bdubs Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 The thing with the sunroof is to prevent a kid who manages to press the button from cutting his own head off......still annoying as hell. +1 on the rain issue.....you guys described the problem exactly......My biggest ??wtf???? comes from the stupid seatbelt chime. Not the fact that it chimes----but when it begins. Say you want to start the car on a cold morning to warm it up without sitting in the vehicle.....the damn car isn't friggin moving---there's no one in the damn seat-----but the flaming chime is chiming away!!!!! Why does it not BEGIN to chime when you put the car in gear? Would that make too much sense? You know you can disable that, right? I mean, I always wear my seat belt, but just sitting in the idling car is damn near impossible if you haven't shut this off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrooklynBoy Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Yeah , I checked the forum on how to disable the chime.......but Subaru engineers should have given this a bit more thought don't ya think? Just remembered another thought-less feature......Say the climate control is OFF.....it's 12 degrees outside and you want some heat-----You turn on the system by pressing "auto" and what do you get? THE FRIGGIN AIR CONDITIONER with fans at high speed !!! Now you have to manually shut off the A/C and turn both dials to 80 ! Too many steps Do it right the first time.........or don't bother doing it at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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