Team-BHP - The most useless features in cars

Quote:

Originally Posted by gururajrv (Post 4453608)

Honestly, boot lamp! I mean, come on, boot lamp provided in my Brezza, it just sucks. A candle light would do better than the miniature bulb setup. How many of us here, really use the boot lamp? How useful has it been? To me at least it’s just nothing.

It's a different discussion altogether why boot/luggage lamps are so dim, but they are extremely useful while trying to find something in a packed boot/hatch.
Every night after returning home I feed my dogs + administer medicine if required. Food / medicine / biscuits / bowls everything is packed in the hatchback, alongwith tire inflator / hydraulic jack / detailer / glass cleaner etc which are car items. Though they sit in segregated boxes, I would literally have been caught in the dark if not for the luggage lamp.

I'd rate sunroof, keyless ignition and pushbutton parking brake as one of the most useless features for me.

Yes, I include sunroof in this list considering Indian conditions, incl Blore, simply bcoz you'll never know what gunk may fall in from above (incl shit from a train lavatory passing above you in an underpass!).

Cruise control is immensely useful on highways for sedate drivers like me, reduces fatigue a lot. Esp if you're *not* one who drives like on a race track wanting to overtake anyone and everyone ahead of you! (which is indeed the way we should all drive, not like driving on a race-track)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maverick1977 (Post 4453655)

Boot lamps are extremely useful, especially when you are travelling on the highway and want to quickly grab something from the bag. The issue is most manufacturers put these things for mentioning it as a feature in the brochure. Hence most come fitted with bulbs which make the candle light seem like a shining star. Best solution is to upgrade it to a LED and see the difference. Incidentally I have 2 boot lamps in my Skoda and the bulbs are as good as useless.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackasta (Post 4453690)

I am not against the boot lamp altogether. It’s the placement of the lamp and the wattage used in my car specifically I mentioned that is rendering of no use to me. It hardly lights up the area in my cars boot. I am not sure if there are any other cars out there which has a boot lamp for name sake. I will be giving it LED treatment to see if that will work.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nalin1 (Post 4453053)

This is my 'favorite' useless feature-

Parking sensor off.

Someone told me that this feature exists because if the parking sensor fails/malfunctions, the beeps never stop! In such a scenario you can turn if off :).

agree:

I have hyundai installed parking sensors in my i20, last year somehow rain water went into sensor module and they started malfunctioning. Each time reverse was engaged, sensors used to go crazy :deadhorse

I wished I had the sensor off feature as I have it in Duster. Made much more sense then. I had to open the taillight just to get hold of that module to cut the power!

1. Sunroof. I love. My kids standing out with the cool wind on a winding mountain road in the hills and the joy they get out of it is money worth for me.

2. Cabin lights off. I like. Well, my wife also drives the Endy and with the kids inside I feel its safe not to put the spotlight on them when entering or exiting at night. Anytime she wants to switch them on she can do it with one press.

3. Cruise control. I like. During my monthly trips between Delhi and Himachal in the early morning hours, cruise control allows me to stretch the legs often without stopping and slowing down and gets the blood pumping in those veins. I usually drive at a stretch for 6-7 hours with an occasional toilet break if necessary. And I agree with ask99, the cruise control helps me keep my speed in check on the highways (88 kmph in a 90 limit zone)

4. Voice control (in the Endy). I like. It helps me make calls, change fan speed , set the temperature, and it activates Siri on my iPhone for other tasks.

5. SATNAV. Better options with Google maps, which are much more accurate and informative.

6. START/STOP Button. I actually was happy that the Endy did not have that as my son is always pressing the whole set of buttons on the dashboard even when i am sitting in the driver seat. But that changed when I locked the key in the boot. That is a story for the Ford Endeavour thread.

7. DRLs. Useful at selective times. I find them useful to bring to the notice of oncoming traffic at the time of dawn, when its bright enough to avoid the headlights but still early enough to have a few drowsy drivers on the road.

8. Headlamp washer I think they are actually useless as i have seen only an imperceptible difference in the before and after illumination.

All in all, I don't we have agreed on any one feature that is disliked unanimously.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiragM (Post 4452994)

CD/DVD player

Talking about outdated features, here's another. Show a kid a CD today and he would probably gasp in amazement:

So my Laura's infotainment did not have BT, so I've been using a BT receiver which went kaput few weeks back. Since I don't like aux cables dangling around in the cabin and the replacement BT unit might be few days out, FM was the only other option left. However the other day while going through some old boxes, I found an old Queens CD box (Platinum collection) and boy am I loving it! clap:

Quote:

Originally Posted by NiInJa (Post 4453642)

Previously, cars would come with cigarette lighters. ... For non smokers or those who dont allow smoking inside the car, it was a totally useless thing to have.

Well, if didn't have the cig light socket, I would have been hard pressed to run my portable tyre inflator or charge my mobile in case of emergency..... using crocodile clips and removing the bonnet to access the battery would have been a pain in the a**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellzboy (Post 4453741)

1. Sunroof. I love. My kids standing out with the cool wind on a winding mountain road in the hills and the joy they get out of it is money worth for me.

:OT but a safety concern here:

I just hope that the kids stand when the car is parked/standstill, not when you're driving ? (That's one of the most dangerous things kids can do when the car is moving).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellzboy (Post 4453741)

1. Sunroof. I love. My kids standing out with the cool wind on a winding mountain road in the hills and the joy they get out of it is money worth for me.

Bro, do you really drive your car without buckling up your kids? :Shockked: This is really dangerous and people can get hurt really bad as anything can happen on the road.

Please don't do that, sunroof is not there so that someone stand there while the car is in motion. please: !! It is there for letting in the light and for ventilation.

As a responsible TBHP member, you should stop this practice and also advise people against it. I think people do this more due to ignorance. Please spread the awareness.

Come on guys if any of the features was really useless then it wouldn't be there in the car. I cannot think of any car company, with slim profit margins, who would put useless features. Of course the question really is what percentage use each feature. Such a thread cannot answer that question. I would say ironically this discussion is as useless as some of the features we find useless in a car!

Quote:

Originally Posted by vrprabhu (Post 4453764)

Thats true, what I meant was the socket should be there, but the lighter in it is useless. I too use the socket now for charging my phone, lost the lighter ages ago. Newer cars have this feature as as 12V socket in which a lighter can be fitted