Annoying Features: Who Thought of That?

Every now and then I'll run across some feature of a car that really throws me. Why did the designers do that? What's that for? Who thought of that? Here are a few that are on my mind today. If you have some, please share in the comments.

2012 Honda Odyssey: A friend just bought a new Honda Odyssey and she's thrown by the way the radio displays the time and the station: It displays the current time, the radio band, and to the far right the station number. For example, "3:45 AM       680." It annoys her and gets confusing. Maybe if she didn't listen to AM stations...

Sienna cupholders

2011 Toyota Sienna: (This one comes from a friend who is a new Sienna owner.) Where are you supposed to put your iPhone/iPod once you plug it into the auxiliary port and/or charger? On the floor where you can't see it? Or in a cup holder (where you want to put your coffee cup)? Maybe get a little suction cup thing to attach to the cheapy plastic dash?

2011 Chevrolet Malibu: I had this as a rental car and it took me 20 minutes to figure out how to get the gas tank door open to fill up the tank. I would have just skipped this step if the gas at the rental place didn't cost $8/gallon. There wasn't a release lever or button in the car. There wasn't a finger hold on the gas tank door. How in the world was I supposed to know that you press on the door and it pops open? I even looked for the book in the glove compartment, but it wasn't there. A little sticker on the gas tank door would have been helpful. Especially for a rental car.

2001-2009 Lexus RX300: Cup holders. The cup holders in the older RX were ridiculously short and would only keep a kid-sized drink upright through any braking or turns. Super annoying. 



(c) Copyright 2010-2016. Erika JN Fish. Car Mama. All Rights Reserved.

2010 Lexus RX 450h AWD - Safe Luxury for the Family

2010 Lexus RX 450h

There is one benefit of having your car die: you get to drive a new car. Well, not always, but I was lucky this time. When my 2001 Lexus RX 300 AWD needed a new transmission I took it to the local dealer to be fixed and they loaned me a 2010 RX 450h AWD for 2 weeks. This loaner sure beat the 1998 Toyota Camry I got as a loaner from the tire place last year -- I actually had to roll the windows up and down manually!

Give Thanks for Your Transmission

Not a Good Combo

If you follow me on Twitter (@car_mama), then you heard about my car dying on the side of the road recently. The transmission went out -- specifically the planetary gear broke. I went through a plethora of emotions over the next 3 days, but have come out of this experience with some good knowledge and advice for car owners.

2001 Lexus RX300 AWD

When we bought my Lexus RX300 (AWD) in 2000, I didn't think much about the longevity of the car since my entire being was focused on our newborn son. I was interested in how easily the car seat installed and that the second row slid back and forth so I could reach him from the front seat. Safety was a major factor, of course, but so was the nice space between the front seats for my purse.