Clever Ideas

[john_grant358]

by gps

teh heated screens are very very useful indeed. my brother has one on his focus and it gets used more often than you think, or at least it does when i drive it

Clever cloggs!

[simonlb]

A Lancia Delta I had years ago had all the dashboard switches and heater controls illuminated by one bulb with the light directed to the relevant switches etc by lengths of fibre-optic cable. One bulb - makes changing the dash colours a doddle when using one LED...

[woodenspatulas]

black out lights has been done by citroen. its a damn good idea. it leaves just your speedo dimly lit, but gets rid of all teh other lights.

the colour changing speedo ive seen done too! i tired in vain to get the desinger to do me one, but he said it was mega hassle.

i do like the descrete lighting in the superb. i also like the lights in the door handle too. citroen have motion sensitive lights in the door pockets of the c4 picasso. thats a great idea, no more fumbling in dark pockets only to find a sticky sweet that you lost a week back!

heated front screens are brill. they have them on anything owned by ford. so thats landrover, aston etc too. but the patent runs out soom so any comapny can use them. i found that i had difficulty in focusing on the road as i kept seeing the thin elements in the window instead lol!!

i would like a lit up ignition key slot. my old rover had it and it was so easy to find the slot in the dark. i would love to have one glowing a pulsing blue until you start the car then it goes red!

[ScoobyChris]

The wine/drinks bottle holders in the Disco were very useful, especially when you'd done the weekly shop and could place bottles in there to stop them rolling around the boot. The cargo net I had on the Fabia was good too - kept my emergency gloves, scarf and woolly hat nice and tidy and out of the main boot area. Curry hook in the Micra is also an excellent idea, although I'm now lazy and get it delivered rather than collecting

More boring ones, aside from the excellent heated screen, are the headlamp clusters which come out as a single unit so you can take them somewhere warm/with fit new bulbs, climate controlled seats to cool as well as heat and head up displays which project the current speed and rev counter position onto the view out the windscreen

Chris

[dstev2000]

How would it no what the peed limit was!

Like what Bengie said - GPS.

The same way a Talex/Road angel knows when you are exceeding the speed limit when approaching a speed camera

It will be really easy to implement when we all have GPS trackers for the pay as you drive scheme.

[vRSLen]

Self healing paint and plastics, that will be nice

[dstev2000]

I love that lane change/blind spot warning system that Volvo are using. I was going past a one the other day on the M25 and as I was alongside him he indicated prior to changing lanes and I could see an LED on the A pillar go from green to Orange as I passed into and out of the drivers blind spot. 2 dinky cameras one under each door mirror watching your blind spot - Excellent!

[Wardy]

I'd go with Saab's 'Night Vision' button and Ford's heated windscreen too.

I've used both and they're brilliant ideas

Steve

[simonlb]

2 dinky cameras one under each door mirror watching your blind spot - Excellent!

Or you could always buy two blind-spot mirrors and fit them and also occasionally try turning your head to double check before trying to change lanes or overtake someone.

Just a suggestion, but I find that mirror - signal - manouvre works very well for me.

[anonymouse]

A Lancia Delta I had years ago had all the dashboard switches and heater controls illuminated by one bulb with the light directed to the relevant switches etc by lengths of fibre-optic cable. One bulb - makes changing the dash colours a doddle when using one LED...

Nearly mentioned this - I thought the Citroen BXs had the same idea.

[andypandypoos]

Like what Bengie said - GPS.

The same way a Talex/Road angel knows when you are exceeding the speed limit when approaching a speed camera

It will be really easy to implement when we all have GPS trackers for the pay as you drive scheme.

The (Jap spec) Nissan GT-R uses the GPS to remove the speed limiter when you take it on tracks

[dstev2000]

Or you could always buy two blind-spot mirrors and fit them and also occasionally try turning your head to double check before trying to change lanes or overtake someone.

Just a suggestion, but I find that mirror - signal - manouvre works very well for me.

I'll try to remember that one. God knows what has kept me alive over the years, doing 50,000 miles a year I must be really lucky.

[starch]

Some X5's have a camera on the back of them which give you a rear view with 2 lines projecting where each side of the car is going, and the path it will take. Great for fat people who are too lazy to turn around, and the mums who use them to drop the kids off at school, means they don't have any excuse for flattening little Timmy.

Personally I also like the idea of removing everything that is not required, great for performance and the environment.

[ric04vrs]

Just a suggestion, but I find that mirror - signal - manouvre works very well for me.

mirror , signal , and if it safe to do so , carry out your manouevre would be even better

[Royston]

Rear wheel drive! that's a fantastic invention!

[ScoobyChris]

Or you could always buy two blind-spot mirrors and fit them and also occasionally try turning your head to double check before trying to change lanes or overtake someone.

Just a suggestion, but I find that mirror - signal - manouvre works very well for me.

So at what point in M-S-M are you checking your blind spot?

Chris

[simonlb]

So at what point in M-S-M are you checking your blind spot?

Chris

Usually when I hear a car horn or feel car-to-car contact.

I'll get me coat... :P

[john_grant358]

Whats the night vision option from saab? sounds more SAS than red lights!

I think the merc have it right, Different keys have different seat and stearing wheel setting so when you get it with YOUR key it automaticly adjusts everything to your settings!

p.s what does swmbo stand for???!! Im guessing its something to do with girlfriends/wives!

[ScoobyChris]

SWMBO = She Who Must Be Obeyed.

The memory seat thing with different keys is also available on the Octavia and Superb IIRC. Nice touch, but wasted if you're the only driver of the car

Chris

[john_grant358]

SWMBO = She Who Must Be Obeyed.

The memory seat thing with different keys is also available on the Octavia and Superb IIRC. Nice touch, but wasted if you're the only driver of the car

Chris

thats good! who thought that one up!?

[KenONeill]

SWMBO, oriiginally of a female dictator, by H Ryder Haggard, in "She", but popularised as a reference to one's wife by John Mortimer in the Rumpole series.

[john_grant358]

SWMBO, oriiginally of a female dictator, by H Ryder Haggard, in "She", but popularised as a reference to one's wife by John Mortimer in the Rumpole series.

:confused: Lost me mate!

[KenONeill]

:confused: Lost me mate!

H Rider Haggard wrote a book, called "She", in which the eponymous female despot was referred to as "She Who Must Be Obeyed" by the ruled. There is also a good film adaption, available on DVD.

John Mortimer wrote a series of books (first one "Rumpole of the Bailey") about a criminal barrister named Horace Rumpole. Rumpole habitually referred to his wife Hilda as "SWMBO", probably as a nod to Rider Haggard, who's works Rumpole would certainly have known of, and probably enjoyed reading. Most of the Rumpole stories have been adapted for Tv, starring Leo McKearn as the eponymous barrister. No idea on availability of video or DVDs.

[john_grant358]

H Rider Haggard wrote a book, called "She", in which the eponymous female despot was referred to as "She Who Must Be Obeyed" by the ruled. There is also a good film adaption, available on DVD.

John Mortimer wrote a series of books (first one "Rumpole of the Bailey") about a criminal barrister named Horace Rumpole. Rumpole habitually referred to his wife Hilda as "SWMBO", probably as a nod to Rider Haggard, who's works Rumpole would certainly have known of, and probably enjoyed reading. Most of the Rumpole stories have been adapted for Tv, starring Leo McKearn as the eponymous barrister. No idea on availability of video or DVDs.

Ahhhhh, cheers for that:thumbup:

[Jaymz]

ooooo a colur changing needle sounds pretty clever to me but in sayin that i hardly ever look at my rev counter lol