Any worse ergonomics fail than the GM hazard switches from the 1980s?

[cockerpunk]

Okay, is this what you have?



I'm going to take a stab at it.

On the left you have a recirc button, which closes the outside vent, and below that, a windshield defrost button, which opens the defroster vent.

Then fan speed knob.

Then the sliders allow you to open the upper (dash) and lower (floor) vents to different levels.

Then the temperature knob, then the A/C button.

Disclaimer: I have not driven a post-1985.5 944/951/968. However upper and lower vents are the only functions that aren't present on the other knobs, and it's got up and down arrows.

the button is the rear defroster, the electric one.

the windshield defroster is a lever in the middle of the upper two vents (no kidding).

the sliders, idk, i can't tell any difference in airflow anywhere regardless of where i put them, and the fan speed.


also, the tripmeter on the 944 is a joke to. its literally a fin in one of the vents, you push it to zero the trip.


its like they ****ed it all up on purpose.

[AKADriver]

the button is the rear defroster, the electric one.

the windshield defroster is a lever in the middle of the upper two vents (no kidding).

the sliders, idk, i can't tell any difference in airflow anywhere regardless of where i put them, and the fan speed.

The defroster: that's weird. Usually the windshield is that \_/ shaped icon and the rear window is a rectangle.

The sliders/fan speed: I bet that control board contains resistors or rheostats to control the fan speed and vent position and they've simply failed into full fan speed/full vent open mode. The "all or nothing" fan speed is a common symptom of a failed fan speed resistor (aka blower motor resistor). For whatever reason car companies decided that putting big high-power resistors in series with the blower fan to reduce its speed made more sense than making a marginally more sophisticated but vastly more efficient motor speed controller.

I bet if you cracked that thing open you'd find some blown resistors or failed solder joints.

[GolfTango]

I've had a few Cavilers as rentals. And none of them had the cigarette lighter in the socket. So I've stuck many a keys in there resulting in sparks. What was GM thinking putting that there?!

[AKADriver]

NA Miatas have the lighter socket in the same spot. A lot of people remove them and put in S2000-style starter buttons.

[Cousin Eddie]

I present the air cooled 911 climate control system. Controls are scattered all over the car and it is absolutely mystifying. The only saving grace is that no matter where you put all those switches nothing really changes.

Every track day I go to where there are instructors makes me laugh. In the summer "it's hot in here" and they start fiddling with the controls, knock yourself out it won't make a difference. In the spring/fall/rain "it's foggy/cold in here" and they fiddle with the controls.

They don't do jack ****. Aftermarket exhaust obviously makes it worse, I don't even know why they have controls.

[VDub2625]

I don't know for what reason but some MK2's have this as well . why didn't VW keep it on the dash!?!

If you saw the steering column harness required, you'd want it on the column too basically, with a dash switch, and the way VW wired it, the pwoer from the turn signals runs from:

Battery, to the fuse box to ignition switch.
Switch back to box, out to hazard switch.
Hazard switch decides if you need key-on power (for turns while running), or battery power (for hazards at any time).
Power is sent back to the fuse box, then to the turn relay.
From the relay, back out to the hazard switch again (if the hazards were on, this is where it sends power to L and R).
From the hazard switch, back toward the fuse box, to the column harness, for the turn signal stalk (for the t/s, L or R).
From the stalk, back to the fuse box again, then out to the lights.

With the hazard integrated into the column, you only have:
Battery, to the fuse box to ignition switch.
Switch to box, to turn signal stalk (the hazard portion decides key-on or battery power).
Stalk to the fuse box, then to the turn relay.
From the relay, back the turn signal stalk (to decide L/R, or both, for hazards).
From the stalk, back to the fuse box, then out to the lights.

It's a wiring nightmare. in the 00-02 Cabrio, where they put it back to a button on the dash, the main harness is routed much the same, except an additional relay controls the hazard function.

I've always hated the trunk and fuel door switches in older fords. You had to lean over, open the glove box and then press a tiny button.

THis, and any, hidden trunka nd fuel door buttons are for security. If your car is broken into, the trunk is not easily accessible. Newer cars just use the alarm to disable the trunk button circuit.

Exactly. The only one that makes sense is the temp slider, and maybe the defrost. The bottom two? It's anyone's guess unless they have an owners' manual, or ask on The Samba*.

I found an 84 Vanagon in the junkyard, with the owner's manual. Now, I'm not a physicist or anything, but I'm no idiot and I understand how the arrow system works, bascially you can gradually close an open specific vents and areas blah blah blah. I studied that owner's manual for 20 minutes and still did not walk away with any proper understanding of the vent controls for a Vanagon. None. Roof mounted AC switches, dials on the dash, the doors, and vents themselves... wtf.

[McBanagon]

I found an 84 Vanagon in the junkyard, with the owner's manual. Now, I'm not a physicist or anything, but I'm no idiot and I understand how the arrow system works, bascially you can gradually close an open specific vents and areas blah blah blah. I studied that owner's manual for 20 minutes and still did not walk away with any proper understanding of the vent controls for a Vanagon. None. Roof mounted AC switches, dials on the dash, the doors, and vents themselves... wtf.

Honestly, I owned one of these things for years before I knew what that bottom lever was for. There was a diagram that said "for defrost, all to the right," so I just left it on the right and didn't touch it.

http://www.gowesty.com/library_article.php?id=311