When we asked our fans what the most annoying features on their cars are – they went from zero to hot under the bonnet in less than the time it takes to blink! Many car features annoy South Africans. Such as that awkward moment when you indicate to turn right, only for the wipers to start waving their blades in panic. The people of Mzansi want to know why car manufacturers can’t agree on which side to put indicators, petrol caps and such – pick a side, world, because the South Africans are fed-up!
Those buttons that are blanked off and only available on "upgraded" models of the same car really seem to press our buttons; many people think the mirrors in the visors should be wider, to make applying make-up easier; however, the car features that really drive South Africans over the edge are listed below:
Shut the BEEP up: Seatbelt ding
This one really gets Mzansi going! It always begins as a gentle reminder (ding) to put on your seatbelt that grows into a full-blown scream (DING, DING, DING). It’s incredibly annoying when there isn’t even a passenger on the seat, just that massive box of Easter treats.
A side of annoyance: Manual windows and mirrors
Picture this - you stop at a traffic light and spot an old friend to the left. Happy to see you they roll down their electric window, and you have to dive over the passenger seat to roll down your manual window (roll, roll, roll). By the time you get the window down, the traffic light has turned green, and all you can do is say, “hi and bye”! And if you still drive that old jalopy, you also have to contend with manual side mirrors and put up with the annoying feat of jumping over to the passenger side every time you need to set your left mirror (double ouch)!
Total wipe out: Windscreen-wiper woes
From automatic wipers that activate while the attendant at a filling station cleans your windscreen to the same auto wipers that don’t always work when rain hits the windshield (oh, come on!).
This one really blows our engines: Bonnet lever
The lever to open the bonnet is every car’s best-kept secret. Sometimes it’s not even on the driver's side... how annoying.
Stop & Go: Auto stop-start
From stopping and starting a hundred times by the time you clear the block, to slight lags at take-off and it not switching off when you want it to switch off and switching off when you don't need it to – Mzansi feels that this feature is unnecessary and often ends up switching it off.
What the FOG: Foggy mirrors
Side mirrors that don't demystify or hold on to rain droplets (oh my!).
Shady much: Visors
Some visors don’t cover all the angles. At times, you will find yourself going eye-to-eye with a blinding ray of light and having to sit in an awkward position to be able to see the road (how lovely!).
