What’s The Weirdest Thing About Your Car?

Autopian Asks Weirdest Thing
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Here at The Autopian, we like weird. From Jason’s Changli to Mercedes’ flock of smarts, we take the peculiar under our wing, and are proud to do so. However, a car doesn’t have to be innately strange to have weird things about it. Today we’re asking you about the weirdness within your car, whether overt or covert.

If you’ve been following along for a while, you’ll know that I have two cars. One is the stereotypical chariot of entry-level city professionals circa 2006, and one is the stereotypical chariot of thin Bay Street-based squash players circa 1999. We certainly aren’t talking Citroen SM levels of weird here, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t strange features on them. Unusually, both of my cars speak German through their climate control panels.

On my 325i, there’s a button marked “REST” for restwärme inside the right HVAC temperature knob. Press it, and hot coolant will be circulated through the heater core while the vehicle is parked. I’ve actually written a whole article on how this system works, so if you’re looking for some longer reading during your lunch break, I highly suggest checking it out.

Boxster Manuell

On my Boxster, if for some reason I ever decide the set-and-forget approach of automatic climate control isn’t right for the situation, I can take over manual control of the HVAC system. If I do that, the word manuell lights up in the climate control display, indicating manual climate control operation in an exceptionally German manner. Of course, the photo above isn’t of my Boxster since it’s in storage, but you get the idea.

So, what’s the weirdest thing about your car? It could be an unusual feature, strange labeling, or perhaps you drive a Matra Murena, in which case, can we be friends? Celebrate your car’s weirdness in the comments below, and we’ll be sure to celebrate along with you.

(Photo credits: Thomas Hundal, Cars & Bids/YouTube)

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296 thoughts on “What’s The Weirdest Thing About Your Car?”

  1. Passengers in my ’09 CLK350 are constantly amazed when the car serves them their seatbelts via mechanical arm when the car is started.
    I don’t have the heart to tell them it’s been a thing for Mercedes-Benz pillarless coupes and 4 seat convertibles since the 1982 S Class Coupe.

    They are also frequently confused by the seat adjustments – because they can’t find them under or next to the seat. They’ve on the door – like they have been since the 1981 S Class. Then they’re confused about how they work – even tho they’re seat shaped, and you manipulate the seat controls the way you want your seat adjusted.
    I tend to just lean over and do it for them.

    The irritating thing about my car is that the COMAND navigation will refuse to read the navigation DVD when the heat is on. I’m guessing the rear heating ducts run right behind or alongside the COMAND system in the dash. But it also doesn’t work on a hot day when the roof is down, the AC is on and the sun is shining on it – because the DVD reader it’s just too heat sensitive.

    Since I don’t use Sirius, and stream my music and navigation via the phone and a bluetooth adapter, I have a brightly lit blue screen in the center of my dash that is useful for changing the clock twice a year. And also letting me know when the Auto-headlamps go on when the screen brightens up.

    The funny thing is that I have attempted to use the stacker CD player in the glovebox and the single CD player in the dash (Located behind the COMAND screen) exactly never.

  3. On my 1989 RR Silver Spur you press this round black button on the dash,( with the engine running), and on the fuel gauge there is a corresponding scale that shows the engine oil level using the pointer/needle from the fuel gauge.

    So in other words the fuel gauge is just a fuel gauge until the button is pressed then when the button is pressed it uses the same gauge to reflect the engine oil level using a second set of graphics on the fuel gauge . one “Fuel level” the other “Oil level”

    ヽ(͡◕ ͜ʖ ͡◕)ﾉ

  4. I actually can’t think of anything weird-weird about my car (DC5 Integra Type-R) at all. Only the H-in-Morse-code ‘door open’ alarm easter egg that all Hondas have (or had then). The DC5-R does have a very niche industry first to its name, though, according to Pistonheads: “the world’s first 2.0-litre car to use multiple synchromesh cones for all [forward] gears (triple-cone on first and second, double-cone on third to sixth).” So there, it was weird when it was new. But only if you’re a gearbox engineer.

  5. Recently had a Mercedes GLB250 with the “Hey Mercedes” MBUX assistant. I asked it to tell me a joke and the reply was “I’m sorry I can’t do that, my engineers were German.”

  6. My Dodge Magnum has the battery in the hatch area, which I realize is not that unusual (especially since every LX car does it) but it’s my first car set up that way. My Volvo 245 has the M47 five-speed but my previous one had the M46, which is a four-speed with an electric overdrive, actuated by a little button in the centre of the shift knob; extremely annoying to reconnect if the knob decided to slip off the shifter. My 89 Bronco is mostly not weird aside from the twin-beam front axle someone else already mentioned.

  7. 2004 Acura MDX. Windshield wipers/sprayers are reversed. Try to spray the front windshield, and the front wipers operate but the rear window gets sprayed. Try to spray the rear and the front gets sprayed while the rear wipers drag across dry glass. I gather this is not an uncommon glitch on this vehicle. Since I’m in SoCal, I hardly ever use the function so I keep forgetting to mention it when I take it in for service.

  8. The only thing weird/unique on my Mustang GT is it came from the factory with Euro clear tail lights, since my car has the Ice White Package.

    That being said, I haven’t seen another Mustang in my area optioned like mine. Most are murdered out – which has never appealed to me – and I enjoy being a contrarian.

  10. I have the same HVAC systems as Thomas (mine on a 2006 530xi and a 2001 Boxster). I think the oddest thing about the Boxster is that it has no off switch. You can turn it off, but you have to click down of the fan speed ‘-‘ button until all the dots disappear, and then once more.

    I just have assumed that Porsche decided it knew better than me how to keep the temp right. More likely, it’s just a way to make sure I only drive with the top down.

  11. My Silverado will not shift into drive from park when started unless:
    -The driver has their seatbelt on
    -The driver goes two menus down in the infotainment and disables that feature

  12. My 2004 Impala has a button called “Surveillance Mode” that kills all the lights inside and out while the engine is running. It was a cop car. It also has bars on the rear windows which are useful for keeping the dog from jumping out. My kids are embarrassed every time I pick them up…

  14. Oooh! I love this topic. Is there any other topic, really?

    2006 Honda Accord (with SatNav)- For a period of time (like, a range of dates) you couldn’t adjust the clock. Before that, and after that period (known to Honda) ended, you could. It was a software bug, but the dates weren’t in any way significant (like, not Y2k or anything). But yeah AI is going to go great….

    1985 911 – any number of janky rube goldberg solutions used to postpone redesigning any major components, others have covered the complex, dissertation-level complexity of air-cooled HVAC controls (I’m assuming the controls are the same in the Beetle version and other air cooled cars?) so I’ll go for the fact that they made the clutch easier to work by just stapling a giant u shaped assist spring on the outside of the transmission.

    1. I was sorely tempted to list the 911’s HVAC system controls here! I still don’t get the sliders, and I even have an owners manual that (purportedly) explains them.

  15. It is and isn’t that weird, but my f150 has the unique Ford Twin I-Beam suspension. Installed on Ford pickups 1963-2023, including a 4wd version 1980-1997. Also on many Rangers, Broncos, and E-Series vans.

    Obviously it’s on plenty of Fords, but nothing like it was used on any other car, ever. With the interesting exception of the Hillman Imp, which is a swing axle front suspension that’s fairly similar.

    Some people hate it, and it has a reputation for eating tires. Obviously those people have no idea how to do an alignment, because I aligned mine with a tape measure and it’s great and doesn’t wear tires excessively at all.

  16. My 2019 Chevrolet Bolt has an incredibly aggressively literal automatic climate control system. When you put it at 72 degrees, by god it is going to make it EXACTLY 72 degrees in that car, no matter how often it has to cycle the heat and the AC.

    Me, 1000 times in the summer: “Why is the F&$%ing HEAT on?!”

    1. My wife has had that issue with ours on it not cooling down, I’m like yeah, you have to crank it down to the 60s if you want it to be cooling proper.

    2. I got the same car, and I always make sure “heat” is disabled on the UI right after hitting “auto”. It usually stops the heater, but not always.

    3. My grand Cherokee has really aggressive auto lights (maybe it’s age) but drive down a tree lined street and it looks like a piss poor light show. (side note, I do not use the auto lights anymore) I had an Enclave with really aggressive auto HVAC as well. Fan/heat/AC would MAKE SURE that thing was EXACTLY the right temp.

  17. My 1970’s Lotus Elite is very weird:

    • The headlights are operated by engine vacuum. Because no vacuum system is perfect, vacuum escapes while it’s parked, so the headlights pop up after it’s been sitting for an hour or so, then they go back down when you start up the car.
    • The HVAC system is also operated by vacuum, but I haven’t restored it yet, so I have no idea how it works or why it’s not working.
    • It has front discs and rear drums (normal), but the drums are mounted inboard – to the differential… like an F1 car of the era. This would be neat, except that they are drums & are awful. Because of their proximity to the chassis backbone, you can’t service their wheel cylinders while the brakes are installed, so you have to remove the entire brake assembly – which it attached to to diff, so you have to remove the diff… which is attached to the suspension, so you have to remove the suspension. There’s more unfavorables here, but I don’t want to write a book.
    • The gearbox uses the gearset from an Austin Maxi (a front wheel drive car) in a Lotus case. (if you’re not familiar, the Elite is a front engined, RWD car that requires a longitudinal transmission – unlike the Maxi from which it was sourced)
    • The rear, independent suspension uses the axle as the upper suspension arm. Otherwise, it’s just a lower arm and a trailing arm. Without the axle, the suspension would collapse. (this was changed on later models, so even Lotus knew it wasn’t a great idea)
    • It has a cigar lighter, not a cigarette lighter.

    1. One of the headlight vacuum reservoirs on my Elite leaks faster than the other, first time I drove it to work one of my coworkers was quite concerned that my car was winking at him by the end of the day.

      I didn’t realize that the HVAC system is also run off vacuum. Mine mostly works, for now at least.

      Thankfully my rear brakes had been serviced just before I bought the car, I’m not looking forward to doing that job.

      1. HA! One of my two vacuum tanks doesn’t hold vacuum, so I’ve routed both headlights to one tank. Because of that, they share a vacuum source, so as they start to pop up after sitting; if you push one down, the other will pop up and vice versa. 🙂

        Only the first year or two with the “D’aire” HVAC systems use vacuum. Later cars used Lotus’s own system that uses traditional cables and levers.

        Also: Howdy fellow Elite owner! There aren’t many of us.

        1. Mine is a ’78, so it has the more traditional HVAC. I briefly considered doing the Miata electric headlight motor swap, but I kind of like the charm of the self raising vacuum headlights. One of my headlights starts going up after 7ish hours parked and the other stays down for 12 or so hours, which is good enough for me.

          I’ve been surprised at how robust the online owner network is for these cars given how rare they are.

  18. My ’99 Landcruiser has a second, smaller sun visor under the main sun visor. If you move the main sun visor to your side to block the side window, you can still fold down the smaller sun visor for the front.

      1. The best part is that I had been driving it for more than 6 months before my wife rode in it and the first thing she says is “what’s this little flap for?”. It just about blew my mind that I had never noticed it was there.

  19. 2012 Cruze: the door lock button is located on the driver’s side of the center HVAC stack. That stack and entire dash for that matter is also symmetrical to allow for easy swapping to RHD. My particular car also has three overdrive gears.

  20. ASR means traction control in 1998. Found that would when I did “what’s button do” while accelerating on a wet road. The read end tried to swap with front. Have left it on since.

  21. My Lancia Scorpion has a giant engine lid out back (we’re talking a good 16sf of steel) that opens sideways. It makes a fantastic flag for finding your car in the middle of a show, but I wouldn’t want to open it on a windy day. It also has the engine tilted 20 degrees towards the rear, just to make oil changes slightly more irritating. Then there’s the previous owner modifications. The throttle return spring is like a foot and a half long and the air scoop under the car is essentially a tunnel made out of chicken wire and fiberglass. Then there’s the horizontal fuel gauge that reads right to left, which is weird until you get used to it. Historically, Lancia was quite innovative, so “weird” sometimes worked out. You have Lancia to thank for your transmission tunnel and V6es in production cars.

  22. My MGB has a cool ‘feature’ where the tach doesn’t work for the first minute or two the engine is on. I back out of the driveway, get a little bit down the road and then it wakes up and the needle jumps to whatever it feels is correct.
    Also the speedometer lunched itself internally so I sort of guess the speed based on the RPM’s and traffic around me.

  23. 2016 BRZ: The cap for the 12v outlet in the glovebox is a perfect fit to plug port where the intake noise tube thing enters the cabin. It’s much better plugged up.

    2003 4Runner: The sunroof and rear glass auto up/down will get lost every once in a while and stop working, it’s fixable by opening and closing them fully a few times.

  24. My wife’s 2001 Honda CR-V’s trunk floor pops out and folds out legs into a table, but I reckon that’s its most famous feature.

    Lesser known is the fact that the center cupholders are more like bowl-holders, their obscenely wide and shallow profile ensures that any and all drinks tumble forward and hit the carpet upside-down under braking, eventually lodging themselves somewhere in the pedals. So far, I’ve avoided major catastrophe, as the angle at which drive-thru drinks land is just right that it pushes the lid on, rather than popping it off, with just a little splash of refreshment squeezing through the straw hole. I’m working on a solution for that.

    Another “fun” feature is that its B20Z engine features THREE accessory belts: one for the alternator, one for the air conditioner and another for power steering. The alternator is the deepest of them, requiring the removal of the other 2 for replacement. Most of them need to be accessed through the wheel well. As if it wasn’t enough to have a bona fide cap-and-rotor distributor in the 21st century.

    And lastly, it shares its suspension geometry with the Integra type R, featuring double wishbone all around (Honda calls its rear suspension a double wishbone, which is a good description of its camber behavior, but its construction better resembles a trailing arm system with two links at the back. It’s like the front half of the wishbones is fused together with the hub and elongated into a trailing arm, while the rear halves are broken off and behave like camber/toe links. Clever stuff, as it requires 3 fewer bushings than a true double wishbone).

    1. The Civic-based CRV shares its suspension with the Civic, which shares its suspension with the fancy-Civic Integra. All Civics 1984-sometime in the 2000s use this suspension, and Accords and Odysseys are very similar.

      Three belts is a lot for a newer car, although many cars used to have 2-3. Heavy trucks often have 5+.

      1. As far as I’m aware, at the time of the CR-V’s release, most Civics had a more primitive rear suspension, with only the type R and maybe Si having the double wishbone rear. Meanwhile, all Integras came with the double wishbone as standard. As for the accessory belts, I can’t speak much for trucks but all my cars have had 1 or 2.

        1. Nope, all Civics, CRXs and Integras had the double wishbone starting ’84.

          I once saw a Hyundai Elantra with three or four belts, can’t remember which. More than two is definitely unusual.

  25. Hmm. I have an aluminium-bodied 1954 Panhard Dyna Z. Would be easier to list what’s *not* weird. The steering wheel is round, so there’s that. I’d also mention the wheels & tires as being round. However, they’re…metric. This car is such a solid lump of pure unadulterated weirdness it’s positively exhilirating.
    In the process of getting it back on the road, looking forward to driving it. When I do so I’ll post about it. At least even just sitting in it is a delight.

    1. I first saw one of those at Euro Fest in Spartanburg. What a great car. I think it’s one of a Torch’s favorites as he has written about it. We’d love to see pictures as you progress.

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