The Toyota floor mat issue.

You may have read about the ongoing problem Toyota has with some of its cars where the use of aftermarket floormats, or incorrectly anchored Toyota floormats, can cause the accelerator to stick fully open. Toyota are working on a fix for this problem - most likely the installation of shorter accelerator pedals, but this brings about an interesting question : should Toyota be responsible for the actions of people driving its vehicles? For example - if I stuck my hand in the way of the door and slammed it, should Toyota be expected to design a door that wouldn't injure me? The answer of course is "no" - so why are they having to solve a problem that they didn't create? If the drivers can't be bothered to use the anchoring system on the floor to hold the floor mat back, how is that Toyota's problem? It isn't. The issue is that Toyota recognise that America is a litigious society, and rather than people accepting responsibility for their own actions, they'll likely sue Toyota instead. It's sad that we've reached the stage in society where manufacturers have to change the design of a product to protect them from being sued by people who can't use the product properly. Of course Toyota aren't the first manufacturer to suffer this - any company that's ever built a ladder will tell you that 75% of the cost of the ladder to to you - the buying public - is covering the cost of lawsuits against the ladder manufacturer for people falling off their products.

The Amorall Guarantee - Pt.2

A quick followup to the blog post from a few weeks ago. Seems the Armorall guarantee is pretty much vapourware. They never responded to email or phone calls, nor even the returned pack of wipes I sent them with a letter. It's a shame - I've used their products for years, but in the face of lousy customer service like this, there's plenty of other companies out there that make competing products. It's a shame these people don't understand customer service any more. They're all in it for the quick buck at the expense of anyone who buys their products.

Chrome trim inside - why?

I recently had the misfortune to rent the most awful car I've driven in a long time. It was a GM product but I can't remember which one. What struck me the most, apart from the bad ergonomics and incomprehensible onboard computer, was the sheer volume of chrome that had been used in the cabin. They'd outlined all the instruments, centre console and vents in chrome. Now I've never been a big fan of chrome - I think it looks tacky and cheap and is a quick way of attempting to gussy up an otherwise dull design. But putting it in the cabin of a car is just inexcusable and I'll tell you why:- the sun. More specifically, when the sun reflects off all the bling inside the cabin and blinds you whilst you're driving, especially at this time of year when the sun is low in the sky. I was constantly fighting reflections and highlights from the chrome bezels as I drove - it was distracting, it was annoying and frankly it was dangerous. Add that to the laundry list of reasons why GM are failing - you simply don't put chrome inside a car.

Too lazy to park in the right place.

People with an over-inflated sense of self-importance are the worst drivers. They're so filled with perceived entitlement that they think they have the God-given right to drive wherever the heck they want and park wherever the heck they want. I have a lot of pet hates in motoring but this is my number one - people who are so lazy that they'll park in a clearly-marked no-parking area simply to save 10 steps. These people just have no common decency - no sense of the greater good or concept of - you know - following rules. Typically these cars are sporting handicap stickers but the people driving them are just friends or relatives of the person who's sticker they're using. That's low, but what I find intolerable is when the car in question actually does have a handicap driver and they simply can't be bothered to use the designated handicap spaces. In this parking lot in question, the spaces are the same distance the other side of the entrance door as this Jeep was parked. And they were all empty bar one. You can see them in the photo behind the lady with the shopping cart - they're the spaces with the blue paint. But no - whoever this person was just couldn't be bothered. I don't know if they were actually handicapped or not - I didn't see them park, but the Jeep was there for a good five minutes (empty, doors locked) before I took the photo. Selfishness like this makes me sick. I would say this person should be ashamed of themselves but if they park like this, chances are they couldn't give a flying rats ass about anyone other than themselves.

Texting public transport drivers

Well the message about texting whilst driving clearly isn't getting through, least of all to public transport drivers here in Utah. We snapped this pic on the way to lunch a couple of weeks ago. The guy looks very pissed off and for good reason - he knows he's been caught and probably suspected the picture would turn up online sooner or later. If you work for UTA or know someone who does, tell them their drivers need to concentrate more on driving the bus full of fare-paying passengers, and less on texting. You'd think with all the press this year about public transport drivers being involved in horrific crashes because of texting that things would change. Apparently this individual thinks he's more important than the safety of his passengers though.

Testing the Armorall guarantee.

I don't know if you've ever used those ArmorAll glass wipes in your car, but if so you'll know that within days of cracking the seal on the tub, they're all dried out and basically useless. I recently bought a "to go" pack of these wipes which have a different packaging, and come with the following emblazoned on the front of the packet - "Guaranteed Wipes Stay Moist". Well - we're going to test that guarantee because the wipes were almost dry when they came out of the packet new, and since then - over the last three weeks - have dried out completely despite being sealed in their packet. I've sent an enquiry to ArmorAll's customer service - we'll see if that results in anything.