I hate this little lever

"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury) 09/22/2014 at 12:36 • Filed to: None

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I generally like most of the functions on my Mazda5 because they operate like every German car I've ever owned. A few are different (headlight switch not on the dash), some weird (why do I move the lever DOWN to turn on the wipers - this seems backwards), and one in particular is pointless. I refer to little lever to open the fuel filler door. Why? It's an unnecessary extra step, not to mention added complexity; that, and I tend to forget to pull it before I walk to the other (proper) side of the car to fuel up. Just have a fuel filler lock as part of the central locking system so that as long as the car is unlocked, so is the filler. Every other car that I've owned that has central locking does it this way, and so should the rest of the cars in the world that have central locking.

On primitive cars that don't have central locking I might be able to understand, but I doubt if the 5 is sold anywhere without it. They may sell the car without remote unlocking, but it still has power locks.

A pair of fueling features on the car that I do like? The gas cap is tethered to the car, and there is a nice little hook on the inside of the filler door that you can hook this tether onto so that it doesn't rest against the paint. Nice touch, Mazda.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 09/22/2014 at 12:40

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I don't see why gas doors need to lock. If you live in a crappy area where people might randomly siphon your gas, get a locking gas cap.

And who in the WORLD thinks the proper side of the car for filling is the passenger side? Why should I walk all the way around the car to fill? Seems very unnecessary.

Lastly since I'm being a jerk and wrecking this post for no reason (sorry about that not sure why I'm still typing) I think even my first truck (88 S10 Blazer) had the little notch for the gas cap inside the filler door.

DancesWithRotors - Driving Insightfully > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 09/22/2014 at 12:45

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My Fiat 124 requires me to move the lever down to engage the wipers, although the speed adjustment is on a knob, hanging from two wires under the dash.

jariten1781 > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 09/22/2014 at 12:53

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Locking gas caps are a pain...extra key that you don't want on a chain lest the others droop down and hit the paint.

And you want manufacturers to mirror the fuel fill system each time they produce a model from right to left hand drive? Talk about added expense for little gain.

Bad Idea Hat > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 09/22/2014 at 12:56

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Your Mazda5 operates like a German car? Does it have a random button somewhere, possibly labelled "funk"?

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > jariten1781 09/22/2014 at 12:58

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I'm calling out the fact that he said he walked around the car to the "proper" gas filler side.

And I'm not for any lock on a gas cap/gas door.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 09/22/2014 at 13:07

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That was somewhat of a play on Top Gear's assertion that the proper side to drive a car is the right side. Contrary to Jezza's belief, since most people are right handed, driving on the left seems more efficient since your dominant hand controls most of the functions on the car.

I can see some conveniences in having the filler on the left, but on the right is what I'm used to. When I run out of fuel it's safer to fill from the right than it would be to do so from the left. Other than that tidbit, it really doesn't matter where the filler is located.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 09/22/2014 at 13:28

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Why are you running out of fuel!? lol Come on now!

It was actually quite surprising the one time I drove a right hand drive car, it was a stick and while I'm fully capable at driving a manual, I rarely do it. Interestingly enough I did even better at driving the RHD stick than I normally do. I guess I spend too much time with my left arm/hand on the window sill and my right on the steering wheel.

treesmakewater > Bad Idea Hat 09/22/2014 at 14:07

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what is the top button on here?

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 09/22/2014 at 14:48

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I used to only buy gas at Costco, and there aren't any Costco locations close to either home or work. I would push it, and once ran out on the way to get down there after work. The second time was just a lack of time, and I figured (wrongly) that I still had a gallon left in the tank. Roadside assistance took care of me both times, but I wouldn't want the person topping off my car to stand out near traffic.

Nowadays I just use GasBuddy and find a close station, topping off at Costco if I happen to be near one. The hassle and lost time is more important than the possible $1.50 I would save by going out of my way to get to Costco.