Poor design

In message snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com, at 20:45:34 on Thu, 18 Jan 2024, Chris Hogg snipped-for-privacy@privacy.net remarked:

Advised them to call one of the well known roadside recovery people.

By the time we'd failed to DIY-it, they'd missed the appointment they'd hoped to drive to, so it was no longer super-urgent.

Put a trolley jack under it probably

We've had at least four RHD cars with manual bonnet releases and all have been to the right of the driver's seat, down at floor level. Two have also had petrol filler flap releases there.

In message <uodjik$33f8d$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, at 10:40:20 on Fri, 19 Jan

The cars I've had with a compulsory internal petrol filler cap release (why oh why not linked in with the central locking) have been to the right of the driver's seat.

But we were investigating where optional boot-release levers might be.

In message <uod84n$31h51$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, at 07:25:11 on Fri, 19 Jan

I don't have one, and when I recenty went to a nearby garage to fix a different issue they declined to lend one to me for half an hour. Not because I might fail to return it, but because of the liability if I injured myself.

Well mine is external - push the filler flap - but ONLY once you have unlocked ALL the car doors and boot.

Buying one wont break the bank...

Mine's similar, but I assume it wouldn't take much effort to wrench it open ...

Indeed. And I have done exactly that. But there isn't much point since it has anti-syphon s*it in it

Mine has keyhole on the front doors, but bootlid is electronic only. However, once in the cabin, you can unlatch the rear seat, then crawl into the boot, and pull the emergency manual boot release. That assumes the boot is empty, with it full - no chance at all.

It's down by the driver's foot in this [RHD] car.

Definitely.

But in another car I use (one that I actually own), it's over on the LHS of the front seats' footwell.

No mechanical boot-release lever in the front footwell?

The handbook only shows how to unlock it from the inside if someone gets locked in. We did get to the jump leads by going lowering the rear seats but they were no use as the car was facing up the drive so that jumpering from beneath the fuse tray, the leads were not long enough to reach the our neighbours car which was next us but a metr lower.

Just then three off my handbrake and let the car slide back down the drive to the roadside. They moved their long articulated vehicle alongside and jump started the Niro. They also said that a fuse had blown, which they said that they replaced and claimed that was responsible for the excessive drain or inadequate re-charge.

I ran the engine for over an hour and since then the battery icon has shown either a full or near full charge.

The Niro has a progress bar that shows the mpg as you drive. I think it was that that sold it on me in the first place. Well, when the batteery goes flat, the stored mpg memory goes to zero. I have just got it up to

Alan

In message <uodrd4$34ufn$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, at 12:53:56 on Fri, 19 Jan

It varies from model to model. I'm now back to one which unlocks the filler cap in synch with the driver's door. Having a separate internal lever to pull (Volvo?) would not be my first choice.

In message <uodre3$34ufn$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, at 12:54:27 on Fri, 19 Jan

But would almost certainly break the timetable. Especially if you don't have a functioning car (see recursion).

Sorry that should have said "manual boot releases" not bonnet releases. Mind elsewhere I think!

Yes. I just typed the wrong word, I was actually refering to boot releases.

Another piece of poor design is a boot that has an external boot release button with no individual lock - and therefore cannot be locked unless all the car doors are centrally locked. When you're in car you have to press the lock-all-doors lever inside the car. My Fiesta has this 'feature'.

Except when maybe driving through a known 'dodgy' area, how many people centrally lock all the car doors when driving? There's therefore nothing to prevent someone walking up behind your car when you're stationary (say when at traffic lights), pressing the external boot release button, and then helping themselves to something in your boot and making off before you're aware of what has happened!

My car automatically locks the doors when the car is doing more than about