Home » The Cadillac CTS Had A Ridiculous Motorized Feature That Owners Kept Breaking

The Cadillac CTS Had A Ridiculous Motorized Feature That Owners Kept Breaking

Cadillac Motorized Cupholders Ts
ADVERTISEMENT

Luxury cars and ridiculous motorized gizmos go together like hot honey and prosciutto, as we’ve seen in the R129 Mercedes-Benz SL’s power-adjustable interior mirror, the 30-way seats available in many new Lincolns, and the motorized doors on the new BMW 7 Series. However, none of the automakers have ever plumbed quite the same depths as Cadillac.

For 2014, the Cadillac CTS was ready to go upmarket. Thanks to the presence of the ATS compact luxury sedan, the CTS no longer had to sit in between the size and amenities of a Mercedes-Benz C-Class and E-Class, and was instead free to spread its wings and join the midsize executive sedan segment for good. Hot off of a government bailout, GM had something to prove, so it pulled out all the stops.

Vidframe Min Top
Vidframe Min Bottom

We’re talking turbo-four, naturally-aspirated V6, or twin-turbo V6 power, an available electronically-variable limited-slip rear differential, center stack switchgear unique to Cadillac, and what might be the most unnecessary motorized feature ever installed in a production car: a motorized cup-holder cover.

Yep, instead of a roller blind or solid panel on damped tracks one simply pushed into the dashboard, Cadillac went the extra mile and motorized the cover in both directions. A light forward press would send the lid whirring into the dashboard, and once open, a flick towards you would excite the electronics and bring the cover back to the closed position. The power function works whenever the start button is pressed, whether the CTS is in accessory mode, running, or even within ten minutes of shutting the engine down.

ADVERTISEMENT

Cadillac Cts Motorized Cup Holder Owners Manual

This is an incredibly cool system when it works and is used as intended, but not every motorized cup holder lid works flawlessly forever. A quick perusal of owners’ forums brings up reported issues with the cup holder lid getting stuck in the open position. Not the end of the world since it still allows the cup holders to be used, but still an annoying issue.

Cadillac Cts Motorized Cup Holder Lid Complaint

Because the system relies on a stop to set end travel, forcing the lid open can push the lid over the stop, rendering the system inoperable. Thankfully, there’s a relatively easy fix, as outlined by a technical service bulletin titled “Diagnostic Tip – Center Console Electric Cup Holder Lid Inoperative.” Sure, there’s the general warning that this TSB isn’t meant for amateur repair, but I don’t see why it isn’t worth a try on an out-of-warranty car. Here’s what to do:

Gently pull up and towards the rear of the vehicle at the same time on the front of the door/lid, use a trim stick to gently pry up the rear portion of the door to lift the rear edge up and over the stop. This procedure should reposition the door to the correct side of the stop and should now operate correctly.

Please advise customer not to use excessive force while operating the door.

Yep, that makes perfect sense, and should be easy enough to do with one of those cheap nylon non-marring trim tools. [Ed note: I just bought these. Nothing but the best for this guy –PV] If you’re looking to buy a third-generation Cadillac CTS, now you know how to work the cup holder lid, and what to do if it’s stuck. Cadillac certainly didn’t need to motorize a freaking cup holder cover, but the motoring world is slightly weirder and slightly better because it did.

ADVERTISEMENT

(Photo credits: Cadillac, Cadillac Forums)

Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.

Relatedbar

Got a hot tip? Send it to us here. Or check out the stories on our homepage.

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on whatsapp
WhatsApp
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn
Share on reddit
Reddit
Subscribe
Notify of
99 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
MikeInTheWoods
MikeInTheWoods
8 months ago

“The motoring world is slightly better”. Only for the world that the motor company lives in that supplies the motor for repeat breakage. The rest of us are not pleased with this silly, worse-then-manual lid.

Andreas8088
Andreas8088
8 months ago

An interesting thing I’m learning from the comments is that there are people in the world who actually close their cup holder covers. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one closed in a car. (Mine or anyone else’s…)
I buy the car, I open the cup holder lid, and it stays open until I no longer have the car. I guess it’s possible the next owner might close it, but until today, it never occurred to me that they might.

TDI in PNW
TDI in PNW
8 months ago

As a loaner for a month , I had a 2016 ATS (some kind of special one with a mesh grill). After about 3 weeks, I swept my hand over the dash and suddenly, the secret motorized compartment behind the HVAC controls opened up. I did not know that was there. I thought that was cool. (until it breaks with your wallet/etc in there). This cup holder cover though? Who even uses those? I opened mine in ~2017 and I think they’ve been open since aside from cleaning.

Steven Young
Steven Young
8 months ago

Not just the CTS, my ELR had the same console. Never broke the cover as I probably only closed it a half dozen times in my 4+ years with the car. Stupidly pointless feature, impressed anyone used it enough to break it!

OrigamiSensei
OrigamiSensei
8 months ago

Oh, thank you. I am on record both on this site and the old site railing against this exact feature on the CTS. I remember I got a CTS as a rental and having a complete WTF moment as I realized the lid was motorized.

I mean, a cover is fine but in no universe does it ever need to be motorized.

EVDesigner
EVDesigner
8 months ago

If there’s anything I’ve learned from my car ownership, it’s that the cupholder lid while aesthetically pleasing serves no actual purpose. Sure your center console looks great with the lid closed, but the chances of it ever being closed are pretty slim since it’ll always be filled with

  1. Your phone
  2. Your keys(if keyless start)
  3. Your girlfriend/boyfriends phone
  4. A bottle of watter
  5. Emotional support burrito
Protodite
Protodite
8 months ago
Reply to  EVDesigner

Oh you are 100% right. I’m crazy, so I do ensure that I can close the covers when I drive, but even I know that ain’t normal behavior

Cerberus
Cerberus
8 months ago
Reply to  EVDesigner

Or hiding something under it in a sketchy neighborhood, which of course, will only pique the curiosity of miscreants when they see it closed and wonder what it’s hiding.

EVDesigner
EVDesigner
8 months ago
Reply to  Cerberus

Which usually results in a broken window

Lost on the Nürburgring
Lost on the Nürburgring
7 months ago
Reply to  EVDesigner

My emotional support burrito’s name is Manuel. He is always there for me and I love him.

My Goat Ate My Homework
My Goat Ate My Homework
8 months ago

Please excuse me. I have very particular feelings about the center console.

Let me get this out of the way so I can think more clearly. Unless it is a manual get the freekin shifter OUT OF THERE. It’s a waste of useful space. Period.

Now that is out of the way… rather than motorizing the cover which I think my comrades below have sufficiently excoriated let’s talk about removeable cupholder inserts. The cupholders themselves should be removable from the bin in which they sit. How great would it be if you could remove them and use it for storage? Why do they assume everyone is guzzling a big-gulp 24/7? I mostly use my cupholders to hold my phone and other stuff.
What if I have a hottle of coffee instead? Won’t fit, your screwed. Too bad I can’t remove the factory inserts and put in something for a larger container.

Or, how about in 3 years when there is so much shit spilled and collected in there? Can I just pull them out and rinse them off? Nope, it’s time for a bucket, rag, and freekin toothbrush.

In summary get that damn shifter out of the way, put it on the column like it was for 60 years and stop it with all of this stupid shit. I need some Advil.

Cryptoenologist
Cryptoenologist
8 months ago

My Kia Niro EV has an almost rectangular bin with a manual sliding lid, and two little semicircular arms that can be hidden or slid out to provide for holding 0, 1, or 2 beverages. Oddly, most of the bottom is flat, except for one of the potential cup holders, which has a half inch circular recess at the bottom. It also has a passthrough from the front for power or CarPlay etc(it really should have been from the back to the armrest cubby where there is also power but I guess they didn’t feel like routing the infotainment usb back there I guess). Then, there is another lower open cubby in front of the switchgear. Lots of options!
https://i2.wp.com/drivenwomenmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Kia-Niro-EV-S-cup-holder.jpg?ssl=1

Last edited 8 months ago by Cryptoenologist
Technosaur
Technosaur
8 months ago

My BRZ has removable cup holders, and you can even move them into two pre-defined fore-aft positions as well. Very convenient to clean in my dozen years of owning one as you mention. Plus the cup holder itself looks like a cute robot face! Fun!

Always wanted more accessories for this system, like maybe a little armrest insert, but never found anything I liked.

https://www.subaru.ca/Content/7907/Media/General/webimage/2015/brz/BRZ_2015_Int_BottleHolder_L.jpg

My Goat Ate My Homework
My Goat Ate My Homework
8 months ago
Reply to  Technosaur

yes, please, that should be standard in all cars. Let’s start there before we add motorized covers.
I’m so jealous right now.

Cerberus
Cerberus
8 months ago

A lot of vehicles (though not enough) have removable liners for cleaning, but I’ve also wondered why the whole cup-shaped partition isn’t removable to use as a storage box instead.

Jack Beckman
Jack Beckman
8 months ago

911 cup holder in the 992 is removable and can be replaced with a tray (included with the car – how can they afford to do that?).

Rock Burner
Rock Burner
8 months ago

My VW Eos has a little metal separator that slots into rails in the central cubby to create a support for 2 cups in an otherwise rectangular pit (which, oddly has 2 different floor levels).

Bonus points (I guess) to VW for including a bottle opener on that little removable separator.

Jalop Gold
Jalop Gold
8 months ago

As a minivan owner, removable cup holder inserts are amazing for cleaning out the kid/swmbo sludge that inevitably builds up. As a person who drinks and insane amount of water I have had only said minivan (Sienna) and an E150 ever have cup holders that can hold my normal large water bottles. Over the years my bottles have fit between bucket seats as an armrest (Saturn SL2) or between the driver door and seat (BMW and Subaru). I’ve been able to 3D print an adaptor for my Tesla that can hold my big bottles in the little cupholders and it’s amazing!

MrLM002
MrLM002
8 months ago

On today’s episode of unnecessarily electrified BS: Cup holder cover.

VanGuy
VanGuy
8 months ago
Reply to  MrLM002

Really? You don’t like the aesthetic, or the thought of keeping dust/dirt out when you’re not using it?

Aaron
Aaron
8 months ago
Reply to  VanGuy

Cup holder covers are just fine. They can be a nice way to class up the joint. But they’ve never ever needed to be motorized.

VanGuy
VanGuy
8 months ago
Reply to  Aaron

I think I initially misread the original comment…I interpreted it as “cup holder covers are BS”, rather than what you said (which I agree with).

MrLM002
MrLM002
8 months ago
Reply to  VanGuy

The fact that it’s electric. Literally it’s a sliding piece of plastic. Why does it need a motor?

VanGuy
VanGuy
8 months ago
Reply to  MrLM002

My bad. I initially interpreted you to mean cup holder covers were BS, not specifically electrified cup holder covers. We’re on the same page.

MrLM002
MrLM002
8 months ago
Reply to  VanGuy

No worries. Personally I don’t have a need for a cup holder cover myself. Personally I’d rather be without one less thing to break, get loose and rattle, etc.

Mechjaz
Mechjaz
8 months ago
Reply to  MrLM002

That’s just like
*cli-click*
*bbbbzzzzzzzttttt*
*cla-click*
your opinion, man

Rapgomi
Rapgomi
8 months ago

At least the worst that could happen when this inevitably breaks is the loss of a cup holder. The rising shifter knob in Jaguars has to be the stupidest feature I have ever encountered. I have owned 3 Jaguars and they have all been great cars, but I could never buy another one once that rising shift knob appeared.

It served no actual purpose, added cost, was located where anything spilled on the center console could damage it, and thanks to its needless complexity, was absolutely guaranteed to eventually fail making it impossible for you to put your car in gear.

Last edited 8 months ago by Rapgomi
The Dude
The Dude
8 months ago
Reply to  Rapgomi

While I do agree 100%, I will say there is something inherently awesome about seeing the shifter knob rise up and lower.

Carlos Ferreira
Carlos Ferreira
8 months ago
Reply to  The Dude

That’s what she said.

OnceInAMillenia
OnceInAMillenia
8 months ago

I have never understood why you would want to cover the cupholder. If you want something to be hidden, use any of the other storage spaces in the vehicle. If you don’t like the look of cupholders, get over it or don’t buy a car with them located somewhere that offends your sensibilit. (Audi has a good history of making their cupholders particularly hidden and useless, for instance)

Black Peter
Black Peter
8 months ago

So I don’t use my center cup holders, mostly I find that position awkward for actual cups. I 3D printed holders for the door pockets. So for me, I would prefer a cover (that I don’t have) to keep dirt from getting in there. Now I have to clean something I don’t need.

OnceInAMillenia
OnceInAMillenia
8 months ago
Reply to  Black Peter

But the rest of the car still gets dirty at the same rate, regardless of covered cupholders, so you’d have to clean it anyway, so how’s it saving you any time/effort?

Black Peter
Black Peter
8 months ago

It’s literally a pocket.. Ever notice you get lint in your pockets but not the thighs of your jeans? Horizontal surfaces collect dirt and pockets best of all. And to stay with the jeans analogy you can brush lint off the thighs but you need extra effort to clean the pockets.

VanGuy
VanGuy
8 months ago

While I do think motorizing the cover is dumb, I completely understand wanting to keep dirt and dust out of them. And for some people, I’d say that if you don’t have drinks in them, it’s certainly more aesthetically pleasing when closed. And why wouldn’t you care about aesthetics if you got a luxury car anyway?

OnceInAMillenia
OnceInAMillenia
8 months ago
Reply to  VanGuy

No argument that it looks cleaner, but I don’t buy that it saves any time. Instead of cleaning the cupholder, now you’re cleaning a cover AND any time the cupholder gets messy. That’s just extra work. My point was more don’t buy a car with prominent cupholders if they bother you so much

Hondaimpbmw 12
Hondaimpbmw 12
6 months ago

E9X BMWs would like a word.

Ranwhenparked
Ranwhenparked
8 months ago

This is almost as dumb as when Ford’s design team forgot column shifters existed and designed that fold-away console shifter for the F-Series

VanGuy
VanGuy
8 months ago
Reply to  Ranwhenparked

….are the fold-away shifters breaking?

If the general industry trend is away from column shifters, I don’t see why they’d stick with them if more people would be off-put by them than not.

Ranwhenparked
Ranwhenparked
8 months ago
Reply to  VanGuy

Why would anyone be put off by them? The point is to get the shifter out of the way so the center console can be a work surface, the simplest and cheapest solution that does that should be the right one. Anything more is complexity for the sake of complexity. And, yes, there have been a decent number of issues with the folding shifter, mainly that it gets stuck and won’t fold down at all or not all the way, or that the bushings get loose and cause it to jiggle around

VanGuy
VanGuy
8 months ago
Reply to  Ranwhenparked

If I didn’t grow up in a family with E-series vans, I’d have never used a column shifter. I imagine they might be a little wacky to use for someone who never had before. They don’t say which way to pull them or have an obvious “toggle” or track like dash or console shifters.

Fair enough on if they’re problematic, though. I’m speaking mostly from a UI/UX perspective.

Ranwhenparked
Ranwhenparked
8 months ago
Reply to  VanGuy

It’s the 2nd most common basic shifter design of the past 90 years, and has been the most common at different points during that period. At this point, I’d say everyone with a licensehas driven something with it, likely owned at least one car with it, and with an automatic, you’ve got the indicator sitting right there in front of your face. I’m pretty sure I’ve owned more cars with column shifters than anything else at this point, and 4 of them have been Fords. Right now, only 1 in 3 cars in my driveway has one on the console.

And I’ve never owned a truck or a van, pickup trucks are work vehicles, the kinds of people buying F-150s are probably shifting back and forth between them and the E-Series cutaway vans or Chevy Expresses in their work fleets, they’re going to be even more familiar than the general population, if that’s even possible

VanGuy
VanGuy
8 months ago
Reply to  Ranwhenparked

That makes some sense, but I haven’t even been around for 30 years yet.
A list of every car I’ve driven for more than a few hours besides my van is a 2005 Ford Focus, a 2000 Buick LeSabre, a 2010 Ford Flex, a 2012 Prius v, and a 2014 Sienna. None of those have column shifters.

Yes, the indicator shows what gear you’re in, but I just mean, it might not be obvious that you have to pull it toward you and then down. If I were new to driving right now and you threw me into that van with no direction, I might try holding in the “overdrive” button, thinking it some kind of toggle (like a console shifter), and then try pulling it straight down. There’s no arrow on the lever pointing toward you to indicate the motion.

So if someone has been in mostly “family” cars like wagons, sedans, minivans, etc. and now is going to an F-150 (aka, the market’s new “family” vehicle), they’d probably appreciate the shifter being “where they expect it to be.”

Ranwhenparked
Ranwhenparked
8 months ago
Reply to  VanGuy

I think that’s maybe an issue the first time you use it and not after? It’s an automatic, not a 3 on the tree, you touch it once to get moving and then not again until you get to where you’re going. I think I have maybe a decade on you in age, or a bit less, but across two Lincoln sedans, 1 Ford sedan, 1 Mercury sedan, and 1 Cadillac sedan, they were all on the column, and I’ve got a Chevy coupe right now that has a little lever on the dashboard

DadBod
DadBod
8 months ago
Reply to  Ranwhenparked

3 on the tree! what a fucked way to shift, who dreamed that up

Hondaimpbmw 12
Hondaimpbmw 12
6 months ago
Reply to  DadBod

I wanted a 4 on the tree at one time. When I was a kid, a shirttail relative came back from Germany w/ a Mercedes sedan that had a 4 on the tree. I thought it was neat.

Clark B
Clark B
8 months ago
Reply to  VanGuy

Most of the vehicles I’ve driven with column shift had traditional mechanical linkages. The first time I drove one when I was 16, it took a second to figure out, but after that it was second nature. I don’t even remember what kind of car it was, I detailed a lot of cars at that time so it could have been anything. I’m a little bit older than you it seems, but when I turned 16 in 2009 column shifters like that were common, primarily in domestic cars, trucks and vans. I’d say close to half of my friends’ cars had them then, keeping in mind most of those were late 90s/early 2000s cars.

But since many cars now have electronic shifters, it’s a lot easier. In a couple Mercedes I’ve driven, it’s just a click down for drive, a click up for reverse, and park is a button on the end of the stalk you push. Imagine it’s similar across makes and models that have electric column shifters.

DadBod
DadBod
8 months ago
Reply to  Ranwhenparked

dude even my bottom-of-the-line F150 has that, it’s so dumb. I don’t have the work surface console, and it’s not something you can easily retrofit, so the shifter folds for no reason.

Last edited 8 months ago by DadBod
MEK
MEK
8 months ago

Herein lies the reason why luxury cars depreciate off a cliff once the warrantee expires. “Complicate, then add in motorized stuff.” ~ Every Luxury Automaker Exec Ever.

Rust Buckets
Rust Buckets
8 months ago
Reply to  MEK

There’s a very good reason why the only difference between luxury cars and economy cars is boondoggles.

Once upon a time, in the 20s, economy cars could go 40mph, barely had suspension, were clattery, mostly kept the rain out, and were uncomfortable. Then there were Dusenbergs and Cadillacs and Bentleys and Rolls Royces that were comfortable, smooth, quiet, powerful, and could cruise at an easy 100mph. That difference is what you got when you paid for a luxury brand.

Nowadays, a 2017 Altima is quite and smooth and can cruise at illegal speeds, and it gets good gas mileage too. There’s nothing about the fundamental experience of driving that luxury brands can practically and legally improve on. So they add boondoggles like powered cupholder lids.

Ranwhenparked
Ranwhenparked
8 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

It also used to be about materials – high quality leather, fine wools, exotic woods, inlay work, glass smooth paint finishes, etc. Now, luxury cars mostly have the same plastic and plastichrome as anything else, and orange peel is coming back with a vengeance, so they cover it up by shoving more screens into every available area and expect you to thank them for that

Protodite
Protodite
8 months ago
Reply to  Ranwhenparked

The Modern Mercedes Hookah Lounge Interior

Alan Christensen
Alan Christensen
8 months ago
Reply to  MEK

I think it all started to change when the Japanese car makers, trying to prove they weren’t making junk, started including things like carpeting and air conditioning as standard on base models. Everyone else needed to step up their game. As the bottom tier crept upward in nice stuff it left was less room for the top tier to impress/improve.

Rust Buckets
Rust Buckets
8 months ago

A big reason the fanciness of Japanese cars picked up in the mid 80s was the voluntary import limit implemented by Reagan. The Japanese manufacturers had 3 choices: take a big revenue hit, make their cars in the US, or increase the revenue per car. Honda and Toyota at least picked the latter two, and they had to make the cars nicer/fancier to justify the higher revenue per car.

Last edited 8 months ago by Rust Buckets
Jack Trade
Jack Trade
8 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

The whole thing is a great example of the often unintended consequences of restricting markets. Not unlike the days of regulated air travel.

DadBod
DadBod
8 months ago
Reply to  Jack Trade

Air travel is now more affordable and absolutely miserable for the customers and employees. What an improvement!

Jack Trade
Jack Trade
8 months ago
Reply to  DadBod

Oh sure, I’m not claiming we’re at equilibrium yet by any means (I’m a frequent traveler, so it’s personal with me no less).

Just that when the Civil Aeronautics Board managed competition, airlines couldn’t compete on price (or destinations for that matter) so airlines had to do it by offering all manner of amenities that strictly speaking, people didn’t really value as much as other things.

So apropos Rust Bucket’s comment, similar to how we got to the place we are now with all questionable automotive gadgets and such.

Jack Trade
Jack Trade
8 months ago

I always have to chuckle at the usually tiny intersection between designer intent and usual consumer use on stuff like this.

Designer: “luxury touch, everything all streamlined and clean and in a proper place.

Consumer: “charging cords, glasses, pens, food products both consumed and not jammed wherever, air freshener hanging from mirror”

Protodite
Protodite
8 months ago
Reply to  Jack Trade

You missed the 18 half drank bottles of water making freely around the car at every turn

Rust Buckets
Rust Buckets
8 months ago

I hate unnecessarily motorized things with a burning passion. Not even power seats for me, and power windows and locks are kinda iffy.

Some of you really like having power seats and cupholder covers(why does that even exist, much less powered) and gloveboxes and tailgates, and I’m just letting you know that you’re wrong and those things shouldn’t be powered.

Jack Trade
Jack Trade
8 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

I’m with you – my Focus has manual seats, and I’ve always been able to come up with a decent seating position just fine. And I know no matter how old it gets, that feature will at least still work fine.

SNL-LOL Jr
SNL-LOL Jr
8 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

Well power seats are a godsend if you share a car with the significant other.

Rust Buckets
Rust Buckets
8 months ago
Reply to  SNL-LOL Jr

Power seats are a godsend if you have to move your seat frequently….. and you like your seat-moving to be unnecessarily slow, difficult, and possible a limited number of times before it breaks itself.

I’ve always been fine with manual seats, as were your parents.

You can’t convince me power seats are an improvement.

Lockleaf
Lockleaf
8 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

Yup. This. I am 8 inches taller than my wife. We share a car quite a bit. After she drives, I have to adjust all mirrors and the seat. Never ONCE have I wished that it had those ridiculous auto saves with power features. I just slide the seat back a few inches, adjust the mirrors and off I go. I takes all of an extra 9 seconds sitting in my garage.

3WiperB
3WiperB
8 months ago
Reply to  Lockleaf

My wife and I seem to have very similar seating positions, so it has never been an issue, but when my kids started driving, I started loving memory positions for everything. They manage to pick the most uncomfortable seating settings for some reason. Now all my cars except one have memory settings based on the fob used, so everything except the rear view mirror is set as soon as I unlock the car and before I get in.

VanGuy
VanGuy
8 months ago
Reply to  Lockleaf

You don’t have to adjust it up or down? I have a Prius v and I dread the thought of sharing it with someone else, because I’ll have to pump it a dozen times to switch.

Maymar
Maymar
8 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

Power seats *with* memory sound pretty useful, regular power seats do not.

AceRimmer
AceRimmer
7 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

If you’ve ever had back problems, you’d realize power seats are a godsend. Being able to make minute adjustments in 12 different ways has allowed me to drive longer than 10 minutes before becoming miserable.

Lockleaf
Lockleaf
8 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

Preaching to the choir my friend.

Protodite
Protodite
8 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

Power seats truly do unlock new levels of adjustability, so I have to disagree with you there. The rest of that stuff I totally get. I’ve been getting pissed off at the motion sensing faucets and especially paper towel dispensers for a long time now. It’s just so heinously wasteful and unnecessary

Rust Buckets
Rust Buckets
8 months ago
Reply to  Protodite

I never have issues getting exactly the right position with manual seats, and in my experience comparable electric seats are no more adjustable. Obviously an 18-way power adjustable seat has more adjustment possibilities than a 4-way adjustable manual seat.

Protodite
Protodite
8 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

Yeah that’s really where my comparison in – it’s like the 18 ways etc. Mechanical vs Electric seat without any added ways of adjustment? Mechanical all day!

Brynjaminjones
Brynjaminjones
7 months ago
Reply to  Rust Buckets

I completely understand the hatred of things being unnecessarily complicated, but the point that you’re missing is that most power seats offer a memory function.

I’ve never seen anybody claim that manual seats are less comfortable, it’s just that you have to play around for ages to find your position every time they’re moved.

My wife and I share all of our cars, and those with memory seats & mirrors are much easier to switch between.
I avoid her driving my car that doesn’t have memory seats/mirrors where possible, because I can never get the adjustments right again.

Last edited 7 months ago by Brynjaminjones
Hondaimpbmw 12
Hondaimpbmw 12
6 months ago
Reply to  Brynjaminjones

Memory electric seats are great. Why VW decontented the top spec GTI and removed the memory seats and mirrors for the American market is a mystery to me. It was quite expensive for its class when new. My BMW and my F-150 (neither one in top spec) both have at least 2 position memory seats.

3WiperB
3WiperB
8 months ago

A few other unnecessarily motorized things that come to my mind.

  • The first few years of the Volt had a motorized charge door with a dedicated button on the fob to open and close it. It would break when the car iced over or at other times. Later models of the Gen 1 changed to a standard style push in to release fuel door, and the Fob button was re-purposed to a very handy button that would override your programmed charge time (if you have varying electrical rates) and have charging begin immediately.
  • Our 2008 STS has a motorized tilt for the navigation screen that amazingly still works. It wouldn’t really be that annoying, except it resets the tilt every time you shut off the car, and the tilt is programmed as one of the memory settings along with the mirrors, seat, and steering wheel. It just bothers me when the default programming is to use the motor more than needed by having it change position every time the car starts or shuts off.
Jack Trade
Jack Trade
8 months ago
Reply to  3WiperB

The motorized charge/fuel door idea has always struck me as being fairly like the eject button on a disc player remote – you’re going to physically be there anyway, so what’s the point?

3WiperB
3WiperB
8 months ago
Reply to  Jack Trade

Yep, the only time it would be useful is when you forget to shut it and get into the car. It happens to me from time to time and it’s always annoying to get in, buckle up, and then try to start the car and get a message that the charge door is open.

Jack Trade
Jack Trade
8 months ago
Reply to  3WiperB

I will admit to not being above ejecting my DVD while I’m still sitting on the couch either!

AlterId
AlterId
8 months ago
Reply to  Jack Trade

The button on the remote is there so you can close the tray when someone else tries to remove or put in a disc.

VanGuy
VanGuy
8 months ago
Reply to  Jack Trade

I mean, not motorized, but my Prius v and my dad’s Sienna both have fuel door releases by the driver. That’s a fuel theft deterrent, isn’t it?

Brynjaminjones
Brynjaminjones
7 months ago
Reply to  3WiperB

That’s really odd – our 2007 Escalade has basically the same navigation unit, and the screen has literally never tilted without me pressing the button.
Can’t you set the memory with it in the correct position?

Daniel MacDonald
Daniel MacDonald
8 months ago

TBH I hate shit like this it inevitably breaks or doesn’t work as you expect. What I been more impressed if it had a spring loaded catch like some of the german cupholders – which admittedly would probably still break at some point but it would be cheaper to replace. Or you know just make it manual

Geoffrey Reuther
Geoffrey Reuther
8 months ago

The worst thing I’ve ever had to deal with on a spring-loaded catch is it getting gummed up over time from dirt and gunk from stuff put in the cupholders, and a good cleaning never failed to fix it.

But, GM gotta GM.

Daniel MacDonald
Daniel MacDonald
8 months ago

Sounds about right. One of my prime GM experience is my dad leased a series of their ’00s gen pickups for work a ’99, ’02, and an ’05 and they had that terrible tailgate release that was so rough to use and the tailgate itself was prone to falling off the hinges (I think it was supposed to be removable but was way too easy to have fall off when opening it)- which like come on it’s a pickup this should be one of the best built parts of the truck besides the drivetrain. And then hilariously the cupholders instead of having spring-loaded tensioners had little foam ears to make them accommodate various drink sizes but they slowly wore down over time until they no longer worked.

Alexk98
Alexk98
8 months ago

Just be glad they motorized something inconsequential! It’s not like they stuck a motor on something really important like the glovebox! oh… wait…

Michael Beranek
Michael Beranek
8 months ago
Reply to  Alexk98

Or the dash vents.
Or the fuel/charge door.
What’s next, auto sun-tracking visors? Motorized giant-center-screen dust cover?
How about a sensor and logic circuit to determine the exact diameter of the beverage container so motorized claws grip it with the most optimized pressure? With other sensors and circuits that release the claws when your hand reaches for the beverage container?

My dad woulda said something about the car wiping his ass.

Lockleaf
Lockleaf
8 months ago

Ok, I gotta say the beverage thing sounds both amazing and horrible. 😀

Jack Trade
Jack Trade
8 months ago
Reply to  Lockleaf

You mean b/c of the awesome potential for internet fail stories/sitcom plots utilizing it?

Data
Data
8 months ago

Tell me more about this magical beverage holder. I am intrigued.
The claw is our master. Claw chooses who will go and who will stay.

Vetatur Fumare
Vetatur Fumare
8 months ago

These all sound like things we will see on Model Year 2026.

Richard Anderson
Richard Anderson
6 months ago

I loved my motorized dash vents on my 1990 Mazda 929 but hated the power antenna.

VanGuy
VanGuy
8 months ago
Reply to  Alexk98

Wait….I know they motorized the glovebox latches in some cars, but did they motorize the complete motion of them, too?

Alexk98
Alexk98
8 months ago
Reply to  VanGuy

I believe new Escalade is since there is no physical latch and just the touch screen icon to open it. Maybe the same on other models, but yeah, its certainly one of the ideas of all time.

VanGuy
VanGuy
8 months ago
Reply to  Alexk98

Yeah, motorized glovebox bothers me a lot more than this cupholder cover does.

Angrycat Meowmeow
Angrycat Meowmeow
8 months ago

I actually mentioned it in a comment on that article. I loved that stupid feature in my 14 V Sport. Such a silly thing but it would put a smile on my face every time.

Don’t forget the motorized CUE screens in that era of Cadillac either. At least the ones that slid mostly into the dash leaving a portion of the screen showing with necessary info, and the ones that flipped open to reveal a storage compartment, were actually useful.

Squirrelmaster
Squirrelmaster
8 months ago

Dang, beat me to it. The motorized screens that Cadillac had that were both nifty and completely unnecessary always made me chuckle and grimace. I will admit that I do actually appreciate the flip-open screens that GM used all over the place, as it seemed like a better use of dead space and actually retained stuff you put inside better than a cup holder.

Jack Trade
Jack Trade
8 months ago
Reply to  Squirrelmaster

I’ve always liked those flip-up ones with the storage compartment. Like the modern version of older cars that had a little basket like storage area at the bottom of the center console – seemingly minor, but actually so useful in everyday situations.

Protodite
Protodite
8 months ago
Reply to  Jack Trade

Yeah honestly it’s pretty nice. It’s somewhere easy to store my wallet and other pocket things while I’m on a long drive. I get a surprising amount of use from them!

Squirrelmaster
Squirrelmaster
8 months ago
Reply to  Jack Trade

Absolutely. Super useful. My parents bought a Chevy crossover (I cant remember now if it was an Equinox or Traverse) when GM first started putting the flip-up screens. My mom drove the car for probably two years without any idea it was there until she came to visit and I showed it to her. Her mind was blown, and she absolutely loved the feature to the point that it was almost a dealbreaker for her next car purchase.

beachbumberry
beachbumberry
8 months ago

Expeditions and f150’s with the center console have something similar over the wireless charger. Electronically closed manually opened. Super annoying in general

99
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x