Just last week I changed the oil

[venta]

On the way into work this morning, I drew zandev's attention to the fact that the vast majority of cars seem to have their petrol filler caps on the right hand side. He pointed out that that was silly, and that there should be an even distribution.

We tried to count filler caps on cars going past, but ran into a problem: seeing one means the cap is on the right. Not seeing one means the cap is on the left or you just missed it. Plus there were issues with cars going past too quickly, sun in eyes, etc.

So, I think a little scientific rigour is needed. And what could be more scientifically rigorous than an LJ poll ?


[Poll #391837]

Comments

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

Dawn's old Nissan Micra had it on the left, though. I was told at the time that it was a "Japanese car thing".

Incidentally, I love the fact that most cars fill on the right, because it means I almost never have to queue for petrol since I can reverse in to a pump on the other side, which nobody else ever does !

[venta.livejournal.com]

Depends on your petrol station, of course :) Sometimes there isn't the space to do that.

Mind you, so long as there's enough space to park far enough forwards, I can easily fill my car up at a leftie pump just by reaching round.

[venta.livejournal.com]

"Japanese car thing"

Hmm. I have indicators-on-right-of-steering wheel placed in my head as an "oriental car thing". I know Hyundais and some Mazdas do it. And Toby tells me it's common in Korea.

I wonder if they're related.

[narenek.livejournal.com]

My Nissan has the indicators on the left of the steering wheel.

It's entirely possible it was built in the UK though.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Well, my driving instructor told me categorically (a few years ago) that no cars were made with the indicators on the right any more. Shortly after that, a friend of mine bought a brand-new car with indicators on the right :)

So they may be getting phased out - I'm vaguely surprised that layouts of car controls haven't been standardised anyway. Right-indicator cars certainly seem to be quite rare.

[smiorgan.livejournal.com]

The new Vuaxhall Vectra has weird indicators. You nudge in the direction you want to go to indicate, and then nudge in the same direction to stop indicating. If you give a little nudge it blinks 3 times and turns itself off, but if you give a proper, manly nudge, it stays on. Which means that if you aren't familiar with it (or are ham-fisted) you can nudge the indicator stick up and down throughout the journey and never turn the bloody things off.

I think it has the indicators on the RHS, too.

The other incident I had with a Vectra (company pool car) was, when driving up to Leeds late at night, I got lost and parked nose in front of a garage door whilst I was checking my map. When I prepared to go off again, I could not find the reverse catch - turned out to be a very small lever under the gear knob that you had to pull to allow it to slip into reverse. I spent fifteen minutes figuring that out. I think that was the same car I spent fifteen minutes trying to find the catch for the filler cap on the return journey.

Damn Vauxhall.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I drive Andy's Vectra occasionally (which is P reg, so a few years old).

It has indicators on the left - I'm quite surprised is Vauxhall have switched them over. I can see that the new nudgey system is possibly quite sensible, but one of those things where the getting-used-to-it hump may take a lot of getting over.

Having driven a few Vauxhalls I'm familiar with their way of getting into reverse (and have taken a long time to get used to anything else).

Andy's Vectra has a mad petrol cap, though. The first time I tried to fill it up, I ended up going home again because I just couldn't figure it out. The flap covering the inlet just wouldn't open... it had no lock, no lever anywhere, no obvious mechanisms at all. It transpires that you open it by just hooking your finger under and pulling - which of coursed I'd tried - but that this only works if the keys are still in the ignition. Mad.

[triskellian]

I think it has the indicators on the RHS, too.
The one I had for Norfolk this year had the indicators on the left, like any sensible car. The nudging thing drove me up the wall, though.

[narenek.livejournal.com]

The Ford Focus that I took my test in had the "nudging thing."

My instructor said they were "Lane change indicators." He told me not to use them during my test as they wouldn't signal long enough to properly conduct the manouvre they were indicating.

[broadmeadow.livejournal.com]

You mentioned this to me before I went to test drive a Japanese car (the one I now own) but I found the indicators and wipers were the "correct" way round. The dealer told me that it _used_ to be common for Japanese cars to have them the other way round.

However, whilst the wipers on the right as you would expect them to be, they work upside-down (that is, you switch them on by moving the stalk downwards).

Another observation: I drive two cars, one has the filler cap on the left, the other on the right (I answered "left" as that's the one I use most - per your instructions). But both of them have a little arrow on the fuel guage showing which side the filler cap is. Always struck me as completely pointless. Is that common? Ooh! Ooh! New poll option!

[venta.livejournal.com]

However, whilst the wipers on the right as you would expect them to be, they work upside-down (that is, you switch them on by moving the stalk downwards).

That, good sir, is entirely the correct way for wipers to work.

I've don't think I've ever driven a car where you switched them up to put them on.

[lanfykins.livejournal.com]

Down is the way on for intermittent. Up is the way on for sensible and downpour.

Why Ford think this makes the slightest sense I know not.

[bloodnok.livejournal.com]

My old Micra had (has, in fact) the indicators on the right stalk, which strikes me as far more sensible, allowing one to change gear and operate indicators at the same time. It also greatly amused passengers when I drove other cars and would signal at other drivers by washing my windscreen at them ;)

[venta.livejournal.com]

The only time I've ever driven a right-indicator car was a hired one in New Zealand. I had exactly the same problem: approaching a junction I'd decisively put my wipers on, and that showed the oncoming traffic, I can tell you.

I got used to it reasonably quickly - driving an unfamiliar car round Wellington one has much bigger problems, like the fact that the entire city is on a 1-in-4 slope.