[giulivo72]

1. Tirefit!!! Let's get this straight; in my driving life I've had the following:
   1. 3x puncture in the tread
   2. 2x damaged wheel/rim
   3. 2x torn sidewall
   4. 1x defective (popped) valve.

In the case of the punctures, Tirefit would probably have gotten me home but I would have had to dispose of the tyre (bad for the environment AND my pockets) instead of repairing it. In all other cases, Tirefit would NOT have taken me home. THIS IS THE WORST INVENTION IN THE HISTORY OF MOTORING!!! Even in the Smart I keep a standard, petrol-pump-bought spray bottle, which does the same things as Tirefit (ie only good for repairing a puncture in the tread) but with less mess & fuss plus you can still get the tyre shop to repair the puncture with a patch.

2. Colour-coded bumpers. These are a way for manufacturers to pump money from our pockets to the dealers' and they should be illegal where parking spaces are cramped! My preferences go to:

1. Black rub strips
2. Black bumpers
3. Colour-moulded bumpers (as in early Smart)
4. Colour-coded rub strips
5. Metal bumpers (do they still exist?)
6. Colour-coded bumpers (the worst!!!)

3. Minispare. Only a Tirefit is worse than a minispare. The story of "space saving" is a con for what is actually a cost saving for the manufacturer (and a big inconvenience for us). The space inside a full size spare wheel can easily be used up by jump start cables, spare bulbs, tools etc.

4. The fact that cars get bigger and bigger without getting proportionately roomier. Why does a Grande Punto need to be bigger than a Tipo or early Multipla, or a Scenic/Zafira bigger than an early Espace/Ulysse, or a Golf as big as an early Passat or Alfetta, or a 159 much bigger than a 164? I guess these designers all have big parking lots at the factory or chauffeurs, so the problem with parking does not really affect them.

5. The fact that cars get ever more complicated to service. On my Uno I used to change lightbulbs, airfilters, light clusters and even wing mirrors without any tools and in no time. Nowadays, replacement electric wing mirrors are very expensive to buy and even more expensive to fit. Who needs that??

6. Expensive, "Factory fitted" car stereos. A decent aftermarket unit with MP3 costs around €100 and with Bluetooth it costs around €150-€200 or less. Why do I have to spend €300+ for UPGRADING the basic stereo with MP3 and another €400 to add Bluetooth functionality? Of course, the dashboard and the remote controls are DESIGNED to make it difficult / expensive / inconvenient for me to ditch the "basic" radio that comes with the car (and they tell me it's a good feature).

7. Starter button. Now did anyone ever have a problem with the good old key? (unless, that is, you bought a Clio where the starter key mysteriously snapped in its lock).

8. Tyre sizes that are "unsuitable for use with chains". Am I supposed to fit winter tyres (awfully expensive especially in big sizes) just to go 2x per year to the mountains? Well at least I can avoid these.

9. Tirefit

10. Tirefit