1- What each stalk does. It's been months now and I can still screw it up at times while driving. I've come up with a method- lefty lights, righty wipes. But even with that I can screw up. I'll admit I've wasted some cleaner spritzing when I thought I was gonna flash brights. I did it just the other morning passing a jogger I see every day and the guy waves at me. I thought I'd return the nicety and flash a quick bright, only to sprtiz and wipe my damn windshield. So annoying, not to mention feeling like an idiot! I can also get lost as to which direction to twist to change the wiper speed. Same holds true for the rear wiper. I've washed that damn thing a time or two when I didn't want to.

2- Which paddle is + and which is -. I just don't use them often enough. I know them fine until I'm driving and then I forget. THAT I don't want to screw up! I've actually put the maps on to check a couple of times.

When oh when will these things sink in?!



Dan

 

I guess I never thought of it as confusing. Turn signals are always on the left, unless you're in an old Peugeot. Every car I've ever owned has had the headlight controls on either the dash or the left-hand stalk. The right-hand stalk, on cars that had one, has always handled most of the other functions.

Then there's this monstrosity from GM back in the Eighties, an effort to combine wipers, high/low beams, and cruise without doing away with the beloved column-shift automatic:

 

I had that stalk control on my old van. The vehicle was old and some things didn't work perfectly anymore. On the van, whenever I used the turn signal, it would often choose to wipe the windshield for me too. People probably wondered why the old fart would always wipe his windshield on a dry day, and only when approaching a turn.

 

How old are u?? Almost all cars are the same and not sure hows it's confusing at all. But i do know that the more u drive the car the more u will know it and not get confused

 

Don't feel bad! All the cars I drive have lights on left, wiper on right, BUT they switch between how you activate high beams. One car you just pull in the same direction you do to flash, and sometimes I forget and end up blinding somebody with the high beam when I just wanted to give a friendly flash... hopefully I haven't offended too many people .

Assuming you're not wearing gloves when you drive, the + paddle shifter has two ridges on the back of it... though remembering that's another story .

 

I'm coming from a 95 Cougar that I drove for 13 years. It only had one stalk on the right, which took care of wipers and cruise AND high beams. Lights were a dial on the dash. I guess having two stalks is throwing me off! Why that is I'm not sure! Suddenly, I seem to have brain freeze about the damn lights being on the left stalk. I should be used to everything on the right side. Beats the hell out of me!

Dan

 

13 years is a long time getting used to doing things a certain way. I fully can understand how you'd have issues with the two-stalk setup. Good luck!

 

My old car (A very unique '96 Jeep Cherokee) had only one stalk (on the left), so I get confused at times, too. I'm really not used to having wipers on the right hand, but it's getting better all the time. I almost never accidentally spritz anymore.

I definitely sympathize, though!

 

So where were the turn signals, if there was only one stalk and it was on the right?

 

And don't forget that some late 70's to early 80 Fords (I believe) had the horn there too. You had to push the stalk inwards.

 

All done with that one stalk. Now that I think about it, it's no wonder I'm confused!

Edit- jeez, I'm looking at pics of it now and I may be wrong. It has a left stalk! Only a couple of months and I can't bloody remember now! Not suprising in the grand scheme, is it! Man, a couple of months feels like years! Now I'm embarrased! Good grief!

Dan