I have another nominee and this applies to just about every car I've owned: a windshield washer fluid reservoir that holds almost-one-gallon. Every time you fill it completely, you end up with a gallon jug with about 10 ounces left over rolling around in the trunk.
@tdiscbetween2 жыл бұрын
Was a complaint of mine too, Ford F150s now hold over a gallon!
@seanguy97202 жыл бұрын
My previous car, a 97 Honda Accord only held about 3/4 gallon of washer fluid. My current 13 Toyota Camry holds about 1 and 1/4 gallon of fluid, much bigger. Also, when the low fluid light comes on it’ll take an entire gallon to fill it. But even when the light comes on, you’ll still have about a quarter gallon of fluid left to use just in case.
@zyxzyx30302 жыл бұрын
@@seanguy9720 I think my 2000 Camry holds a gallon, it has a low warning light .
@MyNathanking2 жыл бұрын
I get what you're saying about that bothersome 15/16 gallon windshield washer fluid reservoir, but I like the funny way you expressed it --- that almost-empty gallon jug "rolling" around in the trunk. Rolling and rolling and rolling --- like a hyperactive baby or like a mental patient on illegal drugs.
@mr.intensity26852 жыл бұрын
The last car I had that didn't take a whole gallon, I just used to ask someone at the gas station if they needed any, and usually was able to make it disappear.
@craigcardwell41432 жыл бұрын
As a Cadillac owner in the 70's I must say you're spot on with this assessment. The wiper control was terrible in both it's tactile feel, but also it's operation. Overall my opinion of Cadillac during this period and later was not favorable. There just was a lot of cost cutting in their vehicle's that shouldn't have taken place in their price range. Cheap controls, cheap looking plastics, fit and finish issues, power train problems, and just an overall degradation of the brand. I knew a number of formally very loyal owners that bought new Cadillac's on a regular basis, but in every case that I remember, they moved on to other brands and never returned to Cadillac.
@ethelryan2572 жыл бұрын
Our '74 Sedan d'Ville has held up really well, but the 'feel' of the plastics and the gaps between body parts....yes, a step down from my Uncle's '60s Caddy's, a dealer, he had a new one every year. Talking to him at his 100th birthday paty, he said their dealer 'prep' time on Cadillac doubled and doubled again from '71 on throughout the 1970s and he remembered and pointed out that he had said the '89 brougham d'Elegance was not going to be a good car.
@michaelbenardo56952 жыл бұрын
Sadly, as much as I want to deny it, you are pretty correct, but the use of plastic spread throughout the industry. Even the supposedly "wonderful" Mercedes has plastic stuff in it. A luxury car should never have ANY plastic anywhere, but the Cad engine was superb until that V864, and then that little aluminum thing. They never should have down-sized the Cadillac, or the biggest Buick - the 4 holer - either.
@gm80s242 жыл бұрын
Hi Adam, Great video! I remember that switch from former 77 and 78 Seville's that I had. It used to stick and drive me nuts. One automotive feature I always chuckled about was the "START" light on the 78-79 Oldsmobile diesels. Just having the "WAIT" lamp go out wasn't enough of a signal, so they had the "START" lamp - just in case? Eventually, by 1980, I guess they realized it wasn't necessary.
@staticoverlay2 жыл бұрын
good old GM...
@325xitgrocgetter2 жыл бұрын
My Great Uncle was an attorney. And anytime we would visit him, he would have a current model Cadillac....until 1986....he bought a fully loaded Mercury Sable...which he really liked. Go figure.
@joeseeking35722 жыл бұрын
Not relevant to a classic car channel, but I'd nominate the wholesale elimination of hard buttons in most new cars - and the multiple menus needed to activate/change settings. I want things at my fingertips where I don't have to look away from the road to adjust climate, tune a station, etc. And if you're giving me driving modes, same thing - not three screens in. There's too much customization that you don't need and not enough practical choices you can make instantly.
@DanEBoyd2 жыл бұрын
Too many designers and not enough engineers. Dummies all need to copy 'smart'phones with everything they build...
@michaelbenardo56952 жыл бұрын
Blame BMW for leading that stupid idea.
@markst.germain92862 жыл бұрын
When my grandfather died he left me " the grandpalac" a 72 calis two door. Loved it , especially the little button that gave you one swipe of the wipers. And the 472 of course.
@bobbymartino99742 жыл бұрын
Nice Year Cadi 👍
@marcwoodward8502 жыл бұрын
I have owned many ‘74-‘76 Cadillacs with this setup. I never minded the wiper controls that much, though you make good points. I probably didn’t mind it because my first car was a ‘75 Eldorado and it set my expectation. However, I HATED (and continue to hate) the following wiper control design used from 1977-1992... not for the ergonomics, but for its failure rate! Even when the cars were just a few years old, they very often completely failed, leaving you in an extremely dangerous position of having no functioning wipers at all in a rainstorm! They sometimes failed from the plastic weld coming lose from the slider’s pressure against it and sometimes the contacts just wore down. Should have been a class action lawsuit over that abysmal design. The ‘74-‘76 design may not have been very well thought out, but I don’t remember ever having them fail.
@HighSierra15002 жыл бұрын
That is crazy. Most GMs went to turn signal lever mounted wiper controls in 1984. Cadillac didn't switch until 1993!
@punker4Real2 жыл бұрын
@@HighSierra1500 depending on the setup the wiper control could be on the passenger side or driver side
@darthgrundle23492 жыл бұрын
One must keep in mind that many of the innovative engineers GM employed during the 50's and 60's were reaching retirement age with many having retired by the early 70's. This was a time of transition for GM as company that was once run by engineers who had worked they through the ranks into upper management too a company that would eventually be run by bean counters. The cheap materials, poor fit and finish and the overall lack of quality that followed is just proof of that fact and GM has never recovered, eventually leading too bankruptcy. My personal eye opening moment came in 1982 when my neighbor purchased a new Toyota Corolla and I walked over and checked it out. I was most impressed with door, hood and trunk gaps....you could measure them with a Starrett Dial Caliper they were that even. Also every hose clamp on the engine was perfectly angled to reach with screw driver. And finally when you cranked the windows all the way up, the handle was at 12 o'clock and the same at 6 o'clock when fully lowered. I didn't need too be hit in the head with a hammer, I have never purchased a new domestic vehicle since and have never regretted it. I'm retired now, worked in industry all my life. I can say this, every time a new wave of new executives take power, the first thing on their agenda is cost reduction just like the countless previous regimes before them. What they don't understand is the countless cost reductions that have previously taken place prior too their arrival have taken effect and they are already making a piss poor product nobody wants!!!!!
@michaelbenardo56952 жыл бұрын
You have a point, and it is a nation-wide problem, and has been since the 70s, not just a GM problem. Most corporations stopped being run by leaders and started being run by cost cutters, whose only goal is maximum possible profits by any means necessary, even to the point of killing the company. Also, other big reasons that GM went bankrupt was the fact that the Japanese subsidized their auto exports, (probably still do), and made it VERY difficult for their people to buy an American car. GM finally decided to go for broke and and tried, in vain it turned out, to match the Japanese on price, and was giving rebates as well. The Japanese just kept increasing their subsidies, so GM was selling cars at below cost. No private company can do that forever, unless the government is heavily subsidizing it. I don't understand why people just don't care about that.
@nickyj35712 жыл бұрын
I love caddy but Toyota Lexus is probably the best car brand in the world for price and reliability
@warrenbrenner49722 жыл бұрын
Best explanation of what happened to American car makers! Thanks, Warren
@michaelbenardo56952 жыл бұрын
@@warrenbrenner4972 But none of you are willing to say how the Japanese government subsidized, and probably still does, their auto exports. That makes it impossible for anybody else to compete against them, because the Japanese are the only ones who don't have to make a profit. Are you getting paid by them or something?
@michaelbenardo56952 жыл бұрын
@@nickyj3571Compared to a REAL Cadillac or one of today's pretenders? PS: Make, not mere "brand".
@WhittyPics2 жыл бұрын
Some engineer wasn't thinking
@Westcork-ul1ww2 жыл бұрын
You should try driving a Tesla. Controls move with software updates, and many functions require you to take your eyes off the road. The best example is the window defroster. If the defroster was included as a voice command, it wouldn't be an issue, but it is not.
@jonsonneborn2 жыл бұрын
I concur! Prior to the Jan 31st 2021 update you could turn on the defrost with a single touch screen selection but now you have to search through 2 levels of selections. Super dangerous!
@waynejohnson13042 жыл бұрын
I own a 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham with this same set-up and yet, I don't have any problems with it. Although, it is very rare that I ever have to use my wipers because I generally don't bring the car out if I know it will rain. I have had to transition from the intermittent mode to high wipers and I didn't have any problems. When it's your own car, you become used to how the controls work. I suppose if you don't own one and had to use it, it may be confusing at first. I've had other Cadillacs with this too: a 1975 and '76 Coupe DeVille. It works fine for me. My biggest complaint with the Cadillacs from the early 1970s is that the front seats don't go back far enough. I'm 6 feet tall and I feel like I am always too close to the steering wheel. By the way, on average, Cadillac owners are better educated than are buyers of any other luxury car according to a study I read about 5 years ago.
@cardinaloflannagancr89292 жыл бұрын
I agree my parents car has a similar way the variable and low/high are separated and I actually wish my car had that. Outside of the notching if they all did do that it makes sense. Max delay goes towards minimum delay which off separates from low-mid-high. Parking wipers is rather an inconsistent thing on cars. Some park then when on in any speed or variable stay above park until off. Other cars will wipe all the way from the parked position below the cowl. Add together not being made for off road use and the ability for these cars to absorb road imperfections. It is doubtful it is something overlooked by engineers more along the lines of how often does this happen.
@waynejohnson13042 жыл бұрын
@@cardinaloflannagancr8929 Also, these cars ride so smoothly, I don't understand how it would be a problem on secondary roads.
@KC9UDX2 жыл бұрын
My AMCs have something similar. If you don't have it, you'd assume it's a bad thing but it's just not. I've never had an issue with it.
@KC9UDX2 жыл бұрын
@@waynejohnson1304 👍🏼👍🏼
@davecraig512 жыл бұрын
Beautiful car!! I still currently own a 1975 Lincoln Continental Town Coupe’ with only 62,000 miles on it. What’s baffling is that it doesn’t even have a delay wiper setting. You would think a car this luxurious, a interment wiper would be standard.
@cluricaun782 жыл бұрын
8:28 minutes complaining about a wiper switch...
@A22DNAL2 жыл бұрын
100% spot on assessment here! LOL
@bobbabai2 жыл бұрын
During two summers in the late 1970s, I parked cars for country club guests at a club in Minneapolis. So there was a ridiculous presence of massive new Cadillacs we had to tiller around the parking lot. Those wiper controls where the bane of our existence when the weather wasn't good. The really fun part about heaving those massive beasts around was that we had to turn a sharp left at the end of the driveway to get to the parking lot. The power steering was so feel-free and overboosted, and the turning radius of these Caddies was so prodigious, you could blast down the driveway at like 25 or 30 mph and, instead of braking, you could just spin the wheel to the left and the car would slow down enough just by the front wheels turning sideways and skidding. No brakes needed. We got it down to a science.
@stephen31642 жыл бұрын
My first car was a similar GM beast, and yes, you could steer with one fingernail on the wheel. Didn’t even need the whole finger - but if you poked your finger through one of the steering wheel spokes, you could spin it real fast. You definitely scrubbed a lot of speed before the car actually turned. You could get on the gas at corner entry as the lazy V8 wouldn’t even start pulling you through the corner until corner exit.
@MrSpartanPaul2 жыл бұрын
@@stephen3164 GM steering felt sporty compared to a Lincoln. Those had nonexistent steering feel and the handling was dangerous at any speed above what the yellow signs indicate.
@stevevarholy20112 жыл бұрын
The more amazing thing is that Cadillac reused a LOT of the switchgear and interior components up until the 1990's resdesign of the RWD Fleetwood. The headlight switch and knobs, gear selector knob, cruise control lever switch, remote mirror joysticks, and the chromed dashboard vents were used in multiple models for decades. in retrospect, it is great for those doing restorations.
@CaptOrbit2 жыл бұрын
I love those chrome knobs with the embossed laurel leaf design. That is an attention to detail that you just don't get in today's luxury cars.
@gregt86382 жыл бұрын
I had that system on my first new Cadillac back in the '70s. I thought it was just fine! I actually prefer it to the modern trend of having the wiper controls on a turn signal lever. Now regarding the quality of the dashboard material, in retrospect it seems a little on the chincy side, but compared to other cars of the era, including Mercedes it was not. Only Rolls-Royce had absolute quality content back then. Interestingly that was my next car then. But a week doesn't go by even up until this day that I don't miss the wonderful ride & comfort and silence of the '70s Cadillacs! The engine was pure silky- smooth-silent-surge. Greg in California
@makaylaserniotti14742 жыл бұрын
None of the car I’ve owned have had them on the turn signal lever, they’re usually on a lever dedicated solely to the wiper system
@uptoolate27932 жыл бұрын
500 cubic inches. What a wonderful motor that was. Rod out the catalytic with a crow bar tho or your mileage will suck.
@mattiasjohansson17272 жыл бұрын
@@makaylaserniotti1474 Mercedes have them on the "knob" on the turn signal stalk, which you rotate to turn them on.
@marblox93002 жыл бұрын
If the automotive industry ever did finally create a perfect design - it wouldn't matter because the idiots end up completely changing it every few years anyway just to be different.
@j.sayler63302 жыл бұрын
The 1958 Edsel station wagons had "boomerang" shaped taillights that were shaped like arrow pointers. They were the rear turn-signal indicators, too. The trouble was, when the car was seen from behind in the dark, the LEFT turn-signal arrow pointed RIGHT, and the RIGHT turn-signal arrow pointed LEFT!
@kenk74512 жыл бұрын
Just too funny!
@hemidaytona23782 жыл бұрын
The current Mini has this as well...
@michaelbenardo56952 жыл бұрын
I remember that! Up close, no problem, but from a distance on a dark road, it really did look like that!
@ThePolaroid6692 жыл бұрын
how is that relevant to this video?
@j.sayler63302 жыл бұрын
He asked for other instances, John. Automotive history can be very interesting.
@zachgeo2 жыл бұрын
I learned to drive on my dad's '76 Eldorado (which is still sitting in his garage, though it hasn't started in 10 years). I remember that rinky dink control always felt like it could break if you weren't gentle enough with it. I got used to using it, though. Somehow it never did break, even though lots of other stuff in that car's interior broke all the time (I remember the digital clock was the first thing to go when the car was under warranty, and the dealership had to remove the entire dash to replace it, causing other problems. When it stopped working again a few months later my dad didn't bother to take it in).
@tombrown18982 жыл бұрын
Adam, good choice for your best of/worst of series. I was remembering your video of the Continent Mark lll, and its infinitely variable wiper controls. No contest. As for the Cadillac instrument panel, the materials might have been cheap but the overall appearance was clean and elegant. Not so, the IP of the early '90s Fleetwood. Those controls, with their grey buttons and knobs remind one of clay, or a child's toy dashboard. They look pure Chevy Corsica!
@paulfrantizek1022 жыл бұрын
Pretty sure Ford had a patent on that wiper control. I recall the engineer who invented it suing the company. This Cadillac design reeks of something done to avoid a patent.
@ethelryan2572 жыл бұрын
@@paulfrantizek102 Ford eventually lost in court, they had stolen the electronic design (a simple LC circuit, basically) from the man who invented it. Good movie about it. I am a GM man (more Chevy than Cadillac after the '89 brougham d'Elegance and the Northstar) for many reasons, not least Ford's awful disregard for the people who do the hard work of engineering and assembling their cars.
@wildcat641002 жыл бұрын
I agree, GM cars in this era looked as though their buttons were designed by Fisher-Price for maximum rounded edges and safety.
@michaelbenardo56952 жыл бұрын
@@paulfrantizek102 I remember that. Ford also sued, sued General Motors about that very same feature.
@richardprice59782 жыл бұрын
gm 1970-99 the red that ages to hot pink vary polarising as for me 🤮 i like some red options but the combos that happened aged poorly in my 2C
@staffgrimes81062 жыл бұрын
Oh I love stuff like this! Please keep this 'Worst component ' section Adam! Swivel seats ? Great work, thanks.
@TheOzthewiz2 жыл бұрын
Don't forget Chrysler's 'highway Hi-Fi' ! A RECORD PLAYER (vinyl) that was an option in late 50's Chrysler products.
@mattcrooke83212 жыл бұрын
I absolutely love these videos! Where else would you find content on such intricacies. Fantastic 😊.
@adamtrombino1062 жыл бұрын
My aunt and uncle bought a 76 Fleetwood. It was she that had the trouble with the switch 1st, due to her long fingernails. But my uncle actually broke the silly little thing when wearing heavy gloves in the winter twice during the time he owned the car. Personally, i think the large rocker switches used on B and C body Chryslers for many yrs were the most clear, robust and no nonsense.
@antonfarquar87992 жыл бұрын
agreed !!!
@pcno28322 жыл бұрын
My nominee for worst feature came from a 1992 Mercury Topaz with a 6-way power driver's seat. It had the traditional controls, with a joystick and two lever switches, which is fine by me. But for some inexplicable reason, they put said controls on the front of the seat cushion, right under the driver's knee, so that if you slid back into the seat, it started to move, sometimes crushing you as the car was underway. It seemed horribly unsafe and probably the only reason it didn't get much attention was that not too many Topaz cars were equipped with power seats. A recall would have been quite justified.
@DanEBoyd2 жыл бұрын
Give me a Tempo or Topaz to drive, and I will break the engine mounts in about two weeks...
@Jakek2002 жыл бұрын
They did that on the 80s-90s Mustangs too but I think it was because there wasn't much room between the door and the seat. I can't remember on the Tempo though it's been a while since I had mine, probably just good old 'parts binning'.
@rightlanehog31512 жыл бұрын
Adam, Have you thought of starting a separate channel? Malaise Era Survivors' Guide & Group Therapy might be a possibility? 😉 I look forward to the 'winner' of the search for the Malaziest Component of the Entire Malaise Era.
@DanEBoyd2 жыл бұрын
Chrysler lean burn? Variable Venturi carburetor? Early EGR systems?
@joemazzola73872 жыл бұрын
I would like to point to younger viewers that park position is not what it is today They parked below The hood line My 78 Malibu classic with intermittent wipers had similar control without the L shape
@pcno28322 жыл бұрын
Yes, that was a cool feature that I thought was unique to GM; the motor would reverse and the wipers would retract like a scared turtle's head. Maybe the annoyance it caused with switches like this was one reason they got rid of that design. It also made it harder to dig out the wipers in the snow, but it did keep them in the viewing area for more of each sweep cycle.
@fh62582 жыл бұрын
Hi Adam, great videos as always. I just want to bring some inside, not to you as you are a GM guy. We bought our first coupé de ville in 1976 ( previously had a 1973 Grand Prix SJ, so quite a different car!). I was in my mid twenties and I actually thought it was a fantastic feature. Remember the majority of Cadillac buyers were not young, and they were not used to this new delayed wipe option. So you still had your regular settings and moving it side ways activated the delay. If I remember, the round switch had the knob that was turntable ( not a fix knob) so moving it in either of the two directions was comfortable holding the nob and moving it up ( it was an angled up), there was a movement. I know it’s difficult to describe. It was a wonderful new feature ( bragging rights like the digital clock…lol). Of course compared to cars of now, that might have seemed antiquated, but it worked well. I now have a S class coupé ( moved away from Cadillac in 1994) with rain sense wipers and laser edged wiper blades that have the waste jets in the blades, but if moving the switch into any of the 4 wiper speeds, it there is not enough moisture on the window, you can’t increase the cycle spread, so that old Cadillac system was better than all the German engineering in the flagship of their S class models…lol! Fred
@michaelbenardo56952 жыл бұрын
Two things about Mercedes; 1), there is no filler panel in that opened end of the front fender, so the hinges and attaching bolts are exposed when you open the door, in contrast to older GM cars, which DO have a filler panel there, and in the 50s, Mercedes used an X member frame with no side rails, similar to GM in the late 50s-early 60s, yet the Ralph Nader types never issued a peep about that being unsafe.
@Lousybarber2 жыл бұрын
My sister bought a new '78 Ford Fairmont and I remember the horn being on the end of a stalk, not on the steering wheel. In a panic situation that was not the most intuitive place to look for the horn button. Another Ford better idea was offering the transmission push buttons in the center of the steering wheel on the '58 Edsel. Wonder how many transmission got torn up when someone unfamiliar with the car attempted to blow the horn.
@philipancell5162 жыл бұрын
My best friend had a Fairmont and I remember that horn switch. Stupid was what I called it lol
@richardniemi26202 жыл бұрын
I had a 78 Fairmont also and the hood rod hole was in the middle of the hood and someone tried to close hood with rod in position and bent the hood at the rod.
@arevireba2 жыл бұрын
My mom had an LTD Crown Victoria with horn on the turn signal stock too. Who thought of this??
@mikeks81812 жыл бұрын
I Broke so many steering wheel covers on my dad's Fairmont that I used to but 6 at a time.easy to replace after All the Practice I had! Ford made money from me
@rogerdodrill4733 Жыл бұрын
@@arevireba how about rim blow horns, where you had to squeeze steering wheel rim to honk. Should maybe bring it back to shut up idiots who honk alot for no reason
@danr19202 жыл бұрын
I like my 1965 Corvair's wiper/washer control. Two speed, big knob. The fun part are the wipers. Even if off, you push the enter button on the knob, will turn on the wipers and washers. The best part is the washers are timed to miss the moving wiper arms. The washers also stop on their own after 6 or 8 squirts.
@fatimamovement2 жыл бұрын
And after all those years I thought the wiper delay was broken on my 75 Coupe de Ville. Thanks!
@briandaum40072 жыл бұрын
I have had quite a few of these back when they were fairly new, and actually thought the wipers were pretty cool. Not many cars had intermittent wipers at that time. At least compared to wiper locations of various models thru the 60s I thought it wasn`t half bad. I do remember the intermittent function did not always work.
@coolpeople42872 жыл бұрын
I had a 79 Sedan Deville for over 20 yrs and never had this problem.
@adamsneidelmann89762 жыл бұрын
Nomination for worst feature on 70’s gms has to go to the chrome seat belt couplers. Especially on a a hot day😂. Yeeeeeeouch!!!
@KenanTurkiye2 жыл бұрын
Ohhh do I remember that ! lol
@Gary7even2 жыл бұрын
My nomination for "interesting feature": The electroluminescent instrument lighting used on 1960-62 Chryslers and Imperials.
@donerickson78692 жыл бұрын
I enjoy listening to your shows these all bring back fond memorys of being an apprentance mechanic in the 80s. By the time obd 2 came around i was in the hd diesel world. Now that im living in bush ak i still specialize in diesel but find my way around to working on obd 2 stuff just because there are few people out here that under stand it or have the electronic tools to service it. I still miss the days of carbs and points. My vintace snow cats still have them and all run like a swiss watch
@markcampbell3692 жыл бұрын
Our current car’s turn signal stalk also has wiper controls (main and rear hatch) washer controls (main and rear) fog lights on/off (front and rear - we live in the Southern Hemisphere, so have rear light regulations). I would KILL to have a separate - albeit clunky - dash switch for about 300 of the current functions on the stalk!
@van84agon2 жыл бұрын
When GM is able to do some of the BEST design and innovation, it makes their failures even more spectacular. I hear you Adam about this washer control, and why did they keep using it when it was a big fail? I bought an 1986 Buick Skylark as my first car, 3.0 V6 and all the red you could fit into one interior. a very funky dash layout, EXCEPT the push button controls for the wipers and headlights... they all failed. GM actually did a recall of this crap replacing them with sliders for both controls. pretty scary when you are driving in the dark, on a first date, in the middle of no where, when your lights are turning on and off by themselves, no it couldn't be the wipers having a conniption, it had to be the lights. thanks Adam for that scary memory! keep up the good work
@corvetcoyote4432 жыл бұрын
I know what you mean, I also had an 86 Skylark with digital dash, I liked it except for the weird stereo that sat separate from the dash on the console in front of the shifter 🙄😖
@danielestrada18502 жыл бұрын
I myself being an American car loving guy have to shamefully admit them European and Japanese cars of that era (70s & 80s) did one up on GM products when it came to ergonomics and annoying glitches like those wiper controls acting up, which were rare in those smaller cars but where GM lacked in that type of reliability it certainly made up for in style and size.
@michaelbenardo56952 жыл бұрын
Much of the problem is because of our corporate culture. Our corporations, by the 70s, were all being run by cost-cutters instead of industry leaders, and it got even worse in the 80s because Saint Ronnie actually championed that attitude - "maximum possible profits by any means necessary, even if you have to sell your own mother".
@michaelbenardo56952 жыл бұрын
@@danielestrada1850 Except for the way Japanese cars had no way to increase or decrease the brightness of the dashboard lights, and that stupid little button you have to press to remove the key.
@van84agon2 жыл бұрын
@@michaelbenardo5695 now I drive a 2003 JDM Subaru Forester XT, super car for a Canadian postal carrier, lovely handling and I love that turbo. EXCEPT no rheostat for the interior lights, so during the day you can't see your settings on the climate control. nothing is perfect it seems...
@olddisneylandtickets2 жыл бұрын
I've had 5 of these Caddy's and never had an issue or concern. It looks great and works as advertised. I suppose all the issues you state do exist, I'm from Los Angeles and well it doesn't rain that much, I mostly used the variable delay feature and never had a problem. I do love you videos and car collection, keep up the good work.
@cousinfester46212 жыл бұрын
Of course. It was designed in the daytime under good weather conditions. Try turning somethin on when you want it on immediately. I don't like that way they've labeled maximum delay as MAX either. To me MAX means "turn something on and run it as fast as it will run." My Subaru has the same non-feature. Delay starts out with minimum delay and the delay gets longer as I turn the knob. It's bass-ackward from how it should work.
@DanEBoyd2 жыл бұрын
@@cousinfester4621 My '97 Corolla and 2005 Mustang GT both have the wiper switch as a column stalk. One of them has you move the stalk up, while the other has you move it down, for the different wiper speeds.
@RareClassicCars2 жыл бұрын
It really doesn’t work if you’re in a scenario where you’ve had the delay wipers on and encounter increasing rain. You have to pass the off position to turn the wipers on to continuous wipe. If you hang out in that position too long or try to execute this change when the wipers are at the bottom of their travel, the wipers go into the park mode. Then they have to exit park mode to restart. In other words, they stop wiping for 1-2 seconds just when you need them most. I’ve probably owned 6-7 Cadillacs with this wiper control and always hated it when they were used as a daily driver.
@rogerdodrill4733 Жыл бұрын
@@RareClassicCarsfor all the safety crap the government mandates for cars, what didn't they standardize controls ,shift patterns park brakes etc.i I think easier is usually safer
@mikehubbard1967 Жыл бұрын
I shudder to think of a world without the Cadillac. My name's Mike and you're welcome.
@johnpezzullo96442 жыл бұрын
You are SO CORRECT Adam. As a Multiple Cadillac owner and still an owner of a Beautiful 1990 Brougham....the Wiper Control was and is pathetic. A very small knob and a narrow track to move it located in a very small weird place on the dash. I mean for a $36,000 Luxury Car at the time, it should have had a way better Wiper Control. It is so hard and cumbersome to use, I noticed that many years ago. I absolutely think the car is one of the most Beautiful cars ever built, but the wiper control is right out of Remco. :(
@jsciarri2 жыл бұрын
I'd actually love to see a video of you going over the extremely rare air cushion air bag option that was available on the mid 1970s full size GM cars.
@Doobie19752 жыл бұрын
I thought the Cadillac interiors from 1971-73 were pretty bad, definitely mediocre compared to the Cadillac interiors of the previous years, the Cadillac interiors started to slip somewhat for the 1969-70 models but they were still good.
@peterkarbowski93752 жыл бұрын
My older brother had a '72 Cadillac. The front leather seat was rock hard. After a half hour of sitting on them would give you some serious ass-burn...luxury?
@09ericlarson2 жыл бұрын
I think by 1968 all car makers had to have collapsible steering columns and no un-padded surfaces in the car a passenger could hit in an accident. Padded dashboards were an option in some cars still. So Cadillac did the interior this way starting in 1969 and it may look cheap today but they were among the best interiors offered at the time. The second generation Corvair was unchanged throughout it's run but to meet these new safety standards they added rubber "bumpers" to the hard surfaces in 1968 and changed the door handle and armrest. So they were all done for upgraded safety standards.
@1joshjosh12 жыл бұрын
I totally totally get what this guy is saying but it just strikes me and my personality... just talkin for myself... I could get used to this very quickly. The wiper control situation. But this is my third video in a row having just discovered this channel today!!! Keep up the good work.
@ronniejr19832 жыл бұрын
awwww man love the ideas you have for talks! would have never thought to be soo specific but cool to know
@HardwareHank022 жыл бұрын
I’d love to see a video on the Doug Nash 4+3 found in the early to mid 80s Corvettes, it still boggles my mind how they engineered that. Thanks for the quality videos, love your channel!
@MrSpartanPaul2 жыл бұрын
It’s just an old external linkage 4 spd bolted to what looks like a powerglide trans minus the torque converter. I worked on my buddy’s 85 Corvette that had it. Needed transmission fluid in the powerglide and then it worked again. I’ll take an internal rail 5 spd any day over that.
@joe60962 жыл бұрын
This was a great video! I always thought that wiper control was peculiar at best lol.... I have another suggestion for "what were they thinking" - Ford's tilt steering wheel from 1979-early 90s. Until 1979 Ford used a full tilt steering column similar to GM and Chrysler which made sense. Ford integrated the tilt lever adjustment lock into the turn signal stalk instead of giving the column it's own lever, but it still worked nicely. The entire column adjusted all the way up and down, just like you'd want and expect. Then in 1979 they brought out this tilt wheel only, where the lever for the tilt was placed on the lower right side of the steering wheel and it operated literally the steering wheel only. Meaning the entire steering column was always in a fixed position, defeating the purpose of having tilt to begin with for people with long legs and high knees - they'd always be bumping into the column getting in and out of the car no matter how they repositioned the wheel. Ford used this design all the way until their first airbag equipped cars came out in the early 90s, where by necessity they needed to redesign the entire steering column. At which time they made the entire column tilt as it should, with a separate lock lever on the left side behind the turn signal stalk as it should be. Just wonder if you know, why did Ford chose this steering column and tilt wheel system? And why did they keep it so long on all their cars? IIRC, they also had separate stalks for turn signal and wipers, and on some cars even the horn was located on one of the stalks instead of the center pad of the wheel. The 80s seemed to be pretty weird for Ford lol
@KoldingDenmark2 жыл бұрын
I just hate the tilt steering wheel system introduced by Ford in 1980.
@joe60962 жыл бұрын
@@KoldingDenmark 1979. It came out on the first Fox and Panther platforms.
@KoldingDenmark2 жыл бұрын
@@joe6096 OH you mean like the Grand Marquis? I forgot. Have actually driven that car, belonging to friends.
@joe60962 жыл бұрын
@@KoldingDenmark Yeah Fox and Panther pretty much covered all F/L/M cars beginning in 1979. LTD (pre-Crown Vic era), Mustang, Marquis (Pre-Grand Marquis), Grenada, Fairmont, Cougar, Lincoln Versailles and Mark VI Continental..... most Fords of the day. I think it was around '85-86 when they merged the Crown Vic name to the Panther LTD (not the Fox LTD) and added "Grand" to the Marquis name. Adam can clarify and correct me if I'm not accurate here. He is very knowledgeable on this nomenclature.
@KoldingDenmark2 жыл бұрын
@@joe6096 Thank you very much. Never liked the first generation down-size Grand Marquis. It became nicer looking later, though. Other than that, the 1980's is an era for FoMoCo I will rather forget - including the Lincoln models. Have driven them a lot. They are "boxes" on wheel. As for Cadillac I am very fine with Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, as long as they are powered with nothing less than a 5,7 engine. I do have a full digital 1989 Sedan dé Ville - but that is a different story. 😉 To me Lincoln came back STRONG with the Town Car in 1990. Never liked the front wheel drive Continental. I love the 1990-1992 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham cars - have driven them a lot - but the love died with the intro of the 1993 Fleetwood Brougham. It rides fine, but it is black plastic panel cheap inside. The rear looks like an inflated Opel Omega.
@randyruzicka72502 жыл бұрын
I agree with your assessment however as bad as these were it’s still better than the cars of today were they run the entire car from the turn signal stalk. Even worse every car built is different. Back in the day one could drive ANY car that they were unfamiliar with and successfully operate the controls without taking their eyes from the road. It’s almost impossible to adjust the HVAC on late model vehicles without having an accident.
@alisonleaman3332 жыл бұрын
Congratulations on producing an 8+ minute video on the inadequacies of the late-1970s Cadillac windscreen wiper switch !
@RareClassicCars2 жыл бұрын
Seems popular!
@christopherkraft13272 жыл бұрын
Yes Adam, those wiper controls are awkward at best!!! Thanks for sharing another informative video!!! 👍👍
@chuckwadnofski71472 жыл бұрын
Maybe cause I'm not handicapped...
@kyleparish-aaron57642 жыл бұрын
"Very hard to find and control especially when you're going over a bumpy surface" - Have you actually driven one of these cars? Best riding vehicle ever. Only time you knew you hit a pothole is because you heard it. You never felt it at all. You didn't feel bumps in these cars.
@GUIRADE952 жыл бұрын
Got that right can't say it any better. He's probably a pinky pinky gen Z
@rogerdodrill4733 Жыл бұрын
@@GUIRADE95 nice insult, what's it mean?
@kevinkern21492 жыл бұрын
Former owner of a 95 Olds Cutlass Supreme here. Evidently, GM's solution to this ergonomic conundrum was to integrate everything into the turn signal lever: cruise controls, wipers (speed and length of delay), windshield washer, brights and turn signals all loaded onto a single lever. Using the cruise control with the wipers on was especially awkward as to turn the wipers on, you had to rotate the cruise control switch away from you. GM held on to that design for a long time, basically until they finally let front bench seats and column shifters die in the late 90s/early 00s.
@dh-no2ke2 жыл бұрын
When I was much younger I bought the first year of the Plymouth Horizon. There were a bunch of bad things about this car. The ground for the alternator was through the tabs that held it to the engine. So during driving it would vibrate causing arcing and it would eat way the tab holding the alternator. By the time I discovered this most, but not all of the tab hold the alternator on was almost gone. The dealer added a a ribbon cable from the alternator to the engine block. If I turned on the rear window defroster it would break the alternator belt. In winter, the carburetor would collect moisture while driving and then when parked the moisture would freeze locking the carb wide open and the car would not start. They issues a recall on this which I had done. At some point after the recall repair I looked under the hood.. The “fix” was placing a sheet of metal under the head casket and bending it over the carburetor, I suppose to retain the heat to keep the moisture from freezing. This caused it to leak oil. Eventually the transmission started to fail. Other then these things it was a fun car to drive, just don’t turn on the rear window defroster!😀
@moelll2 жыл бұрын
I nominate what I call "the ultimate idiot light" found on 1980-84 Ford thunderbird/mercury cougar XR7 and 1983-1986 Ford midsize LTD/mercury marquis. I'm sure there's other Ford models of that Era that had a similar arrangement. It was nothing more than a red light with an engine icon. It didn't tell you what was going wrong, just that something has gone very bad in your engine and that you should pull over immediately
@pcno28322 жыл бұрын
That was even worse than VW's combined L and R turn signal dashboard indicators. They must have used diodes (or maybe a double-pole relay) to make that work, all to save 4 feet of wire.
@OnkelPHMagee2 жыл бұрын
Ford had it for several years before 1980 (I don't know exactly when, but I've seen Mark IVs with the "engine" light). You'd think that such a pricy car would give you more. Chrysler did it in a bunch of different FWD cars from 1978 through 1985.
@michaelbenardo56952 жыл бұрын
That was mandated by the EPA, not by Ford. ALL cars from the 80s on have that dumb light, not just Fords.
@moelll2 жыл бұрын
@@michaelbenardo5695 you're thinking of the "check engine" light. That's different. Those light up in amber instead of red. It was part of OBD1 mandate set in the mid-80s by the EPA as you said. The neat thing about that light is that you can use it to diagnose issues by counting how many times it flashes once you put it into test mode and all you need to do is short out two prongs on the cars diagnostic connector with usually a paperclip. What I'm talking about is different. It predates OBD1 by a few years. It's just a red engine light that lights up whenever the engine loses oil pressure or overheats. But since it's just one red "engine light" you don't know what occurred. Just that something catastrophic has occurred to the engine
@michaelbenardo56952 жыл бұрын
@@moelll I thought they were one and the same thing. My vehicles have real gauges. Much better.
@robertpace9012 жыл бұрын
My 79 Olds Cutlass had wiper issues. Sometimes I couldn't turn them off, even after I turned the car off.
@kenk74512 жыл бұрын
LOL! I had a 1970 Continental MK III and the wiper motors were driven hydraulically and somehow tied to the power steering pump. If there was a failure in the system, the wipers would just stay on all the time.
@Lousybarber2 жыл бұрын
I had a '78 Cutlass. Never had a problem with the wipers but the dashboard lights were erratic. Found out GM used a flimsy printed circuit sheet that was affected by temperature changes. It got worse over time. Ended up taping a flashlight to the dashboard.
@philipancell5162 жыл бұрын
I had 1975 sedandeville a 1979 coup Deville a 1998 Deville delegance and now have a 2005 SRX and I've been very happy with all of the layouts and instrument placements. That one placement of the wipers switch was never a problem for me I usually used the delay(right to left) almost all the time. It was very rare I used the constant speeds. I will say I loved the upper tier of instrument lights instead of having them all spread out as mine are now in the SRX. I had a friend years ago that had the Eldorado that had the economy green yellow and red lights to show gas conservation! That was a cool 💡 idea!!
@caddyman7725 Жыл бұрын
I was 18 years old in 1989 when I bought my first Cadillac, a '77 Coupe. It was a big step up from my '55 Chevy truck. Those wipers were a bug improvement from the truck's vacuum wipers, but I see your point.
@georl12 жыл бұрын
I've own 5 continuous Cadillacs beginning in the 1980's. Even though the Windshield Wiper were in different positions, I fail to see any problems in the location of the wipers in the 1970's models. Personally, I actually like the position of them being on the left rather than being on the right in the dash and I find it looks simple to operate as well. You slide it sideways for the intermittent wiper and you slide it up and down for the continuous wiper so what's so difficult about that? It's no worse than the light switch where you have to pull the knob one notch for the parking lights and another notch for the headlights. Then if you want to brighten or dim the dash lights, you have to turn the knob either way and the headlight switch is on the left as well. To me, what you're describing is nothing but being nit-picking and has nothing to do with the functionality of what it's suppose to be doing. Just my opinion.
@RareClassicCars2 жыл бұрын
It’s a problem when you’re in increasing rain when you need to switch from delay to Low speed continuous wiping, for example. You must pass into the off position to do so. If you pass “Off” at the same time the wipers near their park position, they will go into Park mode, and require extra time to restart once you finally get the switch to off. This is highly inopportune if you’re entering heavy rain.
@georl12 жыл бұрын
@@RareClassicCars - Well, it's a matter of opinion. To me it's not an issue.
@michaelbenardo56952 жыл бұрын
I agree. Sounds like just plain whining to me.
@michaelbenardo56952 жыл бұрын
@@RareClassicCars I never found anything wrong with it, but maybe the reason so many of you DON'T like it is because you are right-handed, and it is on the left. I am LEFT-handed. Sort of like the retrievers on the 1990s trolley buses I drove. You had to wind them up if your poles came off the wires, but you had to use your left hand. Trying to use your right hand was awkward, so most hated them, but for me, it was a breeze because I am left-handed.
@bestpilot982 жыл бұрын
Tell us about the evolution of Cadillac's "Dimming Sentinel" feature. My parents 1986 Coupe DeVille was equipped with that feature, but the option had been eliminated from Cadillac by 1991 when my folks ordered a '91 Sixty Special. Nowadays, auto-dimming headlights can be found as an option on all sorts of cars and trucks.
@philipancell5162 жыл бұрын
I never had it on any of mine. I've had 4 a 75 Sedan Deville a 79 coup Deville a 1998 Deville delegance and now a 2005 SRX
@WydGlydJim2 жыл бұрын
Going through the park cycle during changes is “pretty Gosh darn inexcusable”…..Adam you are nicer than I am….😂
@shaunrutherford77642 жыл бұрын
I don't know if this applies to other GM brands, but my grandpa had a 1977 olds cutlass supreme, and the clock didn't work from the factory, and he always ignored it but wondered why. My dad took it apart one day to find it had no clock innards, just the face connected to nothing.
@stephen31642 жыл бұрын
The clock was an option - in those years, possibly a stand alone option like most other options were. They might have had a couple different dash layouts, but most had a place for a clock - though without the option box checked, you got a blank clock shaped area (no hands). In some cars designed with two large circles for a speedometer and equally sized tach, if you didn’t opt for the tach you might get a really massive fuel gauge that you could actually see move when you opened up the secondaries on the 4bbl carb sitting on top the 400+ cubic inch V8 engine.
@AFewSecondsToLive2 жыл бұрын
That automatic climate control system Cadillac had was also really finicky in that era. A lot of times it’d blow the relay after about a month of use. And I remember the only real way to “fix” it was to either replace the relay every time it went, or wire a separate switch for the fan speed.
@gregoryclemen18702 жыл бұрын
I had a 1974 ELDO ,where the climate control; system would "HUNT" when it was getting near temperature setpoint, so I would regulate the temp. by over shooting the set point and then set it back when I got too cold/hot
@bretttimmons26532 жыл бұрын
A more recent example could be the Honda radio disappearance of the volume/power knob. I had a 2017 Pilot. Honda wanted to save money and have a clean dash. So the knob had to go. They installed an electronic slider that you had to swipe with a finger. It was terrible. The reaction was so fierce they rushed to fix it in all their models. In fact some manufacturers at car shows even had signs that would tout they still had physical knobs. Undoubtedly the worst interior control in Honda’s history.
@DanEBoyd2 жыл бұрын
I HATE electronic volume controls!!!
@624radicalham2 жыл бұрын
In the name of God, this video and this channel is the BEST at details, especially this. I had this car, it was a nightmare to operate that tiny, I mean TINY wiper stalk and have the wipers park themselves and conceal under the hood, when the rain just starts getting nasty! It was a nightmare. I've been waiting for a channel like this my whole life. The weird "americana" from the era just needed to be highlighted.
@RareClassicCars2 жыл бұрын
Thank you. Please tell all of the commenters below who think this control was just fine ;)
@624radicalham2 жыл бұрын
@@RareClassicCars haha
@Channelscruf2 жыл бұрын
Wow. This brought back memories, Adam. I used to sell cars. In the mid-80’s we had several Cadillacs of this era in inventory. I remember how frustrating it was trying to demonstrate this used luxury car to a potential customer in the rain.
@Romiman12 жыл бұрын
Oh yes. Think about the hazard-flashers-knob on the steering column from 70s and 80s GM Cars. Using it everytime felt like removing it. It was not enlightened and looks more like a bracket for something still to fix... (I have had it in a '83 Caprice and a '89 Sedan de Ville.)
@bobbyheffley49552 жыл бұрын
Ford and Chrysler also had hazard light switches on the steering column.
@steven.l.patterson2 жыл бұрын
Interesting design choice. I assume delay wipers were standard so every model had these. If it was optional what was the standard control like? My ‘79 Ford Fairmont Futura had a very simple stalk for adjusting the wiper speed. Can’t remember if my ‘75 Mercury Monarch had delay wipers.
@RareClassicCars2 жыл бұрын
Delay wipers were optional.
@KoldingDenmark2 жыл бұрын
My 1975 Mercury Montego had debat wipers, like my current 1975 Continental Mark IV. Never had a problem with that. I missed having delay wipers in 1973 Cadillac Coupé de Ville. But loved the dash, though.
@acnconstruction2 жыл бұрын
my first car was a 1974 CDV and the wiper controls was never an issue or problem
@jamesdonley32262 жыл бұрын
My Uncle had a new triple black Fleetwood every four years from early 60's the last one was a 1977 (new trimmer body more parking garage friendly) that was his favorite all purchased from former Capitol Cadillac in Wash DC. I remember the rear footrests and abundant ashtrays and cigarette lighters! Capitol Cadillac moved from Wash DC to Greenbelt MD in 1979 and closed in November 2020. Property was sold to Rosenthal Auto Group College Park Honda is moving from current location on RT 1 when renovations are completed. The Cadillac franchise moved to Sport Chevrolet in Silver Spring MD. Have missed the Annual Corvette shows there since Pandemic hit.
@kenk74512 жыл бұрын
The mid 70's to the early 80's were the worst years of quality in general.
@paulparoma2 жыл бұрын
Who in his right mind would drive a Cadillac in a storm to begin with? No one needs wipers on a Cadillac.
@kenk74512 жыл бұрын
The best and safest place to be!
@paulparoma2 жыл бұрын
@@kenk7451 That's right!
@gralykmeno2 жыл бұрын
I remember it well on the 1979 Seville that I used to own. I rarely drove that car in wet weather but it was definitely a most awkward and fiddly control.
@bobsteward7172 жыл бұрын
These controls worked perfect for me. Cadillac owners were business men and mostly the successful types. Something the host doesn’t have.
@RareClassicCars2 жыл бұрын
Sure. Ok.
@lowtunedg92116 ай бұрын
Key word “were”
@compu852 жыл бұрын
Have you ever used the delay wipers in an 91-95 VW? It's probably the best system I've used. As with all VWs the stalk on the right of the steering wheel controls the wipers. From Off, you can go up one click for low, 2 clicks for high. Pull to wash the front glass, push to wash the rear glass (if so equipped). Rear wiper (if equipped) is a button on the end of the stalk. Delay is one click down from off. The delay can be set from 2-60 seconds: You go down one click for delay. If you leave the stalk here the wipers will clear every 6 seconds. But instead, if you go down for delay, then back to off (the wipers clear once), wait until you want the wipers to clear again, then turn back to delay, that sets the interval. A lot more complicated to explain than to use, and many people found it confusing... it was dropped around 1996 for a fixed 6 second interval.
@chuckcarter75972 жыл бұрын
I enjoy your comments about late 60's thru 70's FoMoCo products. My father had to make a 100 mile round trip everyday to his clinic and bought a new Mark every year from '69 thru '86. I could go on forever about those. My mother liked Chryslers and Imperials. On the times he went and bought a "surprise" for her it was a Cadillac. We had a '73 Fleetwood. My mother told everybody it was "garage kept". The garage kept it all of the time! She kept driving her '69 NY and the Fleetwood was traded on a '75 Eldo. It was loaded. And slapped together. 7 shims on the RF fender and five on the left you could see when you opened the doors. The hood shimmed like a stripper on the smallest bump. Jennifer blue with blue Monticello dual comfort seats. And that crappy ws wiper switch among other flaws. My mother rode in it once as I recall. She HATED that thing! Guess who got it for their first car? Thank goodness we had a '76 F 250 with a 460 and 4 spd. That truck sucked as much gas as that blue powder puff but it did increase your cool factor way more than that Cadillac! Oh yeah, he bought her a '82 Fleetwood w/the HT4100. Another good story.
@Linus1392 жыл бұрын
Throughout the 60's and 70's GM built the washer pump into the wiper motor which when you hit wash there was a fairly loud snap followed by a lot of thunking, pumping and squirting action which could have been a more sensible design. In these years the GM attitude was that if there was a problem with the car it must be you because they couldn't do any wrong.
@toronado4552 жыл бұрын
great video! 🏆clearly Cadillac had no intention of their cars being driven in inclement weather! 😊
@MoparDan2 жыл бұрын
Adam, the '78 Pontiac Firebird had a similar slider control on the dash for the wiper. It's hard to believe what we lived with back then on those vehicles. My car of today is a '12 Chrysler 200 Touring convertible with the wiper control on a stalk off the right side of the steering wheel. It just took me a while to get used to it on the right side whereas it was on the left on a later GM vehicle that I once owned.
@PeterShipley12 жыл бұрын
I am truly impressed with this video. You did an amazing job stretching 30 to 90 seconds of information out into a full 8 minute video.
@cohort61592 жыл бұрын
My parents had a 1974 deVille. It developed a problem that the windshield wipers once activated would not turn off. I don't recall if we had to turn off the car to deactivate them or open the hood and unplug something to make them stop. I think we did the car turn off at first and finally it broke in the always on setting and then the wiper motor had to be unplugged to stop it from running all the time. I remember the park problem too. Very annoying.
@EyeonthePrize2472 жыл бұрын
Thank you for your content! Interesting video on a relatively ordinary topic!
@jeffstephenson93162 жыл бұрын
i was a caddy kid thats all my pops drove i came home from the hospital in 67 in a 67 coupe de ville in the 70's he had a 73 75 77 and 1980 coupe de viile i dont remember this being a problem for him i owned a 73 fleetwood back in 92 and now i have a 79 fleetwood d elegance love my cadillacs also great channel
@78chuck2 жыл бұрын
It's an odd control but you get used to it quick and never really think about it. I've driven this era Cadillac for a lot of years, the worst interior detail was the insistence on making a provision in the front seat for a 6th passenger. It was impractical in every way. They figured out how to put a nice center console in the Talisman, and should have put that package in all the models. Then make the 6th seat an option you can order.
@Vegaswill7142 жыл бұрын
Interesting comments, Adam. You are in a very unique position to comment on these sort of things, since you have experience with such a variety of 60's and 70's vintage cars. At first I thought your complaint was niggling, then I thought of how many times I had to pull off the road in a rental car to figure out how to turn on or off the wipers. If you are looking for another topic, how about pushbutton transmissions? I had one on my '63 Polara, I thought it very unique and cool. As I recall, they were common on many Chrysler and some Ford products, then disappeared in the middle 1960's. Might be a fun topic for people like me that drove them, or some younger people who perhaps never heard of them.
@RareClassicCars2 жыл бұрын
Yes. Thx! Well, it becomes a challenge when you’re in a situation with increasing rain and you need to move from delay to continuous wiping. If you do it as the wipers enter the bottom of their travel, they will head for the park position just as you need them most. You can’t hang out in the off area long.
@michaelbenardo56952 жыл бұрын
Ralph Nader's fault.
@jackdough81642 жыл бұрын
I still love old cars and their quirks and features! Thiiissssss
@EdwardCheek2 жыл бұрын
The Mercury turn signal/tilt steering was super weird, you had to shove the turn signal stalk towards the dash to allow for the tilt wheel feature. It always felt like it was going to break
@philipancell5162 жыл бұрын
My LTD Convertible was a 72 and had that. I set it once and forgot it.
@robertlombardi22282 жыл бұрын
Adam - I agree with you. I’ve experienced these rain conditions while driving in florida. One minute sun is shining then you drive into a heavy rain down pour then back to a shower. These type of wiper controls are a receipe for disaster.
@MyNathanking2 жыл бұрын
It's me again, Nathan King. Okay, now that you're mentioning windshield wiper controls, let's talk about THAT now. I have quite a lot to say about that too. I can see how this windshield wiper control on the Cadillac was clumsy with its L-shaped configuration --- but I would argue that that's hardly any more inconvenient than the windshield wiper controls on my 2006 Toyota Sienna LE. For I HATE my windshield wiper controls --- but I grudgingly put up with them in exchange for so much more that my van gives me that I have always wanted in a vehicle --- including cargo transport, sleeping, and EVEN running lights. But, as I said, I hate my windshield wiper controls because I have to operate the high speed, the low speed, and the variable speed control --- and on top of that the rear windshield wiper --- all on one lever. I hate it. Then, on that one lever, there is also the windshield washer control for both the front and the back windshield. Consequently I am always fumbling around with the windshield wiper controls, often getting the wrong one. Sometimes I am trying to start or change the speed of the front windshield wipers, only to find that I have accidentally started up not only the back windshield wiper but that I have also just as accidentally operated the windshield washer as well. The headlight lever and control apparatus is also hard to operate because, just like the windshield wiper controls, the headlight controls are also jammed into just one control lever. Consequently it is so easy to mix up high beam and low beam in particular. I just hate all this cramming of dashboard controls into a control lever sticking out of the right side of the steering column and another control lever sticking out of the left side of the steering column. How about doing a video presentation on THAT --- the modern vehicle design trend of cramming too many controls too close together.
@stephen31642 жыл бұрын
Had a ‘79 Pontiac sedan with just one switch: off/low/high. Push to wash. Problem was it was tough to move the switch up to one of the on positions without accidentally pushing it in a bit. That Caddy control looks a lot nicer than my old Pontiac’s!
@arthurpolzin88852 жыл бұрын
I thought of a unique feature on a 70 toronado,gt i think.it was water injection to the carb this is the oniy time i ever saw this.Great video Adam thank you for sharing your knowledge!
@TheOzthewiz2 жыл бұрын
The 1961 Olds 'F-85" V8 with Turbo Charger (NOT a typo), REQUIRED 'turbo-fuel' (probably water-alcohol mix) to be added to gallon container mounted UNDER the hood! I am not sure which 'service stations' (FULL SERVICE.. back then) carried this mix, probably had to go to your local Oldsmobile Dealer!
@CadillacCentral2 жыл бұрын
it's a clumsy design for sure. It was described perfectly, when it is raining the knob is hard to locate and then notch to the correct speed without looking at the indicator. On the stalk designs, you act on the speed/variance by memory and natural flicking of the fingers. Here you are fumbling just to locate the tiny knob.
@geyser34452 жыл бұрын
I think the modern "touch screens" are the worst components of all time.
@DanEBoyd2 жыл бұрын
Touch screens usually suck. Technology for the sake of technology is often not good.
@michaelbenardo56952 жыл бұрын
@@DanEBoyd FACT.
@jonsonneborn2 жыл бұрын
My mom had a Rambler station wagon which used vacuum powered wipers that would stop working in the middle of a downpour. I can still remember the horror of her quickly pulling the car to the side of the road and her coaxing the wipers to go whilst getting soaked and teaching us new four letter words!
@rogerdodrill4733 Жыл бұрын
Before they went electric most old cars were vacuum,. & Probably didn't seal well going uphill you had to get off the gas & let the wipers do a swipe so you could see again. You had to choose one either power or wipers, wouldn't do both at same time
@David-yy7lb2 жыл бұрын
I can remember my grandmother had an early 80's caddy brougham with a factory CB👍🏿
@mbarker_lng2 жыл бұрын
Obviously, you must cover the Chrysler record player at some point. Easily one of the worst ideas to put in a car.
@kroge0072 жыл бұрын
Adam your right on the window wiper button. You have to wonder if the engineer of this switch knew how the delay worked with the wipers.
@NoName-ik2du2 жыл бұрын
My 1975 Cadillac has a control that looks like this but serves a different function. When you push it to the right, it sprays the windshield with washer fluid and then springs back when you let go. It's almost identical to the wash button (I think one of them allows you to hold the control for continuous spray instead of squirts timed with the wipers), which makes it feel a bit pointless. The best delayed wiper control I've ever seen was in my 1980 Buick Riviera. It was a vertical slider, first position was intermittent, and the intermittent delay was controlled by twisting the lever which was also a dial. Easy to use, and it remembers your intermittent setting since it's controlled by the dial and not the lever position. I never had a '70s or '80s Ford with intermittent wipers, but my 1990 Crown Vic and my 2002 Lincoln have what I consider to be very annoying intermittent controls. As you turn the wiper stalk, it has like ten individual positions that are all different intermittent settings, and you must pass through all of them to get to the normal settings. It works, and the intermittent settings are artificial analog controls (meaning the clicks are softer than the other positions so they feel smoother), but I always found it incredibly annoying.
@chuckvan19612 жыл бұрын
Boy Adam you sure hit the hot button on this video. Great comments 👍🇺🇸
@BobNSuch2 жыл бұрын
I never thought of the wipers in my '75 SeVille until you made this video and I have to agree 100%
@jeffreyconstance64352 жыл бұрын
What is your favorite Cadillac from 70-95. ..? What is your favorite Cadillac 61-68? Just Curious what your pick(s)are? I have about 2 or 3 for each era maybe I could lower it to 2 per era but I don’t think o could pick just one as a favorite.
@bradleybprentice14972 жыл бұрын
Hey Adam. This was really interesting. I didn't realise how bad the design was until you brought it to my attention. Dad had a new '74 Eldo convertible for while and I drove it occasionally as a new driver. I remember that wiper switch as a pain but driving the Caddy was so much more than that I ignored little annoyances. The two items that really were bad in my opinion were the Blower type rear defrosters that were useless in Canada and in Chryslers they had the floor mounted foot pump windscreen washers that actually did work well but were quite comical to use.
@chuckwadnofski71472 жыл бұрын
My 76 Eldorado convertible had electric grid in the rear window
@rogerdodrill4733 Жыл бұрын
Old fairlanes has foot pumpers as well
@gclarkbloomfield88482 жыл бұрын
...totally agreed, Adam, regarding this bizarrely engineered early interval wiper control...in its inimitable fashion, many GM innovations seem to have been either completely untested before approving it for production...the typical notion of allowing the unsuspecting customer to do the testing for them... ...I really DO like the "idiot lights moved away from the speedo, though...a friend had a '75 Imperial with all the idiot lights arranged in banks on either side of the speedo giving the dash the look like a video arcad...
@michaelbenardo56952 жыл бұрын
I don't like idiot lights at all. I want GAUGES. Ford offered optional gauges on the Lincoln and for the Merc for most of the 70s, but not for the Ford, and Chrysler products always had gauges.
@video99couk2 жыл бұрын
I'm surprised that any car had wiper controls which were not on the steering column as late as 1974, let alone 1979. They got that right on the 1970 Hillman Avenger (Plymouth Cricket).
@coolbreeze55612 жыл бұрын
Gm always had clumsy dash layout and controls
@29madmangaud292 жыл бұрын
You know back in '76, my mom came into a beautiful, '72 Cadillac Coupe De Ville, it was dark Forrest Green with a White Vinyl top, and a Forrest green cloth interior. The car was just soooooo BEAUTIFUL! I miss it so much! The wiper switch was indeed part of the drivers door. Of course it had the 472 cu. in. and when tuned up proper, it would get 21 mpg Hwy, and 16 City.. (remember: 55mph). My mom asked me ......" Marcel, I've promised you the car when you became of age, would you like it"? Well, at that time, I was 17, just before 18 yrs old, I thought,,,,,,,,,,wow, and L78/15 Tire is now about 41$. Gas was up to : .65 cents per gallon. (it had a 27 gallon tank!). So, I thought, and told my mom,,,,,,Sorry mom, no, I won't be able to afford the car now. > She traded it in on a '81 Pontiac Firebird Esprit, with a V-6..............