11 ms·

I was expecting a mention of the little tank-and-arrow icon on the gas gauge that tells you what side the filler door is on. Years of renting cars and randomly

by wrs 10y ago

I was expecting a mention of the little tank-and-arrow icon on the gas gauge that tells you what side the filler door is on. Years of renting cars and randomly switching directions at gas stations before someone told me about that...

skookumchuck 10y ago
That's why icons suck.
- brokenmachine 10y ago
  You'd rather have words on everything? I would love to see what your desired car interior would look like, with little plaques everywhere for "A/C", "Headlights", "Turn Signal", "Hazard Lights", etc.
  - skookumchuck 10y ago
    Yes, I would. I have a car with dozens of icons on the buttons, and I still cannot figure out how to turn on the heat. I know I could read the 200 page manual, but I'm too lazy, so I just punch buttons and turn knobs more or less at random. I nearly drove of the road the other day trying to adjust the volume on the radio. It got stuck in some incomprehensible mode where the volume knob meant some other madness. I gave up and had to wait until I was stuck at a red light. What's wrong with the labels "heat", "fan", "defroster"? > I would love to see what your desired car interior would look like It's not hard to find out. Look at the dash on an older car, before the Mac came out.
  - skookumchuck 10y ago
    Take a look at a P-51 Mustang cockpit: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/25/99/be/2599bebe575437689ef4a616a6f7cfce.jpg https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/25/99/be/2599... The picture is a bit fuzzy, but the switches and knobs are clearly labeled with english words. Including words like "on" and "off". It's deadly to confuse pilots with what the latest trendy icon for "aileron trim" is.
    - brokenmachine 10y ago
      I would rather my car interior did not look like that.
  - tropo 10y ago
    Absolutely yes. I can read quickly and accurately. I'm terrible at guessing and remembering pictograms. Maybe if I were an ancient Egyptian... but I'm not. I like my alphabet; it's a very good invention. This goes for other things too: home appliances, computer software, etc.
kchoudhu 10y ago
I saw that LPT on reddit a few months ago. Lifechanging.
ChuckMcM 10y ago
That was hiding in a little box in the middle of the article with the clicky title "How to tell which side the filler is on without getting out." A bit of web trivia, one of the reasons web sites do this is because of Google. If you are using Google ads, and most web sites do, you have to conform to their guidelines with respect to ads when you come from Google. However, if you are transitioning from an internal link all bets are off you can do what you want. As a result you see a design pattern where a site tries to get you to the page with a search result, and then tries to get you to click to another page to get to more profitable (for the web site) ads.
- pax 10y ago
  Not because of Google, because of their greed. Not even so, because they have to make money for running shop.
  - gpawl 10y ago
    chuck is saying that the links are there because Google disincentivized putting (some) ads directly on the landing page.
  - mseebach 10y ago
    Yes, it's SO greedy to make quality content available for free, and trying to get a bit of revenue from ads for you efforts. And in the same vein it's not greedy at all to castigate such a site for having the audacity to sacrificing a little usability for increased revenue.
    - Gracana 10y ago
      I think Jalopnik and other Gawker media sites sacrifice too much quality for cash. Tangentially-car-related celebrity articles, clickbait galore, all their little SEO tricks. I was a long-time reader but I gave up on the site due to these tactics, which is unfortunate because some of their writers were (and presumably still are) very good. But compare to TTAC, which manages to stay on topic, has excellent reporting, great stories, and uses simple ads.
sergers 10y ago
My wife who doesn't even drive, told me about the arrow(I bet she saw it online) just 2 weeks ago. I had no idea that's what it was for. I was very surprised that was what the arrow is for. I never really paid any attention to the direction or its purpose. I drove a loaner car today, and immediately knew which side to pull up to for gas from the arrow. Great unknown idea lol
vinhboy 10y ago
This is one example of how cars have the most horrible UI/UX ever.
- cpu 10y ago
  Am I the only one who saw the arrow and understood it without reading some shitty website first? Do explain, though. It's a topic I rarely hear discussed.
  - dazc 10y ago
    I managed 20 years of driving without seeing the arrow, probably because I was never looking for it? I heard it mentioned on a radio show once but they said the side the tank filler was on corresponded to the nozzle on the pump icon - no mention of an arrow. I still didn't notice an arrow until the time the nozzle on the icon actually didn't correspond to the filler tank.
    - masklinn 10y ago
      > I managed 20 years of driving without seeing the arrow, probably because I was never looking for it? Or because most cars historically haven't had it. I've only seen it in relatively recent cars (last 5 years maybe?) and even then not on all of them. > I heard it mentioned on a radio show once but they said the side the tank filler was on corresponded to the nozzle on the pump icon - no mention of an arrow. That one's not actually true, at least not consistently. Sometimes it works sometimes it does not so it's useless. The arrow, when present, is always correct.
      - ajdlinux 10y ago
        It may not have been used as consistently, but I've definitely seen the indicator arrow on cars that are over 25 years old.
      - theandrewbailey 10y ago
        I have a 2006 Chevy Impala, and the arrow is there. I had it for about two years before reading about the arrow and never noticed ("saw") it, but now it's the first thing I notice when looking at another car's instrument panel.
nullc 10y ago
If there is no little arrow, it's usually on the same side of the gauge cluster as the gauge itself is...
- yetihehe 10y ago
  My opel from 2004 doesn't have that triangle and fuel gauge is in center of cluster... Fuel cap is on right (passenger) side like in almost all opels.
- sithadmin 10y ago
  One particularly odd exception I've encountered: lots of older Buick models have the fuel door hidden under the rear license plate. The rear license plate on these models is mounted on a hinged bracket that folds down to expose the fuel port, which isn't obvious at all by appearance. I found myself rather confused by this when I noticed at a glance that my grandmother's car didn't seem to have anywhere to put fuel in it.
  - stoic 10y ago
    Our old '77 Cadillac had the same feature. I always had Batman fantasies about that thing.
russdill 10y ago
It wasn't always true. Only in the past decade or so have newer cars standardized on that iconology.
gadders 10y ago
That doesn't work in all cases, certainly not on my Honda.
- dionidium 10y ago
  What model/year? I've never seen a car that didn't have this.
  - gadders 10y ago
    2005 CRV, UK model.
woliveirajr 10y ago
> (...) for cars that use a mechanical, cable-operated internal release for the fuel filler, it’s much easier to have the release be on the same side as the fuel filler flap (...) The position of the mechanism that you use to unlock it can also give you a clue, on those vehicles where there isn't any arrow.

by wrs 10y ago

skookumchuck 10y ago

That's why icons suck.

brokenmachine 10y ago
You'd rather have words on everything? I would love to see what your desired car interior would look like, with little plaques everywhere for "A/C", "Headlights", "Turn Signal", "Hazard Lights", etc.
- skookumchuck 10y ago
  Yes, I would. I have a car with dozens of icons on the buttons, and I still cannot figure out how to turn on the heat. I know I could read the 200 page manual, but I'm too lazy, so I just punch buttons and turn knobs more or less at random. I nearly drove of the road the other day trying to adjust the volume on the radio. It got stuck in some incomprehensible mode where the volume knob meant some other madness. I gave up and had to wait until I was stuck at a red light. What's wrong with the labels "heat", "fan", "defroster"? > I would love to see what your desired car interior would look like It's not hard to find out. Look at the dash on an older car, before the Mac came out.
- skookumchuck 10y ago
  Take a look at a P-51 Mustang cockpit: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/25/99/be/2599bebe575437689ef4a616a6f7cfce.jpg https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/25/99/be/2599... The picture is a bit fuzzy, but the switches and knobs are clearly labeled with english words. Including words like "on" and "off". It's deadly to confuse pilots with what the latest trendy icon for "aileron trim" is.
  - brokenmachine 10y ago
    I would rather my car interior did not look like that.
- tropo 10y ago
  Absolutely yes. I can read quickly and accurately. I'm terrible at guessing and remembering pictograms. Maybe if I were an ancient Egyptian... but I'm not. I like my alphabet; it's a very good invention. This goes for other things too: home appliances, computer software, etc.

kchoudhu 10y ago

I saw that LPT on reddit a few months ago. Lifechanging.

ChuckMcM 10y ago

That was hiding in a little box in the middle of the article with the clicky title "How to tell which side the filler is on without getting out." A bit of web trivia, one of the reasons web sites do this is because of Google. If you are using Google ads, and most web sites do, you have to conform to their guidelines with respect to ads when you come from Google. However, if you are transitioning from an internal link all bets are off you can do what you want. As a result you see a design pattern where a site tries to get you to the page with a search result, and then tries to get you to click to another page to get to more profitable (for the web site) ads.

pax 10y ago
Not because of Google, because of their greed. Not even so, because they have to make money for running shop.
- gpawl 10y ago
  chuck is saying that the links are there because Google disincentivized putting (some) ads directly on the landing page.
- mseebach 10y ago
  Yes, it's SO greedy to make quality content available for free, and trying to get a bit of revenue from ads for you efforts. And in the same vein it's not greedy at all to castigate such a site for having the audacity to sacrificing a little usability for increased revenue.
  - Gracana 10y ago
    I think Jalopnik and other Gawker media sites sacrifice too much quality for cash. Tangentially-car-related celebrity articles, clickbait galore, all their little SEO tricks. I was a long-time reader but I gave up on the site due to these tactics, which is unfortunate because some of their writers were (and presumably still are) very good. But compare to TTAC, which manages to stay on topic, has excellent reporting, great stories, and uses simple ads.

sergers 10y ago

My wife who doesn't even drive, told me about the arrow(I bet she saw it online) just 2 weeks ago. I had no idea that's what it was for. I was very surprised that was what the arrow is for. I never really paid any attention to the direction or its purpose. I drove a loaner car today, and immediately knew which side to pull up to for gas from the arrow. Great unknown idea lol

vinhboy 10y ago

This is one example of how cars have the most horrible UI/UX ever.

cpu 10y ago
Am I the only one who saw the arrow and understood it without reading some shitty website first? Do explain, though. It's a topic I rarely hear discussed.
- dazc 10y ago
  I managed 20 years of driving without seeing the arrow, probably because I was never looking for it? I heard it mentioned on a radio show once but they said the side the tank filler was on corresponded to the nozzle on the pump icon - no mention of an arrow. I still didn't notice an arrow until the time the nozzle on the icon actually didn't correspond to the filler tank.
  - masklinn 10y ago
    > I managed 20 years of driving without seeing the arrow, probably because I was never looking for it? Or because most cars historically haven't had it. I've only seen it in relatively recent cars (last 5 years maybe?) and even then not on all of them. > I heard it mentioned on a radio show once but they said the side the tank filler was on corresponded to the nozzle on the pump icon - no mention of an arrow. That one's not actually true, at least not consistently. Sometimes it works sometimes it does not so it's useless. The arrow, when present, is always correct.
    - ajdlinux 10y ago
      It may not have been used as consistently, but I've definitely seen the indicator arrow on cars that are over 25 years old.
    - theandrewbailey 10y ago
      I have a 2006 Chevy Impala, and the arrow is there. I had it for about two years before reading about the arrow and never noticed ("saw") it, but now it's the first thing I notice when looking at another car's instrument panel.

nullc 10y ago

If there is no little arrow, it's usually on the same side of the gauge cluster as the gauge itself is...

yetihehe 10y ago
My opel from 2004 doesn't have that triangle and fuel gauge is in center of cluster... Fuel cap is on right (passenger) side like in almost all opels.
sithadmin 10y ago
One particularly odd exception I've encountered: lots of older Buick models have the fuel door hidden under the rear license plate. The rear license plate on these models is mounted on a hinged bracket that folds down to expose the fuel port, which isn't obvious at all by appearance. I found myself rather confused by this when I noticed at a glance that my grandmother's car didn't seem to have anywhere to put fuel in it.
- stoic 10y ago
  Our old '77 Cadillac had the same feature. I always had Batman fantasies about that thing.

russdill 10y ago

It wasn't always true. Only in the past decade or so have newer cars standardized on that iconology.

gadders 10y ago

That doesn't work in all cases, certainly not on my Honda.

dionidium 10y ago
What model/year? I've never seen a car that didn't have this.
- gadders 10y ago
  2005 CRV, UK model.

woliveirajr 10y ago

> (...) for cars that use a mechanical, cable-operated internal release for the fuel filler, it’s much easier to have the release be on the same side as the fuel filler flap (...) The position of the mechanism that you use to unlock it can also give you a clue, on those vehicles where there isn't any arrow.