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My favorite bug like this was me in my buddy's 2000 VW Jetta. The car had some electrical issues, but my buddy once remarked that the windows stopped working wh

My favorite bug like this was me in my buddy's 2000 VW Jetta. The car had some electrical issues, but my buddy once remarked that the windows stopped working whenever he gave me a ride. I'm 6'4" and always slide the seat back whenever I get in a car. Turns out the circuitboard controlling the windows was under the passenger seat and had come loose. Moving the seat back caused a short, "breaking" the power windows. Turns out, the windows _did_ stop working when he gave me a ride. edit: "I have him" => "he gave me"

jacquesm 6y ago
I had a Citroen ID 19B which had a pretty neat quirk: the starter relay would only get power if you switched on the headlights. I don't know if that was on purpose or not (some primitive anti-theft device) but I left it in because it was actually a neat feature.
- ComputerGuru 6y ago
  It’s a legal requirement to have headlights on any time the car is in operation (day or night) in some territories and manufacturers had different ways of enforcing it. Some unconditionally turned on the headlights for models sold in those countries, others had special variants earmarked for export to those countries. It seems Citroen found a clever way that didn’t require too much fiddling to meet the legal requirement.
  - jacquesm 6y ago
    Not in 1968, the year that car was manufactured in, and none of the other ID's that I've seen had this particular quirk, it was either done by one of the (many) previous owners or a fluke. The wiring in those cars got very brittle over time and shorts were pretty common. That car came from France to NL (I imported it). Anyway, it was a fun gimmick and it helped to dissuade people from taking it for a ride. I never did find out if it was on purpose or accidental, that dash was not one to disassemble if you didn't need to.
    - ComputerGuru 6y ago
      Ah that would indeed be way too early for what I’m talking about; the earliest laws for mandatory operation or non-switchable daytime headlamps on a nationwide, full time basis I can find after a cursory search is Canada starting in 1989. Before that many countries had requirements that applied in certain areas or at certain times of the year (e.g. Finland on rural roads starting 1972) which would not account for such a design.
      - sokoloff 6y ago
        If you find yourself in such a car and needing to drive or have the car running with the headlights out, you might try setting just the first click of the emergency/parking brake and see if that turns the headlamps off.
        ComputerGuru 6y ago
        That is such an offbeat fact that I am glad to learn it. Thanks for sharing!

jacquesm 6y ago

I had a Citroen ID 19B which had a pretty neat quirk: the starter relay would only get power if you switched on the headlights. I don't know if that was on purpose or not (some primitive anti-theft device) but I left it in because it was actually a neat feature.

ComputerGuru 6y ago
It’s a legal requirement to have headlights on any time the car is in operation (day or night) in some territories and manufacturers had different ways of enforcing it. Some unconditionally turned on the headlights for models sold in those countries, others had special variants earmarked for export to those countries. It seems Citroen found a clever way that didn’t require too much fiddling to meet the legal requirement.
- jacquesm 6y ago
  Not in 1968, the year that car was manufactured in, and none of the other ID's that I've seen had this particular quirk, it was either done by one of the (many) previous owners or a fluke. The wiring in those cars got very brittle over time and shorts were pretty common. That car came from France to NL (I imported it). Anyway, it was a fun gimmick and it helped to dissuade people from taking it for a ride. I never did find out if it was on purpose or accidental, that dash was not one to disassemble if you didn't need to.
  - ComputerGuru 6y ago
    Ah that would indeed be way too early for what I’m talking about; the earliest laws for mandatory operation or non-switchable daytime headlamps on a nationwide, full time basis I can find after a cursory search is Canada starting in 1989. Before that many countries had requirements that applied in certain areas or at certain times of the year (e.g. Finland on rural roads starting 1972) which would not account for such a design.
    - sokoloff 6y ago
      If you find yourself in such a car and needing to drive or have the car running with the headlights out, you might try setting just the first click of the emergency/parking brake and see if that turns the headlamps off.
      - ComputerGuru 6y ago
        That is such an offbeat fact that I am glad to learn it. Thanks for sharing!