Several years ago, during a trip to a gas station, I learned that not all people know the small arrow on modern fuel gauges points to the side of the vehicle that the fuel door is on. It felt good to point it out and give the driver a tip that will always help him in the future. I recently received a similar awakening – from myself.
As humans, we’re creatures of habit. We follow the same routines because they’re familiar and functional. Once we get into a certain groove physically, it can be hard to get out of it mentally. You’ve gone down the same path to the same destination so many times that your perspective has narrowed. You hardly even need to look where you’re going, but that also means you’re not moving your head and seeing the potential different routes near you.
Driving away from your house is a great example of this. If you’ve had your vehicle for more than a few days, you probably have your own sequence before you hit the road. Here’s mine: Get in my Hyundai Sonata, put my foot on the brake, press the start button, place my wallet next to the 12-volt outlet and flip its cover to the left to hold my wallet in place, connect the USB-A charging cord to my iPhone to get Apple CarPlay started, put on my seat belt, press the Auto Hold button, then press the R button to shift into reverse.
I usually keep my car’s panoramic sunroof shade closed in the morning because I want as many layers between me and the Arizona sun as possible. But it was gray and cloudy a few mornings ago, a nice change of pace from the blazing heat we’ve had lately, so I decided I’d pull the shade back. Ever since I bought my car in October 2023, I couldn’t understand why every time I pulled back on the switch to open the shade, it not only opened that but the sunroof as well. I would then close the sunroof and get the ceiling full of tinted glass I wanted initially. That gloomy day, I learned what had been causing my frustration: operator error.
Instead of using separate controls for the shade and the sunroof panel, Hyundai combines the controls for both of them. I always pulled back on the switch too hard (two clicks), triggering both to open. A lighter touch (one click) is required to retract the shade only—something I’ve finally developed after nearly two years. It was a humbling lesson, but it taught me something I can enjoy for years to come.
What about you? Is there a feature in your vehicle it took you too long to discover? If so, share it with us in the Comments section below.