My idea, all mine!

In message , Guy King writes

I had a similar idea about the cigarette lighter. Again, all cars have them, but they're much less useful now. Let's admit that it is not a cigarette lighter at all, it is really a power socket for your SatNav/Handsfree mobile phone/mini vacuum cleaner/whatever. Keep the socket because it's a standard size and we all have gizmos that use it, but replace the ciggy lighter that just gets lost anyway with something truly universally useful. I thought a torch, as you did.

Ideally it would be a little tiny robot that pops out when the engine is switched off and the car is motionless for at least ten minutes. It would clean up all the crumbs and sweet wrappers and other crud my kids leave behind, and wipe the dust off the dash and sticky fingerprints off the windows and everywhere else, it would turn off any interior lights that have been left on, wind the windows up fully when they have been left down a crack, and leave a little post-it-note stuck to the steering wheel if the petrol is getting low and I don't seem to have noticed.

actually new cars don't all come with an ashtray, I tried an Auris the other day, the ashtray was wrapped up as an accessory in the glove box and could be fitted into a cupholder if you wanted, so sorry you are too late.

Mrcheerful

In article , Guy King generously decided to share with us..

They should also come with an optional ashtray on the right of the driver to stop the right-handed driver having to reach across the wheel with their right hand whilst smoking..

Naah.. sod it.. just use the ashtray when the floor is full like anyone sensible..

The rear ashtray in the Focus unclips to enable the fitting of a Ford CD wallet, complete with a pen.

Chris

Smoke left handed, that's what I used to do.

That too.

I keep a pound coin in mine, and for some undoubtedly bizarre but Freudian reason a used oramge fletching from an arrow. I also keep my phobile moan in it TAAW, 'cos it's just the right shape and size for to keep a phobile moan in whilst driving. What I don't understand though, is why I might want to use my phobile moan holder as an ashtray.

M Rimmer wrote

(snip)

What a good idea, and one for indoors too.

The message from "mrcheerful ." contains these words:

Damn!

The message from M Rimmer contains these words:

I'd love a crawler than pops out when the car's parked to clean the inside of the windscreen. Sometimes getting it smear-free is a sod and with a low sun it's very distracting.

The message from Sena contains these words:

My phone's just the wrong shape to fit in the little pocket next to the clock on the Mundane. Said pocket takes SD cards from the radio nicely though.

When I bought my car - I specified a no-smoking package - came with most of the things you suggested.... A FIAT by the way !

;-)

Graham

The ashtray on the Octavia was kept indoors, until I realised perfectly decent clutch-action pencils were vanishing into the void beneath the ashtray, never to be seen again.

I'd not say no to a clock in my car. That's mainly why I like to keep my phobile handy, because the car doesn't have a clock.

On most cars the ashtray is unsuited for what it's meant for too - it's too small and in the wrong place.

There's a much better power socket about the same size (OK - slightly smaller) as a cigar lighter, but I can't unforget exactly what they're called, although I did specify loads of these for a fleet of jbex cars a few years ago. The inner connector was a bullet connector, and the whole thing would comfortably carry 10A or so indefinitely. Some cigar lighter plugs will adapt to these by removing a plastic bit.

The 'bullet' connector relies on side springs to molish contact, rather than a simple butt connection.

It's already done, you must buy either cheap or crap cars!

The message from "Trevor" contains these words:

Just old bangers. I've never bought a new car in my life and I don't intend to start now.

In the Olden Days, when me dad were a smoker, he never used the ashtray. When he smoked in the car, he had the window open a bit and flicked ash out of the small gap.

Hella?