Volkswagen doesn't swap signal/wiper levers?

[wai]

The conversion from LDH to RHD also causes some design issues.

Volvo designed their engines so that the intakes were on the LHS and the exhaust was on the RHS. No problem for LHD cars, but when the steering assembly (complete with rubber donut coupling) was moved to the RHS, the exhaust temperature caused premature ageing of the coupling and they failed. Volvo had to mount a recall where they fitted a heat shield to reduce the heat effects on the rubber steering coupling.

But we are wandering

[Guest001]

Then there was the Columbo car (Pugeot 203 I think) that had a completely different column shift pattern. Also, on automatics, you have the Dodge (and others) that had press button controls rather than a floor or column shifter. My brother had an earlier Honda CRV that had a column mountes selector and it was very dangerous as it did not take much of a bump to cause the lever to change into neutral. Many early column shifters required you to pull the lever towards you before it would move out of the selected position to avoid this, but not the Honda.

It is quite a minefield and quite incredible that despite all the different shift patterns and systems, the foot pedals have remained the same.

HA ha when we went to America this year my wife (blonde ) said are the pedals opposite as well ROFLMAO

[Marakai]

However, steering wheels were already on the left in Sweden, and there were about a million cars registered in 1967. Back in 1971 Oz had 4 million cars registered, and now has around 16.5 million. Given the associated infrastructure changes needed, the change won't happen unless India, Japan and the UK change as well, leaving us stranded with RHD.

India has LHD?! I thought they just drive wherever! I mean have you *seen* some of those videos on Youtube about your average day in Bombay traffic?

[Marakai]

HA ha when we went to America this year my wife (blonde ) said are the pedals opposite as well ROFLMAO

In defence of your wife, we *are* talking about a major country that still uses imperial measurement and where you can get guns more easily than healthcare, so she wasn't all off-base... (I say as one married to a yank and who used to have a greencard)

[Lindsay]

Holden ZC Vectra's produced in the UK (2002-2004) for Australian delivery had the indicator on the right hand side. Later production (2004/5-2007) came from Germany & I believe still had the indicator on the right.

AH Astras also had the same stalks. They were designed so that they could be converted from right-to-left hand drive with just a coding change. Therefore both stalks actually do exactly the same movements (down half, down full. Up half, up full. Forward, back). This was fine for the indicator side (half being lane change, full for indicators on) but trying to set the intermittent wipers is a real PITA! First, you push the stalk up half, then wait the desired time and push down half. To adjust, you then cancel by pushing down full and doing it all over again. Sound ridiculously confusing? That's because it was...

[pologti18t]

You will be surprised to learn that in the 60s/70s european manufacturers did indeed swap the indicators for RHD

[Guest001]

In defence of your wife, we *are* talking about a major country that still uses imperial measurement and where you can get guns more easily than healthcare, so she wasn't all off-base... (I say as one married to a yank and who used to have a greencard)

She meant that was the accelerator on opposite side of brake pedal to RH drive LOL