Is there anything more annoying than holding a button down for several seconds while your windows roll down? Sure, plenty. But this is a small problem that’d be easy to solve.
In 2019, almost every new vehicle comes with power windows. Though not all; you can still spec a 2020 model year work truck with cranks. (I checked.) Otherwise, a driver’s window switch is often “automatic,” meaning you press it once and it goes all the way down. I’m guessing you’ve experienced this before and never even thought about it. It’s nice when you’re commuting through a toll-both or pigging out in a drive-thru, isn’t it?
Some cars have one-touch driver and passenger windows, including my 14-year-old Acura. It’s nothing newfangled. But still today, only really fancy stuff has it on all four window switches that the driver can reach. Why isn’t that standard with all power windows?
I mean, I’m asking that somewhat rhetorically, because I know the answer: automakers will do whatever it takes to minimise production cost and maximise profits. Roadshow actually did a post about this last summer and explained that besides the unit cost, there are also some regulations complicating “express-up” or one-touch-up window functionality. But I’d be OK with four-window auto down even if I had to hold the button again to close each window.
At any rate, I don’t really care that car companies would lose a little money giving me this feature. I want my windows down and I went them down now, damn it!
I feel like I’m typically running my car’s windows in one of two configurations: all closed, or all wide open, letting that sweet smoggy street air fly through the cabin. In such a scenario, it’s mildly inconvenient to hold down more than one button. Hence, the sweetness of four auto-down switches.
In the meantime, a few seconds of casual Googling yielded at least one aftermarket option to satisfy my one-touch window desires–accessory superstore AutoLöc (anybody remember its ads from tuner car mags?) has a unit it lists for $US40 ($59) per window but FYI the customer service person on the site’s chat line promised a discount if you wanted a set of four.
My crippling laziness will probably prevent me from actually installing something like that in any of my cars, but nevertheless, I wish this was a thing that’d start being standard fare on new cars.
The sooner it happens, the sooner I’ll be able to get it in a cheap Craigslist special!