Imagine you're driving your brand new car. The sun is shining and the wind is in your hair. You're jamming out to your favorite song and life couldn't be better. Then, you go to change the station on your infotainment system and your finger grazes the cheap, hard plastic of the controller. It's an instant mood-killer. You paid good money for this car, and yet it feels like it was put together with dollar store materials. It's a frustrating experience that far too many people have had. Car manufacturers need to stop making touch points out of cheap materials in order to provide their customers with a better experience. It's a small change that could make a big difference.

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Experiencing a luxury car should be an event. Every time you get in, it should feel special. Something that manufacturers seem to have forgotten in recent years is that people actually touch the inside of their cars. A lot. And yet, they continue to make many of the most frequently touched surfaces out of cheap, scratchy materials that feel more at home in a budget econobox. Even worse, these materials often look just as cheap as they feel. It's time for carmakers to step up and start using higher quality materials for touch points like the infotainment controller. It's a small change that would make a big difference in the overall feel of the experience. And it might just help luxury car buyers remember why they chose to spend more in the first place.

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I'm sick and tired of touching cheap, flimsy plastic every time I want to change the radio station. It's like car manufacturers are intentionally making interior touch points out of the cheapest possible material, and it's really starting to get on my nerves. I know that accountants are in charge at big companies and they're all about making a profit, but I don't understand why they're penny-pinching on something like this. The interior of a car is one of the most important selling points for customers, so you would think that manufacturers would want to make it as high-quality as possible. But apparently not.

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I know accountants run the show at big companies and it's all about profits, but that's one point I don't understand saving a few cents on. Knobs rattle and move on their axis, wobble and spin more easily than they should. When I'm driving, I want to feel like everything in my car is solid and secure, not like I'm going to break something if I adjust the AC too vigorously. That's why I think manufacturers should start using higher quality materials for things like infotainment controllers--it would make the driving experience more pleasant and luxurious, without costing that much more.

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When you think of Maserati, chances are you envision a sleek, luxurious Italian sports car. So it may come as a surprise to learn that the company has been using parts from less glamorous vehicles in recent years. In particular, the window switches in the Maserati Ghibli have been sourced from the Dodge Caravan. While this may be a cost-saving measure, it's also a disappointment to customers who expect the highest levels of quality and craftsmanship from Maserati. The use of Dodge Caravan parts is especially glaring in the Ghibli's luxurious red interior, which smells of rich Italian leather. For many customers, this cheapens the overall experience and fails to live up to the Maserati name.

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I go to a lot of car shows. Part of the reason I go is to see the new technologies that manufacturers are debuting in their cars. And one thing I always do when I'm at a car show is test out the infotainment systems. I specifically wiggle the knobs and buttons, to see how well they're put together. And almost every single time, the knob wobbles all over the place. It's inexcusable. If manufacturers are going to put these expensive infotainment systems in their cars, they need to make sure that the switches and knobs feel solid and well-made. That way, when customers are actually using them, they'll have a good experience. Otherwise, it's just a waste of money.

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Car makers are always looking for ways to save a few dollars, and yes, one of the easiest ways to do so is by using cheap materials for interior features. Volume controllers, windshield wiper stalks and window buttons are all relatively inexpensive to manufacture, but they can make a big difference in the look and feel of a car. People who notice these cheap materials on a expensive car are likely to assume that other aspects of the car are also cheaply made. As a result, car makers should be careful about using cheap materials on visible parts of the car. Even if the rest of the vehicle is well-built, the use of cheap materials can give the impression of a cheaply made product.

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In a well-built luxury car, every detail matters. Switches and coat hooks are damped to give a feeling of solidity, and the overall impression is one of quality craftsmanship. However, in a $70,000 Mercedes, even the smallest details can be substandard. For example, the Mercedes Comand knob is notoriously wobbly, and this can be a major source of frustration for drivers. It's simply not acceptable in a car at this price point.

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A Mercedes should be the epitome of luxury, but when you get behind the wheel and see the cheap plastic Comand knob wobbling around, it's a huge letdown. It's such a small detail, but it makes the whole car feel less solid and luxurious. It's not just that the knob is made of cheap plastic, it's also that it's poorly designed and feels flimsy. It's so bad, in fact, that aftermarket options exist to either replace the knob or make it move more smoothly and feel more securely. That's simply embarassing, Mercedes.

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And it's not just about the materials used - it's about the overall feeling of solidity and strength. A well-built car just feels more substantial, like it could take a beating and keep on going. In contrast, a cheaply built car feels flimsy and insubstantial. It's the difference between a car that's built to last and one that's built to fall apart. And when you're paying top dollar for a luxury car, you expect it to be built to last. So while I understand that some cost-cutting was necessary to keep the price down, I can't help but feel disappointed by the wobbly Comand knob. It's a small thing, but it makes a big impression.

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So yes, automakers, we know you need to save money. The shareholders need to be happy, and you need to justify to the board why you should stick a twin-turbo V8 into the car. But for the love of God, pinch the pennies behind the scenes. Spend the extra $1.50 and make the knob aluminum with proper damping. You'll stop us from writing about this once and for all!