Door handles...did you ever wonder?

2011G6E · 09-09-2012, 04:13 PM

OK, a couple of photos first to illustrate a point:
Remember these?

Now walk out to your Falcon or whatever, and you will see something like this...

Ever wonder why flush-fitting door handles were replaced by "sticking out" door handles?

It went in a cycle...cars door handles used to stick out from the bodywork, then around the seventies and eighties, cars all went to "flush fitting" door handles. It was widely advertised as a safety feature by manufacturers...if the car rolled or was side-swiped, then there was a pretty good chance a flush-fitting door handle would still be able to allow the door to be opened, unlike the old type which would probably be knocked off or damaged more easily. This was especially trumpeted by four wheel drive makers, because roll overs or brushing against a tree or a post was something more likely to happen out off road.

Then things changed in the sometime after the year 2000...cars started to appear with door handles that stuck out from the bodywork again. No mention was made of safety or a real reason why, but it happened.
You ever wonder why? It's one for a trivia night.

Back when four wheel drives began to become "SUV's" in America, they decided to try and sell them to a much larger market than the "traditional" off roaders and farmers and people on the land.
A female head of production design at, I think, Ford was quoted on a documentary about SUV's as saying she wanted to increase sales to, especially, women by pushing "safety" and "you're up high above the traffic", and so on (even though they're actually less safe than a car).
So she actually got her designers and engineers to all dress up as women, and then climb in and out of SUV's and see what they noticed...things like dresses getting caught on seat adjusters, door catches, high heels snagging on things, etc.

One thing they noticed, and which this woman was very proud of having introduced across the board, was the removal of flush-fitting door handles that meant you had to put your fingers up underneath to open, because it meant you might break your long fingernails! They did away with flush fitting door handles, and went to ones that stood out from the body in a loop, so that women didn't break thier fingernails!

So, what had been a well-accepted safety design, was removed purely for fashions sake, and she was very proud of the fact that it had been her idea.

Form over function, fashion over safety.

Unbelievable.

BigCav · 09-09-2012, 04:28 PM

give me an fg handle over an xf handle any day of the week, ill sacrifice that 1 in a million safety factor for function any day, and no not long nails lol just everyday useability

H.G · 09-09-2012, 04:31 PM

Im suprised FORD had any financial issues with the amount of times I have to replace the door handles on my XF, and my mates with thier XD's, and XE's..

**SSD-85** · 09-09-2012, 04:39 PM

I fail to see how protruding door handles were any less safe than flush ones.

Except XD-XF ones, which could incite the desire to murder...

I dare say it was simply a marketing gimmick to palm off cars at the time...

Nikked · 09-09-2012, 04:45 PM

Protruding door handles are a egonomic feature, its easier to grab the handle.

I call BS on the fingernail story.

**DJM83** · 09-09-2012, 04:46 PM

Oh dear the amount of door handles i replaced on my 2 XF falcons

I actually liked the door handle on AU/BF falcons, that said i dont mind the one on my Focus

madwag · 09-09-2012, 04:49 PM

my 94 verada had protruding handles... ahead of the times and a girly car i guess.
haha

Nic302ef · 09-09-2012, 04:56 PM

The amount of protruding landcruiser handles ive seen brocked or missing because of being knocked off or pulled to hard is amazing. Au style handles are the best imo.

The hand story wouldnt surprise me..... also there may be a nasty spider who has decided to take refuge under there.

fat4D · 09-09-2012, 05:02 PM

I'd love to see falcon move to open by touch panels instead of handles

Coyote mk3 · 09-09-2012, 05:04 PM

One thing I hate about the newer cars is the grab style door handles.
Best ones I think are the flush AU-BF.

Ben73 · 09-09-2012, 06:30 PM

If my door handle was knocked of in a crash, there is probably a decent chance my window would not be intact.

I don't like the ones in flush with the body. I'd take grab ones any day of the week.

Neale · 09-09-2012, 06:38 PM

Never really thought about door handles like that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Form over function, fashion over safety.

Just like high heels,

Ford_The_Win · 09-09-2012, 06:38 PM

One thing I hated about the old chrome lift up door handles is how hot they used to get in summer. Had to open the door using the bottom of your shirt as a glove. Don't miss that!

**SSD-85** · 09-09-2012, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

One thing I hated about the old chrome lift up door handles is how hot they used to get in summer. Had to open the door using the bottom of your shirt as a glove. Don't miss that!

Nah, thats what prepared you for the steering wheel...

duaned · 09-09-2012, 06:45 PM

I absolutley love the door handles on the FG. The ones on the Au-BF are so outdated without a doubt would not suit the FG shape in my opinion. I would be interested in eyeballing a photoshop though!

b2tf · 09-09-2012, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fat4D

I'd love to see falcon move to open by touch panels instead of handles

Heh heh, imagine it - taking the car into Ford cos the door wont open unless you touch the side mirror in just the right spot.

Response would be 'they're all like that'.

STINKY NINJA · 09-09-2012, 07:36 PM

Got a few genuine xd door handles if anybodys chasing...

I know how reliable they are,especially if you give a lift to one of your drunk mates("sorry man heres your door handle i just tore it off the hinges")

AU101 · 09-09-2012, 09:18 PM

I also pondered this, why they have gone back to the protruding door handles,
The ones on the AU - BF look so nice and streamlined.

You see people go out of their way when respraying a car to try and "shave" all the little bits n pieces off, like keylocks, side indicators etc, I think people prefer the streamlined look,

**supershifty** · 09-09-2012, 09:46 PM

+100 on the XD/E/F/G/H door handles - I often wonder why I bother putting the bloody door cards back on!

Nice logic on the theory 2011G6E - I reckon that's probably close to the truth!

Cheers!

Bossxr8 · 09-09-2012, 09:54 PM

deleted

2011G6E · 09-09-2012, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by supershifty

+100 on the XD/E/F/G/H door handles - I often wonder why I bother putting the bloody door cards back on!

Nice logic on the theory 2011G6E - I reckon that's probably close to the truth!

Cheers!

Not a theory, it was from the horses mouth on an American documentary about the rise and fall of the SUV around the late nineties to the early 2000's, when the big companies were stuck with hundreds of acres of unsold gas guzzlers when the fickle public started to want smaller cars, and the makers had spent all their bucks on tooling up to build masses of trucks that people no longer wanted in such numbers.
I have been trying to find a link to it or something else on the net, but as hard as it might be for some younger people to believe, not everything is archived on the internet somewhere and there are some things you just can't find...

EDIT: This is about as close as I can come...perhaps this was it? Not sure though.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontl.../synopsis.html

Nic302ef · 10-09-2012, 12:38 AM

whats next.... steering wheels converted to two joysticks so its shaped more like a mans ***** so the women can get her nails all the way around it

Moby Vic · 10-09-2012, 06:02 AM

Another reason for reverting to the grab-type handle is that the elderly have difficulty with the flush-fitting nailbreaker type (and aging baby boomers buy new vehicles).

tranquilized · 10-09-2012, 05:54 PM

How interesting, I remember wondering about this a while back and found it strange. I think Mitsubishi were among the first to go back to the pull-type handles on the second generation Magna.

And all of the XD-XF owners out there - next time your handle breaks, replace your door hinge bushes, locks and latches as well - you wont have any door handle problems for years. Think of it as fixing the problem instead of the symptom.

Olbucko · 01-11-2012, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tranquilized

How interesting, I remember wondering about this a while back and found it strange. I think Mitsubishi were among the first to go back to the pull-type handles on the second generation Magna.

And all of the XD-XF owners out there - next time your handle breaks, replace your door hinge bushes, locks and latches as well - you wont have any door handle problems for years. Think of it as fixing the problem instead of the symptom.

A squirt of MC chain oil into the latch mechinism and handle linkage tripled the life of the handles to.

homegrown · 01-11-2012, 06:14 PM

When I worked at Holdens during the start of the VE production, I was told never to press my thumbs on the sheet metal of the door when openening the new grab style handle as it can slightly push and warp the metal door. Its just habit at first but got used to not doing it.

robbyj · 01-11-2012, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AU101

You see people go out of their way when respraying a car to try and "shave" all the little bits n pieces off, like keylocks, side indicators etc, I think people prefer the streamlined look,

Little bit hard to see, cant find a larger picture.

jakkes · 01-11-2012, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tranquilized

How interesting, I remember wondering about this a while back and found it strange. I think Mitsubishi were among the first to go back to the pull-type handles on the second generation Magna.

And all of the XD-XF owners out there - next time your handle breaks, replace your door hinge bushes, locks and latches as well - you wont have any door handle problems for years. Think of it as fixing the problem instead of the symptom.

and replace the rivet that holds the lever to the lever body with a ss screw/bolt
never broke again

the internal part of the catch (inside the door part) is were all the trouble is has to be modifyd

Falcman0o7 · 01-11-2012, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H.G

Im suprised FORD had any financial issues with the amount of times I have to replace the door handles on my XF, and my mates with thier XD's, and XE's..

There really wasn't much quality at all on the XD XE and XF was there.
From a solid XC strait to a XD is a HUGE difference then the quality came back after the XF, The EA onwards is pretty good.
Door handles, indicators held in place with a spring, bonnet hinges

, 4 T10 globes that lit up the dash at night from the outside, door hinges, door frames, door rubbers, door panels, holly crap!

Falcman0o7 · 01-11-2012, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tranquilized

How interesting, I remember wondering about this a while back and found it strange. I think Mitsubishi were among the first to go back to the pull-type handles on the second generation Magna.

And all of the XD-XF owners out there - next time your handle breaks, replace your door hinge bushes, locks and latches as well - you wont have any door handle problems for years. Think of it as fixing the problem instead of the symptom.

I've had 16 of the D E and F and NEVER broke a handle, as soon as I got the car the hinges and latches would be ajusted then lubed. Sweet as