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Spent an hour on the cruise control in the Mini last week, rolled to a stop off a sliproad and almost stalked before remembering it was a manual
Auto or manual
- Thread starter Mr mondeo
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Spent an hour on the cruise control in the Mini last week, rolled to a stop off a sliproad and almost stalked before remembering it was a manual
I suppose. Does still seem weird to me though. Do people who are used to driving autos forget to use the clutch and jam the car in gear with an agonizing crunch whenever they borrow a manual?
Maybe!
I've had instances where I've nearly forgot and caught it at the last moment.
I think it depends a lot person to person though - some very much slip into habit others are very procedural and seem like they have a running checklist in their mind even after the 1000th time of doing something (probably the kind of people who make good pilots).
Oh yeah I know that! We all got into the car and m dad was ready to set off when my mother ‘reminded’ us we forgot our jackets, so jumped out to go get them. Hence with the engine started, no gear.I always park in gear in a manual, whether the car has a handbrake which works really well or not.
It feels wrong to me not to do it... If I'm in someone elses car and they park on a hill and don't leave the car in gear it pains me. (Sometimes I just knock it into gear myself as I get out...
A handbrake can fail whether auto or manual. I think an electronic handbrake failure is more likely than a handbrake cable snapping or a metal ratchet mechanism slipping though.
we ended up putting a plank of wood behind it ever since.
Our mechanic told us something about manuals being more prone to failure as you can pull them more than needed which can make them fail quicker.
Its probably some and some. Handbrakes on autos will fail because they never get used.
Spent an hour on the cruise control in the Mini last week, rolled to a stop off a sliproad and almost stalked before remembering it was a manual
I guess so, I've had two cars at a time for a few years now, sometimes they are quite different from one another, clutch bite points in totally different places, indicators on the other side, power steering vs no power steering, auto vs manual, foot operated parking brake vs hand operated, etc.
The only issues I have are occasionally flicking the wipers on instead of indicating or vice versa. Oh and sometimes I will reach for the window switches on the centre console when they're on the door.
The rest is like flicking a switch in my head. Even when I had my first auto I -never- instinctively went for the clutch or the gearstick. I thought it would happen all the time, but it didn't!
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I welcome electronic handbrakes for the reasons mentioned above.
Standard MOT failure (and therefore pointless expense) for years for me on lots of cars was the handbrake not working due to not being used since....the last MOT. It’d then seize again before the next one. Yes I should probably action it from time to time to keep it working, but in reality I never did and it’d never work for the MOT.
Standard MOT failure (and therefore pointless expense) for years for me on lots of cars was the handbrake not working due to not being used since....the last MOT. It’d then seize again before the next one. Yes I should probably action it from time to time to keep it working, but in reality I never did and it’d never work for the MOT.
I would like to own a carby somewhen, I still need to tick that off... If I got one I would want one with a manual choke though, not because I think it is better, but because it gives me another part of the experience I missed out on.
It's a pain in the backside, my last bike was carbed and a manual choke is just another thing I had to think about while trying to ride. Much prefer auto choke just get in/on and go.
Soldato
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I doubt people would have removed the auto choke if they felt it was working properly, but I could be wrong! I think most of the time the change from auto to manual choke was a necessary part of the process when upgrading to an aftermarket carb like a weber. Or people converted to a manual choke when the auto choke was playing up, because it was easier than trying to get it working properly!
I would like to own a carby somewhen, I still need to tick that off... If I got one I would want one with a manual choke though, not because I think it is better, but because it gives me another part of the experience I missed out on.
Auto chokes used to run awful back in the day, loads of people binned them. My daily for a few years recently was my MGB and the manual choke was fine (when properly set up), Full choke to start, then push in to half, then once I got off the estate/junctions. All the way in. I fitted a new choke cable that was too chinesey and the locking bit bust, so I had to use clothes pegs for a week, until I took the locking bit from the old one.
Soldato
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Why would you not use your handbrake?
Soldato
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Most cars with auto don't need you to interact with it. Its simply a backup system for the parkpawl in the transmission.
I never touch mine for example.
Is it me or are the VAG electronic handbrake mechanisms really noisy? My girlfriend's Leon goes MEEEOW as she parks up, and my neighbours either side of me both have Passats. I know who is coming home or going out by which direction the MEEEOW comes from if I have my office window open
Wish my car had one though, it's great on all the cars I've driven.
Except an old Insignia where it couldn't decide whether it should automatically release or not. Vauxhall though I guess.
Wish my car had one though, it's great on all the cars I've driven.
Except an old Insignia where it couldn't decide whether it should automatically release or not. Vauxhall though I guess.
Sure but I would want one because of the extra faff, for the experience of having it.
The novelty might wear off.
Are you sure you aren't being trolled by some cats?Is it me or are the VAG electronic handbrake mechanisms really noisy? My girlfriend's Leon goes MEEEOW as she parks up, and my neighbours either side of me both have Passats. I know who is coming home or going out by which direction the MEEEOW comes from if I have my office window open
Wish my car had one though, it's great on all the cars I've driven.
Except an old Insignia where it couldn't decide whether it should automatically release or not. Vauxhall though I guess.
Soldato
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Soldato
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Haha clothes peg on the choke, I remember having to do that!
Happy days
I still keep a few in the glove box just incase
prefer manual as it gives you more control... though currently using an auto.. especially for London its more beneficial.
I'd recommend anyone to go manual first when they start driving as i believe it allows the person to understand how a car works and if something happens, its easier to find out whats wrong, than if you drive a auto
I'd recommend anyone to go manual first when they start driving as i believe it allows the person to understand how a car works and if something happens, its easier to find out whats wrong, than if you drive a auto
Not sure i follow, a handbrake is not something my wife or i have ever used, as far as i am concerned it is only really there for legislative purposes. To be honest i doubt that my wife even knows how to switch our handbrakes on (our BMW has a little button which i doubt that she has ever touched, and our Mercedes has a discrete little third pedal high up in the footwell combined with a little pull release thing below the steering column, which i'd bet she doesn't even know is there). Putting them into P locks the transmission anyway, the car cant move.
Indeed, at least with electronic versions handbrake systems are finally put to bed.
Without adding "in a car with an automatic transmission" on the end you sound like you and your wife exist in a seperate plane of reality.
You should still use it from time to time so it hasn't broken come MOT time though. Even if that is the only reason. Things could seize up etc from lack of use.
Soldato
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Sorry, with the handbrake I thought you meant a manual version, I thought that auto handbrakes automatically came on. I'm not sure if trust just leaving a car in P, infact I'm sure that's why whenever you see a USA TV program on the cars wobble front to back as the handbrake isn't on.
Interesting to learn that USA golf's don't have to have the dct type boxes, rather the 8 speed tc
also used in eu bmw's, opel corsa, 308 -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AWF8F35
also used in eu bmw's, opel corsa, 308 -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AWF8F35