[Closed] driving an auto

All the hire ones I have had I just braked and left it in Drive. Probably wait for someone more qualified to come along so you don't break your own car though.

I've taken to putting it in neutral with handbrake on. Interestingly (or not) the gear knob will slide without pushing the button from drive into neutral but no further (as in you can't put it in reverse at 60mph).

Thats what I've been doing intuitively, but a torque converter can't wear out can it?

My wife had automatics as company cars for the last 11 years or so and leaves them in drive and brakes. Never had any problems, but the cars are traded in every three years so ymmv!

leave in drive use foot/handbrake, 20yrs in an auto not broken a converter yet....

I put my foot on the brake pedal and leave it in drive.

If I was going to be stopped for a long period of time then I would put it into Park and put the hand brake on.

neutral and parking brake - don't dazzle poor sap behind with your brake lights

OK, will leave in D, ta... (with handbrake)

If you leave it in drive, and your foot slips off the brake pedal it may well move off, and brake lights will annoy the driver behind,had some driving lessons in an auto many years ago, and my mate decided it was a good idea to tie my left leg to the seat so i couldnt use both feet on the pedals, stopped to get fuel went to get out and head butted the petrol pump.

And im sure you can over heat the oil in the torque convertor if you hold it in drive with thebrakes on.

On the flipside if you have a zf hp22 box if you put it in neutral at every set of light it actually burns the clutches out inside the gearbox.

Can't win.

I leave in gear and use the foot brake but I have a bmw and really don't care about the person behind.

Might start leaving in gear and using the handbrake, atleast then it might be functional for the next mot as I only ever leave it in park.

Definitely neutral and handbrake as leaving your brake lights on to dazzle the driver behind (much more of a problem with more modern cars and especially so those with LED lights) is just totally unnecessary lazyness.

Sorry it's a pet hate of mine!

On my Merc I just have to press the brake pedal down a bit harder as I come to a halt and it applies the parking brake, so I can take my foot off the brake pedal and still leave it in D. When the lights change I just press the accelerator and drive off. Clever, but prone to problems and recalls!

Does a rear brake light really annoy the person behind? doesn't bother me. I rarely put my DSG box in neutral and put the handbrake on when in traffic as the brake lever is under the arm rest and pain to put on .

You won't burn the torque converter with your foot on the brake in D with the engine idling.

If you have put a lot of energy into the brakes and sit with your foot on the brakes at rest, then you can run the risk of warping your discs as the brakes cool.

Some modern autos will have auto hold function which applies the brakes and cancels creep, so you can release the brakes whilst in D, and the car will remain still until you press the accelerator. Although if you've got a torque converter auto I'm not sure they have that function, DCT's can though. Edit, looks like pembo has just confirmed that torque converter autos do have auto hold.

I've taken on my newer BMW to slip it into Neutral and using the foot brake, my older one just left it in D and used the foot brake.

I take mine out of drive if I'm stopping for more than a few seconds because... of the brake light thing. Yes. Nothing to do with an irrational fear that I'll randomly lose consciousness for no apparent reason, causing my foot to slip off the brake pedal, thereby allowing the car to slide itself into the path of an oncoming truck or bus. No. Definitely not that. It's the brake light thing, yes. 😯

and brake lights will annoy the driver behind

Blimey I must have very thick skin. Is it possible to get annoyed by that?

cheers_drive - Member
Does a rear brake light really annoy the person behind? doesn't bother me.

Yes, it really does annoy me, depending on how bright the brake lights are. Also, it seems to be much worse if you're on a bike. It's up there with badly set up dazzling headlights in terms of annoyance. Grrr.

Read the cars manual. Auto version of my Mondeo the manual says leave in D and holdthe footbrake on. Cant imagine a new torque converter is more than a new clutch and dmf!

Dullest cars in the world autos. Hate with a passion.

Can't wait to get rid of mine.

Read the cars manual.

Whhhhhhhaaaaaat??????

As an upside Automatic gearbox cars have 50% less rear end shunts than manual gearbox cars, due to the aforementioned drivers sitting there blinding everyone with their brake lights!

Thinking outside the box, what does the owners manual say?

Come on, I'm a bloke, thats a last resort right?

Yeah RTFM is the last resort!

I have to say, I am very surprised that I didn't receive a definitive answer here very quickly 😉

Sorry that was just me being stupid, FWIW I leave the wifes in drive and hold the footbrake on

Had a hire c220 a few weeks ago, just left it in drive.....then I floored the ****ed and made it scream 🙂

Same on my Merc, leave in drive and dab brake to hold. Drop into park if a long wait though.

Merc hold in drive - a wonderful thing! Just annoying that the Mrs Honda doesn't have it.

The recalls were with SBC not the hold mechanism and Merc discontinued SBC around 2005.

I shift into neutral as recommended in my manual (Leon DSG box)

Auto hold on BMW leave the brake lights on, it essentially applies the handbrake for you (and releases when you press the accelerator). Not sure if the lights stay on if you put the handbrake on yourself while the car is still in drive.

Neutral and handbrake if going to be sat there more than about 30 secs (like if the lights have just changed to red) and there's already a car behind. Else leave it in D and on the footbrake.

One thing that you will notice compared to a manual is that it will eat brakes. My big Honda accord Tourer loved the things every 10 to 12 months. Very relaxing to drive in traffic and with cruise its weird when it changes up itself to resume. I would have another if I was doing a lot of motorway miles. More reliable than a DMF and can handle big torque's.

Does a rear brake light really annoy the person behind? doesn't bother me. I rarely put my DSG box in neutral and put the handbrake on when in traffic as the brake lever is under the arm rest and pain to put on .

YES IT EFFIN' DOES! There's nothing more irritating than being stuck behind some muppet who sits with his brake lights on. Even worse is the muppet who sits with an indicator flashing uselessly. Use the handbrake and turn on the indicator (assuming you're not driving a BMW) only when you need to indicate your intentions to other drivers.

Really guys. If bright lights and flashing lights annoy you, being on the road is not for you I'm afraid.

Try riding a bike on the road, that'll give you a whole different perspective on what is actually annoying.

I think it's a bit inconsiderate to stand on the brakes when stationary, especially now we have a set of LEDs at eye level, and LEDs can be bright but it is indicative of the person driving the car.
Rear Fogs really get my goats especially in traffic. As a rule if you can see my headlights turns your fogs off.
Oh and Motorbikes on full beam. Yes, i fully support lights on to be seen but full beam. Grrrrr

I just roll my right hand forward as I approach the lights and use either bar-mounted brake to hold my position, then simply release the brake lever and twist the throttle to go again lifting my feet back up as I pull away.

Drive + footbrake if it's a short wait. Park if it's at the lights or a longer wait. Handbrake?

Another neutral and handbrake (actually footbrake on my car) if it's more than a few seconds.

One thing that you will notice compared to a manual is that it will eat brakes. My big Honda accord Tourer loved the things every 10 to 12 months. Very relaxing to drive in traffic and with cruise its weird when it changes up itself to resume. I would have another if I was doing a lot of motorway miles. More reliable than a DMF and can handle big torque's

Really? My 2.7 tonne auto Land Rover redefines the word 'big' but hasn't had pads for 30k miles, nor discs for 50k. Obviously it depends on how you drive - you need to get used to the lack of engine braking and lift off much earlier, otherwise you're constantly braking.

Like others I just leave it in drive and keep my foot on the brake (unless it's a very long wait). I'm fairly certain I've only needed the brake pads replacing once in 106K miles . I doubt I'd ever go back to a manual through choice.

Auto gearbox's are a fluid principal, so you are actually causing more mechanical wear by changing "gear" if you stop. Leave it in D, you are not putting enough energy through the 'box to overheat anything.

As for the brakelights issue, I drive a Beemer so as per the standard BMW drivers manual states (the next page over from where it states that indicators are for emergency use only) I sit for hours on the brakes, which with the fogs as well allows me to see everything behind me for miles......

I don't know why anyone would choose to drive a manual these days, modern auto boxes are fantastic. Sure maybe for the track but on the road? Madness.