[Closed] Leave your car in gear when parked on a hill

[b]Waggle the gear stick to ensure it's not in gear.[/b] Start the car with the clutch down, then you're turning less of the transmission with the starter motor. Continue to hold the clutch in, select a gear, release the handbrake if it's a manual one, drive off.

So was waggling the gearstick.

Yeh exactly, I can't believe people are crashing into things because they don't follow the basic procedures before starting a car. It's not like there's a massive list, just a couple of things you should do.

One is the gun (Handbrake and Gear Stick)
Two seat to you
Three can I see
Four the door
Five alive

Does the company you work for not have any rules about confidentiality ?

I don't think he'll mind, he has told the story himself a number of times and laughs about it in trying to explain why dog was in driver seat.

Five alive

More of an Um Bongo man meself.

Or he crashed his car and made up bullshit story to sound 'hillarious'.

More of an Um Bongo man meself.

I live in Northumberland not the Congo.

Good advice, I always do. I used to live on a hill and the number of times walking down the road to the station I saw cars which had rolled into each other / up the kerb overnight just served as a reminder.

I live in Northumberland not the Congo

Northumbongria?

I used to live on a hill and the number of times walking down the road to the station I saw cars which had rolled into each other / up the kerb overnight just served as a reminder.

I've lived on hills before, and lived around hilly streets, and have honestly never seen this, ever.

Northumbongria?

Congomberland?

But you should check the car isn't in gear using the gear stick anyway.

Why would you release the clutch without checking if its in gear or not? I'm confused.

If you're jumping into an unfamiliar car it's sometimes hard to know where the neutral spot is in the "gate". I know most cars are spring biased towards neutral but that's not always the case.

If you're jumping into an unfamiliar car it's sometimes hard to know where the neutral spot is in the "gate"

Hehe. No it's not 😆

It's a piece of piss!

richmars - Member

Do people still press the button when applying the hand brake to avoid wearing out the ratchet?
Or is it just me?

Nope. My Ibiza was 13 years old with 274k miles on it and the ratchet was still working fine....has anyone ever 'worn out the ratchet' - and no, that's not a euphemism!

The Johnny Vaughan story is bollocks - you have to press a button to get automatic cars into drive - presumably for just this reason.
Don't you also have to have your foot on the footbrake too; unless perhaps it's a car with an auto handbrake? I rarely drive autos, but think that's the case.

If you're jumping into an unfamiliar car it's sometimes hard to know where the neutral spot is in the "gate". I know most cars are spring biased towards neutral but that's not always the case.

I would say it would be incredibly stupid for any car manufacturer to make a car that you struggled to find out if it was in neutral or not. But to check, shift into 1st then back out to find neutral, but I understand you may also struggle to find 1st 🙂

you have to press a button to get automatic cars into drive - presumably for just this reason.
Don't you also have to have your foot on the footbrake too; unless perhaps it's a car with an auto handbrake? I rarely drive autos, but think that's the case.

not from nuetral.

see also; US cops jumping into US cars driving in circles on you've been framed!

[b]Waggle the gear stick to ensure it's not in gear.[/b] Start the car with the clutch down,

What are you wiggling the gear stick for, are you expecting sudden catastrophic failure of the clutch?

You don't always get in the car, start the engine, and move off immediately. Or do you just sit with your foot on the clutch until you're ready to move off?

Feet slip off pedals - the results are similar.

Also your clutch cable or master cylinder could easily fail - so yes.

The Johnny Vaughan story is bollocks - you have to press a button to get automatic cars into drive - presumably for just this reason.

My wife's auntie watched an old lady get killed under the wheels of her own car as she got out without remembering to put it in park and it rolled forwards.

If you walk up a steep hill, its amazing how many cars are out of gear with the wheels straight.

Because the vast majority of drivers are thick as two short planks and are incapable of projecting forward even slightly in time to consider consequences.

The same people will then start the car without pressing the clutch (WHY isn't there an interlock?), or not see the slower car/bike until they're right on top of it, or park in dangerous places, or trundle past a school at 35mph - you get the point.

The same people will then start the car without pressing the clutch (WHY isn't there an interlock?)

You can't start many modern cars now without depressing the clutch.

Yup all the ones I've had for the last 11 years you need to press the clutch to start.

@footflaps - smartarse! 😉

thomthumb - Member

not from nuetral.

Ah, OK. Like I say - I am not a frequent user of automatics. When I do, I generally go from P to D, which requires a button press. Even then, the handbrake is still applied so the car doesn't start moving until that's released.

molgrips - Member

My wife's auntie watched an old lady get killed under the wheels of her own car as she got out without remembering to put it in park and it rolled forwards.

But, presumably this was the car just rolling under gravity, rather than under it's own power?
In Johnny Vaughan's case, the car must have been in neutral for the dog to knock it into drive & the handbrake must have been off...?

I thought automatics were supposed to be easy to drive!? Sounds like a lot of room for mistakes! 😉

Drac - Moderator

Yup all the ones I've had for the last 11 years you need to press the clutch to start.

Have these all had push button start or something? The only car I can think of that I have driven where you had to press the clutch in to start was a Renault Megane with a key card & push button start.

is when I've jumped out in an emergency ... not quite been at an absolute stop.

...and the e-brake's not applied...

Have these all had push button start or something?

Nope. All VAG.

Have these all had push button start or something?

Because the vast majority of drivers are thick as two short planks and are incapable of projecting forward even slightly in time to consider consequences.

Best post I've seen on here for ages and sadly 100% correct 😆

Have these all had push button start or something?

No suzuki swift, non push button start version. Although you do get versions with push button start so maybe it's easier to make them all with the 'depress clutch to start' feature.

[quote=stumpy01 ]Have these all had push button start or something?
2008 Toyota Yaris - key start

Drac - Moderator

Nope. All VAG.

Weird.

My 12 plate Ibiza (VAG) doesn't need any pedals pressing to start....

EDIT - just seen all the other replies. I obviously need to double check this. I normally start the car with foot on the clutch, but there are other times where I have either forgotten, or have leant in the car, waggled the gear stick & started the car (for example if I need to de-ice the car & don't intend to actually get in).....

I can't think of a single car we've owned where this has been necessary
Previous gen Ibiza
59 plate Peugeot 308
Ford Ka
59 plate C3 Picasso

and the Mondeo at work (07 plate) doesn't need it....I don't think...

You don't always get in the car, start the engine, and move off immediately. Or do you just sit with your foot on the clutch until you're ready to move off?

I don't start the car until I'm ready to move off. Why would you?

EDIT - I've thought of a reason, demisting. In which case, yes, I'd pull it out of gear.

Feet slip off pedals - the results are similar.

Also your clutch cable or master cylinder could easily fail - so yes.

In 25+ years of driving, I can count the number of times either of those occurrences has happened on the fingers of one foot.

I've had ibizas as hire cars in spain recently and don't think the clutch needed to be pressed to start.

I don't start the car until I'm ready to move off. Why would you?

I can think of several reasons and if you're saying you have never ever got in a car, started the engine and not moved off immediately then you're not telling the truth.

Have these all had push button start or something?

Other half's 11 year old Yaris is key start and need the clutch in to start.

Edited my post.

Point stands though - it's always in gear and I always start cars with the clutch in, so I know to always take it out of gear if I need to, no chance of any surprises. If it's never in gear and then suddenly it is, and for some bizarre reason I was in the habit of starting a manual car without the clutch in, that's where mistakes can creep in.

On my last MOT the garage discovered that my handbrake was only holding one wheel.

Could have been potentially nasty, but I generally leave the car in gear if I'm on any sort of a hill any way, so it wasn't.

it's always in gear and I always start cars with the clutch in, so I know to always take it out of gear if I need to, no chance of any surprises

I also have no chance of surprises as I check its not in gear by wiggling the gearstick. That way I'm 100% sure its not in any gear. It's not a better method just a different method of achieving the same thing. Although with my method I don't have the added task of taking it out of gear if I'm not immediately moving off 🙂

Has anybody mentioned wiggling the gearstick (not a yoofermism for planking).

Apparently there's a large portion of society that leave autos in D and put the handbrake on when they're only stopping for a minute. That's apparently what happened to your boy from Star Trek

Also, wheel towards the curb if you're pointing downhill, away from the curb pointing uphill (assuming you're on the normal side of the road)

I once had the pleasure of being knocked off my feet by my own van. Had parked up infront of a car, nose to nose. Whilst getting stuff out of the back of the van I feel a sudden pain in my legs, and next thing I know I'm lying on my back on the road. Woman had got into the car infront, and turned the key whilst her car was in gear. Her car then lurched forward into my van, which rocked back and the rear bumper sent me flying.

Its quite amusing watching a car slowly rolling downhill on engine compressions 😀

Apparently there's a large portion of society that leave autos in D and put the handbrake on when they're only stopping for a minute.

In the land of the automatic, I don't think I've ever seen an American use a handbrake ever.

Also, wheel towards the curb if you're pointing downhill, away from the curb pointing uphill

I'm torn on this but pointing uphill I think I'd still be pointing the front of the wheel towards the kerb. If for some reason it's not sufficient to chock the wheel (low kerb / steep hill) your car's going to turn into traffic as it rolls off. Turning into the kerb chocks the back wheel instead.

(assuming you're on the normal side of the road)

The same logic applies whichever side of the road you're on. It's still "towards the kerb" irrespective of when side of your car the kerb is.

[quote=stumpy01 ]and the Mondeo at work (07 plate) doesn't need it....I don't think...

I'm sure my 08 Mondeo doesn't.

I've had ibizas as hire cars in spain recently and don't think the clutch needed to be pressed to start.

You don't need to on any of the small VAG cars i.e. Polo, Ibiza or Fabia (and I assume the A1 also). Well at least not the petrols, the diesels may be different.

Shows how often some of the posters above drive small cars!