Things to love or hate about cars...

jonbeeza

jonbeeza

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Just my usual moan...

I love our Tourneo Connect, it is very roomy and nice to drive. But what I don't like, is having to depress the clutch pedal each time I start the car. I grew up on Handbrake On , Gear Lever in neutral, then Turn Ignition On.

It is like what a lot of Americans do when driving a manual, they always seem to depress the clutch before starting the engine, even on old cars. Or at least that what I have seen on youtube. :)
 
I've always depressed the clutch when starting manuals - takes the gearbox's drag off the starter motor.
 
Nod said:
I've always depressed the clutch when starting manuals - takes the gearbox's drag off the starter motor.
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True, but driving instructors always taught Handbrake on, check in neutral before starting engine. So I have always stayed with that logic.
 
I was taught/grew up in the school of 'depressing the clutch' before starting. Doubt if I'm going to change now, although I do prefer automatics.
 
MartynK said:
I was taught/grew up in the school of 'depressing the clutch' before starting. Doubt if I'm going to change now, although I do prefer automatics.
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Must have changed over the years then. I think the idea was, if car was in gear and handbrake was off, the car could roll back or forward, when clutch was depressed. I know everything should be checked before starting an engine, but that was probably the thinking.
 
I do that with the Escort. Simply because it's high compression on a high torque starter and needs every bit of help it can get!

I've never tended to otherwise. Are you not supposed to clutch down with dual mass flywheel cars though or is that just rumour? Our work vans won't start without the clutch down. One of them also flashes on the dash "depress clutch and brake"
 
jonbeeza said:
Must have changed over the years then. I think the idea was, if car was in gear and handbrake was off, the car could roll back or forward, when clutch was depressed. I know everything should be checked before starting an engine, but that was probably the thinking.
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Why would you release the handbrake before you're ready to move off? Coordinating the handbrake with the clutch was one of the things that we learned, and many people found a bit tricky at first IIRC?
 
Clutch in, make sure the car's in neutral and start car. When you're ready to drive off, select gear and take the handbrake off. That's how I was taught to drive.

Seems pretty straight forward to me.
 
MartynK said:
Why would you release the handbrake before you're ready to move off? Coordinating the handbrake with the clutch was one of the things that we learned, and many people found a bit tricky at first IIRC?
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No not released the handbrake before starting the car, but some people might forget to apply the handbrake. But the car could be in gear, and be held by the gear. So going for neutral first, the car would roll. I am not saying I do that, but that is how it used to be years ago.

Check handbrake is on, then check car is in neutral, then start the car. That is how my driving school taught me, and that is what was expected on the driving test, this was the 1970s and 1980s, not sure about now though.

I just don't like having to depress the clutch every time I start the car. But I suppose this will be a thing of the past, when electric cars come in, oh I can't wait. :)
 
Does nobody remember the days of the diving lessons? Spelling error, Driving. Lol

Make sure door is closed properly, put seatbelt on, check handbrake is on, make sure gear in neutral, check rear view mirror is positioned correctly, then start the car.

The above is done in the shape of an L, so the driving instructor told me.
 
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Have to put your foot on the brake when you "start" the Leaf (EV).

Mrs Nod's toy (MX5) doesn't get much use (especially at the moment!) so doesn't have the handbrake applied on the drive. The drive is on a very shallow slope towards the garage so a suitable length of 2x2 cut to a 45° angle is plenty to stop it rolling any closer to the garage door. Can't remember if I HAVE to depress the clutch when starting since I always do anyway!
 
Most auto's need you to have your foot on the brake. Pointless really as they won't start in gear anyway, and with my car, I don't even have to release the handbrake, stick it in drive, apply the loud pedal and it disengages the parking brake automatically. It's called evolution.
 
Can you rev the engine in neutral then slip into D (with your foot slightly on the brake pedal) to get a smart getaway, Steve?
 
Jelster said:
Most auto's need you to have your foot on the brake. Pointless really as they won't start in gear anyway, and with my car, I don't even have to release the handbrake, stick it in drive, apply the loud pedal and it disengages the parking brake automatically. It's called evolution.
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Our other car was an auto, and braked had to be depressed before starting. Getting used to the new silly clutch press before starting now.
 
But what I don't like, is having to depress the clutch pedal each time I start the car. I grew up on Handbrake On , Gear Lever in neutral, then Turn Ignition On.
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It's a safety device to stop you accidentally starting the car when it's in gear, thereby causing it to jerk forwards or backwards. You know it makes sense, as an advert used to say. (y)
 
Nod said:
Can you rev the engine in neutral then slip into D (with your foot slightly on the brake pedal) to get a smart getaway, Steve?
Click to expand...

No need to, I have two options:

1) Hold the left foot on the brake and apply the gas, let left foot go and "we're off".
2).Apply launch control - then we're really off :LOL:
 
Peter B said:
It's a safety device to stop you accidentally starting the car when it's in gear, thereby causing it to jerk forwards or backwards. You know it makes sense, as an advert used to say. (y)
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I suppose so, but what about the silly numpty who forgot to put the handbrake on, when they depress the clutch the car could roll?
 
Anyway I am getting used to it now, but I still hate the silly faff of clutch press before starting.
 
jonbeeza said:
Does nobody remember the days of the diving lessons?

Make sure door is closed properly, put seatbelt on, check handbrake is on, make sure gear in neutral, check rear view mirror is positioned correctly, then start the car.

The above is done in the shape of an L, so the driving instructor told me.
Click to expand...

Hmm and I thought it was just a matter of jumping in the water head first !!!
 
jonbeeza said:
Surely not good for the clutch.
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Possibly, that's why I haven't tried!!!


Jelster said:
No need to, I have two options:

1) Hold the left foot on the brake and apply the gas, let left foot go and "we're off".
2).Apply launch control - then we're really off :LOL:
Click to expand...

1) That's what I do but it doesn't let me rev that high.
2) No LC in mine.

Gets away smartly enough anyway but no burnouts.
 
jonbeeza said:
No not released the handbrake before starting the car, but some people might forget to apply the handbrake. But the car could be in gear, and be held by the gear. So going for neutral first, the car would roll. I am not saying I do that, but that is how it used to be years ago.

Check handbrake is on, then check car is in neutral, then start the car. That is how my driving school taught me, and that is what was expected on the driving test, this was the 1970s and 1980s, not sure about now though.

I just don't like having to depress the clutch every time I start the car. But I suppose this will be a thing of the past, when electric cars come in, oh I can't wait. :)
Click to expand...

I passed my test in 1970 and, as far as I can remember, I was taught to apply the handbrake, switch off the engine and engage first gear when parking. To start, check that the handbrake was on, select neutral and start. Select first or reverse, and release the handbrake as the clutch engages. I still drive manual vehicles like this.
 
I am on a good old moan day today, where cars are concerned...

Another thing I dislike is when opening the car, all the doors open except the hatch rear door. That has to be done on a separate button. When there has been a person in the rear the car has locked, and when I open the car with door key or fob, the rear door remains locked.

I know this is probably to keep luggage safe from theft, but ours has a rear seat. I don't like having the way I have to open the rear door, as in an emergency I may not be thinking right, and forget to press the boot button. Or others may not know how to open the boot, in an emergency.

I suppose I will just have to get used to the new fangled way things work, I suppose things will get worse, when cars go fully electric.
 
How odd, mine you can unlock just the drivers door, or all 5 doors
Security wise I like it that way, if I am returning to the car on my own then
no one can get in the passenger side.

Boot can be unlocked separately if you just want to get something out
and all doors will open using the inside handles if a passenger needs to get out

If you just unlock the drivers door to get in that's all that unlocks when you open the door
to get out, unlock all doors and they all open, yes it auto locks when moving. a good feature as
I have had someone try to open the door when stopped at traffic lights
 
Several cars we have had in recent years provided setup options through the onboard computer to control which doors unlocked using the key fob.
 
boogie man said:
I was always taught to dip the clutch when starting up, it takes the weight of the gearbox off the starter motor to give it an easier life.
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If the car has a carbon ring release bearing rather than a ball bearing or needle roller type, depressing the clutch causes extra drag.
 
jonbeeza said:
I am on a good old moan day today, where cars are concerned...

Another thing I dislike is when opening the car, all the doors open except the hatch rear door. That has to be done on a separate button. When there has been a person in the rear the car has locked, and when I open the car with door key or fob, the rear door remains locked.

I know this is probably to keep luggage safe from theft, but ours has a rear seat. I don't like having the way I have to open the rear door, as in an emergency I may not be thinking right, and forget to press the boot button. Or others may not know how to open the boot, in an emergency.

I suppose I will just have to get used to the new fangled way things work, I suppose things will get worse, when cars go fully electric.
Click to expand...

On mine you can set that up via the control interface. All 4 unlocking is a safety feature, If you need to get out quickly all 4 doors unlock when the drivers door opens.
 
Jelster said:
On the beach one evening, all driver aids off, 2000rpm, left off, right down, and we get all 4 wheels spinning up :ROFLMAO:
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I'd be worried if all 4 of mine started spinning - only RWD!!! Used to be able to spin all 4 up on a humble 200TDi Defender - on gravel.
 
Nod said:
I'd be worried if all 4 of mine started spinning - only RWD!!! Used to be able to spin all 4 up on a humble 200TDi Defender - on gravel.
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My JCW Clubman is "All4". I love this car.... I've had faster cars, more nimble cars, but this just makes such a good all round package. If I were still working I would have gone for the new 306bhp model...
 
I was taught to depress the clutch before starting a manual car, just in case it was in gear. Presumably this avoids the possibility of making a mistake and not selecting neutral before starting, or the gear linkage not working and it appearing to be in neutral when it isn't! As others have said, it also takes a bit of load off the starter motor and battery, which, in the days of dynamo rather than alternator charging, was probably a wise thing to do.

My pet hates, those cars that automatically cut out when the car stops, and restarts (hopefully!) when you want to sett off again. I had a BMW Mini as a courtesy car for a half a day once that did that and I found it really annoying. Almost as annoying as inserting a sort of mini flying saucer key fob into a slot in the dashboard, then pressing a starter button instead of an ignition key! Novelty rubbish!
 
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jonbeeza said:
I am on a good old moan day today, where cars are concerned...

Another thing I dislike is when opening the car, all the doors open except the hatch rear door. That has to be done on a separate button. When there has been a person in the rear the car has locked, and when I open the car with door key or fob, the rear door remains locked.

I know this is probably to keep luggage safe from theft, but ours has a rear seat. I don't like having the way I have to open the rear door, as in an emergency I may not be thinking right, and forget to press the boot button. Or others may not know how to open the boot, in an emergency.

I suppose I will just have to get used to the new fangled way things work, I suppose things will get worse, when cars go fully electric.
Click to expand...
Have you read the manual? You should be able to programme the doors to all unlock at once or just the drivers door. If it's not in the manual the dealer should be able to do it, usually for free or look to see if there is a youtube video to take you through the process.
My car has keyless entry so it suits me fine for all doors to unlock at once. I don't need to get my key fob out of my pocket and press the open button twice then if I should have passengers.
My boot release is also keyless and can be opened without having to unlock the rest of the car.
 
jonbeeza said:
I suppose so, but what about the silly numpty who forgot to put the handbrake on, when they depress the clutch the car could roll?
Click to expand...
I imagine a slight panic and a jump with a stall... ?
Or maybe a crunching noise (car on other obstacle)...

Auto fit/jazz... press brake to start (as is on most autos)
Manual, handbrake on, neutral, depress clutch, turn key... (same as has been mentioned, helps the starter motor turn over....)
 
Mr Badger said:
I was taught to depress the clutch before starting a manual car, just in case it was in gear. Presumably this avoids the possibility of making a mistake and not selecting neutral before starting, or the gear linkage not working and it appearing to be in neutral when it isn't! As others have said, it also takes a bit of load off the starter motor and battery, which, in the days of dynamo rather than alternator charging, was probably a wise thing to do.

My pet hates, those cars that automatically cut out when the car stops, and restarts (hopefully!) when you want to sett off again. I had a BMW Mini as a courtesy car for a half a day once that did that and I found it really annoying. Almost as annoying as inserting a sort of mini flying saucer key fob into a slot in the dashboard, then pressing a starter button instead of an ignition key! Novelty rubbish!
Click to expand...
I have always dipped the clutch when ever starting my cars, now my car has push button start, not depressing the clutch now would mean I am just putting the ignition on. When I first started driving and had old bangers that would stall and refuse to start, being able to put the car in 1st gear and clutch up as I cranked the engine was a great way to move the car out of the way so other traffic could get by.
Stop / start is no problem, there is more chance of the Stop function not working than anything else.
Because at least one of my daily journeys is with lights on, probably both heated screens and the heater on my Stop Start comes up as unavailable as the battery isn't recharging enough for it to work. Hopefully when the weather warms up and we come out of lockdown, I can give the car a longer run and the Stop Start will work again.
 
jonbeeza said:
I suppose so, but what about the silly numpty who forgot to put the handbrake on, when they depress the clutch the car could roll?
Click to expand...
That's what foot brakes are for.
I have to park on a slope sometimes and always leave the car in gear as well as use the handbrake. I always put my foot on the brake pedal before I take it out of gear to start the car.
 
Jelster said:
On mine you can set that up via the control interface. All 4 unlocking is a safety feature, If you need to get out quickly all 4 doors unlock when the drivers door opens.
Click to expand...

I will have another look, but our rear hatch boot/ door stays locked, even when driver's door is unlocked and opened.
 
nilagin said:
Have you read the manual? You should be able to programme the doors to all unlock at once or just the drivers door. If it's not in the manual the dealer should be able to do it, usually for free or look to see if there is a youtube video to take you through the process.
My car has keyless entry so it suits me fine for all doors to unlock at once. I don't need to get my key fob out of my pocket and press the open button twice then if I should have passengers.
My boot release is also keyless and can be opened without having to unlock the rest of the car.
Click to expand...

Maybe there is a way, reading up on it now. :)
 
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