Parking in gear or in neutral

[irocfan]

TBH its second nature to leave it parked in gear. What surprises me is that most cars don't require you to depress the clutch on starting (Mrs Iroc's old Astra did that quite some time ago)

[Jambo85]

Always park in gear on inclines, Mrs Jambo seems to have the same comprehension issues as other females mentioned above!

Dannbodge said:

On a hill it would go in 1st if pointing up or Rev if pointing down.

Wrong way around I'm afraid, think about which gear you would use to bump start the vehicle in either scenario (hopefully you wouldn't use reverse while going forwards downhill).

As I understand it some engines can be rotated backwards without issue but it is mechanically unsympathetic at best. Certainly timing tensioners only work properly in one direction, and as I drive a vehicle which is notorious for tensioner issues I'm paranoid about this!

[mrtwisty]

CanAm said:

Eyersey1234 said:

IIRC wasn't there an issue with Citroen BXs and Xantias where the car would roll away after being parked as the handbrake shoes cooled?

Yes, it happened to me (luckily without any consequences). The rear brakes were discs, which would contract on cooling, away from the pads, whereas drums on cooling would contract against the shoes.

The handbrake on a Xantia is on the front wheels.

[A.J.M]

Always park in gear as my first car had an awful handbrake.
It’s something that’s stuck with me.

I now have an auto but always use the electronic handbrake on it. Gets cleaned and adjusted yearly to keep it happy.
14 years old and still on it’s original handbrake module.

[MikeyC]

Eyersey1234 said:

IIRC wasn't there an issue with Citroen BXs and Xantias where the car would roll away after being parked as the handbrake shoes cooled?

This !
I think it *may* have been brake discs - Q: do current cars have brake shoes now since most cars have disc rear brakes ?

Basically, the expansion coefficients are different between the steel discs and the brake/caliper parts
So, initially with hot discs, the brake would hold until the disc cooled off ...

[CanAm]

mrtwisty said:

The handbrake on a Xantia is on the front wheels.

Now that you mention it i think it was on the BX too, which probably exacerbated the problem as they would get hotter.

[M4cruiser]

I once watched a Skoda roll away after it had been parked for some time and the driver had already gone. I learned from that to always leave a car in gear, and I have done ever since, even when parked on the flat.

Now I drive automatics, and my current car won't let me take the key out unless it's in "P".

[Mr2Mike]

Mr Tidy said:

Thanks to people like Audemars my current 3 Series won't start unless you have the clutch fully released.

Learn how to do it, or get the bus FFS!

Mine has a clutch switch as well and it is quite annoying. I really can't understand the mentality of not checking a manual is in neutral before starting, as a safety check it's blindingly obvious.

[jamei303]

Just went out to my car to head off for a trip to the shops and I found that three years of parking it in gear has caused the drivetrain to wear out completely from all the rocking in the wind. Will make sure I use the handbrake on the next car I get, hopefully the ratchet won't wear out though!

[V8LM]

Mr2Mike said:

Mr Tidy said:

Thanks to people like Audemars my current 3 Series won't start unless you have the clutch fully released.

Learn how to do it, or get the bus FFS!

Mine has a clutch switch as well and it is quite annoying. I really can't understand the mentality of not checking a manual is in neutral before starting, as a safety check it's blindingly obvious.

Or the mentality of not depressing the clutch when you start a manual car, clutch switch or not.

[GroundEffect]

Mr2Mike said:

Mr Tidy said:

Thanks to people like Audemars my current 3 Series won't start unless you have the clutch fully released.

Learn how to do it, or get the bus FFS!

Mine has a clutch switch as well and it is quite annoying. I really can't understand the mentality of not checking a manual is in neutral before starting, as a safety check it's blindingly obvious.

But foot on clutch is a catch-all solution. It doesn't matter if it's in neutral or not. Seems sensible to me.

[Davidonly]

I am happy to leave it with just the brake overnight on level ground. On a hill or in an area with hight risk of theft I put it in gear too (ref roll-away risk and increased security from the car being moved).

My 'nice car' is reserved for longer journeys and holidays so can stand for a couple of weeks sometimes. Then I leave it in gear with the brake off as that prevents binding of the parking brake.

[catso]

Artsy said:

Hi All,


I did not grow up in the UK, but it was emphasised to me that cars should be left in either first or reverse depending on which way they are facing as a failsafe if the handbrake gives way.

I too learnt to drive abroad and was taught to always leave the car in gear when parked (also to not use handbrake for hill starting) but I have 3 kids that learnt & passed test here and none of them leave their car in gear.

My driveway is long and downhill, it is also shared with 2 other houses, both of the other households have had their car roll down into the stone wall at the bottom, either because the handbrake didn't hold or they forgot to use it - either way parking in gear would have saved them.

[r250]

I have never parked in gear, unless it’s eurotunnel etc where they insist on it.
Both my current cars have electronic handbrakes, one is an auto and one a manual transmission.

There’s no denying that the anecdotes posted on here may have been preventing by parking in-gear.
But I’d also say most would be prevented by actually maintaining their cars too.
Yes some things can catastrophically and suddenly break, but most of these sound like they could have been evaded by some preventative maintenance.

[anonymous-user]

I always leave my mx5 in gear with the handbrake off, because the rear brakes have seized on before when I left the handbrake on and I had to do some pretty brutal clutch dumping to get it to break free.

Every other manual car - handbrake on, in gear, because it's extra security against the car moving and takes a fraction of a second, so why would you not do it?

[moneymakestheworldgoaround]

What does parking in gear actually do?

My previous car, had the handbrake cable snap whilst down in Devon.. parking in gear didnt stop the car from rolling.

I had to put bricks behind the wheels otherwise the car would of been in the sea.....

[CanAm]

Which gear was it in and how steep was the gradient?

[moneymakestheworldgoaround]

CanAm said:

Which gear was it in and how steep was the gradient?

1st and not very steep, but was parked in a carpark so couldnt turn the wheels towards a kerb.

[Burgerbob]

Slightly surprised at the number of people on here who leave the car in gear. It is very rare that as a passenger I ever see a drive who has left it in gear.

I only ever do on steep hills, ferries, or my motorhome which I park up in gear, handbrake off but for long periods at a time.

[Pica-Pica]

I remember parking on a someone’s steep drive. On that occasion, I made sure I turned the wheels to face their house wall - indeed sharp enough so that the tyres were actually just next to touching the wall. I certainly did not want the front wing to hit the wall. (Parking brake as high as I could pull, and in gear)