How do you drive an automatic?

[Sheepshanks]

Re moving to neutral at lights - I thought most / all autos made for some time now did it themselves when stopped?

It’s been a regular complaint on Merc forums for years that the cars are slow off the mark as they don’t engage drive until the gas pedal is pushed. I’m sure wife’s DSG Tiguan disengages drive while the brake pedal is pressed.

[Pommy]

Smint said:

Too easy to stop far quicker than you intended with the trend for overservoed brakes.

HonestJohn used to be an enthusiast of using your left foot for braking when driving an auto, always thought that would likely end up in disaster when your left leg has been trained for many years sometimes decades to operate a clutch.
Dare say newer drivers who never drive manuals would take to LFB quite well.

HonestJohn was an investigative reporter turned self proclaimed car expert. He isn't any more expect than anyone else.

And his name's Ian.

[roger.mellie]

Jus don’t do what I did. First time driving an auto was about 20 years ago, work hire car in the US. Didn’t know what to do so two footed it. Car bunny hopped it’s way to the Avis exit and the bloke at the gate said “you must be European” laughing as it hiccuped its way towards him. It turned out he was used to seeing us unable to drive automatics. Once I realised “just use one foot” it was a piece of piss and I now own an automatic and wouldn’t go back for a daily driver. Always put the parking brake on although I’ve noticed the Lexus garage never do, can’t be arsed going into neutral and parking brake at lights, car’s too old to have a stop start engine management system.

[The Mad Monk]

Pommy said:

HonestJohn was an investigative reporter turned self proclaimed car expert. He isn't any more expect than anyone else.

And his name's Ian.

Peter.

[jamei303]

The Asin torque converter box in my Volvo goes into neutral by itself when you're stationary in "Drive" (D is still selected but you can hear and feel it go to neutral).

[Olivergt]

MDL111 said:

hersh said:

1. You cannot remove the key unless it is in Park. When in Park it locks the drive
2. Automatics have a fluid clutch, totally different from manual clutches, because its fluid it does not wear
3. Complicated answer, if you try to tow it you WILL KILL it.

I sometimes park my car in N, so on mine you can remove the key even if it is not in P

First time I parked mine in N, when i got back in it wouldn't start, being an old banger, i thought it was dead, moving to P resolved the problem.

i think the best thing to do is read the manual for the exact car, if you don't have it yet, i'm sure you should be able to find enough info online if you search on the specific car.

My old banger was my first Auto (torque converter, so slush box). It doesn't get driven much, so i'm still getting used to it. i've done the head through the windscreen by hitting the brake HARD with the left foot, twice! Hopefully no more to come.

[w00tman]

ZF8 speed here too. Would never, ever, go back to a manual for anything other than a weekend-toy style car - 12 months into owning the car (its the mrs') and its fantastic - smooth changes, just comfortable driving. I don't bother with touching it when we're moving - auto stop/start does its thing, auto hold for the hand break too - no requirement to put it into neutral as far as I can read from the handbook.

The other side benefit is it has made the wife a much more confident driver as its always in the right gear at the right time.

[Pommy]

The Mad Monk said:

Pommy said:

HonestJohn was an investigative reporter turned self proclaimed car expert. He isn't any more expect than anyone else.

And his name's Ian.

Peter.

Yeah that could be it. I thought it was Ian but was told 20 years ago by a friend who was a mod for his website.

Apparently got more interested in his shagging trips to Thailand than the website

[e21Keith]

Given my experience with the unreliability, complexity and repair costs of driving an auto, I'd say the best way to drive it is to someone who will buy it off you, then put the money into a manual car and have a happy life!

[spikeyhead]

Pommy said:

The Mad Monk said:

Pommy said:

HonestJohn was an investigative reporter turned self proclaimed car expert. He isn't any more expect than anyone else.

And his name's Ian.

Peter.

Yeah that could be it. I thought it was Ian but was told 20 years ago by a friend who was a mod for his website.

Apparently got more interested in his shagging trips to Thailand than the website

I met him twenty years ago and he had an encyclopaedic knowledge of cars.

[The Mad Monk]

spikeyhead said:

Pommy said:

The Mad Monk said:

Pommy said:

HonestJohn was an investigative reporter turned self proclaimed car expert. He isn't any more expect than anyone else.

And his name's Ian.

Peter.

Yeah that could be it. I thought it was Ian but was told 20 years ago by a friend who was a mod for his website.

Apparently got more interested in his shagging trips to Thailand than the website

I met him twenty years ago and he had an encyclopaedic knowledge of cars.

Was he called Peter or Ian in those days?

[Smint]

e21Keith said:

Given my experience with the unreliability, complexity and repair costs of driving an auto, I'd say the best way to drive it is to someone who will buy it off you, then put the money into a manual car and have a happy life!

Yet others of us who've had them, proper TC autos that is, since 1973 and currently 3 x TC autos on the drive (have had multiple manual cars in the meantime), have never had a single auto transmission failure, and all except 1 of these was and is a well used older example, but all have seen sensible oil change intervals.
I have however avoided any and all VW/Audi autos which might explain why.

Like all other parts using an oil, now and again the oil needs changing, most of the failures i read and hear about are on the newer mutilple clutch or automated manual boxes or CVT's, even Toyota couldn't get the automated manual to be reliable but their CVT appears to be the most reliable out there, as one might expect though the competition is nothing to write home about.
TC auto box failures tend to be on those boxes labelled or said to be sealed for life, which is utter cobblers, neglect kills them just like any mechanical device.

The odd thing is that in trucks automated manuals have proved to be very reliable, well over 1 million miles of hard work in most cases before any issues arise.
Incompetent people behind the wheel could wreck manual gearboxes and especially clutches in short order, more so since synchro boxes became a thing (the incompetent couldn't and wouldn't cope with a constant mesh box), the automated manual boxes have protected the engine and whole drivetrain especially the clurtch from those who can't drive.
TC boxes don't really exist in trucks except in specialist roles, ie Terberg shunters and refuse wagons where close maneuvering is most of the work performed.

How come those automanual boxes are dependable and long lived in trucks but a ££££ gamble in cars.

Edited by Smint on Sunday 26th June 11:13

[Pommy]

spikeyhead said:

Pommy said:

The Mad Monk said:

Pommy said:

HonestJohn was an investigative reporter turned self proclaimed car expert. He isn't any more expect than anyone else.

And his name's Ian.

Peter.

Yeah that could be it. I thought it was Ian but was told 20 years ago by a friend who was a mod for his website.

Apparently got more interested in his shagging trips to Thailand than the website

I met him twenty years ago and he had an encyclopaedic knowledge of cars.

Hey John, I mean Peter, I mean Ian, how are you?

[Pica-Pica]

Evanivitch said:

Pica-Pica said:

Evanivitch said:

Wills2 said:

valiant said:

Weld your left foot to the footrest unless you fancy headbutting the windscreen.

But you brake with your right foot so nothing changes in that regard.

But people think they're driving a manual, left foot goes looking for clutch on a slow stop and bam, hits the brake.

Driven manuals for 50 years, then went to an auto 5 years ago. Never happened. Bit of an urban myth (or just piss poor semi-comatose driving!)

Another PH driving god.

I did it once, went from driving my auto and hopped into the wife's manual car to pop to petrol station. Then hopped back into my auto.

Wife also did it driving at automatic for the first time on a slow test drive. Funnily enough, the Toyota sales person said it wasn't the first or last time it happened and offered the food advice I posted earlier.

Course, none of that ever happened.

I do the reverse, though. Hop into my wife’s manual. Realise I have already put the key in my pocket when I look for the start button. Then try and start with the foot on the brake pedal, luckily she always leaves it in neutral (I always used to leave my manuals in gears).

[Pica-Pica]

One other thing. A decent ZF8 auto with Sat Nav, will change down as you get to a roundabout, so you are in the correct gear for a swift entry and exit. A decent auto is more complex than a manual, and gives more driving options, but can still be driven ‘just as an auto’.

[paintman]

Pica-Pica said:

Evanivitch said:

Wills2 said:

valiant said:

Weld your left foot to the footrest unless you fancy headbutting the windscreen.

But you brake with your right foot so nothing changes in that regard.

But people think they're driving a manual, left foot goes looking for clutch on a slow stop and bam, hits the brake.

Driven manuals for 50 years, then went to an auto 5 years ago. Never happened. Bit of an urban myth (or just piss poor semi-comatose driving!)

Mrs p will disagree.
First time she had a go at driving my Range Rover - in a flat field & in 'D' - she was doing fine until I told her to give it a little bit more acceleration.
Put her foot down as she would do in her own car.
3.5Efi V8 performed as it should.
Frightened herself & went for brake & clutch as what I would call a conditioned reflex.
RR stopped instantly - tried to stand on its nose.
Although she is insured on it as a named driver she has resisted any suggestions that she should give it another try.

[Missy Charm]

Sheepshanks said:

Re moving to neutral at lights - I thought most / all autos made for some time now did it themselves when stopped?

It’s been a regular complaint on Merc forums for years that the cars are slow off the mark as they don’t engage drive until the gas pedal is pushed. I’m sure wife’s DSG Tiguan disengages drive while the brake pedal is pressed.

That would explain why modern cars are so easy to beat at the lights, I suppose. Even worse are the stop and start ones. By the time Mr I Earn £60,000 Before Tax's posh BMW has started its engine, selected a gear and moved off, my old heap is some distance up the road. Progress, eh.

[Jimbo.]

Missy Charm said:

That would explain why modern cars are so easy to beat at the lights, I suppose. Even worse are the stop and start ones. By the time Mr I Earn £60,000 Before Tax's posh BMW has started its engine, selected a gear and moved off, my old heap is some distance up the road. Progress, eh.

You forgot to mention house price.

[Mr Tidy]

Pica-Pica said:

One other thing. A decent ZF8 auto with Sat Nav, will change down as you get to a roundabout, so you are in the correct gear for a swift entry and exit. A decent auto is more complex than a manual, and gives more driving options, but can still be driven ‘just as an auto’.

A decent manual can also be in the right gear approaching a roundabout, you just need to do it yourself!

My only autos were 3 and 4 speed ones and they always changed up on light throttle openings, so were always in the wrong gear when there was a gap in the traffic. That's why I have avoided Autos for the last 20 years.

[griffter]

I always put mine in N at the lights. It’s makes them go green.