Automatic gearbox - what if I...

[Fun Bus]

...put it in reverse or park whilst moving?

I've a 320d auto on loan while my car is in the bodyshop and at 70mph on the A34 tonight I started to think: "What would happen if I put it in reverse now. Or Park?"

I'm guessing there is a safety mechanism built in?

[Parrot of Doom]

It shouldn't go into reverse or park at those speeds, or even the low gears.

[Urban Sports]

Is your own car an auto? If so try it with that instead of somebody elses car

[SmoothCriminal]

I had a corsa auto courtesy car and put it in reverse by accident at about 40-50 and it didn't do anything.

[sparks_E39]

I always let it go into gear properly before reversing and make sure I'm fully stopped before I put it in park. I don't fancy a £800 rebuild.

[Mazdarese]

SmoothCriminal said:

I had a corsa auto courtesy car and put it in reverse by accident at about 40-50 and it didn't do anything.

It must have done something. Every action has a reaction, or something. Did it go into reverse? Did it not go into reverse? Did it explode?

[blank]

There will be a lock out to stop going into park or reverse at higher speeds.

However if you do it below about 10 mph...

Reverse - It will be pretty un dramatic, you will slow down and then begin to reverse. you can go back and forth quite smoothly just switching between D and R. Probably only torque converter autos though!!

Putting it into P makes it jolt to a stop like yanking on the handbrake.

[Fun Bus]

blank said:

There will be a lock out to stop going into park or reverse at higher speeds.

I thought that would be the case but hoped I could have created a huge fireball and been transported to another planet with aliens, lasers and everything.

[Astra Dan]

These days of course the shifter is just a big electrical switch, so if you try it the autobox's ECU will just think you're an idiot and ignore you, and probably beep or something.

[anonymous-user]

It will just ignore you, and set the "driver is incompetent" flag in the autotrans ecu......... (which BMW will then use to avoid paying out on any warranty claim for the remaing life of the car........ ;-)

[LukeSi]

Is it an M Sport? If so will you try putting it from drive into sport while moving? Don't want to try on my dad's

[Fun Bus]

It's an M-Sport, 320d coupe auto. D to Sport is what it's designed to do? No?

[LukeSi]

According to my dad you can't put it into sport (when it gets to D push the stick to the left) while you are moving. Oh and I recommend the Sport mode. You can use the stick like a sequential shifter rather than the crappy paddles.

[Ozzie Osmond]

sparks_E39 said:

I always let it go into gear properly before reversing and make sure I'm fully stopped before I put it in park. I don't fancy a £800 rebuild.

^^^^ This.

Most especially at low forward speeds there is no reverse lock-out. Always bring the car to a complete halt before engaging reverse. Similarly if you have manual gear selection it's best to avoid using a change-down to slow the car.

Rule 1 - "Brakes are cheaper than transmissions!!".

[SWH]

Never tried it at speed... let us know how you get on...

I used to lob my old Senator into reverse while still rolling forwards occasionally, then give it some welly... much tyre smoke could be provoked, all very responsible of course. It would appear tyre smoke smell that comes in via an open window lingers in an open office for quite a while too

[schmalex]

LukeSi said:

According to my dad you can't put it into sport (when it gets to D push the stick to the left) while you are moving. Oh and I recommend the Sport mode. You can use the stick like a sequential shifter rather than the crappy paddles.

Categorically, he is wrong. That is precisely what auto boxes are designed to do.

[Fun Bus]

As above. You're old man is wrong.

I actually don't rate sport mode - it holds the gears for far too long.

[papercup]

sparks_E39 said:

I always let it go into gear properly before reversing and make sure I'm fully stopped before I put it in park. I don't fancy a £800 rebuild.

and the rest

[papercup]

LukeSi said:

According to my dad you can't put it into sport (when it gets to D push the stick to the left) while you are moving. Oh and I recommend the Sport mode. You can use the stick like a sequential shifter rather than the crappy paddles.

Are you sure? I can do it on my 1999 540.

[sparks_E39]

papercup said:

LukeSi said:

According to my dad you can't put it into sport (when it gets to D push the stick to the left) while you are moving. Oh and I recommend the Sport mode. You can use the stick like a sequential shifter rather than the crappy paddles.

Are you sure? I can do it on my 1999 540.

Same here. It won't go into 5th gear in sport mode but then none of them do apparently. It's great for winding country roads . And yeah, a rebuild for the E39 transmission is anywhere between £800 and £1200 nowadays. Previous owner of my car paid over £3000 for it though!