"Depress clutch before starting"
Discussion
Am I the only one who hates this "safety" system? If you aren't capable of checking the gear lever before starting a car and/or noticing that the car is moving when you're trying to start it, you shouldn't be driving. I can't work out why someone thought it was a good idea to remove the ability to move a car if the engine's seized or for any other emergency purpose.
Only bringing this up as I needed to open my garage door to get to the fuse box - my drive's on a slight incline and the only way I could move my noisy 370Z is by starting it up to move two feet forwards. The neighbours have a six-month old grandchild staying with them so I'm trying to be as respectful as they've been to me, this hasn't helped much.
Only bringing this up as I needed to open my garage door to get to the fuse box - my drive's on a slight incline and the only way I could move my noisy 370Z is by starting it up to move two feet forwards. The neighbours have a six-month old grandchild staying with them so I'm trying to be as respectful as they've been to me, this hasn't helped much.
I suspect some idiot started a car in gear once and it jumped forward/backward in the general direction of a fluffy child on the opposite side of the planet so now they fit them so as not to end up in court.
To be honest it's never bothered me because I've always started the car with the clutch down, something I was told to do by a mechanic when I first learnt to drive but I can't remember why.
To be honest it's never bothered me because I've always started the car with the clutch down, something I was told to do by a mechanic when I first learnt to drive but I can't remember why.
poing said:
To be honest it's never bothered me because I've always started the car with the clutch down, something I was told to do by a mechanic when I first learnt to drive but I can't remember why.
My late Grandad was a mechanical engineer and told me to do this & the reason why.Unfortunately, at times he got very technical indeed and I tended to glaze over a bit when he was telling me extremely technical stuff so I can't remember the reason.
The Moose said:
I'm struggling to understand why having to press the clutch down to start the car stops you from rolling the car forward under your power as opposed to the engines...
Puzzled here as well. Both of our cars can't be started without pressing the clutch down, but I regularly knock them into neutral and push them around without starting them so that I can get into my bike shed.Obviously my reading comprehension skills have taken a significant dive in the last few moments.
What are you on about....moving a car with a seized engine? What has that got to do with anything relating to the need to depress the clutch, when a starter inhibitor is present?
Anyone who can't be bothered to depress the clutch before starting, is significantly lacking in mechanical sympathy. And will eventually get caught out by someone else leaving the car in gear for some reason. Valid or otherwise.
Or not....if the inhibitor is present.
What are you on about....moving a car with a seized engine? What has that got to do with anything relating to the need to depress the clutch, when a starter inhibitor is present?
Anyone who can't be bothered to depress the clutch before starting, is significantly lacking in mechanical sympathy. And will eventually get caught out by someone else leaving the car in gear for some reason. Valid or otherwise.
Or not....if the inhibitor is present.
As I mentioned, my driveway's on a slight slope. It's enough that trying to push a ton-and-a-half of car up it is nearly impossible for a little guy like me, but easy enough for a starter motor to pull the car forwards slowly.
Seized engine is probably a bit extreme, but as an example, my sheddy Rover occasionally cuts out after pulling away from a stop. The starter motor is able to move the car as necessary, the engine just won't fire up - after half a minute or so, the car starts up normally and I can carry on.
Breaking down like such in the middle of a busy roundabout is not only dangerous, but also a great catalyst to causing major traffic jams in rush hour. I've experienced a breakdown as such before while turning right on an upwards incline - I used the starter motor to move the car out of the main carriageway and onto the side street where I could leave it a minute before resuming my journey. Had the car needed the clutch to start, I would expect to have held up traffic for a good 30 seconds or so.
ETA - I start my cars with the clutch down anyway as you're putting less load on the starter motor. You're just turning engine internals as opposed to the gearbox as well. My moan is to do with the fact that I can't start most modern cars with the clutch engaged, I have to disengage the clutch before the starter motor fires up.
Seized engine is probably a bit extreme, but as an example, my sheddy Rover occasionally cuts out after pulling away from a stop. The starter motor is able to move the car as necessary, the engine just won't fire up - after half a minute or so, the car starts up normally and I can carry on.
Breaking down like such in the middle of a busy roundabout is not only dangerous, but also a great catalyst to causing major traffic jams in rush hour. I've experienced a breakdown as such before while turning right on an upwards incline - I used the starter motor to move the car out of the main carriageway and onto the side street where I could leave it a minute before resuming my journey. Had the car needed the clutch to start, I would expect to have held up traffic for a good 30 seconds or so.
ETA - I start my cars with the clutch down anyway as you're putting less load on the starter motor. You're just turning engine internals as opposed to the gearbox as well. My moan is to do with the fact that I can't start most modern cars with the clutch engaged, I have to disengage the clutch before the starter motor fires up.
sebhaque said:
Am I the only one who hates this "safety" system?
No, you're not. But the electric parking brake on my car is even more hateful! I'd pay serious cash to have a proper handbrake instead.And don't get me started on the supposed "hill hold" feature which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't, depending how it feels.
And then there's the "automatic restart" feature when you stall the engine, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.
And all this is on a Porsche FFS.
Truly a combination of useless features created by the devil himself.
Oh, did I mention the parking sensors which only work if you have the radio on? Brilliant.
Depress the clutch before starting.....
It means that the car has less work to do to.
Try it with a totally flat battery and a set of jump leads.
You will see the car starts easier with the clutch depressed than with without.
It is just good car sympathy.
ATEOTD - It's not really a problem.
Heck, when I was a lad - we had manual chokes yada yada yada,
My Grandfather had to get out the car with some ironmongery and had crank the thing.
Life could be worse - no?
It means that the car has less work to do to.
Try it with a totally flat battery and a set of jump leads.
You will see the car starts easier with the clutch depressed than with without.
It is just good car sympathy.
ATEOTD - It's not really a problem.
Heck, when I was a lad - we had manual chokes yada yada yada,
My Grandfather had to get out the car with some ironmongery and had crank the thing.
Life could be worse - no?
t clutch. I don't know how you even get up in the morning, you worthless This is the reason why you have to press the brake to shift out of Park.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudden_unintended_acc...
Audi always contested it was user error...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudden_unintended_acc...
Audi always contested it was user error...
Wikipedia article said:
60 Minutes aired a report titled "Out of Control" on November 23, 1986,[26] featuring interviews with six people who had sued Audi after reporting unintended acceleration, including footage of an Audi 5000 ostensibly displaying a surge of acceleration while the brake pedal was depressed.[27][28] Subsequent investigation revealed that 60 Minutes had not disclosed they had engineered the vehicle's behaviour — fitting a canister of compressed air on the passenger-side floor, linked via a hose to a hole drilled into the transmission[26][27] — the arrangement executed by one of the experts who had testified on behalf of a plaintiff in a then pending lawsuit against Audi's parent company.[29]
These events destroyed Audi's reputation in the US for the best part of 20 years.Ozzie Osmond said:
No, you're not. But the electric parking brake on my car is even more hateful! I'd pay serious cash to have a proper handbrake instead.
And don't get me started on the supposed "hill hold" feature which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't, depending how it feels.
And then there's the "automatic restart" feature when you stall the engine, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.
And all this is on a Porsche FFS.
Truly a combination of useless features created by the devil himself.
Oh, did I mention the parking sensors which only work if you have the radio on? Brilliant.
I've been the unfortunate receipient of the automatic handbrake rubbish. The engine restart in my old 120d used to work on the start-stop system - a big flaw in that, if you or your front passenger decided to take your seatbelt off (i.e. to take a jacket off when in traffic), the engine wouldn't re-start when you depressed the clutch and there was no warning that it wouldn't do so. Pissed off a large amount of drivers in London while I flustered in the nine seconds the light was green. I can almost understand the safety aspects, but I think it's idiotic that it's not publicised. I wonder how many BMW drivers have been caught out by the nannying stop-start system.And don't get me started on the supposed "hill hold" feature which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't, depending how it feels.
And then there's the "automatic restart" feature when you stall the engine, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.
And all this is on a Porsche FFS.
Truly a combination of useless features created by the devil himself.
Oh, did I mention the parking sensors which only work if you have the radio on? Brilliant.
I'm also very surprised about the parking sensors in your 981. My old Porker had parking sensors, although sadly in modern Porsche fashion they were awful. The reverse parking sensors were triggered by the numberplate, so if I left the sensors on while in reverse, the car thought I was -30cm from a wall. Although it would have been nice to know I could have just turned the radio off and lived without the BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP crap.
I agree, it's one of those daft things which make no difference in the real world.
Troubleatmill said:
Ozzie Osmond said:
Troubleatmill said:
It is just good car sympathy.
... except for increased wear on the thrust bearing. But the car does start easier.
I always leave the car in gear, and I would always put the clutch in to move it into neutral - and then start the car with the clutch depressed (except for the 3200, as explained above!). Tbh, I think it's good practice, and it does remove the potential, even if highly unlikely, to f*ck up and forget the car is in gear! Also less strain on starter and battery.
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