Opening the hood after driving back home

[Aml21s]

do you guys do it to help the electrical? i do now, leave the hood open when i arrived home.
like braking after a wash to remove the water.
or again do you let the hood dropping or do you hold it until it reach the last 1,5 inches and push down to close it which is much better than letting it droping.
and do you put it on neutral at a redlight? i do not do that yet maybe i should

Edited by Aml21s on Saturday 31st May 00:14

Edited by Aml21s on Saturday 31st May 00:49

[bogie]

No I dont open the bonnet after completing a journey ...

After washing the car I do open the bonnet, boot, and doors, so that I can dry inside and around the edges. Also be sure to clean inside the petrol filler cap, and clean any debris out of the drain holes.

To close the bonnet I just lower it and let it drop the last few inches.

My car has the Sportshift III gearbox, so I dont put in neutral, the software manages the clutch position itself.

My previous cars were manuals and If stopping for more than few seconds, then yes I would put the engine into neutral

[paulrog1]

Yes I do.

Every time I drive home and put her in the garage I always put the bonnet up for the rest of the day, I keep the garage door open for air circulation.

There's so much heat and I do think it does help the electrics, expecially the coils packs as they must be very hot.

Edited by paulrog1 on Saturday 31st May 09:15

[Aml21s]

thanks its interesting reading what you are doing, when i lift the hood i do it fast as it's pretty hot but you can feel all that heat trapped geting out of there, I like it.

[CatalystV12V]

Yep - me too..

And I do the drying thing too. Lol. 😂

[ragingfool]

lifting the hood after parking? only when i want it to cool faster so i can put the cover over the car sooner.

SS1 i usually put in neutral and coast to stoplight from a fair distance. i don't see any point to put in neutral otherwise because the clutch stays disengaged at a stop regardless

drop the hood from 2 inches. same with trunk

Edited by ragingfool on Sunday 1st June 03:41

[AstonV]

I always open the hood after driving till the engine is cooled off when parking in the garage. Probably not necessary, but the hood is very hot, so it’s not going to hurt. And never put the cover on when the car is hot. Also put the car in neutral and take my foot off the clutch at stop signals as well.

[cliffords]

This is a wind up , surely?

[geresey]

cliffords said:

This is a wind up , surely?

Not something I’ve ever considered or even heard of rather hood/bonnet thing.

Never really thought about it but I do put in neutral at lights sometimes, more to rest my clutch foot than anything else though!

I do do the wash/dry thing however, and don’t put the cover on until it’s cooled down (in case it catches fire !!)

[LTP]

geresey said:

Never really thought about it but I do put in neutral at lights sometimes, more to rest my clutch foot than anything else though!

This is a sensible thing to do with a manual transmission as it unloads the thrust bearing and reduces the pressure in the clutch fluid lines. If memory serves, along with applying the handbrake this was the required technique when taking your driving test back in the 70's.

However, as has been said already, there is no point on a SportShift car of any flavour as, with the engine running, the system keeps the clutch disengaged until moving the car off, even if you select neutral on the buttons or paddles. When you "key off" the system selects a gear (R or 1st) and lets the clutch out to immobilise the car (except for a double-pull on the paddles).

[BiggaJ]

cliffords said:

This is a wind up , surely?

I thought it was a wind up also ... I do however, open the boot, doors and bonnet after washing to make sure I wipe up any excess water from otherwise hidden areas.

[Jon39]

cliffords said:

This is a wind up, surely?

Originally I used to just lift the bonnet.
More recently I bought a secondhand commercial refrigeration unit.
That can blow cool air through the garage. It helps to preserve the electrical, safeguards 'tuft droop' on carpet pile caused by warm air, ensures longer life of coilpacks and keeps rubber pipes in best condition.

I understand that the Sultan of Brunei just keeps his Aston Martins in a cooled warehouse and looks at them. He does not drive his cars, in case the hot climate damages the electrical. Is that the best solution to OPs conundrum?

[V8LM]

Only after 300 km drive to the catch the ferry

[cliffords]

My car is 17 years old , it cost me £1300.
I drive it everyday, to the dump today in fact . I don't need to open the bonnet when I stop . Actually the bonnet cable is broken so I have to use a pair of pliers,and it quite awkward.
You are all daft as brushes.

[Dewi 2]

cliffords said:

My car is 17 years old, it cost me £1300.
I drive it everyday, to the dump today in fact . I don't need to open the bonnet when I stop . Actually the bonnet cable is broken so I have to use a pair of pliers and it quite awkward.

You are all as daft as brushes.

You either secured the bargain of a lifetime (if your car is an Aston Martin) or otherwise, you seem to have been overcharged.
The car that I use for taking garden waste to the dump, is 30 years old and only cost £800.
I also have a 59 year old car, that only cost £365.

The deficiency that you have diagnosed, might be misplaced.
Is it possible that this whole topic could be humorous and incorporate a sprinkling of gullibility?

As you find using pliers to operate the bonnet release to be quite awkward, you might be able to attach a piece of strong string to the release mechanism, then run the other end of the string to within reach of the driver. A sharp tug on the string should release the bonnet, which would be so much easier when you get home and decide that you want to cool the engine.

[Aml21s]

cliffords said:

My car is 17 years old , it cost me £1300.
I drive it everyday, to the dump today in fact . I don't need to open the bonnet when I stop . Actually the bonnet cable is broken so I have to use a pair of pliers,and it quite awkward.
You are all daft as brushes.

lol....where is your air filter? m joking m sure its right there so easy to change

[Simpo Two]

cliffords said:

My car is 17 years old , it cost me £1300.
I drive it everyday, to the dump today in fact . I don't need to open the bonnet when I stop . Actually the bonnet cable is broken so I have to use a pair of pliers,and it quite awkward.
You are all daft as brushes.

You sound like my accountant - he drives an absolute stbox of a 2006 Saab that costs far more to get through the MOT every year than it's worth. It's so dirty inside you could grow potatoes in it.

But you aren't comparing like with like. If I wanted to take a load of rubbish to the dump I'd borrow his Saab (and probably leave it there!)

I hadn't thought of opening the Aston's bonnet after a run on a hot day, but did with my TVR Griffith.

[BiggaJ]

Jon39 said:

Originally I used to just lift the bonnet.
More recently I bought a secondhand commercial refrigeration unit.
That can blow cool air through the garage. It helps to preserve the electrical, safeguards 'tuft droop' on carpet pile caused by warm air, ensures longer life of coilpacks and keeps rubber pipes in best condition.

I understand that the Sultan of Brunei just keeps his Aston Martins in a cooled warehouse and looks at them. He does not drive his cars, in case the hot climate damages the electrical. Is that the best solution to OPs conundrum?

Re the Sultan of Brunei, I think this is correct. My brother in law has the contract for the Sultan and his families teeth. He and a team fly out several times a year, he's just been and spent a week there only to find it was a wasted journey. He's seen the car collection, walked through the palace with special shoes on so as not to pick up the gold dust sprinkled into the carpets etc. His car collection is apparently spectacular.

By the way, this is no joke.

[Jon39]

Simpo Two said:

You sound like my accountant - he drives an absolute stbox of a 2006 Saab that costs far more to get through the MOT every year than it's worth. It's so dirty inside you could grow potatoes in it.

But you aren't comparing like with like. If I wanted to take a load of rubbish to the dump I'd borrow his Saab (and probably leave it there!)

I hadn't thought of opening the Aston's bonnet after a run on a hot day, but did with my TVR Griffith.

I think you might have selected a perfect accountant, John.
A man who minimises unnecessary overheads and can therefore charge his clients modest fees.
I must add, that I am guessing the latter part. He might sting you to maximise his profit.

Even though old, perhaps he ought to take more care of it, to avoid those high annual repair costs.
I am pleased to still see SAABs on the road. It must now be many years since that car manufacturer ceased trading.

I must not make a joke about why you opened your TVR bonnet, after a run on a hot day.

Yesterday, I was followed by a TVR for about 30 miles. Deserted roads on the Welsh border. Gentle curves and surprisingly good surfaces. The TVR driver stayed back at a good distance, as we pottered along. I gave my daily driver 'the beans' on one or two safe occasions, but no response from behind.
Don't know the model name.

[Jon39]

BiggaJ said:

Re the Sultan of Brunei, I think this is correct. My brother in law has the contract for the Sultan and his families teeth. He and a team fly out several times a year, he's just been and spent a week there only to find it was a wasted journey. He's seen the car collection, walked through the palace with special shoes on so as not to pick up the gold dust sprinkled into the carpets etc. His car collection is apparently spectacular.

By the way, this is no joke.

Apparently a very long-standing Aston Martin customer, who has made many purchases, including several one-off commissions.
Was your brother in law's wasted journey, due to finding his patients teeth are in perfect condition?

I think there are a few YouTube videos of the car collection and occasionally cars have received publicity prior to sale.