Put it into N until a boyracer pulls up then I put it in to S with my foot on the brake.

just the foot-brake as the armrest makes using the handbrake a pain

Neutral other than for brief stops e.g. a junction. Handbrake on as well as I'm too considerate to blind the poor bugger behind me with my brake lights.

We have three automatic cars and all three are very different at standstill.

 

1. The Fabia has the 7 speed dry clutch DSG and manual handbrake. I'll try and judge how long I'll be stood, for shorter stops I'll leave it in D with the foot on the brake, for longer stops select N and use the handbrake. I'm conscious that the clutch is held at near biting point in D so wear is possible.

 

2. The Passat has the 6 speed wet clutch DSG and Electric handbrake. The car also has full auto hold, this system is fitted to many larger German cars and a few others. When you pull up and stop the hydraulic brake pressure is retained byt the auto hold system on all four wheels until the accelerator is pressed. The electronic hand brake isn't used except for parking up at the end of the journey. So pull up to a stop in D, release the foot brake and that's it, the box stays in D and auto hold applies all 4 brakes. Now it's said the wet clutch DSG is still sat at biting point during this operation but the clutches are oil lubricated so wear is less of an issue. This is how the VW manual suggest is the correct way to drive with autohold.

 

3. The BMW 1 Series has the 8 speed ZF auto with torque converter and manual handbrake. Stop in a normal manner in D and the engine will cut out after a few seconds due to the stop start system. As soon as you start to release the foot brake the engine restarts. The manual suggests this is "Normal Operation" but does go against the UK highway code as you are sat with the brake lights on.

 

Obviously with 2 & 3 systems the brakes are kept applied to the discs at all times when the car is stationary, this is how the systems are designed and no issues with warped discs.

 

Lee

Sorry but beg to differ on no warped discs. On some vehicles that do het warped discs, what was the cause or probable cause. Be that manual or auto cars?

Sorry but beg to differ on no warped discs. On some vehicles that do het warped discs, what was the cause or probable cause. Be that manual or auto cars?

Not had warped discs on a car since 1987 on a Sierra so can't really comment. Auto hold systems have been installed on larger cars since the late 90's and by VW for over ten years without any real issues with brake discs warping. VAG, BMW, Merc, Jag, Land Rover and many others all have systems that lock brakes on using normal brake pressure when stationary.

 

I'm sure we'd have read about warped brake disc issues on the forums if this was happening on a regular basis. I've done over 150k miles on cars that lock the brakes on every time I stop. No issues with vibrating brakes but I always fit genuine parts when changing brake components.

 

Lee