Always leave mine in 1st gear with handbrake on. Im young :P

weather it was in gear or not, he was a muppet for trying to start it without checking it was in neutral! (or with the clutch down) lol........ his fault, not yours! :rofl:

I don't leave it in gear when parked but I do check if it is in neutral before I start everytime, and I'm a young guy

Bless Bengie............................no not the Bengie we all know, but the cool driving instructor I had to help me get my driver's license. His name was Bengie too.

Taught by Police to leave car in gear with handbrake on when parking. When starting check in neutral and start engine with clutch dipped as this reduces strain on engine during start (especially when cold)

Never leave mine in gear unless on a hill. Use the handbrake though.

I never ever start it without dipping clutch and checking in neutral though

An old Hyundai I had as a student had an immobilised starter unless the clutch was in. Never lost the habit since.

yeah, 3 years ago I was taught to leave the car out of gear, and when slowing down, to first brake to almost stall the car and then change down

Dad has taught me to park in gear (using 1st or R on hills etc), and to double-de-clutch to shift down then slow down using engine braking and the actual brakes. Had an argument with a driving instructor in the pub about the later point. I said that it's all fine and dandy in your intrctors car, but what if you're out in the typical £200 Fiesta that most people start out in and you lock up

"Oh, the ABS will kick in on my car..."

"but what about after they pass? in their own car without ABS?"

"well... err..."

"so using the engine to brake would help them there, but you don't teach it?"

"well, we've got ABS and err...."

:(

I leave mine in gear if it's on a slope, ever since I saw an 02 plate fabia handbrake fail resulting in the poor furby rolling head long into a wall! If he didn't check then it's his fault.

Maybe I've got this wrong, but is first gear enough? On a steep hill, couldn't it just roll slowly, turning the engine over? I've always left mine in fourth when I park on a hill.

Also, what about supermarket car parks? I've been told that if you leave the handbrake off then your car will move slightly if you get bumped, lessening any potential damage. On the other hand, doesn't that send a shock through the transmission?

J

always leave it in 1st or 2nd out of habit. always dip clutch and check car is in gear no matter what/whos car before starting.

Maybe I've got this wrong, but is first gear enough? On a steep hill, couldn't it just roll slowly, turning the engine over? I've always left mine in fourth when I park on a hill.

4th is easier to turn over than 1st.

4th is easier to turn over than 1st.

No it isn't.

J

No it isn't.

J

Er yes it is. Basic mechanics.

Leaving it parked in gear is something I do if there is potential for the car to roll away, but not if on level ground. Always check it is in neutral before starting and always clutch down as well. Just consider the extra current required to turn the input shaft in cold sticky gearbox oil first thing on a cold morning.

US market cars have to have an immobiliser that prevents the starter motor from turning unless the clutch is depressed.

Guys at a place I used to work used to leave the pool cars close to the office wall in gear so that if yu did not check first, you hit the office when you started up. First time I drove a pool car, I wondered why so many people where interested in me going out. Most disappointed they were.

Chris

OK, a pen and paper and some diagrams has set me straight. I blame my dodgy maths

On an entirely different point, is it a problem is the engine is rotated backwards. i.e., if you're facing up the hill, should you put the car in reverse?

J

Whenever I go to North America, I have found that a car will not start unless you have your foot on the brake, even if the auto box is in park?

If you were to drive a manual transmission car in the US you would find that they wont start unless the clutch pedal is depressed. Even if the car is in neutral. I think its a great idea as some people leave their cars in gear and having this set up would prevent the lurching forward described in the first post when people forget to check if the car is in neutral.

On an entirely different point, is it a problem is the engine is rotated backwards. i.e., if you're facing up the hill, should you put the car in reverse?

J

No, you just need to leave it in gear, the idea is that you are 'locking' the drivetrain. the lower the gear the better, i.e. 1st or reverse.

should always leave in FIRST gear on an incline and as someone has already mentioned when the rear discs cool it can cause the pads to contract and loose grip......

First gear is best because there is less chance of the car rolling should the handbrake slip. It could still roll if left in higher gears....

C

On an incline turn the steering so that your car will turn into the curb if it rolls as well as leaving it in gear.

THat what everyone does on Lombard (San Francisco), and works rather well too

I always leave a car in gear when parking - even on the flat as to me it just doesnt feel right if I dont. I did used to park on a 1:5 driveway at my parents house though :eek: That was great for ensuring I mastered hill starting very quickly

When I get into a car to start it I always depress the clutch - its just habbit.

Only in gear when on a hill, and wheels turned as well - use to live on a very steep hill.

I'd like to claim I always check for neutral before starting, but I have been caught out once or twice - usually in somebody else's car when I'm too busy checking out all the other controls :(

Previously never bothered dipping the clutch, but two months with a B6 Passat has changed my habits

Only ever leave it in gear when on a hill. Despite driving mostly hydro-pneumatic Citroens until I got my Octy, never had a car run away on me either!

Don't think dipping the clutch is necessary, and never heard the engine slow down when re-engaging the clutch with the gear in neutral.

The comments about the USA probably relate to the problems with Audis (and Chevy Caprice's [where, on a clear day, you can just about see the brake pedal from the throttle]) suffering "uncommanded acceleration on start up" (which means that you would be sharing the road with people who can't tell left from right! ).

I was told never to leave a derv in gear, as if it dd want to roll away, it could start the engine with the compression ignition......or something.

Anyway.... I never leave the car in gear, even on hills, and I always depress the clutch when starting.

The diesel thing even theoretically only applies to cars with plain mechanical pumps and injection systems, and then I'd think only if the stop solonoid is "make to stop", which seems unlikely with a purely key operated system.

Even my old BX had the stop solenoid as break to stop.

Only once have I not left a car parked in neutral....V6 Vectra....with a handbarke that after 10 mins did not grip....it rolled across the road and hit a parked car...£400 of damage!!!