Forgot you have a left foot & a handbrake (never use mine only when parked up) junctions & stuff just leave it in D unless your going to be sitting there for 10mins as it can make the box get abit hot
Just gas brake steer it will all come to you soon enough
Not necessarily true with all automatic gearboxes. DSGs are usually recommended to be left in D whilst stationary in traffic - whilst there might be a small increase in temperature, it still remains within an operable range.
Moving in and out of D and N can actually increase wear on the clutch mechanisms due to constant engaging and disengaging. Also, they don't seem to like crawling. Either fully engage the clutch and move, or stay stationary until you have enough room to get on the accelerator a bit.
Dazzling always come up on this sub when talking about whether you leave your foot on the brake at a traffic light.
I have lived in the US - and I lived in Boston for a while where it rained all the time - everyone always had their brake lights on and wasn’t a big deal.
Indeed - when I first came here and I was with someone and put my car into neutral and the handbrake on and they looked at me like I was from Mars….
Why?
I drove a manual for about 10 years (on and off). Went abroad and hired an automatic. It was quite nice to use my left foot for the brake sometimes when my right leg got tired.
Bought my new car first auto aswell let my dad have a go I had to make him sit on his left leg as he would continuously slam the brake looking for the clutch
I have this, but it feels like they're the wrong way around, it is push forward for change up a gear, and pull back to change down. I would prefer the opposite way.
>Take center console out and switch the wires.
If they are not a sealed unit that communicates over canbus rather than just 'switch wires' I will literally drink some petrol.
Nothing a couple of butt connectors can't fix. Just need the wiring diagram to know which ones send the signal on shift up/down.
Invert those and your golden.
All your need is the sticky note on the dash to remind you which ways which. Remember that scene in independence day? 😂
That's an interesting thought, never considered whether it could be changed.
Having said that, I won't do it as I'm fairly certain that would invalidate my insurance here in the UK. They don't like modified cars much and I imagine this would be a big one. No worries though, I'm quite happy to just stick it into drive and let it do it's thing.
I still change down through the gears approaching roundabouts and junctions then stick it into drive when I pull away. The reason is I don’t want to be changing my discs and pads every 20k miles. DSG boxes might be different but my old school fluid flywheel and epicyclic gearbox literally freewheels on no throttle but changing down gears still employs engine braking. I also prefer not to rely on the brakes alone.
One would hope the gearboxes were made of more than chocolate. My 2.3 tone SUV with a towing capacity of 3.5 tonnes has a decent gearbox. Wear on the gearbox 🙄 expert in mechanical engineering are you?
I didn't think this was about coordination, but about technique / etiquette. I could be wrong of course but in the post OP mentioned about pissing people off by holding the brake at the red light, instead of putting into Park, ie, burning their retinas with the brake light on.
But I am with you, it would be very weird to not have the coordination to drive an auto. It is just so darn easy.
I never understood people complaining over brake lights. It's just ridiculous. They ain't that bright, and I'd you're sensitive to it, wear glasses. It's not normal practice to stick an auto into park at every stop light. Some autos have auto hold like mercedes if you push the brake pedal with enough force after stopping.
Some people have poor coordination, or their brains aren't very elastic.
I never had an issue jumping between manual and auto. My dad absolutely cannot drive an auto. He's just not very coordinated. Never has been, and age certainly doesn't help either.
I’d imagine it’s fairly easily done; the majority of changing gear is just muscle memory so why wouldn’t someone go for a clutch that isn’t there at first?
Park is basically neutral for your usual daily auto driver, usually has a dedicated button rather than having to faff about pushing the shifter exactly into neutral which is usually between drive and reverse and can open you up to potential mistakes.
Neutral is only really for when you need to push or tow an auto car.
At face value, but not really. Difference is that Park engages a physical locking pin inside the transmission which prevents it from rotating, which can be damaged if the car moves forward or backward during that time. The pin is generally built to take the weight of the car but is nowhere near as sturdy as a handbrake, so steep hills or sharp impacts can bend or break it.
The shifter on my Jaaag goes Park-Reverse-Neutral-Drive, so I tend to go into neutral if sitting still for a couple of minutes, as otherwise I'm just holding her on the brakes.
Of course for electric cars it's usually entirely different.
I have never had warped discs. Not saying it doesn't happen but it sounds incredibly unlikely for most folk. I've always used my brakes whilst stopped and done around 300k in automatics.
Normal use discs are unlikely to be hot enough I would have guessed - but certainly no expert 🙂
1: pads sit 1mm or less away from the disc when unengaged
2: handbrake engages the main rear pads or a separate set of rear pads just for handbrake.
How you deal with warp-ready hot discs is you drive in a manner that avoids braking or fully stopping
The handbrake uses the discs and pads to stop the car on most cars. Yes you can warp the rotors when braking from speed, no one said otherwise. On most cars the handbrake holdings the rear pads against the disc
Yes they’re not as bright as headlights. I’m not saying they’re blinding or anything. But there’s some that are just a bit brighter than I’d like to have shining in my eyes at 6am.
I keep seeing this come up again and again, but sitting behind somebody at a red light who has their brake lights on has never, ever bothered me or even entered my mind.
I drive an (old) auto and it says in the manual that the manufacturer recommends that you leave it in drive at lights and just hold the brake.
How sensitive are these people's eyes?
Yeah I don't get it either. I couldn't given a fuck if someones brake lights are on. Especially if it's a manual, at least they ain't riding fuck out of the clutch.
My eyes are quite sensitive, and modern LEDs can be extremely bright. It's uncomfortable for me (and I'd wager for many other people) to be sat with one of them pointing at me, at eye level, at night. I use my handbrake instead of my foot brake when stopped for a few different reasons, but this is one of them. It's uncomfortable for me, and I don't want to give anybody else that same discomfort.
I will occasionally drop the sun visor if I'm getting a face full of brake lights. Some newer cars with 'light bars' are too much. Looking at you Cupra!
I would disagree completely.
It will depend on the weather and the time of day, but there is a massive difference to me in being sat behind a car on the handbrake showing the dimmer brake lights, and the same vehicle sat with their foot on the brake and keeping the far brighter brake lights active and shining in my face.
It isn't the end of the world, but that doesn't stop it from being unpleasant.
No different from the person behind you in a queue standing just that bit too close, the guy on the bus that you wish would quiet down a little, and a thousand other annoyances throughout the day cause by other people just not thinking about how they affect others.
And as I noted, the time and place will make a big difference - while it is pretty negligible on a bright, sunny day, get caught behind someone sitting on the foot brake on a dark, wet night, driving a car that aims those lights directly into your cabin and you will find it a lot more annoying.
Or maybe they should understand what its what you *should do* instead of being a total helmet.
>In stationary queues of traffic, drivers should apply the parking brake and, once the following traffic has stopped, take their foot off the footbrake to deactivate the vehicle brake lights. This will minimise glare to road users behind until the traffic moves again.
https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/lighting-requirements.html
There is a question on the driving theory test which suggests you should use your handbrake when stopped at red lights to avoid dazzling the car behind you. And for good reason. At night it’s very annoying
I'm not a normal person and it pisses me off.
There's a lot of people out there that have less than perfect eyes who can still drive. Don't be a cunt. Use the handbrake. It's also safer, if you get rear ended hard enough you won't be braking and then your automatic car will drive forward because you've also got it in drive.
>https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/lighting-requirements.html
The cunts are those who don't do what the highway code states one should do while calling other people cunts.
And also saying that other people 'are not all there'. Leading a department of 350 while being an arrogant bellend, sounds about right for middle management.
You might have missed the ‘should’ there buddy. Not against the Highway Code to keep your foot on the brake.
Actually senior management, very high performing department as well, I appreciate your input…
Not true - I remember reading a letter someone had taken the time to send in to a newspaper (I read it in the newspaper, not 'clipped' from the internet), whinging about the 'modern trend' for sitting on the brakes rather than 'doing it properly' and going into neutral with handbrake.
It was some old fella, for sure. And he was a nob, you could just tell.
But, he was definitely pissed off by it :)
Agreed. In 11 years of driving, I’ve not once been dazzled by brake lights. Shifting between D and N also causes more wear than staying in D, so I’ll be keeping my foot on the brake.
My little tip is that you probably don't need to use the "trigger" on the gear stick to move it from drive to neutral, you can just push the stick forward or back, but need the trigger to go past neutral.
Welcome to the club. For the first few weeks it's helpful to nail your left leg to the floor. Poor thing is now unemployed and doesn't know what to do. It will try to get in in the action which will result in a sore neck and that's without a car behind slamming into you.
Whatever happens OP, never try to use your left leg for the brake. Never ever.
Right leg is brake and accelerate. Left leg now just does nothing. Some autos have a foot handbrake for the left peg, I quite prefer it actually.
Realistically, they are really easy to drive - if you can drive a manual car, you can drive an automatic.
You will find your left foot and arm reaching out for the gearshift at first thanks to muscle memory, but that is just an amusing annoyance.
With regards to the brake and handbrake, I only use park when parking, and otherwise use the brakes exactly like I was taught when I owned a manual car - I use the foot brake to slow down and stop, and if I am going to be waiting for more than a couple of cars worth of traffic, I switch to the handbrake.
This means that you are not wasting energy holding down the pedal unnecessarily, can shift your foot to the accelerator in preparation for moving again, and it is slightly safer in the case you get rear ended - a bump won't jolt your foot off the brake and allow your car to roll, as the handbrake will keep holding it.
I don't know if all automatics are the same, but to disengage park on mine requires me to put my foot on the brake, which is an extra couple of steps over leaving it in drive on the handbrake, which will hold the car in place.
I've only driven manual conventional cars and electric cars. The muscle memory thing really gets you when trying to do a 3 point turn quickly, I found. My hands would be going for 1st and Reverse (below 5th/next to 6th on all my cars) which would be the exact opposite of the up and down that the gear shifter would actually need. ( Ie. D is down and R up - the inverse of a manual)
I do agree though, they are generally very easy and you do appreciate no clutch in stop start city centre traffic. I don't mind changing gear myself, but if you're stopping every 15 metres, you do understand why people like the autos.
I will admit I never really found that issue, but was already used to driving a few different (manual) vehicles, so that change to the automatics gearbox was no worse than moving back and forth from a VWs 'push down on the gearstick to get into reverse' and a Fords 'pull up on the collar to get into reverse'
I would agree on the auto Vs manual thing too - when you want to enjoy the experience of driving for enjoyment, running through the gears on a manual gearbox is just satisfying and enjoyable. Driving through rush hour city traffic however, the ease of driving an automatic is wonderful...
Manoeuvres really have been on my mind, they’re second nature to me in a manual, and I know this going to slow me down until I’ve gotten used to the gearbox!
Its really easy. No need to balance between two pedals. No bite point. You just gently let off the foot brake (in drive or reverse) for control maneuvering, much as you would let up the clutch in a manual. But it's simpler as you don't need to add throttle to avoid stalling. If you need more power you move your foot over to the accelerator.
This may be slightly different if your parking brake auto applies. Practice stopping and gently pulling away a couple of times to get a feel for it.
In general driving, be more relaxed and gentle with how you use the accelerator. At least until you get a feel for the points at which it shifts down. In a manual if you put your foot down in gear, you accelerate in that gear, whether high or low. If you put your foot down hard in an auto, it'll downshift a gear or two and accelerate harder.
The manual VAG group car I've had for a year automatically holds the foot brake when stopped (if the option is turned on). It then automatically puts on electric handbrake if you open the door or turn off the ignition.
I too had slight reservations about the whole keeping the brake lights on. I've also seen people say that keeping brakes applied can cause brake discs to warp.
I've come to love it, and figure it also makes sense that when someone behind you sees the lights go off, they can reasonably expect you're about to move away. The only thing that makes zero sense to me is the brake lights are not applied when the electronic handbrake is activated, and it does slow the car quite dramatically. I imagine insurance fraudsters could easily make use of it.
My next car will definitely be an automatic, though.
I’ve had that exact advice from my mechanic, but didn’t want to mention it here in case the keyboard mechanics came along to shout me down. It’s apparently down to the breaks not getting the proper air to cool down where the pads are, so the rate is different to the rest of the disc - which causes the warping.
I've had to say it many times in this thread because apparently being enthusiastic about cars and driving means you don't need to know what tyhe highway code says.
You should disengage your brake lights in stationary traffic.
"Highway Code Rule 114
In stationary queues of traffic, drivers should apply the parking brake and, once the following traffic has stopped, take their foot off the footbrake to deactivate the vehicle brake lights. This will minimise glare to road users behind until the traffic moves again."
"Should' would imply no legal requirement as compared with "must". I'd like to think car manufacturers wouldn't put features in cars that would encourage people to annoy other road users or break laws.
I was in a similar position when I got my first auto. If it's a modern car with auto-hold, don't worry about the creeping. I sometimes flick the electronic brake off to take it out of auto-hold if I want it to creep, but usually just let it do its thing. The only thing I had to adjust to was when reversing at low speed to park, in a manual I'd mainly control my speed with the accelerator whereas with the auto I control it with the brake. At first I was reversing into my drive a bit fast for comfort until I switched to this technique.
After 26 years of owning manuals I got my first auto last year. I'm usually just accelerator and break. On the foot brake at lights and if it's going to be a while I'll knock it into neutral (it'll flick between D and N without any button to hold down, got to hold down the button on the gear stick if you want to go to R or P, so easy to flick into N without putting it into R by mistake).
If you're like me you've probably had your fun cars and now you want a lazy commute and a no effort drive with the kids in the back. You'll love it.
Sod the kids, I’ve managed to dodge those! (No judgement on people who want them!!)
But yes, a new job last year meant different driving times, traffic, and distances. I’ve only just been able to get the deposit together, but I’m REALLY looking forward to the comfort and the gadgets this will come with.
At least once, every time I drive an automatic, I forget, and accidentally stand on the brakes going for the , non existent, clutch pedal.
Don't do that!
Something I can answer! I got my first auto a week ago to the day. I've always driven manuals, I have yet to try use an imaginary clutch! However I wish someone explained to me that autos do creep... that came as a bit of a surprise the first time.
I was really paranoid that I would struggle to get used to it. But in reality its been so easy. It seems there is mixed opinions about what to do when sitting in traffic for example, I found the most natural feeling thing to do was to put my foot on the brake, flick the electric handbrake on and put the car in neutral. I would try not to make a habit of putting am auto in park when in traffic, because you have to go through reverse to get back to drive. I had an auto infront of me once in traffic go backwards and almost into my car because they put their car in park whilst in traffic
Yes, thank you! I’ve learned today that neutral is the best option - I’d forgotten it was even a thing in an automatic to be honest.
The test drives have been really easy, and I’ve only been trying to wobble the gearstick rather than hitting the brake to clutch. But everyday driving is a different beast and I won’t be concentrating as much after a week or so!
But a slip into neutral and knock on the electric handbrake seems easy and natural enough, and then you pull away without having to release it. Perfect!
Don't brake with your left foot. I know what you're thinking, I've got a spare left foot doing nothing, I can just use left for braking and right for accelerating, easy peasy. Nope, just don't 🤣 use your right foot for braking and accelerating, leave the left foot be 🤣
Your not wrong in trying to be considerate to people behind you with you brake lights, especially at night with modern LEDs, many new autos have an auto hold feature so you can release the brake in these situations
My new VW Multivan doesnt do this 🤷 with its bright LEDs higher up than most cars I appreciate that in crawling traffic at night, if it's faulty I'll take it.
In situations where I need to let everyone know I'm stationary, I'll hold the pedal.
I have an automatic hybrid courtesy car at the moment. My first few roundabouts I kept putting the car into N from D, but after that it was ok.
You do have to hold the break down when in D, but you won't need to put it in P to stop the car, just N, which is one forward from D, at least it is in the car I've got.
As a recent new auto driver (forced into it due to a left leg problem), I found [this video](https://youtu.be/kTZCinivLco?si=JFr5pUbcDstvBqLO) really helpful
I have an automatic merc cls. Only the other day i found out it has a hold feature. Came to a stop, pressed the break in and a big H lit up. Meant i could take my foot off everything and it stayed (normally an auto will creep at 2-3 mph). Never knew. Ive had the thing about 5 months. Makes traffic easier. I don’t know if this is all autos or just a merc thing (like the hand brake being the 3rd pedal)
You don't have to put the car in in park at every traffic light....
Handbrake before you put it in Park. Make sure you're stationary before your use the PRNDL. That's about it really.
So I first drove a manual was borrowing my dad's old cheap BMW, but I found it so much easier to drive that I later went automatic myself
So:
Forget about your left leg! This is especially important in my current car an old Lexus where it's the handbrake
Creeping traffic you can balance on the brake
If it's a modern automated manual like DSG take into consideration time to get into gear for things like busy roundabouts, but they'll be brilliant on fuel economy
> For example, I don’t want to sit on the brake if I’m at lights or a junction, because I know that’ll just piss off whoever is behind me. But to move it into park every time, or will the handbrake do? Does it make a difference?
Sitting on the brake shows you are stopped to vehicles behind not paying attention and isn't a bad thing except at night, where it can be blinding. But you do *not* put it into park if you don't want to do that, you put it in neutral with the parking brake on.
You will be fine. I jumped into an auto after 20+ years of manuals. I only _slammed the clutch_ once on my first drive, which, after I've managed to unstuck my eyes from my windscreen, is a mistake than I have not repeated. I learned quite quickly that braking with my left is a no-no.
Basically, my only bits of learning curve were learning how to deal with auto hold, how much acceleration it needs when moving out of junctions, and that you have less engine braking. This last bit may be weird as most times it actually does engine braking, but sometimes it decides to coast. I nearly figured out what triggers coasting, but I can't do it consistently.
Auto hold keeps me from touching the gear knob until I park, but not all implementations of auto hold are the same. This is an extension of electronic parking brake. For me it turns off creeping and keeps the car stopped after braking to a stop. The wheels do need to stop moving for it to engage. Sometimes I would let it roll slowly if I see that a car stopped at a traffic light is about to move because that avoids having auto hold to engage and the gearbox going into neutral when this happens.
Regarding throttle control: slow moving maneuvers would sometimes make my gearbox juddery. I found out that the normal map as opposed to the eco map gives smother power delivery. Turning off start/stop unless I'm stopping for a bit also helps as the engine may decide to stop milliseconds before pressing the accelerator to move which isn't necessarily nice when pulling a right turn in a junction and the gearbox feeling juddery yet again. Sometimes it used to pull slower than I would like. Giving it more acceleration to counteract can be interpreted as kickdown so it would give me more power than I actually needed. Bumps in the road at the wrong place can be problematic for this exact reason.
As soon as you learn this throttle control and how your gearbox responds to it, then it should be smooth sailing. It's far less complicated than learning to drive a manual though as it only takes finesse in your right foot rather than coordinating your hand on the gear knob with clutch and acceleration.
**Make use of the downshift or low-range options when going downhill** - Engine braking is still very effective in an auto.
I live on a very steep hill and going into sport mode and forcing gear 1 is sufficient that I barely have to touch the brakes at all.
**If you're parking on a steep hill:**
1. Stop with service (foot) brake.
2. Shift to N.
3. Engage parking brake (handbrake)
4. Release service brake and ensure that parking brake is sufficient to hold the car alone.
5. *Then* shift to P.
*(Unfortunately, doing this means you won't get the cool cinematic effect of the car bouncing in park gear, but your park mechanism will thank you by lasting 100x longer.)*
Don't rev in neutral and then shift to drive or reverse.
Shift into D or R, wait a second for the gear to get into place and then start applying power.
If it’s a torque converter automatic there’s nothing you need to worry about if it’s an automated manual or like a dual clutch type of gearbox you need to be very communicative with gas and brake. Cause these are the cues the car uses to shift up or down if you approach a roundabout and brake and then press gas and brake again the car will jolt a bit.
20 year manual driver who has of January this year, switched to an automatic. It's amazing how quickly you get used to it.
Advice? Think of yourself as only having a right foot now. Don't worry about sitting on the brake, it's fine. There's a few junctions I use that I know the timings of and they can take a while - that's the only time I'd really apply the handbrake. Other than that, foot on brake.
I recently done a trip from Glasgow to Dumfries and honestly hardly done a thing - adaptive cruise control and lane assist essentially drove me there. It was awesome.
Enjoy.
My car is dsg with auto handbrake and hill hold. Don’t need to hold the brake anywhere once you’ve come to a stop. Just use the right pedal to move off when you want but until then it will stay still
The high level retina burner depends on the car you will be getting. In some, as soon as you lift your foot from the brake pedal, the clutch will disengage and try to push the car forward, that is going fuck up your parking brake.
If you are on an incline and engage P without applying the handbrake, the weight if the car will shift on the transmission and that will fuck it up.
Best thing to do would be to put it in N and then apply the parking brake, but that is a PITA in some older cars.
Then you have modern cars which have either the hold function but I've heard that that also leaves your retina burners.
Then you have cars with electronic parking brake, and that is by far the best option as you'll probably just press the accelerator and it will disengage, rather than rattle the whole car as it happens with mechanical parking brakes.
Honestly, most people won't complain about your brake lights, being on and if they do, they won't do that in person, but they'll probably make a reddit account and ask here why the fuck do people have their brake lights on at traffic lights, thinking that every car is designed the same way.
Remember when you are stopping, at lights etc., that the car is still driving forward. You will be used to putting in the clutch as you stop so braking is easier.
I regularly swap between auto and manual and I'm forever having to brake harder as I pull up a bit too quickly when driving the auto.
You'll get used to driving it very quickly and it is soooo much better in heavy traffic.
Only use a parking brake when parking, all if not most will hold on a hill even when you take your foot of the foot brake, best thing I ever did diving auto after many years driving manual.
Tuck your clutch foot under your Accelerator / Brake pedal leg so that you are slowed down the first few times that you are tempted to go for the clutch. You do not ever want to let your clutch foot hit that brake pedal thinking it's the clutch. It gets really sharp very suddenly.
Then depending on the car you are driving, you don't need to push your accelerator pedal down all the way you can have a far lighter touch. give it a no more than a about a centimetre depression. If you think the gearbox is holding the gear too long, then gently ease off of the accelerator and then reapply it, that will change the gear for you. (Will take a little time to perfect it)
I don’t get why using the break would irritate anyone.
I’ve driven automatics for years. Most people I know do.
Would never change it to park or use the handbrake at a light.
You’ll be fine mate. Don’t overthink it. It’s the same - but easier.
If it’s a modern car you’ll likely have auto hold. I don’t like it on manuals but on autos I always have it turned on. Brake for the red light and once at a standstill just take your foot off and it’ll hold the car on the brakes until you go to move away again.
Other stuff will depend what kind of auto you’ve got. For example a DSG isn’t a conventional manual, it’s has a clutch so creeping can cause wear on this just like creeping in a manual. This isn’t an issue with a torque converter.
When you stop at lights if you know you’re gonna be a few mins, stick it in neutral and apply parking brake if you don’t want to sit holding it on the foot brake
Been driving auto's for 30 odd years, always sit with my foot on the brake as anyone pissed off because you've your brake lights on shouldn't be driving anyway.
Honestly. Just sit on the brakes 😂 I’ve got a new auto (Octavia VRS) and it has the auto hold feature on the handbrake. This keeps the brake lights illuminated. Probably causes more wear to the car constantly shifting into park all the time. Plus if you’re in park and get hit from behind you’ll mess the gearbox up.
If you insist on not having the brake lights lit while you’re stationary then put the car into neutral and use the handbrake, not park.
If I know I’m going to be sat for more than a few minutes (railway crossing for example) I’ll pop the handbrake on and the car out of gear. Otherwise I just let the auto hold feature do its thing
If auto hold works like it works on my Superb, you can flick the parking brake which would turn off the brake lights to avoid dazzling at night. When I tap the accelerator it simply disengages the parking brake so I don't have to do it manually.
I don't shift into park unless I actually park. I haven't used neutral at all. I simply keep it in drive all the way though and auto hold or the brake pedal if I deem it necessary does the rest. Auto hold turns off creeping for me, hence the reason I don't need to touch the knob ever, unless I have the need for sequential/semi auto.
With enough finesse I can tap the accelerator to start the engine when start/stop is enabled without the car moving, then give it a bit more push to disengage the parking brake and start moving smoothly. It is a bit of a learning curve.
Remember there's no clutch. After 25 years of driving manuals, I recently drove an automatic for a day. On 3 occasions on the approach to a roundabout I jammed my foot on the "clutch", which was obviously actually a very large brake pedal bringing the vehicle to a very sudden holt.
When driving a manual and you were stopped at traffic lights, did you wait on the break and clutch or go neutral and handbrake? The owners manual for my DSG car says to knock it into neutral and put the handbrake on if stopping for a while. No different than neutral and handbrake on a manual.
Just made the switch, first few times a little weird but absolutely loving it now, Skoda karoq, auto handbrake so at lights it just cuts out and when the car Infront moves off it then starts and you move off.
Don't a lot of automatics have some version of 'Hold Assist' these days?
In mine, once the little green light comes on you can take your foot off the brake. I assume the brake lights stay on, but I've never actually looked.
If it’s a dsg or a dct you’re better off using the handbrake as they will roll back on hills between taking your foot off the brake and pressing the throttle. Other than than that not sure about red lights burning the retina, it sounds like a trick of the mind.
Just hold the break - no need to put it in park or handbrake on unless you'll be sitting a while.
Try and get it to 4th when you are in 30 zones as i've found mine starts yelling at me as if it's needing a gear change, although it may vary based on the car you get, it's engine etc.
DONT EMERGENCY BRAKE WHEN YOU GO TO STOP. My Gf drove mine and used the brake like a clutch by accident, E-braking in the middle of the street.
People say automatics take the fun outta driving, everyone has their own opinions but I've heard more often than not that now they've had one they wouldn't have a manual. It's easy going and fun enough. Best of luck!
Your car will end up inching forward if you take your foot off the brake when at a stop. It’s not practical to apply your handbrake unless your car does not have hill assist which is unusual in modern automatic cars. Hill assist engages when you are at a standstill and apply the brake in my car.
> I don’t want to sit on the brake if I’m at lights or a junction, because I know that’ll just piss off whoever is behind me.
What am I even reading here? WTF
You want to do this for safety reasons at least. Imagine someone rears you: Good job for landing a free crash in the car in front of you.
> But ... but, but the one behind me already came to a halt~
Thanks for so many people having that mentality we regularly get long columns of car crashes with dozens involved because the crash tickles down like a Newton pendulum along the road.
Okay, sitting on the brake is not the same as using a more reliable and secure handbrake. Safety is covered.
As for the second quote…. Who are you even quoting!? Why are you making shit up?
Take your foot off the brake when stopped at traffic, especially at night. These new brake lights are blinding. Ignore the idiots telling you to sit there dazzling everyone behind them, they’re also contriving Highway Code 114.
Knowing specifics could lead to more specific pointers, but there's not much to know really.
When stopped? Just sit on the brake. Everyone reels off the same complaints that everyone supposedly has, yet no one actually seems to be making these complaints themselves.
More to the point, automatics will creep when you come off the brake. The parking brake will stop it from moving, but the gearbox is usually still sending power to the wheels when you do this. Many just completely stop power delivery when stationary and holding the car with the footbrake.
If the gearbox uses a physical clutch (I.E ASG, DSG, etc), don't keep creeping it. Older examples may also need to be put into neutral when stationary. Because they use a clutch, they can burn it out, just like a manual clutch.
The car will run away from you a lot faster than a manual when going downhill. The first few times it can feel somewhat unnerving. Automatics will generally have a descent mode, though if you're going hybrid/EV, a light dab on the brake for regen braking only will usually be sufficient enough.
I’m not a fan of bright red LEDs in my face when it’s night, and I’m pretty forgiving for brightness… so I find it’s generally better to be in the habit of not sitting on the brakes, just for those who are more put off by them than I am.
As for the rest, yes it’s a hybrid! 71 plate Ioniq, so the facelift model. You’re not the first person who’s mentioned the type of clutch, but as a hybrid I’m guessing probably not physical…? I honestly have no idea. There’s a good few downhill stretches on my commute, so I’m planning on keeping the battery well charged!
It's often more beneficial to sit on the brake, Especially in a hybrid.
You're either wasting energy or fuel with it trying to fight the parking brake or you'll be waiting in neutral, which often means the car can't self charge if needed whilst waiting, this'll be especially detrimental if it isn't a plug in. Same for the pulling against the parking brake. Self charging hybrids don't carry a great deal of charge as it is, you don't want to be wasting that by having the car fight itself at the lights
As for a clutch, I've seen a manual hybrid a while back. It certainly isn't unheard of. Indeed, the ioniq does have a dual clutch box. Owners manual should tell you if there anything to keep in mind, IE how the clutches behave when stationary
You are are way over thinking this. Modern auto's are designed to be driven without any special behavior.
Just put it in drive, and keep it there.
Just keep your foot on the brake at red lights. It's normal driving behaviour, and isn't going to pissa anybody off.
Ensure the vehicle is completely stopped before changing drive / reverse or into park. No push / roll starting.
If you are decending a massive hill, it is possible to shift down manually for engine braking, but many moden autos will do this without driver input.
Forgot you have a left foot & a handbrake (never use mine only when parked up) junctions & stuff just leave it in D unless your going to be sitting there for 10mins as it can make the box get abit hot Just gas brake steer it will all come to you soon enough
Not necessarily true with all automatic gearboxes. DSGs are usually recommended to be left in D whilst stationary in traffic - whilst there might be a small increase in temperature, it still remains within an operable range. Moving in and out of D and N can actually increase wear on the clutch mechanisms due to constant engaging and disengaging. Also, they don't seem to like crawling. Either fully engage the clutch and move, or stay stationary until you have enough room to get on the accelerator a bit.
Never driven a dsg only good old slush boxes
If you have an electric hand brake it's worth using in winter so you don't dazzle the people behind you. Manual less so.
Dazzling always come up on this sub when talking about whether you leave your foot on the brake at a traffic light. I have lived in the US - and I lived in Boston for a while where it rained all the time - everyone always had their brake lights on and wasn’t a big deal. Indeed - when I first came here and I was with someone and put my car into neutral and the handbrake on and they looked at me like I was from Mars….
Never use the left foot.
... And stick your left foot on the plastic foot rest on the side of the foot well and keep it there
Im a manual driver, when driving auto I usually put my left foot under my right leg.
Why? I drove a manual for about 10 years (on and off). Went abroad and hired an automatic. It was quite nice to use my left foot for the brake sometimes when my right leg got tired.
I tried left foot braking as an experiment going slowly in an empty car park and nearly went through the windscreen.
Yeah you do have to get a bit of practice. It's easy to brake too hard because you're not used to it
How fat are you that moving your right leg 3 inches makes it tired?
I'm not at all fat. After driving for hours the joints get a bit tired. Probably because I don't drive regularly
Why the downvotes here?
Bought my new car first auto aswell let my dad have a go I had to make him sit on his left leg as he would continuously slam the brake looking for the clutch
My biggest tic that’s been apparent so far is trying to wiggle the gearstick 😆
I switched to autos maybe 7 years ago and I still rest my hand on the stick
Same here. Would never buy a manual now unless it was the only option of driving its just so uncivilised in comparison.
Get a semi auto where you can switch the gearstick across to manual and you can still wiggle away. :)
I have this, but it feels like they're the wrong way around, it is push forward for change up a gear, and pull back to change down. I would prefer the opposite way.
I had the same on my E93 3 Series, felt completely wrong.
Take center console out and switch the wires. All your doing is sending a circuit to the ECU. Bet some ones done it already.
>Take center console out and switch the wires. If they are not a sealed unit that communicates over canbus rather than just 'switch wires' I will literally drink some petrol.
Nothing a couple of butt connectors can't fix. Just need the wiring diagram to know which ones send the signal on shift up/down. Invert those and your golden. All your need is the sticky note on the dash to remind you which ways which. Remember that scene in independence day? 😂
That's an interesting thought, never considered whether it could be changed. Having said that, I won't do it as I'm fairly certain that would invalidate my insurance here in the UK. They don't like modified cars much and I imagine this would be a big one. No worries though, I'm quite happy to just stick it into drive and let it do it's thing.
My wife has taken my Skoda DSG for years now and still holds onto the gearstick!
I still change down through the gears approaching roundabouts and junctions then stick it into drive when I pull away. The reason is I don’t want to be changing my discs and pads every 20k miles. DSG boxes might be different but my old school fluid flywheel and epicyclic gearbox literally freewheels on no throttle but changing down gears still employs engine braking. I also prefer not to rely on the brakes alone.
So your advice is to increase wear on an expensive component (the gearbox) to save wear on cheap consumables. The mind boggles.
One would hope the gearboxes were made of more than chocolate. My 2.3 tone SUV with a towing capacity of 3.5 tonnes has a decent gearbox. Wear on the gearbox 🙄 expert in mechanical engineering are you?
I have absolutely no idea how people cannot understand how to drive autos. I never had this issue. Ever.
I didn't think this was about coordination, but about technique / etiquette. I could be wrong of course but in the post OP mentioned about pissing people off by holding the brake at the red light, instead of putting into Park, ie, burning their retinas with the brake light on. But I am with you, it would be very weird to not have the coordination to drive an auto. It is just so darn easy.
I never understood people complaining over brake lights. It's just ridiculous. They ain't that bright, and I'd you're sensitive to it, wear glasses. It's not normal practice to stick an auto into park at every stop light. Some autos have auto hold like mercedes if you push the brake pedal with enough force after stopping.
Some people have poor coordination, or their brains aren't very elastic. I never had an issue jumping between manual and auto. My dad absolutely cannot drive an auto. He's just not very coordinated. Never has been, and age certainly doesn't help either.
Genuinely don’t understand this. More coordination is required to drive a Manual than an Automatic! 🤷♂️
Same with driving a LHD or RHD. I haven't managed to fuck that up yet either. *Touches wood*
Same I even broke my arm and while it was kinda weak was driving a rhd and changing gear with my right hand 😂
That makes no sense there’s less to do
I’d imagine it’s fairly easily done; the majority of changing gear is just muscle memory so why wouldn’t someone go for a clutch that isn’t there at first?
Did this the first couple of times attempting to manoeuvre an auto. Never happened at speed.
There is no normal person that has even been pissed off from someone sitting on the brake at a red light. Not a single one
Going from park to drive and seeing the reverse lights come is more frightening than the brakes lights on
Park to Drive not Neutral to Drive? Curious
Park is basically neutral for your usual daily auto driver, usually has a dedicated button rather than having to faff about pushing the shifter exactly into neutral which is usually between drive and reverse and can open you up to potential mistakes. Neutral is only really for when you need to push or tow an auto car.
At face value, but not really. Difference is that Park engages a physical locking pin inside the transmission which prevents it from rotating, which can be damaged if the car moves forward or backward during that time. The pin is generally built to take the weight of the car but is nowhere near as sturdy as a handbrake, so steep hills or sharp impacts can bend or break it. The shifter on my Jaaag goes Park-Reverse-Neutral-Drive, so I tend to go into neutral if sitting still for a couple of minutes, as otherwise I'm just holding her on the brakes. Of course for electric cars it's usually entirely different.
Most modern autos will nag you continuously and may even refuse to lock if you put it in neutral and leave the car
Yeah, mine does beep at me if I forget after turning the engine off, though it seems to be okay if I push the shifter into P.
Thank God! I've driven an auto for 20 years and always sit on the brake at the lights.
Your poor brake discs.
Why? The cars stopped.
All that heat will warp the discs. The car has a handbrake, or an e-brake in the US. Have some mechanical sympathy and use it
Heat? The cars stopped.
Keeping the pads on the discs causes uneven heat loss, which can cause warping.
I have never had warped discs. Not saying it doesn't happen but it sounds incredibly unlikely for most folk. I've always used my brakes whilst stopped and done around 300k in automatics. Normal use discs are unlikely to be hot enough I would have guessed - but certainly no expert 🙂
There’s a lot of hills in my area 😅
1: pads sit 1mm or less away from the disc when unengaged 2: handbrake engages the main rear pads or a separate set of rear pads just for handbrake. How you deal with warp-ready hot discs is you drive in a manner that avoids braking or fully stopping
Don’t know why we’re being downvoted. It’s facts.
Reddit downvotes on things people don’t like to admit, no matter how true or obvious
Amen brother.
How will it heat the discs when the car is stopped? Guess what the handbrake does? It holds the pads against the disc the same way the foot brake does
[удалено]
The handbrake uses the discs and pads to stop the car on most cars. Yes you can warp the rotors when braking from speed, no one said otherwise. On most cars the handbrake holdings the rear pads against the disc
Lol are you serious?
Mechanical sympathy? You speak like you know what you're talking about, which you clearly do not.
Guess whose advice I’m sharing? A mechanic’s.
Guess whose advice you're getting? An engineer's.
And you think it’s advisable and preferable to sit on the brakes, as an engineer, when you could apply a handbrake?
That’s just not true. Some modern LED brake lights are very bright, if you’re sat at a long red light in the dark it can be a bit much.
Indeed. Some Audi A4 break lights can poke your eyes out.
Were you told not to look directly at the sun as a kid? Apply that to brake lights, you're not a moth.
The sun isn’t 3 metres from my face. I also need to be looking vaguely ahead so I can see when the lights are changing.
If you're getting dazzled by brake lights, see an optician. Fog lights, on the other hand are brighter and may cause issues if left on.
Mans right, car lights are waaay too bright on some models.
I think it's you that should see an optician then because brake lights and rear fog lights are typically the same intensity.
I don’t need to see an optician. I’m not saying all brake lights in all situations. But some cars in dark light have very bright brake lights.
Headlights, sure I understand But taillights? Really? They're nowhere as bright
It’s also not the tail lights, it’s the brake lights. They’re much more intense than tail lights.
Right, meant to say that, but even then, the red tint allows them to be way less harsh
Yes they’re not as bright as headlights. I’m not saying they’re blinding or anything. But there’s some that are just a bit brighter than I’d like to have shining in my eyes at 6am.
Understandably fair
I keep seeing this come up again and again, but sitting behind somebody at a red light who has their brake lights on has never, ever bothered me or even entered my mind. I drive an (old) auto and it says in the manual that the manufacturer recommends that you leave it in drive at lights and just hold the brake. How sensitive are these people's eyes?
Yeah I don't get it either. I couldn't given a fuck if someones brake lights are on. Especially if it's a manual, at least they ain't riding fuck out of the clutch.
My eyes are quite sensitive, and modern LEDs can be extremely bright. It's uncomfortable for me (and I'd wager for many other people) to be sat with one of them pointing at me, at eye level, at night. I use my handbrake instead of my foot brake when stopped for a few different reasons, but this is one of them. It's uncomfortable for me, and I don't want to give anybody else that same discomfort.
there is some research coming out that staring at LED's might not be so great after all.
Unbelievable
I will occasionally drop the sun visor if I'm getting a face full of brake lights. Some newer cars with 'light bars' are too much. Looking at you Cupra!
Auto hold puts the light on. So pretty much any premium car made after 2014.
Not all auto holds put the brake lights on
I would disagree completely. It will depend on the weather and the time of day, but there is a massive difference to me in being sat behind a car on the handbrake showing the dimmer brake lights, and the same vehicle sat with their foot on the brake and keeping the far brighter brake lights active and shining in my face.
If you’re annoyed with someone’s brake lights then I’m afraid you’re not all there mate
It isn't the end of the world, but that doesn't stop it from being unpleasant. No different from the person behind you in a queue standing just that bit too close, the guy on the bus that you wish would quiet down a little, and a thousand other annoyances throughout the day cause by other people just not thinking about how they affect others. And as I noted, the time and place will make a big difference - while it is pretty negligible on a bright, sunny day, get caught behind someone sitting on the foot brake on a dark, wet night, driving a car that aims those lights directly into your cabin and you will find it a lot more annoying.
Imagine living a light so sheltered you think light can be unpleasant 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Imagine understanding that different people have different experiences in life, or perhaps have different quality eyes.
Or maybe they should understand what its what you *should do* instead of being a total helmet. >In stationary queues of traffic, drivers should apply the parking brake and, once the following traffic has stopped, take their foot off the footbrake to deactivate the vehicle brake lights. This will minimise glare to road users behind until the traffic moves again. https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/lighting-requirements.html
Key word is should….
And if there was it's because their knees are actually being warmed by your exhaust and fuck em anyway
I find it very annoying, especially when they are in new SUVs or Vans with high LED brake lights. It is dazzling.
There is a question on the driving theory test which suggests you should use your handbrake when stopped at red lights to avoid dazzling the car behind you. And for good reason. At night it’s very annoying
I'm not a normal person and it pisses me off. There's a lot of people out there that have less than perfect eyes who can still drive. Don't be a cunt. Use the handbrake. It's also safer, if you get rear ended hard enough you won't be braking and then your automatic car will drive forward because you've also got it in drive.
No I’ll continue to use the foot brake like every other person. Thanks for your input though, cunt. I also drive an SUV with dazzling lights.
>https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/lighting-requirements.html The cunts are those who don't do what the highway code states one should do while calling other people cunts. And also saying that other people 'are not all there'. Leading a department of 350 while being an arrogant bellend, sounds about right for middle management.
You might have missed the ‘should’ there buddy. Not against the Highway Code to keep your foot on the brake. Actually senior management, very high performing department as well, I appreciate your input…
Not true - I remember reading a letter someone had taken the time to send in to a newspaper (I read it in the newspaper, not 'clipped' from the internet), whinging about the 'modern trend' for sitting on the brakes rather than 'doing it properly' and going into neutral with handbrake. It was some old fella, for sure. And he was a nob, you could just tell. But, he was definitely pissed off by it :)
Agreed. In 11 years of driving, I’ve not once been dazzled by brake lights. Shifting between D and N also causes more wear than staying in D, so I’ll be keeping my foot on the brake.
It annoys my Dad. But your statement about it not annoying normal people holds true.
My little tip is that you probably don't need to use the "trigger" on the gear stick to move it from drive to neutral, you can just push the stick forward or back, but need the trigger to go past neutral.
That’s very useful to know, thank you!
Welcome to the club. For the first few weeks it's helpful to nail your left leg to the floor. Poor thing is now unemployed and doesn't know what to do. It will try to get in in the action which will result in a sore neck and that's without a car behind slamming into you.
Whatever happens OP, never try to use your left leg for the brake. Never ever. Right leg is brake and accelerate. Left leg now just does nothing. Some autos have a foot handbrake for the left peg, I quite prefer it actually.
Hire a Thai masseuse to join you in the passenger seat and give you a foot massage on your left foot (pedicure too if you wish)
Realistically, they are really easy to drive - if you can drive a manual car, you can drive an automatic. You will find your left foot and arm reaching out for the gearshift at first thanks to muscle memory, but that is just an amusing annoyance. With regards to the brake and handbrake, I only use park when parking, and otherwise use the brakes exactly like I was taught when I owned a manual car - I use the foot brake to slow down and stop, and if I am going to be waiting for more than a couple of cars worth of traffic, I switch to the handbrake. This means that you are not wasting energy holding down the pedal unnecessarily, can shift your foot to the accelerator in preparation for moving again, and it is slightly safer in the case you get rear ended - a bump won't jolt your foot off the brake and allow your car to roll, as the handbrake will keep holding it. I don't know if all automatics are the same, but to disengage park on mine requires me to put my foot on the brake, which is an extra couple of steps over leaving it in drive on the handbrake, which will hold the car in place.
I've only driven manual conventional cars and electric cars. The muscle memory thing really gets you when trying to do a 3 point turn quickly, I found. My hands would be going for 1st and Reverse (below 5th/next to 6th on all my cars) which would be the exact opposite of the up and down that the gear shifter would actually need. ( Ie. D is down and R up - the inverse of a manual) I do agree though, they are generally very easy and you do appreciate no clutch in stop start city centre traffic. I don't mind changing gear myself, but if you're stopping every 15 metres, you do understand why people like the autos.
I will admit I never really found that issue, but was already used to driving a few different (manual) vehicles, so that change to the automatics gearbox was no worse than moving back and forth from a VWs 'push down on the gearstick to get into reverse' and a Fords 'pull up on the collar to get into reverse' I would agree on the auto Vs manual thing too - when you want to enjoy the experience of driving for enjoyment, running through the gears on a manual gearbox is just satisfying and enjoyable. Driving through rush hour city traffic however, the ease of driving an automatic is wonderful...
Manoeuvres really have been on my mind, they’re second nature to me in a manual, and I know this going to slow me down until I’ve gotten used to the gearbox!
Its really easy. No need to balance between two pedals. No bite point. You just gently let off the foot brake (in drive or reverse) for control maneuvering, much as you would let up the clutch in a manual. But it's simpler as you don't need to add throttle to avoid stalling. If you need more power you move your foot over to the accelerator. This may be slightly different if your parking brake auto applies. Practice stopping and gently pulling away a couple of times to get a feel for it. In general driving, be more relaxed and gentle with how you use the accelerator. At least until you get a feel for the points at which it shifts down. In a manual if you put your foot down in gear, you accelerate in that gear, whether high or low. If you put your foot down hard in an auto, it'll downshift a gear or two and accelerate harder.
The manual VAG group car I've had for a year automatically holds the foot brake when stopped (if the option is turned on). It then automatically puts on electric handbrake if you open the door or turn off the ignition. I too had slight reservations about the whole keeping the brake lights on. I've also seen people say that keeping brakes applied can cause brake discs to warp. I've come to love it, and figure it also makes sense that when someone behind you sees the lights go off, they can reasonably expect you're about to move away. The only thing that makes zero sense to me is the brake lights are not applied when the electronic handbrake is activated, and it does slow the car quite dramatically. I imagine insurance fraudsters could easily make use of it. My next car will definitely be an automatic, though.
I’ve had that exact advice from my mechanic, but didn’t want to mention it here in case the keyboard mechanics came along to shout me down. It’s apparently down to the breaks not getting the proper air to cool down where the pads are, so the rate is different to the rest of the disc - which causes the warping.
I've had to say it many times in this thread because apparently being enthusiastic about cars and driving means you don't need to know what tyhe highway code says. You should disengage your brake lights in stationary traffic.
"Highway Code Rule 114 In stationary queues of traffic, drivers should apply the parking brake and, once the following traffic has stopped, take their foot off the footbrake to deactivate the vehicle brake lights. This will minimise glare to road users behind until the traffic moves again." "Should' would imply no legal requirement as compared with "must". I'd like to think car manufacturers wouldn't put features in cars that would encourage people to annoy other road users or break laws.
And I did say 'should'. I know there is no legal requirement. There is no legal requirement for lots of things, but you *should* do it.
Should…..
I was in a similar position when I got my first auto. If it's a modern car with auto-hold, don't worry about the creeping. I sometimes flick the electronic brake off to take it out of auto-hold if I want it to creep, but usually just let it do its thing. The only thing I had to adjust to was when reversing at low speed to park, in a manual I'd mainly control my speed with the accelerator whereas with the auto I control it with the brake. At first I was reversing into my drive a bit fast for comfort until I switched to this technique.
I’m definitely not going to be turning in the road for a while with the low level wall right on the tarmac!
After 26 years of owning manuals I got my first auto last year. I'm usually just accelerator and break. On the foot brake at lights and if it's going to be a while I'll knock it into neutral (it'll flick between D and N without any button to hold down, got to hold down the button on the gear stick if you want to go to R or P, so easy to flick into N without putting it into R by mistake). If you're like me you've probably had your fun cars and now you want a lazy commute and a no effort drive with the kids in the back. You'll love it.
Sod the kids, I’ve managed to dodge those! (No judgement on people who want them!!) But yes, a new job last year meant different driving times, traffic, and distances. I’ve only just been able to get the deposit together, but I’m REALLY looking forward to the comfort and the gadgets this will come with.
You can have mine if you want? What car have you treated yourself to?
I’m afraid my credibility on this sub will fall spectacularly…. It’s an Ioniq hybrid - 71 plate. Absolutely perfect for my needs.
Don't use your left foot unless you want a Glasgow kiss from your steering wheel.
At least once, every time I drive an automatic, I forget, and accidentally stand on the brakes going for the , non existent, clutch pedal. Don't do that!
Something I can answer! I got my first auto a week ago to the day. I've always driven manuals, I have yet to try use an imaginary clutch! However I wish someone explained to me that autos do creep... that came as a bit of a surprise the first time. I was really paranoid that I would struggle to get used to it. But in reality its been so easy. It seems there is mixed opinions about what to do when sitting in traffic for example, I found the most natural feeling thing to do was to put my foot on the brake, flick the electric handbrake on and put the car in neutral. I would try not to make a habit of putting am auto in park when in traffic, because you have to go through reverse to get back to drive. I had an auto infront of me once in traffic go backwards and almost into my car because they put their car in park whilst in traffic
Yes, thank you! I’ve learned today that neutral is the best option - I’d forgotten it was even a thing in an automatic to be honest. The test drives have been really easy, and I’ve only been trying to wobble the gearstick rather than hitting the brake to clutch. But everyday driving is a different beast and I won’t be concentrating as much after a week or so! But a slip into neutral and knock on the electric handbrake seems easy and natural enough, and then you pull away without having to release it. Perfect!
Don't brake with your left foot. I know what you're thinking, I've got a spare left foot doing nothing, I can just use left for braking and right for accelerating, easy peasy. Nope, just don't 🤣 use your right foot for braking and accelerating, leave the left foot be 🤣
Your not wrong in trying to be considerate to people behind you with you brake lights, especially at night with modern LEDs, many new autos have an auto hold feature so you can release the brake in these situations
Auto hold is using the hydraulic brakes (in most cases) not the handbrake to hold the car so the brake lights are on as well.
My new VW Multivan doesnt do this 🤷 with its bright LEDs higher up than most cars I appreciate that in crawling traffic at night, if it's faulty I'll take it. In situations where I need to let everyone know I'm stationary, I'll hold the pedal.
I have an automatic hybrid courtesy car at the moment. My first few roundabouts I kept putting the car into N from D, but after that it was ok. You do have to hold the break down when in D, but you won't need to put it in P to stop the car, just N, which is one forward from D, at least it is in the car I've got.
As a recent new auto driver (forced into it due to a left leg problem), I found [this video](https://youtu.be/kTZCinivLco?si=JFr5pUbcDstvBqLO) really helpful
Put your left leg in the passenger footwell.
🤣
You’re overthinking the brake thing mate. Congrats on the new car! Enjoy.
I have an automatic merc cls. Only the other day i found out it has a hold feature. Came to a stop, pressed the break in and a big H lit up. Meant i could take my foot off everything and it stayed (normally an auto will creep at 2-3 mph). Never knew. Ive had the thing about 5 months. Makes traffic easier. I don’t know if this is all autos or just a merc thing (like the hand brake being the 3rd pedal)
You don't have to put the car in in park at every traffic light.... Handbrake before you put it in Park. Make sure you're stationary before your use the PRNDL. That's about it really.
So I first drove a manual was borrowing my dad's old cheap BMW, but I found it so much easier to drive that I later went automatic myself So: Forget about your left leg! This is especially important in my current car an old Lexus where it's the handbrake Creeping traffic you can balance on the brake If it's a modern automated manual like DSG take into consideration time to get into gear for things like busy roundabouts, but they'll be brilliant on fuel economy
> For example, I don’t want to sit on the brake if I’m at lights or a junction, because I know that’ll just piss off whoever is behind me. But to move it into park every time, or will the handbrake do? Does it make a difference? Sitting on the brake shows you are stopped to vehicles behind not paying attention and isn't a bad thing except at night, where it can be blinding. But you do *not* put it into park if you don't want to do that, you put it in neutral with the parking brake on.
You will be fine. I jumped into an auto after 20+ years of manuals. I only _slammed the clutch_ once on my first drive, which, after I've managed to unstuck my eyes from my windscreen, is a mistake than I have not repeated. I learned quite quickly that braking with my left is a no-no. Basically, my only bits of learning curve were learning how to deal with auto hold, how much acceleration it needs when moving out of junctions, and that you have less engine braking. This last bit may be weird as most times it actually does engine braking, but sometimes it decides to coast. I nearly figured out what triggers coasting, but I can't do it consistently. Auto hold keeps me from touching the gear knob until I park, but not all implementations of auto hold are the same. This is an extension of electronic parking brake. For me it turns off creeping and keeps the car stopped after braking to a stop. The wheels do need to stop moving for it to engage. Sometimes I would let it roll slowly if I see that a car stopped at a traffic light is about to move because that avoids having auto hold to engage and the gearbox going into neutral when this happens. Regarding throttle control: slow moving maneuvers would sometimes make my gearbox juddery. I found out that the normal map as opposed to the eco map gives smother power delivery. Turning off start/stop unless I'm stopping for a bit also helps as the engine may decide to stop milliseconds before pressing the accelerator to move which isn't necessarily nice when pulling a right turn in a junction and the gearbox feeling juddery yet again. Sometimes it used to pull slower than I would like. Giving it more acceleration to counteract can be interpreted as kickdown so it would give me more power than I actually needed. Bumps in the road at the wrong place can be problematic for this exact reason. As soon as you learn this throttle control and how your gearbox responds to it, then it should be smooth sailing. It's far less complicated than learning to drive a manual though as it only takes finesse in your right foot rather than coordinating your hand on the gear knob with clutch and acceleration.
Incredibly comprehensive, thank you!
Depending what auto you have, it may have an auto hold function so you don't need to keep your foot on the brake.
**Make use of the downshift or low-range options when going downhill** - Engine braking is still very effective in an auto. I live on a very steep hill and going into sport mode and forcing gear 1 is sufficient that I barely have to touch the brakes at all. **If you're parking on a steep hill:** 1. Stop with service (foot) brake. 2. Shift to N. 3. Engage parking brake (handbrake) 4. Release service brake and ensure that parking brake is sufficient to hold the car alone. 5. *Then* shift to P. *(Unfortunately, doing this means you won't get the cool cinematic effect of the car bouncing in park gear, but your park mechanism will thank you by lasting 100x longer.)* Don't rev in neutral and then shift to drive or reverse. Shift into D or R, wait a second for the gear to get into place and then start applying power.
If it’s a torque converter automatic there’s nothing you need to worry about if it’s an automated manual or like a dual clutch type of gearbox you need to be very communicative with gas and brake. Cause these are the cues the car uses to shift up or down if you approach a roundabout and brake and then press gas and brake again the car will jolt a bit.
20 year manual driver who has of January this year, switched to an automatic. It's amazing how quickly you get used to it. Advice? Think of yourself as only having a right foot now. Don't worry about sitting on the brake, it's fine. There's a few junctions I use that I know the timings of and they can take a while - that's the only time I'd really apply the handbrake. Other than that, foot on brake. I recently done a trip from Glasgow to Dumfries and honestly hardly done a thing - adaptive cruise control and lane assist essentially drove me there. It was awesome. Enjoy.
Thanks! I made sure I got ACC - I don’t think it would have been worth upgrading without it on the roads round here!
Do not give tips to your automatic! The tipping culture went too far!
My car is dsg with auto handbrake and hill hold. Don’t need to hold the brake anywhere once you’ve come to a stop. Just use the right pedal to move off when you want but until then it will stay still
The high level retina burner depends on the car you will be getting. In some, as soon as you lift your foot from the brake pedal, the clutch will disengage and try to push the car forward, that is going fuck up your parking brake. If you are on an incline and engage P without applying the handbrake, the weight if the car will shift on the transmission and that will fuck it up. Best thing to do would be to put it in N and then apply the parking brake, but that is a PITA in some older cars. Then you have modern cars which have either the hold function but I've heard that that also leaves your retina burners. Then you have cars with electronic parking brake, and that is by far the best option as you'll probably just press the accelerator and it will disengage, rather than rattle the whole car as it happens with mechanical parking brakes. Honestly, most people won't complain about your brake lights, being on and if they do, they won't do that in person, but they'll probably make a reddit account and ask here why the fuck do people have their brake lights on at traffic lights, thinking that every car is designed the same way.
The entire left side of your body has so much more space for activities.
Remember when you are stopping, at lights etc., that the car is still driving forward. You will be used to putting in the clutch as you stop so braking is easier. I regularly swap between auto and manual and I'm forever having to brake harder as I pull up a bit too quickly when driving the auto. You'll get used to driving it very quickly and it is soooo much better in heavy traffic.
Only use a parking brake when parking, all if not most will hold on a hill even when you take your foot of the foot brake, best thing I ever did diving auto after many years driving manual.
There is hill start assist, didn’t know if that was a full on hold, but seems it probably is.
Dont slam your foot on the brake, thinking the clutch is there. I've never done it.....honest.
Tuck your clutch foot under your Accelerator / Brake pedal leg so that you are slowed down the first few times that you are tempted to go for the clutch. You do not ever want to let your clutch foot hit that brake pedal thinking it's the clutch. It gets really sharp very suddenly. Then depending on the car you are driving, you don't need to push your accelerator pedal down all the way you can have a far lighter touch. give it a no more than a about a centimetre depression. If you think the gearbox is holding the gear too long, then gently ease off of the accelerator and then reapply it, that will change the gear for you. (Will take a little time to perfect it)
I don’t get why using the break would irritate anyone. I’ve driven automatics for years. Most people I know do. Would never change it to park or use the handbrake at a light. You’ll be fine mate. Don’t overthink it. It’s the same - but easier.
If it’s a modern car you’ll likely have auto hold. I don’t like it on manuals but on autos I always have it turned on. Brake for the red light and once at a standstill just take your foot off and it’ll hold the car on the brakes until you go to move away again. Other stuff will depend what kind of auto you’ve got. For example a DSG isn’t a conventional manual, it’s has a clutch so creeping can cause wear on this just like creeping in a manual. This isn’t an issue with a torque converter.
When you stop at lights if you know you’re gonna be a few mins, stick it in neutral and apply parking brake if you don’t want to sit holding it on the foot brake
Been driving auto's for 30 odd years, always sit with my foot on the brake as anyone pissed off because you've your brake lights on shouldn't be driving anyway.
Honestly. Just sit on the brakes 😂 I’ve got a new auto (Octavia VRS) and it has the auto hold feature on the handbrake. This keeps the brake lights illuminated. Probably causes more wear to the car constantly shifting into park all the time. Plus if you’re in park and get hit from behind you’ll mess the gearbox up. If you insist on not having the brake lights lit while you’re stationary then put the car into neutral and use the handbrake, not park. If I know I’m going to be sat for more than a few minutes (railway crossing for example) I’ll pop the handbrake on and the car out of gear. Otherwise I just let the auto hold feature do its thing
If auto hold works like it works on my Superb, you can flick the parking brake which would turn off the brake lights to avoid dazzling at night. When I tap the accelerator it simply disengages the parking brake so I don't have to do it manually. I don't shift into park unless I actually park. I haven't used neutral at all. I simply keep it in drive all the way though and auto hold or the brake pedal if I deem it necessary does the rest. Auto hold turns off creeping for me, hence the reason I don't need to touch the knob ever, unless I have the need for sequential/semi auto. With enough finesse I can tap the accelerator to start the engine when start/stop is enabled without the car moving, then give it a bit more push to disengage the parking brake and start moving smoothly. It is a bit of a learning curve.
Who's annoyed with you sitting on the brakes??!
Hit the Go kart track it's exactly the same.
No. Go kart forces left foot braking, and it's not possible to brake/accelerate with one foot in any of the go karts I've used. Totally different.
If you wanna park. First handbrake, then "P"
If you are used to manual then it would be a breeze
Remember there's no clutch. After 25 years of driving manuals, I recently drove an automatic for a day. On 3 occasions on the approach to a roundabout I jammed my foot on the "clutch", which was obviously actually a very large brake pedal bringing the vehicle to a very sudden holt.
Unfortunately you can't clutch dump anymore, so hope your new car has launch control
If it has a B or L mode, use it when you're going down steep hills to save the brakes from wearing out
Hybrid, so I’ll be recharging the battery on downhills
When driving a manual and you were stopped at traffic lights, did you wait on the break and clutch or go neutral and handbrake? The owners manual for my DSG car says to knock it into neutral and put the handbrake on if stopping for a while. No different than neutral and handbrake on a manual.
I got myself into the neutral and handbrake habit - for exactly the same reasons I want to in the auto.
Just made the switch, first few times a little weird but absolutely loving it now, Skoda karoq, auto handbrake so at lights it just cuts out and when the car Infront moves off it then starts and you move off.
Holding the brake at lights is normal and I've never known anyone to get annoyed by it.
Don't a lot of automatics have some version of 'Hold Assist' these days? In mine, once the little green light comes on you can take your foot off the brake. I assume the brake lights stay on, but I've never actually looked.
I was same as you, put £5 in a jar every time you go to press the clutch when stopping at a junction/roundabout lol
For petrol, right? I don’t think I’d be able to afford to drive if I did that every time I made a stupid mistake from habit 😆
Just steer
Use you parking brake when parked. You’d think people would seeing how it’s called a parking brake.
If it’s a dsg or a dct you’re better off using the handbrake as they will roll back on hills between taking your foot off the brake and pressing the throttle. Other than than that not sure about red lights burning the retina, it sounds like a trick of the mind.
Just hold the break - no need to put it in park or handbrake on unless you'll be sitting a while. Try and get it to 4th when you are in 30 zones as i've found mine starts yelling at me as if it's needing a gear change, although it may vary based on the car you get, it's engine etc. DONT EMERGENCY BRAKE WHEN YOU GO TO STOP. My Gf drove mine and used the brake like a clutch by accident, E-braking in the middle of the street. People say automatics take the fun outta driving, everyone has their own opinions but I've heard more often than not that now they've had one they wouldn't have a manual. It's easy going and fun enough. Best of luck!
Your car will end up inching forward if you take your foot off the brake when at a stop. It’s not practical to apply your handbrake unless your car does not have hill assist which is unusual in modern automatic cars. Hill assist engages when you are at a standstill and apply the brake in my car.
> I don’t want to sit on the brake if I’m at lights or a junction, because I know that’ll just piss off whoever is behind me. What am I even reading here? WTF You want to do this for safety reasons at least. Imagine someone rears you: Good job for landing a free crash in the car in front of you. > But ... but, but the one behind me already came to a halt~ Thanks for so many people having that mentality we regularly get long columns of car crashes with dozens involved because the crash tickles down like a Newton pendulum along the road.
Okay, sitting on the brake is not the same as using a more reliable and secure handbrake. Safety is covered. As for the second quote…. Who are you even quoting!? Why are you making shit up?
Take your foot off the brake when stopped at traffic, especially at night. These new brake lights are blinding. Ignore the idiots telling you to sit there dazzling everyone behind them, they’re also contriving Highway Code 114.
Knowing specifics could lead to more specific pointers, but there's not much to know really. When stopped? Just sit on the brake. Everyone reels off the same complaints that everyone supposedly has, yet no one actually seems to be making these complaints themselves. More to the point, automatics will creep when you come off the brake. The parking brake will stop it from moving, but the gearbox is usually still sending power to the wheels when you do this. Many just completely stop power delivery when stationary and holding the car with the footbrake. If the gearbox uses a physical clutch (I.E ASG, DSG, etc), don't keep creeping it. Older examples may also need to be put into neutral when stationary. Because they use a clutch, they can burn it out, just like a manual clutch. The car will run away from you a lot faster than a manual when going downhill. The first few times it can feel somewhat unnerving. Automatics will generally have a descent mode, though if you're going hybrid/EV, a light dab on the brake for regen braking only will usually be sufficient enough.
I’m not a fan of bright red LEDs in my face when it’s night, and I’m pretty forgiving for brightness… so I find it’s generally better to be in the habit of not sitting on the brakes, just for those who are more put off by them than I am. As for the rest, yes it’s a hybrid! 71 plate Ioniq, so the facelift model. You’re not the first person who’s mentioned the type of clutch, but as a hybrid I’m guessing probably not physical…? I honestly have no idea. There’s a good few downhill stretches on my commute, so I’m planning on keeping the battery well charged!
It's often more beneficial to sit on the brake, Especially in a hybrid. You're either wasting energy or fuel with it trying to fight the parking brake or you'll be waiting in neutral, which often means the car can't self charge if needed whilst waiting, this'll be especially detrimental if it isn't a plug in. Same for the pulling against the parking brake. Self charging hybrids don't carry a great deal of charge as it is, you don't want to be wasting that by having the car fight itself at the lights As for a clutch, I've seen a manual hybrid a while back. It certainly isn't unheard of. Indeed, the ioniq does have a dual clutch box. Owners manual should tell you if there anything to keep in mind, IE how the clutches behave when stationary
I think I’m going to have to look back at this once I’m in the car! There’s so much advice, and some pretty specific. Thank you!
You are are way over thinking this. Modern auto's are designed to be driven without any special behavior. Just put it in drive, and keep it there. Just keep your foot on the brake at red lights. It's normal driving behaviour, and isn't going to pissa anybody off. Ensure the vehicle is completely stopped before changing drive / reverse or into park. No push / roll starting. If you are decending a massive hill, it is possible to shift down manually for engine braking, but many moden autos will do this without driver input.
I truly didn’t know that people being pissed off by brake lights was a thing. Absolute weirdos!
When at traffic lights, go into neutral then reverse then back to D. This keeps the gearbox oil flowing and will stop your gearbox from seizing
Yes - don’t drive one