Parking the car in gear?

cormie

Ok, this is all news to me! Like OldYellar, I was also told to park in neutral. I understand what your all saying about cold weather and parking in gears, what gear should I park in? Someone mentioned 3rd, another mentioned Saab cars make you park in reverse. Which is best? I always kick the clutch in and check to see if in neutral by swaying left to right before I start too so it's a habit I'm in and shouldn't be a problem adapting to leaving it in gear.

AMurphy

DubTony wrote:

In San Fransisco, when parked on a hill, if you don't turn the wheels into the kerb you'll get a ticket (and if you turn the wheels the wrong way. A friend did it).

As for leaving the car in gear, I've always done it; with the handbrake on. Didn't anyone learn to press in the left pedal when starting the car whether it's in gear or not? Can't understand anyone leaving the handbrake off though.

Ever notice on American tv shows how sometimes when a car is parked and the driver gets out the thing rolls for a few inches? Gears in P, handbrake off. Common practice over there. Strange.

Tony

Very observant ( I have a story, but another day.)

And if you park on the "wrong" (facing against the flow) side of the street, you'll get a ticket for parking "too far from the kerb", ie your "correct" kerb is now 20" odd feet away.

AMurphy

The Atheist wrote:

A mate of mine climbed into his car directly after passing the NCT, and his 3 series promptly jumped into a wall when he started the engine.

You go to any garage here with a stick-shift and on collection you will find it with the keys in the ignition and in gear.
Or automatic, in PARK.

No Park/hand brake applied in either case.

AMurphy

kbannon wrote:

handbrakes are controlled via a cable running from the lever to the brake drum assembley at the rear wheels. These cables can fail, break or may simply not be adjusted enough to hold the car sufficiently on a hill.

.....QUOTE]

Hmmmmm..... Maybe if it is pre 1970. With modern cars, self adjusting brakes, teflon coated cables, Stainless Cables, etc. The likelyhood of a failure are.... about nil.

However, leaky rear cyls lubricating the brake, worn/broken ratchets may be a problem.

AMurphy

JohnBoy wrote:

......
in seoul cars park perpendicular to the kerb, then a row of cars double parks outside them parallell to the kerb bumper to bumper but with one space left free.

.......

craziness

Seoul, Korea?.
Been there but not seen it practiced, seen a lot of other craziness there though, it's kinda fun/odd escorting a lady who would buy her undies from a stall in the street, in my presence, but thought parting with a hug was "too demonstrative" for Seoul society, great people.
Nonetheless, it's a much better idea than the phuckers in Kerry, (CastleIsland), where they used to dbl park, lock and take the key with them, hence everyone parked in the middle of the street. (Give me a H1, a beater truck, a sharp knife or a steel bar to work off some frustration on a dbl parked car)
Longford was another place I encountered the same practice.

I do remember having to deal with such a car on one occasion, but the mad dog in the drivers seat was the problem, so I had to use the handle of a shovel to knock it into neutral/out of gear etc..... car was open.

btw, most Auto Boxes will not allow you remove the key if the lever is not in PARK and most will not allow you move from PARK if your foot is not firmly on the brake.
Remember the old Audi 5000 Sudden Acceleration Syndrome (SAS)

Gerry

AMurphy wrote:

Very observant ( I have a story, but another day.)

And if you park on the "wrong" (facing against the flow) side of the street, you'll get a ticket for parking "too far from the kerb", ie your "correct" kerb is now 20" odd feet away.

Even better, in SF, on the day before I sold the car, I was moving the car across the street to avoid a ticket during street cleaning. I did a quick u turn and parked on the other side. But, it was a one way, and I then got a ticket for having the car facing the wrong way, while parked! The ****ers.

SouperComputer

anbody see the story in the indo yesteday about the lady who was run over & killed by her own car?

it wouldnt start for her, so she left her keys in the ignition, ignition turned off. Popped the bonnet and gave the starter a few thumps with a hammer. The car took off, mounted the kerb, ran her over, dragged her for a few blocks and killed her.

Turned out that the handbrake was NW and was off. The car was left in gear and a problem with the igntion meant that the starter was live even though the ignition was off.

Police gather that the car leaped forward and she grabbed the throttle in efforts to rebalance herself.

very freaky!

AMurphy

Gerry wrote:

Even better, in SF, on the day before I sold the car, I was moving the car across the street to avoid a ticket during street cleaning. I did a quick u turn and parked on the other side. But, it was a one way, and I then got a ticket for having the car facing the wrong way, while parked! The ****ers.

Sounds like you were the SFPD favorite customer.

stratos

Don't forget turn those wheels into the kerb on a hill.

OLDYELLAR

So whats the correct thing to do ?Park in neutral or in gear?

AMurphy

stratos wrote:

Don't forget turn those wheels into the kerb on a hill.

So what is the recommendation when you park across the slope, also a SF practice. Thus one door needs power hydraulics to open it and the other needs a strong arm to keep it from dinging the next parked car.

LoneGunM@n

I don't know that the correct thing to do is, but I always park the car with the handbrake on & in first gear!!

I do it in all cars I drive ... which p!sses the other half off, 'cause she doesn't put in gear & she forgets that I was the last person to drive her car, so she nearly always bunny hops into the car in front

LoneGunM@n

I remember one time my dad had parked his car on the hill across the road from McDonalds in Rathmines. I stayed in the car. I knocked the car out of gear [he'd left the handbrake off] & it started rolling backwards towards the car behind. I jumped into the driver's seat & stood on the brake till he came back [bear in mind I was about 11] .... he's never forgotten the handbrake since!

AMurphy

Friend in Blarney had her car pop out of gear, reverse down a steep driveway and in over/through the fence of the opposite neighbor. Demolished car.

leeroybrown

AMurphy wrote:

Hmmmmm..... Maybe if it is pre 1970. With modern cars, self adjusting brakes, teflon coated cables, Stainless Cables, etc. The likelyhood of a failure are.... about nil.

I've seen relatively recent self adjusting drum brakes make a mess of the job,,,

OLDYELLAR wrote:

So whats the correct thing to do ?Park in neutral or in gear?

It's a matter of personal preference tbh. Ask your instructor the reasons (s)he advocates parking in neutral.

beer enigma

dawballz wrote:

Well my gf's family(and now my gf) all seem to have this thing about putting the car in (first) gear and leaving the hanbrake down while parking the car.
I was always very much of the impression that the handbrake was there for this. I really can't see why one would put the car in gear. Even if someone forgot the car was in gear and they started it, this could cause damage.
Is there any website or does it say it in the rules of the road which is right/wrong?
What's your opinions?

Aaaaaaargh - just seen this thread which is particularly relevant today as my Wife is in the same habit (we're in Cork - seems to be a Cork thing) . Anyway, match on at Christy Ring Park, so my usual spot in the road is blocked....wifey dutifully pulls her car back in the drive so she can get my beloved Alfa 156 in the driveway.....GUESS WHAT, she leaves it in gear.

Driveway fits two cars very snuggly.....I get in this morning, turn key....SMACK - Alfa bumpers do not like Renault Scenics......Her Scenic is ok, few scratches, my Alfa bumper is in bits.....

DO NOT LEAVE A CAR IN GEAR...Its dangerous & COSTLY - leave the parking to the handbrake

John R

Having shared cars and work vehicles for years on and off I always depress the clutch before starting. You can always forget to check the gear the odd time but if you get in the habit of depressing the clutch there is no danger of hopping into whatever is infront/behind you.

Balfa

AMurphy wrote:

So what is the recommendation when you park across the slope, also a SF practice.

Park at a slight angle in the parking space, so that whatever end of the car (hopefully the rear) is closest the kerb is slightly downhill of the other end. Preferably back the car all the way in so that the wheels are resting against the kerb (difficult with low cars, i know, especially with SF's dodgy kerbs) and turn the front wheels uphill.

In a manual, i usually just use the handbrake. I'll put the car in reverse (not third!!) as well if it's on a significant slope. Reverse is best because it's the shortest gear and so for the car to roll at a given speed, the engine must be turning faster and hence with more force. There's no reason whatsoever not to use the handbrake, though. I've never actually seen one freeze, and if it does, so be it, you're better being late for work once than having to pay to repair your car and two or three others.

As for starting, i always check the gear is in neutral and use the clutch. The reason for this is not only a double measure against lurching forward, but also it puts less strain on the starter motor because it doesn't have to turn half the clutch assembly and the drive gear in addition to the crankshaft.

Unfortunately since moving to america and sharing the wife's automatic, i only put the transmission in park, and no longer use the handbrake (unless on an incline), because she coudn't get used to disengaging the handbrake every time she drove it.

When it comes to liability, it's always going to be whoever lurched into the car in front, not the person that left the car in gear last time it was used.

fletch

As I force of habit I always press the clutch when I start the car.....

SouperComputer

fletch wrote:

As I force of habit I always press the clutch when I start the car.....

me too, when I was a kid I had a fiat ritmo that was a very fussy starter. Taking the load of the gearbox off seemed to help it kick, so the habit stuck with me.

thesteve

I parked up my car for 4 weeks in the rain/snow with the handbrake on and out of gear... went to move it and the wheels had ceased, had to jack it up and belt them with a hammer to free the rust... if i had have left it in gear instead of applying the handbrake it would have been fine...

CrowdedHouse

In my Audi A4 Handbook:

Parking The Car-

-Use footbrake to stop vehicle
-Apply the handbrake firmly
-Switch off engine
- On a Manual gearbox engage 1st gear or on an automatic
move selector lever to P

DoctorEdgeWild

I always leave a car/van/truck in gear and with the handbrake on. Every time I sit into a vehicle, its seatbelt, drop clutch, turn key. Its become a reflex.


We've had about 20 different drivers in our place over the 10 years I've been driving and the majority of these guys left things in gear in case the handbrakes failed. Doesn't happen too much on trucks but our cars and vans have been known to give in to gravity.

Victor

How about chocks?

leeroybrown

thesteve wrote:

I parked up my car for 4 weeks in the rain/snow with the handbrake on and out of gear... went to move it and the wheels had ceased, had to jack it up and belt them with a hammer to free the rust... if i had have left it in gear instead of applying the handbrake it would have been fine...

For long term parking (particularly garaging where the car is secure) it's advisable to leave the handbrake off if possible.

Gerry

Agreed leeroybrown. My car was sitting idle for a week, I took it out for a run and could hear the shoes rubbing off the drums. If you leave it too long, they can stick

Andip, why would you start a car in gear anyway? You should be in neutral before starting, or at least have the clutch depressed. Its your own fault you crashed the car.