Automatic Cars

lucy_w86

melancholly wrote: »

i'd book in for some extra lessons, just to get you back into it (although i bet you'll find it better than you think, it'll be the worrying in advance that'll be the problem!). i like driving an automatic, but for the first month i kept pushing in the non-existant clutch pedal and reaching for a non-existant gearstick! although that was better than the first time in a geared car for a few years.... stalling on a ramp in a multistory carpark and OH shouting 'put it in 3rd' about 200 yards after a roundabout!! yeah.... not my finest day of driving!

How do you drive one?

Go from starting the car to stopping and parking please?

Many Thanks

Badger_Lady

Start the car.

Put foot on the brake and take the handbrake off.

Move gearshift into "Drive" (Mine is D4 but others may be different?)

Press the accelerator until you get up to speed.

Just use brake and accelerator while driving (car will not roll backwards - equally if you're in Reverse it will not roll forwards).

When you park, put handbrake on and move gearshift into "Park".

melancholly

Badger_Lady wrote: »

Put foot on the brake and take the handbrake off.

yes, having your foot on the brake while trying to put it into the right gear is pretty important - i know i used to get caught out by that!

lucy_w86

melancholly wrote: »

yes, having your foot on the brake while trying to put it into the right gear is pretty important - i know i used to get caught out by that!

What happens if you dont?

ShockingPink

lucy_w86 wrote: »

What happens if you dont?

The car could shoot forwards or backwards.

Lord_Lardington

lucy_w86 wrote: »

What happens if you dont?

Some cars don't let you engage "D" without your foot being on the brake. However, some (like mine) do. In mine all it does is set off going rather less smoothley than usual. If you were simultaneously pressing the accelerator you would lurch forwards alarmingly, potentially spinning the wheels (what fun!) or potentially slamming into the car in front (bad).

Lord_Lardington

Apologies for the similar post. They must have passed each other.

melancholly

ShockingPink wrote: »

The car could shoot forwards or backwards.

i didn't mean that at all - i don't want to scare the OP! in my car you can't put it into drive (or reverse) without your foot on the brake - that's specifically to avoid it shooting off!! you sit there like a fool wondering what's wrong as it won't go into drive!

iolanthe07

How?? You're worrying me now - it seems infallible to me..? But maybe I'm doing it wrong?

Modern automatics have fail-safe devices to override things like accidentally putting it into reverse at 70 on the motorway! The only real damage you can do is by putting it into 'park' when it is still moving. That can shear the pin that locks the transmission.

msmicawber

I'm sure they're all different, but my gear lever has a button that has to be pressed before it can be put in reverse or one of the 3 manual gears. It's only possible to move the lever between Drive, Park and Neutral without using the button.

Lucy - there's nothing to worry about when driving an automatic. There's much less to do/worry about as you drive; no messing about with the clutch in heavy traffic; finding the 'bite' with clutch and accelerator in hill starts are a thing of the past - wonderful!

Since you haven't had much driving experience and you're clearly nervous about this, why don't you phone around some driving schools to find one that gives instruction in automatic cars, then book yourself a lesson? Just because you have a full licence already doesn't mean you can't do that.