Annoying 'helpful' features on C4 Picasso - Stop/Start and auto parking brake.

BOWFER

Jeepers_Creepers said:

BOWFER said:

No, it's not.At a give way junction, there's no way neutral should ever be in the scenario - you should be ready go (gear engaged, clutch in).
As an aside though, your stop/start shouldn't trigger unless the clutch is released in neutral.
And neutral with the clutch released is definitely odd at a give way junction. If your S/S is triggering in neutral with the clutch pressed, that's something I've never ever come across and I drive more cars than most.

Sigh. You've clearly not tried to join the A39 on a fast stretch. Sit there in gear with clutch depressed? For how many minutes, exactly...

Well it's going to take even longer if you're sitting with the clutch out in neutral, isn't it....

Listen, pal... I sits there, yeah? Watching the traffic. Reasonable gap appears from t'right. Glance at left - small gap - which might possibly coincide - appears to the left. Clutch down, 1st gear, foot on t'brake, get reeaaadddyyy...... Nope. No safe gap. Neutral again, clutch up...

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

If the car engine stops and starts each time I go through this, I'll have added a week's wear to the starter, as well as annoy the pants off me.

Citroen aren't responsible for your bizarre driving behaviour.
Neutral and clutch out at a give way junction....I've honestly never heard the like!
And I reckon it would be a fail on a driving test.

facade

BOWFER said:

Neutral and clutch out at a give way junction....I've honestly never heard the like!
And I reckon it would be a fail on a driving test.

It is probably correct in traffic.

Imagine you are turning left, and loads of traffic is coming from the right. Handbrake on in neutral, watch the right.

When a big gap is appearing, look left while you stick it in gear, look back to the right, then back to the left again as you pull into the gap.

If you are holding the clutch down and the cable breaks, the useless concentric slave cylinder fails, you have a sudden leg cramp, you faint, or someone runs into the back of you and jolts your feet off the pedals, the car will trundle out into the busy traffic, so it can't be the correct & safe way to sit at a busy junction.

BOWFER

facade said:

BOWFER said:

Neutral and clutch out at a give way junction....I've honestly never heard the like!
And I reckon it would be a fail on a driving test.

It is probably correct in traffic.

Imagine you are turning left, and loads of traffic is coming from the right. Handbrake on in neutral, watch the right.

When a big gap is appearing, look left while you stick it in gear, look back to the right, then back to the left again as you pull into the gap.

If you are holding the clutch down and the cable breaks, the useless concentric slave cylinder fails, you have a sudden leg cramp, you faint, or someone runs into the back of you and jolts your feet off the pedals, the car will trundle out into the busy traffic, so it can't be the correct & safe way to sit at a busy junction.

A cable operated clutch.....?
I'm 54 and barely remember them!

Jeepers_Creepers

BOWFER said:

Jeepers_Creepers said:

BOWFER said:

No, it's not.At a give way junction, there's no way neutral should ever be in the scenario - you should be ready go (gear engaged, clutch in).
As an aside though, your stop/start shouldn't trigger unless the clutch is released in neutral.
And neutral with the clutch released is definitely odd at a give way junction. If your S/S is triggering in neutral with the clutch pressed, that's something I've never ever come across and I drive more cars than most.

Sigh. You've clearly not tried to join the A39 on a fast stretch. Sit there in gear with clutch depressed? For how many minutes, exactly...

Well it's going to take even longer if you're sitting with the clutch out in neutral, isn't it....

Listen, pal... I sits there, yeah? Watching the traffic. Reasonable gap appears from t'right. Glance at left - small gap - which might possibly coincide - appears to the left. Clutch down, 1st gear, foot on t'brake, get reeaaadddyyy...... Nope. No safe gap. Neutral again, clutch up...

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

If the car engine stops and starts each time I go through this, I'll have added a week's wear to the starter, as well as annoy the pants off me.

Citroen aren't responsible for your bizarre driving behaviour.
Neutral and clutch out at a give way junction....I've honestly never heard the like!
And I reckon it would be a fail on a driving test.

This is going weirdly off topic! But that's fine.

I'm really struggling to understand - I think we must have crossed wires.

There is a junction on the A39 that I come on to a few times each week. The A39 is straight there, it's fastish, and it's busy. I come up to the 'give way', slow right down to a virtual halt, and check both ways for the unlikely chance (which does happen at certain times) that there's a gap in the traffic in both directions (I'm usually turning right).

Almost without exception, it's busy enough to prevent this. The RH side is a long straight stretch so you can see suitable gaps coming with fair warning. The LH side, tho', has a bend around 500 yards up which means that cars coming from that direction give far less notice.

What I don't do is sit there with the clutch depressed. That is anathema, man. I wait, I judge, I make the decision that there's a possible synchronised gap coming up - and slip into 1st, foot on t'brake, ready to pounce. Nah, too risky, so neutral and release clutch.

(I can't believe I'm writing this...)

EssexExile

Just keep using the stop/start and keep the aircon on full. Eventually the car will decide there's too much demand on the battery and stop using the stop/start.

I have stop/start and automatic handbrake on my car and it's great, but then I don't have one of those strange clutch things that people keep mentioning.

Ditzy_Mitzy

BOWFER said:

facade said:

BOWFER said:

Neutral and clutch out at a give way junction....I've honestly never heard the like!
And I reckon it would be a fail on a driving test.

It is probably correct in traffic.

Imagine you are turning left, and loads of traffic is coming from the right. Handbrake on in neutral, watch the right.

When a big gap is appearing, look left while you stick it in gear, look back to the right, then back to the left again as you pull into the gap.

If you are holding the clutch down and the cable breaks, the useless concentric slave cylinder fails, you have a sudden leg cramp, you faint, or someone runs into the back of you and jolts your feet off the pedals, the car will trundle out into the busy traffic, so it can't be the correct & safe way to sit at a busy junction.

A cable operated clutch.....?
I'm 54 and barely remember them!

Really?  I'm younger than you and have owned quite a few cars with cable operated clutches.  They didn't go out of favour that long ago.  

BOWFER

Jeepers_Creepers said:

This is going weirdly off topic! But that's fine.

I'm really struggling to understand - I think we must have crossed wires.

There is a junction on the A39 that I come on to a few times each week. The A39 is straight there, it's fastish, and it's busy. I come up to the 'give way', slow right down to a virtual halt, and check both ways for the unlikely chance (which does happen at certain times) that there's a gap in the traffic in both directions (I'm usually turning right).

Almost without exception, it's busy enough to prevent this. The RH side is a long straight stretch so you can see suitable gaps coming with fair warning. The LH side, tho', has a bend around 500 yards up which means that cars coming from that direction give far less notice.

What I don't do is sit there with the clutch depressed. That is anathema, man. I wait, I judge, I make the decision that there's a possible synchronised gap coming up - and slip into 1st, foot on t'brake, ready to pounce. Nah, too risky, so neutral and release clutch.

(I can't believe I'm writing this...)

Ok, but I still think this is weird and personally haven't ever experienced anyone doing this before at a giveway junction.
Everyone just sits with their foot on the clutch ready to go, it doesn't damage the clutch if it's fully depressed.
Nor do I know anyone with muscular atrophy to the point holding the clutch depressed is a problem.
And, as I said before, it's your 'unique' behaviour at junctions that is triggering the stop/start, so it's a bit unfair to criticise it when it's functioning exactly as it should.
It'd be like me saying citroen seats are uncomfortable, but also saying I like to carry nails in my back pockets.

Jeepers_Creepers

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

Really?  I'm younger than you and have owned quite a few cars with cable operated clutches.  They didn't go out of favour that long ago.  

I still have one... Mk4 Cortina-based.

Jeepers_Creepers

BOWFER said:

Everyone just sits with their foot on the clutch ready to go, it doesn't damage the clutch if it's fully depressed.

And, as I said before, it's your 'unique' behaviour at junctions that is triggering the stop/start, so it's a bit unfair to criticise it when it's functioning exactly as it should.

Ah, but that's why it's anathema to me - it does damage the clutch, the clutch release bearing. A £10 part, that'll cost £500 to replace.

You'd happily sit at a junction for a minute with the clutch depressed?  That's literally depressing.

BOWFER

Jeepers_Creepers said:

BOWFER said:

Everyone just sits with their foot on the clutch ready to go, it doesn't damage the clutch if it's fully depressed.

And, as I said before, it's your 'unique' behaviour at junctions that is triggering the stop/start, so it's a bit unfair to criticise it when it's functioning exactly as it should.

Ah, but that's why it's anathema to me - it does damage the clutch, the clutch release bearing. A £10 part, that'll cost £500 to replace.

You'd happily sit at a junction for a minute with the clutch depressed?  That's literally depressing.

I'll stick with my way, rather than your bizarre way that triggers the stop/start and then has you moaning.