Automatic trans: correct usage at drive-through?

[Foxhound5366]

I kind of understand what the OP means as my eyes are very light sensitive. Especially cars with LED rear lights, those are quite bad. But I tend to focus on something else when the light blind me.

With the Passat I don't need to keep foot on the brakes as once I stop the auto hold keeps the car on place until I touch the accelerator, with the up I just keep my foot on the brakes.

It took a while, but we got some agreement. Do you have an automatic up, or is there a reason you don't just use your handbrake in it if it's a manual?

 

[Craig_]

It took a while, but we got some agreement. Do you have an automatic up, or is there a reason you don't just use your handbrake in it if it's a manual?

Up is a manual. Just moving constantly so don't feel like pulling up the handbrake everytime. If the line is long then I will do that.

Not the same thing. You get Auto Hold that pulls the handbrake everytime the car stops moving and you get Hill Hold that locks the brakes on a hill for 3-5 seconds.

It is the exact same thing on VW's. Auto Hold doesn't pull the handbrake up, just uses the front brakes. Auto hold just keep the brakes in until you press on the accelerator, then it releases.

 

[Foxhound5366]

Up is a manual. Just moving constantly so don't feel like pulling up the handbrake everytime. If the line is long then I will do that.

It's a good habit to get into because it prevents the car from rolling back when you take your foot off the brake. That's the whole reason it gets drummed into learners during the K53 test. Even if your car has Auto Hold, there will be a time you drive a car without this.

 

[Dave]

There is an episode 1??

*searching intensifies*

There's more than one previous episode, you need to find the Pizza Hut is the best takeaway in the world thread and the Nikons are better because they take out of focus yellow tinted photos with extra flare thread.

They aren't quite as amusing as they were as someone went crying to the mods and large sections were culled but still an amusing read...

 

[bwana]

Nope, 99% of automatics are like the below, the systems like that on newer BMWs etc are very new and not widespread - how do you not know this?

Yep, this seems to be the case.

Can't imagine racking back and forth over and over would be all that good for the transmission.

 

[Craig_]

It's a good habit to get into because it prevents the car from rolling back when you take your foot off the brake. That's the whole reason it gets drummed into learners during the K53 test. Even if your car has Auto Hold, there will be a time you drive a car without this.

I use the hand brake when driving cars other than my own, but the clutch on the up is really soft and easy to modulate. You won't easily stall the car or roll back.

 

[FiestaST]

The best looking shifter is the power ranger leg found in certain Aston Martin's:

 

[Dave]

There is an episode 1??

*searching intensifies*

The best looking shifter is the power ranger leg found in certain Aston Martin's:

Quite unlikely for an owner of one of those to be queuing for chocolate pizza at their local Pizza Hut drive-thru though

 

[Foxhound5366]

I use the hand brake when driving cars other than my own, but the clutch on the up is really soft and easy to modulate. You won't easily stall the car or roll back.

One good reason to consider still using it in the up is should you ever find yourself in a dark drive-through, that you don't blind others behind you If this thread helps just raise some awareness of the issue, then it's a start.

 

[supersunbird]

I don't sit in evening rush hour, I choose where I live strategically to avoid wasting hours of my life.

Also I don't know what automatic transmissions you're referring to, but there's no going past reverse when you want to enter park on a BMW:
View attachment 447916

Even if there was a brief flash of reverse lights (which I've never seen on any car except where the driver has done it accidentally by pushing the stick in the wrong direction), that'd still be preferable to 30 seconds to a minute of uninterrupted blinding full-brake. Anybody with even a hint of night vision knows what that's like.

Maybe you should also plan your munching so as to not have to use drive throughs at night.

And you drive a BMW? The BMWs are the worst offenders with their super bright rear fog lights, Audis rear fogs almost compare and no one else comes close.

And you might think you know a lot about automatics, because you have one, but none of the automatics I have been in have a "gear lever" layout like that.

 

[FiestaST]

BMW calls that shifter design the "pistol-grip".

Just in case anyone didn't know.

 

[Foxhound5366]

Maybe you should also plan your munching so as to not have to use drive throughs at night.

And you drive a BMW? The BMWs are the worst offenders with their super bright rear fog lights, Audis rear fogs almost compare and no one else comes close.

And you might think you know a lot about automatics, because you have one, but none of the automatics I have been in have a "gear lever" layout like that.

Dude, please just stow the aggression. You know you can make all the same points above without being as aggressive, right?

I promise you that I have always been a very considerate driver (especially regarding the use of fog lights) and just changing over to a BMW hasn't made me forget all of that. Right in the OP of this thread I stated that I'm determined to not be like the people I used to (and still do) complain about. So far I'm proud to say I haven't been ... my one visit to a dark drive-through and I used the Park button throughout. Nobody got annoyed and the people behind me didn't get blinded. Much happiness

For the people whose auto-transmissions are still the old school kind, the alternative is simply this:
-> Put foot on brake -> Change mode to neutral (doesn't go through Reverse) -> Pull up handbrake -> Release foot from brake.

Not too hard to do that once in a while to avoid being a total ass-hat in a drivethrough, amirite?

 

[Splinter]

It took a while, but we got some agreement.

It did, didn't it. And seeing as you were protesting on the "rest of humanity's" behalf, maybe that should tell you something?

Maybe some people have very sensitive eyes, but I have never, ever heard of this being an issue to anyone before. In a world where people like to complain, you are the first to have complained about this. Congrats?

 

[Splinter]

Not too hard to do that once in a while to avoid being a total ass-hat in a drivethrough, amirite?

And stop insulting people who don't follow your preferred behavior for your very precious issue.

 

[Foxhound5366]

It did, didn't it. And seeing as you were protesting on the "rest of humanity's" behalf, maybe that should tell you something?

Maybe some people have very sensitive eyes, but I have never, ever heard of this being an issue to anyone before. In a world where people like to complain, you are the first to have complained about this. Congrats?

Looking at the aggro reaction here that I've faced, is it any wonder? Would you join in and agree, just to face attacks? It's precisely because people like Dave don't give a rats ass about anybody else that this is even an issue in the first case. I know for a fact that it's a bigger issue than the limited sample size here indicates, and there are countless online guides around the correct use of automatic transmissions that indicate that one shouldn't stand on the brake for extended periods of time in any case (purely for the mechanical health of your transmission). The fact that you'd also be a considerate driver at night-time and not blind others, well that's just a nice feel-good bonus innit?

 

[Foxhound5366]

And stop insulting people who don't follow your preferred behavior for your very precious issue.

You disagree with me that not driving correctly and blinding the person behind you because you're too lazy to lift off the brake (even though you should purely for the mechanical health of your car even if you don't care about the people behind you) qualifies as being an ass-hat? That's not an insult, it's a statement of fact. It's right up there with cutting people off in traffic, not indicating before changing lanes, not stopping for pedestrians at zebra crossings, jumping through red traffic lights, ignoring a row of cars waiting to turn and jumping in right at the top of the queue, and a whole lot of other mutually-agreed ass-hattedness.

 

[MrGray]

Not too hard to do that once in a while to avoid being a total ass-hat in a drivethrough, amirite?

Your threshold for being a "total ass-hat" is rather low if you consider people using their brake lights in a drive through queue as qualifying, lol. You must spend a lot of time being irritated.

 

[Craig_]

Maybe you should also plan your munching so as to not have to use drive throughs at night.

And you drive a BMW? The BMWs are the worst offenders with their super bright rear fog lights, Audis rear fogs almost compare and no one else comes close.

And you might think you know a lot about automatics, because you have one, but none of the automatics I have been in have a "gear lever" layout like that.

Below is the main reason I have an extreme dislike of the previous generation pre-facelift i20. Most of them drives around at night with there rear foglights on as per below. Horribly bright.

 

[Splinter]

Looking at the aggro reaction here that I've faced, is it any wonder? Would you join in and agree, just to face attacks? It's precisely because people like Dave don't give a rats ass about anybody else that this is even an issue in the first case. I know for a fact that it's a bigger issue than the limited sample size here indicates, and there are countless online guides around the correct use of automatic transmissions that indicate that one shouldn't stand on the brake for extended periods of time in any case (purely for the mechanical health of your transmission). The fact that you'd also be a considerate driver at night-time and not blind others, well that's just a nice feel-good bonus innit?

Actually, I've just read the thread, and from what I can see you reacted to joking with a fair amount of aggression and insults yourself.

Trying to claim that others haven't supported you because they are scared just further erodes your position.

Quite frankly, your strident appeals to save others night vision, and crusade for considerateness for an issue no-one else seemed to be aware of, is rather bizarre.

 

[Splinter]

You disagree with me that not driving correctly and blinding the person behind you because you're too lazy to lift off the brake (even though you should purely for the mechanical health of your car even if you don't care about the people behind you) qualifies as being an ass-hat? That's not an insult, it's a statement of fact. It's right up there with cutting people off in traffic, not indicating before changing lanes, not stopping for pedestrians at zebra crossings, jumping through red traffic lights, ignoring a row of cars waiting to turn and jumping in right at the top of the queue, and a whole lot of other mutually-agreed ass-hattedness.

You are making yourself look foolish.