A Volkswagen query

[Gremlin]

My works van had to go to the garage for a couple of days, got broke whilst I was off last week.
So I get a manual VW caddy to drive or sould that be drive me nuts.
Get in, turn the key and nothing ..........................WTF................................ seems I have to depress the clutch
to start the engine, anyone know why ?
It drove me mad, my job requires an awful lot of stop/start driving.
Do all newer VWs do this?

 

[lawrenceots]

My Passat I'd the same - fob activation thing goes in the dash, foot on the clutch, and then push the fob all the way in for to come to life! Do love the auto hold / handbrake though!

 

[User.30879]

Yes unfortunately they do, lots of new cars & vans have this "feature" or annoyance, drives me nuts too

 

[nilagin]

Yes unfortunately they do, lots of new cars & vans have this "feature" or annoyance, drives me nuts too

On push button starts yes, never heard of it where you still need to turn a key though.

 

[User.30879]

On push button starts yes, never heard of it where you still need to turn a key though.

I had a transporter delivered to me this afternoon 2 years old, hopped in turned the key, nothing, flashing light on the dash press the clutch in please, even caught me out. Agree with you usually it's with start button models

 

[MartynK]

Hmm, I always depress the clutch before turning the key to start. I was taught to do this when I learned to drive, and I've been doing it for over 40 years now.

 

[Gremlin]

My Passat I'd the same - fob activation thing goes in the dash, foot on the clutch, and then push the fob all the way in for to come to life! Do love the auto hold / handbrake though!

Don't think it had the auto handbrake etc. thingy, nice drive just infuriating.

No one seem to know why on a manual vehicle, heard of it on autos.

 

[Mikesphotaes]

It means the starter has a lot less to turn over.

 

[Bobsyeruncle]

It stops the idiots trying to start the engine when it's gear, causing the vehicle to lurch forward into the vehicle/wall etc in front.

 

[Suvv]

I have always depressed the clutch when starting a car, 46 years now , it takes a load off the starter motor especially when the gearbox oil is cold.

 

[Peter B]

My Toyota needs the clutch depressed before it can start, and it's 4 years old now. You just get used to it after a while.

 

[Nod]

Some Renaults have the same safety feature and in their infinite wisdom, the wires to the switch were fractionally too short (presumably as a money saving exercise). The system was repeated on the brake pedal though so Mum and Dad could still start theirs when the clutch switch wire broke.

 

[ecoleman]

My Kia Sportage manual must have the clutch depressed to start the engine. It's never bothered me though, I always put my foot on the clutch.

It's what I was taught many years ago. Prevents any accidents if you forget to take it out of gear.

 

[Gremlin]

My Kia Sportage manual must have the clutch depressed to start the engine. It's never bothered me though, I always put my foot on the clutch.

It's what I was taught many years ago. Prevents any accidents if you forget to take it out of gear.

Oh how times change, I was taught to check the car was out of gear before starting. on my test I stalled and actually depressed the clutch
before starting it, the examiner asked me what I had just done wrong

 

[Tigger.ufo]

Had a polo courtesy car which had this "feature" which sadly no-one bothered to tell me about!

 

[LCPete]

My yaris is the same but you can turn off the stop start thing so that the engine stays running when you are stopped I always do this its a shame that you can't permanently turn it off, have to turn it off for each journey

 

[Gremlin]

Had a polo courtesy car which had this "feature" which sadly no-one bothered to tell me about!

Think about that happening in a yard full of vehicles and colleagues watching you , great thing is no one had a clue either

My yaris is the same but you can turn off the stop start thing so that the engine stays running when you are stopped I always do this its a shame that you can't permanently turn it off, have to turn it off for each journey

Engine didn't stop, but we are supposed to lock the vehicle every time we leave it for security

 

[Tigger.ufo]

Don't get me started on the eco stop b******ks!

Hired a hyundai on Tiree and kept thinking I had stalled it!

 

[OldCarlos]

Seems this new fangled eco-stop jobby is becoming more & more prevalent on new vehicles, but is it for certain engines/gearboxes? (petrol/diesel/manual/auto......)

I've never driven a vehicle fitted with it, so know nowt about it tbh. It must be strange at first, not being sure if you've `stalled` the engine, or not.

 

[AJQS]

I have always depressed the clutch when starting a car, 46 years now , it takes a load off the starter motor especially when the gearbox oil is cold.

Tried to start the FTO in gear on a hill once, it managed to spin the front wheels. Very impressed with that starter motor!

 

[terryuk]

it is the correct way to start a lot of cars if you read the manuals, my kuga has to be done like that as it has keyless entry and push button start. the handbrake thing is hillstart assist and can usually be turned on or off.

 

[big soft moose]

we've got two caddys at work - if you try and start it without presing the clutch, it flashes up "CLUTCH" on the LCD read out, which is a bit of a clue as to whats up

 

[Gremlin]

we've got two caddys at work - if you try and start it without presing the clutch, it flashes up "CLUTCH" on the LCD read out, which is a bit of a clue as to whats up

Which one ? Does the other not have the same ?
Is that your backhanded way of calling me thick again ?
Not exactly a huge display is it ?
That is how l realised what the problem was

 

[Yv]

Many newer cars have this feature and actually it does have a small has a safety aspect too, bearing in mind the button is usually somewhere in the middle of dash/centre console - it is to stop someone else in the car being able to press the stop/start button before the driver is ready or indeed the driver doing it themselves accidently when aiming for a different button. Never heard of a key operate car having one though, can't see a sensible reason for it. ETA: Are people so stoopid these days they regularly try starting in gear?

As for stop/start technology... just wait for all those failed bits due to excessive use in a few years time

My Scenic has an electronic handbrake which I loathe and I still don't see the point of hands free locking/unlocking, you still need a free hand to open the sodding door.

 

[big soft moose]

Which one ? Does the other not have the same ?
Is that your backhanded way of calling me thick again ?
Not exactly a huge display is it ?
That is how l realised what the problem was

either of them , ones a caddy ones a caddy maxi they both have the same function - and they both flash the same alert on the LCD (it caught a number of the team out when we first got them)

 

[viv1969]

Hmm, I always depress the clutch before turning the key to start. I was taught to do this when I learned to drive, and I've been doing it for over 40 years now.

I was taught the same thing.

It stops the idiots trying to start the engine when it's gear, causing the vehicle to lurch forward into the vehicle/wall etc in front.

For this reason

 

[nilagin]

Tried to start the FTO in gear on a hill once, it managed to spin the front wheels. Very impressed with that starter motor!

Several times now I've used the starter motor to move a car out of the way when a car has broken down and holding up traffic.

it is the correct way to start a lot of cars if you read the manuals, my kuga has to be done like that as it has keyless entry and push button start. the handbrake thing is hillstart assist and can usually be turned on or off.

If you didn't depress the clutch all you will be doing is switch the ignition on.

 

[onomatopoeia]

Hmm, I always depress the clutch before turning the key to start. I was taught to do this when I learned to drive, and I've been doing it for over 40 years now.

I don't, and wasn't taught to. I never park my car in gear, as all my cars have a functional handbrake. The only people that park them in gear are garages after servicing them.

On the Imps I've owned, the friction on the carbon ring bearing on the clutch (and the pressure from the fierce springs on the clutch cover plate) release would probably balance any friction from the transaxle oil. The revs used to drop when you depressed the clutch at idle ...

 

[welshwizard645]

Saab owner

we're used to the process of depressing the clutch to start the car because manual variants 99/90/900/OG9-3/9-5 have ignition keys in the centre console which lock the car in reverse. Even though newer 9-3 models had the ignition slot in the same place it actually locked the steering electronically, yet you would still depress the clutch as a matter of default...

 

[OldCarlos]

As for stop/start technology... just wait for all those failed bits due to excessive use in a few years time

Also, what about a car with a turbo?
If you've had a good run on a dual carriageway, or even on the motorway, then come to a busy junction or set of traffic lights & have to stop for a while, are the turbo's going to be more prone to a (very expensive) failure?

 

[OldCarlos]

I don't, and wasn't taught to. I never park my car in gear, as all my cars have a functional handbrake.

& if (unlikely but not unheard of) the hand/parking break fails?

Maybe it's an age thing & no longer recommended these days?

 

[welshwizard645]

Also, what about a car with a turbo?
If you've had a good run on a dual carriageway, or even on the motorway, then come to a busy junction or set of traffic lights & have to stop for a while, are the turbo's going to be more prone to a (very expensive) failure?

that was Saab's recommendation until water cooled turbos started to appear in the mid 80's, idling for around 10-15 seconds especially if you'd been pushing the turbo boost gague into the red zone a bit too much. Turbo technology became very reliable such that warranty claims were no worse than for other mechanical items.

 

[OldCarlos]

that was Saab's recommendation until water cooled turbos started to appear in the mid 80's, idling for around 10-15 seconds especially if you'd been pushing the turbo boost gague into the red zone a bit too much. Turbo technology became very reliable such that warranty claims were no worse than for other mechanical items.

Cheers Peter.

So are ALL eco stop/start vehicles which have turbo's, now water cooled & no longer needed to idle for up to 30 secs?

 

[LongLensPhotography]

Also, what about a car with a turbo?
If you've had a good run on a dual carriageway, or even on the motorway, then come to a busy junction or set of traffic lights & have to stop for a while, are the turbo's going to be more prone to a (very expensive) failure?

I believe there is still some form of oil circulation when it cuts off. If you pulled the key right out it may still do some damage as in the old days? Wrong spec oil would be the primary culprit for failures, yet so many owners and garages pour in f*** knows what.

 

[nilagin]

I believe there is still some form of oil circulation when it cuts off. If you pulled the key right out it may still do some damage as in the old days? Wrong spec oil would be the primary culprit for failures, yet so many owners and garages pour in f*** knows what.

On most modern cars, there will only be the residual oil and coolant circulating the turbo as well as sucking in air, after the engine is switched of. A turbo only get's really hot and starts glowing when held at full throttle for a length of time, something it's highly unlikely to do in a road car.
Can't vouch for other car manufacturers but on Ford cars, the Stop/Start only operates under certain conditions, it won't work until the engine oil and coolant is up to a certain temperature so I would expect it would have to meet similar criteria if the engine is too hot.

 

[ian-83]

I work for VW and you soon get used to it. I think it's mostly due to America and they favorite game of blaming anyone but themselves when they do stupid things like starting cars in gear then crashing!

 

[Box Brownie]

Hmm, I always depress the clutch before turning the key to start. I was taught to do this when I learned to drive, and I've been doing it for over 40 years now.

Me too, I was taught that it reduces strain on the starter motor because it takes the first stage geartrain out of the equation. Oh for the record my old Leon had this 'feature' as does my new Leon ST