Automatic cars, what is neutral for?

DorsetDude

DorsetDude

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If Im going forward I use D, reversing I use R, if I am parked up, waiting at the traffic lights, what have you, I should be in P(instead of still in D with my foot on the brake but we wont go there) . So when does N get used then?

Genuinely interested.

Cheers!
 
Being towed is one use, some fool stole our automatic and tried to bump start it, found it just up the road.

So pushing it is another reason for N probably others too
 
Usually (N) is positioned between (R) & (D) which means all gears would be disengaged when going from Forward to Reverse or vise versa.

If you were stationary in (P) ie at traffic lights etc before moving off you would need to pass through (R) before engaging (D). This is not very good for the gearbox and would also mean you would be flashing your reversing lights when doing so which could cause some distraction/confusion to traffic behind you.(y)

George.
 
DorsetDude said:
Never thought of that. Why in a car wash though?
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The auto washers drag you through, so the transmission needs to be in neutral (engine off) to allow the wheels to turn, same applies in a manual. Hope that's right.
 
With mine in a carwash it needs to be in neutral and engine on. (and autowipers off)
 
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tijuana taxi said:
some fool stole our automatic and tried to bump start it, found it just up the road.
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(Thankfully) some people don't have the brains they were born with !

DorsetDude said:
So when does N get used then?
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Sitting at lights, revving the testicles out the engine, when the lights go Red & Amber, its just a short flick into drive, and away you go, in cloud of smoky tyres :thumbs:
 
Shiite only just got a auto car I thought the N was for night time driving ,no use to me as I don't go out in the dark :help:
 
Yep that's where I got it from :banana:
 
DorsetDude said:
if I am parked up, waiting at the traffic lights, what have you, I should be in P
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I don't think you should. To get from P to D you have to go through R, but seeing your reversing lights come on (albeit briefly) is not likely to be good for the peace of mind for the people sitting behind you.
 
Additionally N is very useful when the engine is being run during services, maintenance, fault finding etc.

Rob
 
StewartR said:
I don't think you should. To get from P to D you have to go through R, but seeing your reversing lights come on (albeit briefly) is not likely to be good for the peace of mind for the people sitting behind you.
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Not on mine, P is the most forward gear selection position, click back to drive, back again to neutral then back into R. Or is it? Youve got me thinking now. Maybe N is ideal for at the lights then.
 
DorsetDude said:
Not on mine, P is the most forward gear selection position, click back to drive, back again to neutral then back into R. Or is it? Youve got me thinking now. Maybe N is ideal for at the lights then.
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Think it's unusual for an automatic not to have it in PRND order. What do you drive?
 
I must admit that I've never tested it, but I was always in the understanding that when you hold the button to quickly go from park through reverse through neutral to drive that the reversing lights don't come on unless you actually let it engage reverse.
 
I remember driving my dad's automatic Cavalier. I always used park for everything at standstill, after that it was D and R :) or S if I felt like being naughty :mad: :D
 
dejongj said:
I must admit that I've never tested it, but I was always in the understanding that when you hold the button to quickly go from park through reverse through neutral to drive that the reversing lights don't come on unless you actually let it engage reverse.
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AFAIA, the button is just to stop the accidental release from P, I don't believe it has any bearing on whether any of the other modes are engaged or not but I could be wrong.
 
In Mrs Nod's, PRND432 and in mine, PRNDS. In both, footbrake needs to be depressed (all the diodes down the left hand side are aching...) to get out of P.
 
Actually come to think about it; on our Mercedes GL its all different. Ha funny, it is so automatic (pun intended) that I don't even think about it.

The stalk is always in Neutral ;) You tap it down to get it into drive, and tap it up to go into reverse. But it always positions itself back in Neutral. Park you could engage by pressing a button on the end of the stalk, or simply by switching off the engine. S is a button on the dashboard labelled ECO (go figure ;)) by switching ECO off. Kickdown is either by applying the kickdown, or if you want several gears at once you can use the flappy paddles and just hold it down and it will quickly (very quickly) select the lowest possible gear. To hold and disengage the gears you don't put it in hold but press the brake pedal a second time and HOLD appears in the dashboard.

Now thinking about it, I can't get myself to even begin to describe the Golf R there are so many settings on it; its got a more traditional PRND pattern. But in Drive you can tap it a second time and it switches to S. If you push it to the left whilst in D then you can manually select the gears with either the lever in tiptronic style setting, or use the flappy paddles. If you use the flappy paddles but have the box in D then you have a temporary (30s) manual override following which it will revert to automatic again unless you use it again. In RACE mode settings the default of D is actually S :) But you can tap D downwards to make S turn into D again :) In ECONOMY setting it seems to disengage the gears when letting go of the throttle enabling a pulse and glide style of driving and significantly increase the MPG. And likewise no need to put in P at the lights as the car autobrakes and disengages or just switches off the engine.

Never realised how complex an automatic actually is :)
 
Neutral is for the car wash, P is for the traffic lights for me. Drive a BMW and P is a separate push button then just flick leaver to D to activate start and drive off. Putting it into neutral starts the engine if the stop start was activated when you stop.
 
Gaz J said:
BMW
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Which one? Never seen it like that on the BMWs I've had. Recent ones were RND with manual to the left, and P a push button at the top. Older ones were PRND, and the M5 of my neighbour doesn't have a park, similar to my Mercedes you just switch it off.
 
what if someones taking the P :wave::wave::wave:
 
Nod said:
In Mrs Nod's, PRND432 and in mine, PRNDS. In both, footbrake needs to be depressed (all the diodes down the left hand side are aching...) to get out of P.
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Same here, our Galaxy auto gear positions, P R NDS.
 
Who'd have thought that driving an automatic was so damned complicated?
Its supposed to make life easier, surely?
 
Cobra said:
Who'd have thought that driving an automatic was so damned complicated?
Its supposed to make life easier, surely?
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When I drove a manual car, my hand and feet just changed gear without thinking. Now driving an auto, gives me more time to think about the auto lever...
 
gerry s said:
Use N when pushing or towing the car, also in an automatic car wash.
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Poor drills. Your engine should be switched off in an automatic car wash. It stands to reason the hand break should be engaged and 'P' applied.
 
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