Long stop in auto. Neutral? Park? Handbrake?

[jameslb101]

To those who drive automatics, what do you do when stopping for more than a few seconds (e.g. lights just changed to red)?

Obviously holding it on the brakes doesn't seem the most sensible as if your foot comes off it'll creep forward, not to mention that it isn't particularly sociable to dazzle people with brake lights at night.

So handbrake then neutral as per a manual, or is there any reason for using park instead and/or not using the handbrake?

[titian]

I drive an auto Discovery which has an electronic handbrake. I believe that the recommended proceedure is to apply the handbrake and leave the autobox in drive. When moving off, gentle pressure on the accelerator releases the handbrake.

It does feel more "comfortable" to me when I expect to be held up for a while e.g. roadworks with temporary traffic light control, to apply the habdbrake and move the gear selector into neutral. I have never considered "Park" as an option - it will be interesting to see what others think of that option.

[Mr Cholmondeley-Warner]

Park is generally not so good because normally you have to get to it via Reverse, which can frighten the person behind. Oh, and opinions vary, but some would say relying on the transmission brake in Park is lazy and not really secure, if on a slope.

[7db]

+1 for electronic parking brake.

Wish manufacturers could agree on a standard for whether push or pull is on or off. (Mercedes and Volvo have come up with different answers).

[GJD]

Absent any electronic gizmos, I'd just put the handbrake on and leave the gear stick where it was.

[jont]

+1 for electronic parking brake.

Wish manufacturers could agree on a standard for whether push or pull is on or off. (Mercedes and Volvo have come up with different answers).

Have to wonder if like tip/step-tronic transmission, one of them's got a patent for a particular direction

[michael769]

In most auto boxes it is not recommended to move the shift out of drive at every step as it may subject the box to additional avoidable wear and tear, and this is the most common advice from manufacturers. Of course like everything to do with auto boxes some cars will be different, so the usual "follow the advice in the handbook " applies.

If creep is able to overcome the handbrake (an uncommon issue in modern boxes) the advice is usually to use the footbrake - hence why most stop/start systems expect it.

Personally I'd leave it in drive, not changing the selector is after all the whole point of an auto after all, unless it is an extended stop.

[waremark]

In some cars I have used Park, after checking that the reverse lights do not flash if you move straight through the R position. In our current auto cars I keep my foot on the footbrake, because they have stop/start and doing it in other ways causes the engine to start again. In cars which release the parking brake when you accelerate, I have found that this is not a completely smooth way to start, and I prefer to release the parking brake with my foot on the foot brake, then release the foot brake for the smoothest start, before accelerating.

Similarly, with Stop/Start, I generally start the engine by touching the accelerator while my left foot is holding the footbrake, before moving off in the same way.

[TheInsanity1234]

Am I the only one here who dislikes the electronic parking brake?
I've always thought that the good thing about the handbrake is that you can take it off even when the battery is flat so you could bump-start the car if necessary, but with an electronic brake, if the battery is flat, there is no way of taking the brake off.

One fears that car manufacturers are putting far too much reliance on electronic systems to do the job of a decent driver.

That is not to say that there aren't good electronic devices, but it does say that some of the gadgets on modern cars are just that: Gadgets.

[fungus]

Am I the only one here who dislikes the electronic parking brake?

You have a good point there, however, your comment about bump starting would not apply to an auto. IIAC, you should not attempt to bump start an auto, i'ts something to do with causing damage to the transmission. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[TheInsanity1234]

Am I the only one here who dislikes the electronic parking brake?

You have a good point there, however, your comment about bump starting would not apply to an auto. IIAC, you should not attempt to bump start an auto, i'ts something to do with causing damage to the transmission. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Indeed it wouldn't.
I was just taking about electronic brakes in manuals (Slightly off topic, I know).

In response to the original question, I would probably just leave the the car in drive and stick the handbrake on.
In the case of people with stop-start systems, I would hold the footbrake to keep the engine off in daylight hours as it wouldn't cause any dazzle to the people behind, but at night I would just have the engine chugging away and the car's handbrake on (unless there wasn't anyone behind me, then I'll keep the footbrake on until either I have to move or someone drives up behind me).

[true blue]

My auto predates electronic handbrakes, and I'll use either drive/footbrake for a pause or waiting at a busy T-junction for a gap but it's handbrake and neutral for a longer wait, e.g. at red lights.

For what it's worth I find electronic handbrakes an unnecessary bit of progress - the old fashioned lever has never seemed slow, unreliable or unpredictable to me. In the spirit of not being a complete Luddite, I'll admit that other areas of progress (e.g. flappy paddle gearboxes) show genuine improvement for those who want to leave the Old Ways behind.

[michael769]

Am I the only one here who dislikes the electronic parking brake?

You have a good point there, however, your comment about bump starting would not apply to an auto. IIAC, you should not attempt to bump start an auto, i'ts something to do with causing damage to the transmission. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

This is correct for traditional auto boxes. DSG boxes would not be harmed but their electronically controlled clutches would make any attempt to bump start an exercise in futility.

Bump starting can also risk poisoning the catalyst (unless it starts on the first go), so you should not really bump start any, modern car if you can avoid it, and indeed you will find most handbooks warn against it. Personally I've ended up getting one of those battery pack starters.

The big problem with electronic handbrakes is that if they fail to release you cannot even tow the car and I understand it is difficult to even dismantle them at the roadside without the correct software to instruct the ECU to retract the pistons (assuming that even works).

I have to agree I am not a big fan of electronic handbrakes and prefer the manuals, but I they don't really bother me day to day.

[TheInsanity1234]

Bump starting can also risk poisoning the catalyst (unless it starts on the first go), so you should not really bump start any, modern car if you can avoid it, and indeed you will find most handbooks warn against it. Personally I've ended up getting one of those battery pack starters.

The big problem with electronic handbrakes is that if they fail to release you cannot even tow the car and I understand it is difficult to even dismantle them at the roadside without the correct software to instruct the ECU to retract the pistons (assuming that even works).

I have to agree I am not a big fan of electronic handbrakes and prefer the manuals, but I they don't really bother me day to day.

That's my point precisely, there's nothing wrong with a good old lever, so why do we need to replace it with a button?
How does bump-starting cause poisoning of the catalyst?

[michael769]

How does bump-starting cause poisoning of the catalyst?

If the engine does not start immediately then unburnt fuel is ejected into the exhaust system where it can get into the catalyst. This can cause two problems, Firstly if it is left in the cat for any amount of time it can set into a varnish like substance that coats the tiny spaces in the honeycomb and stops them working properly or in diesels blocks them entirely. Secondly the next time the engine starts the hot exhaust gases can cause the build up to ignite inside the cat melting or shattering the very delicate honeycomb substrate.

It's not a problem if the car starts immediately but when you are bump starting, you generally don't know if it will or not, so it is best avoided, and when you compare the cost of a replacement cat with the cost of a set of jumpleads, one of those battery pack starters, or even recovery it should be clear it is not worth the risk.