Leave in gear, or not ?
 

So this weekend had a few friends round and one thing led to another and
an alcohol fuelled night commenced, but not before I shuffled the cars on the drive around so the leavers could get out, and the drinkers could leave their cars happily until the morning.

All good, until the morning when the final leaver went to start her car and bunny hopped on the starter motor straight into the back of my D2.

It turns out that whilst she never leaves her car in gear, I absolutely always leave a car in gear, and thus absolutely always return the gearshift to neutral and press the clutch in before trying to start any vehicle. To me, it seems total common sense to protect at many levels accidently moving unintentionally. It really is second nature to me. But asking round other friends, particularly younger ones, the answers are not so clear cut.

So, I know we mainly have autos here, but opinions please:

Do we leave a car in gear when parked, or rely solely on the handbrake, and

Regardless of that, would you press the clutch in before starting ?


and I've already pre-empted some cheeky no-starting required comment from the electric car fan club...... ;)

This, always have and always will. Was taught that way. (Though I no longer have a manual.)
And I'd put my foot on the brake and wiggle the gear lever into neutral AND put my seatbelt on too, all before starting.

Plenty of hills/slopes round here so I "probably" leave a manual in gear more often than not, but to be honest it's not a conscious choice.
And I'll turn the steering to an appropriate position too.

Funnily enough a few days ago we found a car sitting across the side road that runs up the side of our back garden. It had rolled out of a sloping driveway onto the road and luckily stopped a few feet before it would have crashed through our fence!
A newish manual mini, not in gear, handbrake not on securely and steering set straight ahead. :tuttut:

And we have had a neighbours car, several years ago now, roll down that same side road, through our fence, and impale itself on our apple tree! Again inadequate handbrake, though it was an old Astra van. In that case it was parked on the road facing downhill.

I sometimes leave a manual in gear but usually only if it's parked on an incline or I feel the handbrake isn't sufficient .... Or if it's one of those weird Saabs that you have to put into reverse gear just to get the key out of the ignition.

By contrast, I rarely use the handbrake on my S8 or other autos. I just leave them in Park.

When I was younger and driving crappier cars that had dodgy handbrakes I was always leaving them in gear. These days I do not leave in gear but always ( well almost always to be honest) check before starting that it is in neutral, never pressed clutch though. I have to admit that I have tried to start the car in gear couple of times but it's never gone anywhere, handbrake always held it stationary.

I always leave the TT or the management's car in gear when I park it, she doesn't however, so I always make sure there is enough room should she lunge forward in the car. 10 years in, she still hasn't learnt, wheras I have mastered the loo seat, putting the toilet roll on the right way and how the cushions on the couch need to be "fluffed" at the end of the night... I fear the balance of power might be off...

If I'm driving a car with a manual box:

1. Always leave it in gear on an incline (have you seen some of the streets in Glasgow - they're almost vertical!)
2. Turn the steering wheel so it will run into the kerb if it does move
3. Don't usually put my foot on the clutch when starting it

Only in gear if on a hill

Generally a waggle and clutch press - in fact many modern cars won't turn over unless you press the clutch in!

That has to be the unluckiest D2 in history! Did someone stick a curse on it a few years ago?!

Only leave car in gear on a steep hill. I know I should, but I don't press the clutch when starting. Always shake the gearstick to check its in neutral before starting.

I'm mid 30s. Winds me up when I have to drive someone's car and they've left it in gear, on the flat, when their handbrake is fine. It's not the 1960s after all.... +++

I always, always leave a manual in gear whether on flat or a slope. Also pay attention to steering wheel angle when on a slope and always, always depress the clutch when starting the engine. It gives the starter and battery a much easier time without having to turn over all those cogs in that thick, cold oil as well as the engine.

In a manual my regime is get in the car, belt up, depress clutch, start engine and clutch out at same time as handbrake off. Parking up is reverse. Pull up, depress clutch, select first gear, handbrake on, engine off, release clutch and unbuckle. Just how I was taught by my Dad. Never failed me yet, but I have never had a handbrake cable go on me, but I have owned some cars with dodgy handbrakes that barely worked over the years, which is why I always park up in gear. +++

Don't understand why it's a hassle to depress the clutch to start the engine when you've got to do it anyway to select first gear to pull off. If it's already in first gear when you parked it's one less thing to do. ;)

Saab's are cool. Well i say that the 9000 i had was cool, not sure about the others


In gear for me.
clutch in to start regardless if i've took it out of gear, ready for selection.

Now, as I park in a garage, this wouldn't work! It would have a few steps added:

get in the car, belt up, depress clutch, start engine and clutch out at same time as handbrake off...reverse out of garage, stop, put handbrake on, take seat belt off, get out to close garage door.... get in the car, belt up, depress clutch, start engine and clutch out at same time as handbrake off. Realise that you're now late for work......:rolleyes:

Similar for me, get in car, belt up, foot on brake, start car, select reverse, release handbrake, reverse out of garage, press 'close garage door' button, drive off! +++ So much easier +++

I do however always leave the wife's car out of gear as I know she never uses such a ritual although she main learn as her current vehicle, you can't start without the clutch fully pressed in!

Where we used to live, we did have a 'parked car' try to get through the wall of our house, but fortunately a 150yr old house was much much stronger than an old Citroen (aren't most things).

I usually leave manuals in a gear but sometimes don't on the flat such as in a carpark. When I was 18, my car rolled down the hill on my street during the night and luckily it didn't hit anything or anyone and nobody noticed. It was quite some distance about 8-9 detatched houses away and stopped because the tyres had gently rubbed along the kerb. After that, I always leave in gear.

Some manuals will not allow it to crank without pressing the clutch and display a message similar to how our say press the brake.

Where's the poll..! :Confused: :ROFL:

I always used to leave mine in gear, it's much safer than just relying on the handbrake, also if I was parked for a while I probably wouldn't use the handbrake as it used to seize.

After reading somewhere that putting the clutch in to start takes some strain off the starter I've always clutched in before starting, and usually checked it's in neutral or know which gear it's in!

I always start a manual car with the clutch down but very rarely leave it in gear when parked.

That doesn't stop me making sure it's in neutral before starting though.

It depends.......

When i drove a manual car regularly I'd be a "in gear and clutch to start" guy habitually, but I guess I've been spoiled a but with auto boxes.

I still have an S4 manual, with that used to leave it in gear with the handbrake off, as it can stand for a while so as to not have the brakes stick.

Then one day I went out to it expecting the battery to be dead, no idea what came over me but I put the key in and turned it (think I was used to the A8/auto) whilst sat next to the car........ yes it did start, and off it went down the drive straight toward my A8. I literally dived in head first and applied the brake with my hand (as in the middle pedal) luckily with enough force to stall it, got out to realise I had about three inches to spare before a very difficult insurance claim form.

Since then I have avoided it, still leave it without the handbrake sometimes but rely on a level gravel drive rather than 1st gear.


Edited to say - I hope the damage was minimal :)

Forgot to add: I always depress the clutch in a manual too. Partly because it lessens the load on the starter motor but also, as Lee points out, why not? ... you need to depress the clutch to put it into 1st/reverse gear anyway.

I agree. I didn't mean they're weird in a bad way. I like weird, that's why my car ownership history contains various hydropneumatic Citroens.

Funnily thing is, most of the work done on my S8 is done by an independent Saab specialist, mainly because the garage is local, the owner is a customer and friend of mine, he's a very good mechanic who I trust, and also because I used to get to drive some of his weird Saabs while mine was in for repair. :)

Of course with Saabs on the decrease now he's moved on to other vehicle makes .... mainly Audi, thanks to me :D

Manual gearbox, never put it in gear unless on a hill or I know the handbrake is weak

On my auto gearbox, I never used to use the handbrake but I know park on a slight incline so have got into the habit of using it

Manual. Always in gear, steering positioned to kerb, handbrake on, clutch in to start
Auto. Always use park and handbrake. (Handbrakes tend to seize when underused.)


Cars in the 60's had effective handbrakes, working on rear drums. Later cars have the difficulties, with the introduction of rear disk brakes. And Citroen's in particular. When their suspension settled the handbrake cable would slacken off.

Always in gear so always do the "wiggle" of the gear lever.

I think this is 'cos I've owned old, frankly flaky old cars. :Confused: Had to buy them myself and if I broke down I had no mobile phone (and my Dad would say "oops, how are YOU going to get out of that Son? He was brilliant by the way, tough love the Yanks call it). :love:

I believe many young people have protective, loving parents who provide vehicles that are reliable and sorted. :rolleyes:

So what is the problem? Well, you trust hand brakes. Can't sort a puncture. Generally treat the car as a "white good" (fridge, washing machine). :tuttut:

Just my old guy prejudice? And of course not applicable to the young enthusiast you'll find on an A8 site (of either gender). +++

Rob "old git"

Always in gear and always press the clutch before starting (in a manual of course).

Haven't had a manual for a while, but drove Saabs for some years and got into the habit of leaving 'em in reverse (as you have to in order to remove the key), so tend to do that with any manual car.