Cautionary tale for automatic drivers (PS Im Stoopid)

[carbore]

The other week i did a very silly thing.

I was in a queue of traffic for about 1 hr stop start etc. At one point I was on a hill so bored with turning off the engine etc (stationary for about 10 mins at time) I decided to coast down the hill a bit.
Now im not a total plonker so its not like I had the steering lock on, but.........
I was rolling forward, engine off, behind a big panel van. Then the van accellerated off past the tempoary traffic lights that had been causing the jam.
I rolled on a bit but then was looking down a big steep hill.
Now being a auto I could not get it into any gear
No power steering
No serve brakes.
I tried a few things but no avail
So then pressed very hard on the pedal and did  a bit of handbrake and it slowly stopped!
very very lucky, stupid with hind sight but i have not ad an auto that long.

Moral

NEVER EVER MOVE AN AUTO WITHOUT THE ENGINE RUNNING!

[Bush Tucker Man]

I've not done that, but will admit to still very occasionally turning off the XKR whilst still in 'D' & getting the warning buzzer :oops:
(perhaps twice in past 3 weeks)

Mindst you, so does the wife

[ben_haynes]

i do it, i knock it in to neuteral whilst coasting and start it up then straight back into drive but i only do it in my rangie as it is old and has lots of free play allowing it to drop in

[Range Rover Blues]

Then you have a problem.  The servos should store some power with the engine off (any guesses why?) and this should have been checked at the MOT, I've heard of cars failing for it too.
Do not under any circumstances put it into P whilst moving, unless you like swapping gearboxs.

[Tommo]

A guy i know has a 68 plymouth roadrunner, has had it for about 20 years, maybe longer. anyway this car is his absolute pride and joy. next thing you know he is going down the road behind a brand new little ford fiesta or somthing and the car infront suddenly stops dead with no brakelights. well needless to say a 2 ton plymouth with drums all round smashed the back end of this fiesta in a treat.

So my mate gets out, throws up because of the shock. And the guy gets out of the fiesta and says 'its my first time in an auto, sorry' he had rammed it into park at about 20mph. im surprised the gearbox didnt just shatter.

Anyway the fiesta guy kept quiet after that and told police that he stopped normally for a stray dog or somthing and the roadrunner was going way too fast and rear ended him!

This was about 2 years ago. He was hoping to have the roadrunner finished this year but looks like it will be next year before its back on the road again.

Even if the guy had admitted putting it into park i dont think it would have been completely his fault as your meant to be able to stop whatever happens but being called a liar is somtimes the worst bit.

[JumboBeef]

NEVER EVER MOVE AN AUTO WITHOUT THE ENGINE RUNNING!

Unless you've ever driven an old motor, like a SII Landy.  Nothing powered on them, you just have to stand on the brakes and pray!

[lee celtic]

we had a 1973 Pontiac firebird (big mat black thing drag tyres side pipes etc etc) it also had a quick silver shifter fitted . With this shifter you just hit the stick forwards or backwards to change gear .

My mate was heading to the inlaws house to pick his misses up and came to the back of a que of cars , he sat for a while then got out to see if he could spot the blockage only to see blue lights outside the inlaws ...

fearing the worst he decided to take another route that comes out right by the house (back road) he spins the car round and starting drag style in first drive he floors it (now in panic) slaps it into second then hits it for third .  and here comes the bad bit , he slaps it again (don't know why as it's only three speed) it goes through drive and into reverse :shock: :shock: big bang back end locks up black stripes on the road etc etc...

Limps to the house (it would move but only slowly on full revs) and finds Nothing wrong somebody had had a small bump on the junction by the house and the blue light guys were there to block the road while it was swept :roll: :roll:

Car never did get fixed :'(

[muddyjames]

Also another top tip is dont become bored of not doing any gears and flick between D and 1 like a manual and forget your in an auto and think when your in D your in 4th and want 3rd so go up 2 clicks to only find reverse!!!

Not that I have ever done this.    :^o Funny noises were made by me and the disco!

[Tommo]

Thats what the button is there for!

[muddyjames]

I know but I got right into thinking I was in a manual. When I drove corsa vans it had a button to lift for reverse and I played with that whilst bored driving so probably thought the same on the button!