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#1
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
I recently hire a VW Golf. It had an automatic transmission and an
automatic hand brake. The instruction manual was in French which did not help matters. When the car was on the flat the automatic hand brake was not much of a problem except that it occasionally came on when not needed, and had to be released manually so that the car would roll forward when in drive (or reverse) without touching the accelerator peddle. What was much more hazardous was trying to reverse the car a few inches up a steep hill as you might need to do to park. Starting with the handbrake on the accelerator had to be pressed quite hard before the brake released and the car went backwards, making me think that if anything was close behind, I might have shot into it. I did try putting the car in reverse, holding it on the foot brake and then pressing the accelerator. This did not work as the engine computer had obviously told the engine not to rev up. Anyone had more success with these devices? Another rather silly feature was the door mirror which I lowered to see the rear of the car as I parked. When I then put the car in gear the mirror promptly moved back to where it was before. We had to read the instruction manual to find out how to open the boot! You have to press the top of the VW sign on the back of the car if you don't want to use the remote key. Another problem was lowering the back seats. I had to pull some strap, at the bottom of the seat back. This released the seat back. The seat was spring loaded, so it came forward and hit me on the side of the head. -- Michael Chare |
#2
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
"Michael Chare" wrote in message
... I recently hire a VW Golf. It had an automatic transmission and an automatic hand brake. The instruction manual was in French which did not help matters. When the car was on the flat the automatic hand brake was not much of a problem except that it occasionally came on when not needed, and had to be released manually so that the car would roll forward when in drive (or reverse) without touching the accelerator peddle. What was much more hazardous was trying to reverse the car a few inches up a steep hill as you might need to do to park. Starting with the handbrake on the accelerator had to be pressed quite hard before the brake released and the car went backwards, making me think that if anything was close behind, I might have shot into it. I did try putting the car in reverse, holding it on the foot brake and then pressing the accelerator. This did not work as the engine computer had obviously told the engine not to rev up. Anyone had more success with these devices? These automatic parking brakes and automatic clutches sound a right pain in the neck. What's wrong with a proper mechanically-operated handbrake that you have complete control over, together with a mechanically operated clutch that can be fed in gradually while the engine is idling - always assuming that you have a diesel engine so the engine will pull even at idling speed without you having to rev the engine. Even if I had a VW DSG gearbox, which sounds like a fantastic piece of kit for matching matching engine and road speed to give you perfectly smooth gearchanges, I'd still want an manual clutch pedal for use solely when setting off from rest or when manoeuvring and needed finer control. Another rather silly feature was the door mirror which I lowered to see the rear of the car as I parked. When I then put the car in gear the mirror promptly moved back to where it was before. We've got that on our Honda, together with a reversing camera, and both are worth their weight in gold. The auto-adjusting door mirrors are fantastic: it saves having to pause for ages, out in the middle of the road while I adjust the mirror manually (and the motor moves so slowly) so I can see the kerb that I need to line my nearside back wheel up with, between the drive and lawn. It's something my Peugeot doesn't have so I was delighted that the Honda does. It's a shame that there isn't manual override to keep mirror and camera in reversing position for a few seconds while you go into first to reposition slightly before reversing again. We had to read the instruction manual to find out how to open the boot! You have to press the top of the VW sign on the back of the car if you don't want to use the remote key. Ah yes. It took me a while to work that out when I drove a VW. I think you have to use it every time you open the boot (even with central locking) because central locking just allows the boot to open but you still need to unlatch it with the badge in exactly the same way as you'd still need to lift a conventional lever on a boot release. Or does the central locking also release the boot lid so it pops up a few inches, or even raise the tailgate to full height as the top-of-the-range Honda CR-V does? Another problem was lowering the back seats. I had to pull some strap, at the bottom of the seat back. This released the seat back. The seat was spring loaded, so it came forward and hit me on the side of the head. Same with our Honda. I still look for a lever on top of the seat back and forget that it's a pull-tab below the seat base that starts the coordinated sequence of raising seat base, lowering headrest and then tipping seat back forwards. Not sure how similar this is to the VW mechanism. The biggest mystery was when I had to drive my boss's car on business and couldn't even work out how to get it into (or out of) reverse, which a hasty mobile phone call from the car park resolved: it was a combination of pushing the gear knob inwards (rather than lifting a collar or pulling the knob outwards) and starting the engine: there was an interlock which wouldn't allow the lever to move, even with the clutch pressed, when the engine wasn't running. |
#3
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
In article ,
NY wrote: These automatic parking brakes and automatic clutches sound a right pain in the neck. What's wrong with a proper mechanically-operated handbrake that you have complete control over, together with a mechanically operated clutch that can be fed in gradually while the engine is idling - always assuming that you have a diesel engine so the engine will pull even at idling speed without you having to rev the engine. Even if I had a VW DSG gearbox, which sounds like a fantastic piece of kit for matching matching engine and road speed to give you perfectly smooth gearchanges, I'd still want an manual clutch pedal for use solely when setting off from rest or when manoeuvring and needed finer control. With an auto - including the DSG types - use your left boot on the brake. I've absolutely no idea what the purpose of an auto handbrake is on an auto car anyway. Suppose it might make sense on a manual for those who can't drive a manual, like so many Americans. But a proper auto won't roll back on a hill anyway. -- *Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine. Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
#4
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
I guess an automatic handbrake costs less as there are no strong cables or lever mountings. A bit like remote control on TV - we think of it as a convenience - but imagine how much the makers save in not having to fit conventional controls. |
#5
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
Michael Chare wrote:
I recently hire a VW Golf. It had an automatic transmission and an automatic hand brake. The instruction manual was in French which did not help matters. When the car was on the flat the automatic hand brake was not much of a problem except that it occasionally came on when not needed, and had to be released manually so that the car would roll forward when in drive (or reverse) without touching the accelerator peddle. What was much more hazardous was trying to reverse the car a few inches up a steep hill as you might need to do to park. Starting with the handbrake on the accelerator had to be pressed quite hard before the brake released and the car went backwards, making me think that if anything was close behind, I might have shot into it. I did try putting the car in reverse, holding it on the foot brake and then pressing the accelerator. This did not work as the engine computer had obviously told the engine not to rev up. Anyone had more success with these devices? I've got a four-year-old Range Rover which has an automatic "hand" brake, which has operated flawlessly. I've never felt any inclination to touch the control other than for familiarisation. It never comes on when I don't want it to, and it always releases promptly when needed. Somehow I expect manufacturers to buy in "intelligent" systems such as automatic brakes from component suppliers such as Bosch, and so I expect them to work the same in all brands of vehicles. Experience shows that isn't so. Your VW's hand brake is clearly inferior to the Range Rover's (or faulty). The Range Rover's automatic wipers are inferior to those on the Audi I bought eleven years ago. Another rather silly feature was the door mirror which I lowered to see the rear of the car as I parked. When I then put the car in gear the mirror promptly moved back to where it was before. My car lowers the mirror when I put it in reverse. I didn't see the point of that feature so I disabled it in the setup menu. I guess different people use the mirrors differently. -- Mike Barnes Cheshire, England |
#6
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
On 21/09/15 14:31, NY wrote:
What was much more hazardous was trying to reverse the car a few inches up a steep hill as you might need to do to park. It's an auto right? so left foot on the brake, release the handbrake, put a but of revs on it and let the brake off slowly... I drive an auto and never ever use the handbrake.. -- Global warming is the new Margaret Thatcher. There is no ill in the world it's not directly responsible for. |
#7
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
On Monday, September 21, 2015 at 1:57:27 PM UTC+1, Michael Chare wrote:
I recently hire a VW Golf. It had an automatic transmission and an automatic hand brake. The instruction manual was in French which did not help matters. When the car was on the flat the automatic hand brake was not much of a problem except that it occasionally came on when not needed, and had to be released manually so that the car would roll forward when in drive (or reverse) without touching the accelerator peddle. What was much more hazardous was trying to reverse the car a few inches up a steep hill as you might need to do to park. Starting with the handbrake on the accelerator had to be pressed quite hard before the brake released and the car went backwards, making me think that if anything was close behind, I might have shot into it. I did try putting the car in reverse, holding it on the foot brake and then pressing the accelerator. This did not work as the engine computer had obviously told the engine not to rev up. Anyone had more success with these devices? Another rather silly feature was the door mirror which I lowered to see the rear of the car as I parked. When I then put the car in gear the mirror promptly moved back to where it was before. We had to read the instruction manual to find out how to open the boot! You have to press the top of the VW sign on the back of the car if you don't want to use the remote key. Another problem was lowering the back seats. I had to pull some strap, at the bottom of the seat back. This released the seat back. The seat was spring loaded, so it came forward and hit me on the side of the head. -- Michael Chare My Astra has an electrically activated handbrake - just a control that can be pushed or pulled to apply or release the brake. But it releases automatically if you start driving. I did find once using this function whilst attempting to reverse slowly, that the brake released in a rather awkward manner. If reversing near another vehicle I think I would release it manually first. The car also has a automatic foot-brake hold function - on hills it will hold for 2 seconds after you release the pedal. Good for pulling off on hills, and fills in a nice niche between riding the clutch and applying the handbrake. However there is nothing to indicate if the incline is steep enough to activate the function, so on mild slopes you are not sure if it will hold or not. The hold function status should be indicated in the display. Another thing with 6 gears, sometime you can confuse 6th with 4th, etc. Since the car knows electronically what gear you are in (it has gear change advice) why on earth can they not display the current gear for the user ? Simon. |
#8
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
On 21/09/2015 15:41, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 21/09/15 14:31, NY wrote: What was much more hazardous was trying to reverse the car a few inches up a steep hill as you might need to do to park. It's an auto right? so left foot on the brake, release the handbrake, put a but of revs on it and let the brake off slowly... I drive an auto and never ever use the handbrake.. Ditto. |
#9
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
"Bod" wrote in message
... On 21/09/2015 15:41, The Natural Philosopher wrote: On 21/09/15 14:31, NY wrote: What was much more hazardous was trying to reverse the car a few inches up a steep hill as you might need to do to park. It's an auto right? so left foot on the brake, release the handbrake, put a but of revs on it and let the brake off slowly... I drive an auto and never ever use the handbrake.. Maybe you were taught differently to me: I was taught to use the handbrake as in a manual when holding the car on a hill, to prevent having to keep your foot on the footbrake and dazzling the person behind at night time. And to shift into neutral at traffic lights as in a manual. Park then becomes an auxiliary to the handbrake, a belt-and-braces equivalent of supplementing the handbrake with leaving a manual car in gear. And never ever use the left foot on the brake in any circumstances. My instructor could be a bit dogmatic at times (eg his phrase "footbrake for stopping the car, handbrake for keeping it stopped once stationary - no exceptions") but I'm inclined to agree with him. |
#10
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
In article ,
Mike Barnes wrote: My car lowers the mirror when I put it in reverse. I didn't see the point of that feature so I disabled it in the setup menu. I guess different people use the mirrors differently. Can be handy to see the kerb when parking. On my car you disable it by moving the switch which selects which mirror you want to adjust. -- *Gargling is a good way to see if your throat leaks. Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
#11
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
"sm_jamieson" wrote in message
... Another thing with 6 gears, sometime you can confuse 6th with 4th, etc. Since the car knows electronically what gear you are in (it has gear change advice) why on earth can they not display the current gear for the user ? I've always been puzzled by this. It's fairly common for the gear selector of an automatic to display on the instrument panel the current PRNDL position, so why don't they do the same to display the current gear on a manual? I find with my new car I occasionally forget which gear I'm in because there's less sense of engine racing or labouring than there was with my old car - and it's not just confusion of 4th/6th or 3rd/5th but even 4th/5th where there's a difference in both up/down and left/right position - you need to take your eyes of the road to glance at the gear lever and remind yourself which gear you're in when the car's engine sounds are unfamiliar. |
#12
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
On Mon, 21 Sep 2015 17:07:08 +0100, NY wrote:
I've always been puzzled by this. It's fairly common for the gear selector of an automatic to display on the instrument panel the current PRNDL position, so why don't they do the same to display the current gear on a manual? I find with my new car I occasionally forget which gear I'm in because there's less sense of engine racing or labouring than there was with my old car - and it's not just confusion of 4th/6th or 3rd/5th but even 4th/5th where there's a difference in both up/down and left/right position - you need to take your eyes of the road to glance at the gear lever and remind yourself which gear you're in when the car's engine sounds are unfamiliar. Does it MATTER which gear you're in? It's either the right one for the road speed, or the wrong one. The sound, the feel and the rev counter will tell you that. |
#13
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
On 21/09/15 16:09, Huge wrote:
On 2015-09-21, DerbyBorn wrote: I guess an automatic handbrake costs less as there are no strong cables or lever mountings. A bit like remote control on TV - we think of it as a convenience - but imagine how much the makers save in not having to fit conventional controls. They all seem to be going that way. I hate the damn things. SWMBO's MINI has one of those soft-start ignitions. Horrid if you stall. Rather than standing on the brake and clutch and a quick flick of the key to get started again, there is some amount of docking about required which slows it down. And these keyless ignitions are starting to get hacked by thieves (not MINI specifically, but there was an article in the paper the other day). |
#14
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
... In article , Mike Barnes wrote: My car lowers the mirror when I put it in reverse. I didn't see the point of that feature so I disabled it in the setup menu. I guess different people use the mirrors differently. Can be handy to see the kerb when parking. On my car you disable it by moving the switch which selects which mirror you want to adjust. Not just handy but virtually essential when parking as close as possible to a kerb without actually touching it or when parking centrally between two white lines in a car park, when you can't see the kerb/lines except with a mirror or a reversing camera. I've never thought of auto-dropping mirrors as a pain, more as an essential feature that should be standard on all cars - be nice if you could switch between left, right and both, whereas certainly on my Honda it's only left (nearside). I don't think it's switchable on/off, either, unless it's an obscure menu option rather than a readily-accessible switch. |
#15
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
NY wrote:
"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message ... In article , Mike Barnes wrote: My car lowers the mirror when I put it in reverse. I didn't see the point of that feature so I disabled it in the setup menu. I guess different people use the mirrors differently. Can be handy to see the kerb when parking. On my car you disable it by moving the switch which selects which mirror you want to adjust. Not just handy but virtually essential when parking as close as possible to a kerb without actually touching it or when parking centrally between two white lines in a car park, when you can't see the kerb/lines except with a mirror or a reversing camera. It's difficult to be sure without experimenting but I suspect that I can see well enough with the (quite large) mirror in its normal position. And when I'm reversing into my garage (by far my most common reversing manoeuvre), the best position for the mirror is the normal position. -- Mike Barnes Cheshire, England |
#16
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
In article ,
NY wrote: Maybe you were taught differently to me: I was taught to use the handbrake as in a manual when holding the car on a hill, to prevent having to keep your foot on the footbrake and dazzling the person behind at night time. And to shift into neutral at traffic lights as in a manual. Park then becomes an auxiliary to the handbrake, a belt-and-braces equivalent of supplementing the handbrake with leaving a manual car in gear. And never ever use the left foot on the brake in any circumstances. My instructor could be a bit dogmatic at times (eg his phrase "footbrake for stopping the car, handbrake for keeping it stopped once stationary - no exceptions") but I'm inclined to agree with him. Absolutely stupid to only use one foot when you have two. And there's no reason not to use park in an auto instead of the handbrake when stopped in traffic, etc. -- *WHAT IF THERE WERE NO HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS? Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
#17
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
On Monday, 21 September 2015 17:07:07 UTC+1, NY wrote:
"sm_jamieson" wrote in message ... Another thing with 6 gears, sometime you can confuse 6th with 4th, etc. Since the car knows electronically what gear you are in (it has gear change advice) why on earth can they not display the current gear for the user ? I've always been puzzled by this. It's fairly common for the gear selector of an automatic to display on the instrument panel the current PRNDL position, so why don't they do the same to display the current gear on a manual? I find with my new car I occasionally forget which gear I'm in because there's less sense of engine racing or labouring than there was with my old car - and it's not just confusion of 4th/6th or 3rd/5th but even 4th/5th where there's a difference in both up/down and left/right position - you need to take your eyes of the road to glance at the gear lever and remind yourself which gear you're in when the car's engine sounds are unfamiliar. My VW Passat displays current gear and then indicates when it thinks you should be changing up. Ford C Max is similar, but doesn't have continuous display of current gear |
#18
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
On 21/09/15 17:01, NY wrote:
"Bod" wrote in message ... On 21/09/2015 15:41, The Natural Philosopher wrote: On 21/09/15 14:31, NY wrote: What was much more hazardous was trying to reverse the car a few inches up a steep hill as you might need to do to park. It's an auto right? so left foot on the brake, release the handbrake, put a but of revs on it and let the brake off slowly... I drive an auto and never ever use the handbrake.. Maybe you were taught differently to me: When I were taught there were no autos except in the USA :-) I was taught to use the handbrake as in a manual when holding the car on a hill, to prevent having to keep your foot on the footbrake and dazzling the person behind at night time. And to shift into neutral at traffic lights as in a manual. Park then becomes an auxiliary to the handbrake, a belt-and-braces equivalent of supplementing the handbrake with leaving a manual car in gear. And never ever use the left foot on the brake in any circumstances. My instructor could be a bit dogmatic at times (eg his phrase "footbrake for stopping the car, handbrake for keeping it stopped once stationary - no exceptions") but I'm inclined to agree with him. Rules are made for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools -- Global warming is the new Margaret Thatcher. There is no ill in the world it's not directly responsible for. |
#19
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
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#20
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
But a proper auto won't roll back on a hill anyway. Sadly many autos do. Honda Jazz and Big Toyota people carriers in my recent experience. I find torque converter autos best for not rolling on hills. |
#21
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In , wrote: Maybe you were taught differently to me: I was taught to use the handbrake as in a manual when holding the car on a hill, to prevent having to keep your foot on the footbrake and dazzling the person behind at night time. And to shift into neutral at traffic lights as in a manual. Park then becomes an auxiliary to the handbrake, a belt-and-braces equivalent of supplementing the handbrake with leaving a manual car in gear. And never ever use the left foot on the brake in any circumstances. My instructor could be a bit dogmatic at times (eg his phrase "footbrake for stopping the car, handbrake for keeping it stopped once stationary - no exceptions") but I'm inclined to agree with him. Absolutely stupid to only use one foot when you have two. And there's no reason not to use park in an auto instead of the handbrake when stopped in traffic, etc. Quite a few auto users only have one foot available as they are disabled. |
#22
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
"Mike Barnes" wrote in message
... NY wrote: "Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message ... In article , Mike Barnes wrote: My car lowers the mirror when I put it in reverse. I didn't see the point of that feature so I disabled it in the setup menu. I guess different people use the mirrors differently. Can be handy to see the kerb when parking. On my car you disable it by moving the switch which selects which mirror you want to adjust. Not just handy but virtually essential when parking as close as possible to a kerb without actually touching it or when parking centrally between two white lines in a car park, when you can't see the kerb/lines except with a mirror or a reversing camera. It's difficult to be sure without experimenting but I suspect that I can see well enough with the (quite large) mirror in its normal position. And when I'm reversing into my garage (by far my most common reversing manoeuvre), the best position for the mirror is the normal position. If the thing that you are lining up against is high enough to be visible with the mirror in its normal position, then that's fine. But I've found with every car that I've driven that the mirrors in their normal position to show traffic that is overtaking you or that you are overtaking are nowhere *near* large enough to show the back wheel of the car to line it up with a kerb or to line up the car between the two white lines of a parking bay (assuming that there aren't cars in both the adjacent bays!) - they're not even *remotely* close (*). You can see the lines when you are a long way away but as you get closer and need to fine-tune your position or check that you haven't strayed off course, the lines/kerb disappear below the field of view of the mirror, hence the need to drop the mirror(s). Things like the sides of your garage, or bollards or waist-high brick walls, that are high enough to be visible in a normally-adjusted mirror are often visible with the naked eye by looking over your shoulder so you don't even have to use the mirror to see them. It's things that are at ground level that you can't see - it depends whether or not those are the only reference points in the places where you park: you're lucky that they are not. (*) One intriguing digression. With my passenger door mirror correctly positioned for me to see traffic that I'm overtaking, my wife in the passenger seat says she can also see that traffic. But if we swap places so I'm the passenger, and without moving mirror or seat, all I can see out of that mirror is my car's bodywork. I can imagine that the difference in our heights (5' 10" versus 5' 6") will affect the vertical position but not the horizontal position to show something adjacent to my car versus my car's body. Weird. |
#23
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
"Huge" wrote in message
... On 2015-09-21, Mike Barnes wrote: NY wrote: "Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message ... In article , Mike Barnes wrote: My car lowers the mirror when I put it in reverse. I didn't see the point of that feature so I disabled it in the setup menu. I guess different people use the mirrors differently. Can be handy to see the kerb when parking. On my car you disable it by moving the switch which selects which mirror you want to adjust. Not just handy but virtually essential when parking as close as possible to a kerb without actually touching it or when parking centrally between two white lines in a car park, when you can't see the kerb/lines except with a mirror or a reversing camera. It's difficult to be sure without experimenting but I suspect that I can see well enough with the (quite large) mirror in its normal position. And when I'm reversing into my garage (by far my most common reversing manoeuvre), the best position for the mirror is the normal position. One of the first things I do with a new car is switch off those damn auto-lowering mirrors. They're too slow and half the time they stop in the wrong place. I'm perfectly happy to waggle my head about so I can see. The mirrors on my Peugeot are painfully slow when adjusted manually, so I usually press the switch in the last few yards while I'm driving along the road to the point where I start to reverse into the drive, but the ones on the Honda move very quickly so I can wait until they move down as I engage reverse. On both cars, the fully-down position is just right to show the rear wheel and a few inches to the left of it. Either way, it is essential for me that the mirrors *do* move, because there's no way that I can move sufficiently far, while remaining in controllable reach of the pedals and without passing sideways through the driver's door and vertically through the roof (!), to be able to see the rear wheels of my car with the passenger's door mirror in its normal position. I'm baffled that people can ever manage to reverse without lowering the mirrors when the only reference points are lines/kerbs at ground level rather than waist high hedges or walls. Obviously a reversing camera makes life a lot easier, but I haven't had the Honda long enough to learn to trust that entirely, without corroborating that view with the one from the passenger's door mirror, to make sure I park close enough to the kerb to leave room for the Peugeot to get out and without going over the kerb onto the lawn: it's difficult to line up with something that you can no longer see! The other problem I have with my Peugeot is that its one reversing light is so dim that the tarmac of the drive, the concrete kerb stone and the green grass all look virtually the same brightness at night when "lit" by the reversing light, even if the mirror *is* showing the right view. I'd paint the concrete kerbstone with white paint but SWMBO says "no way". |
#24
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
"Capitol" wrote in message
o.uk... Dave Plowman (News) wrote: But a proper auto won't roll back on a hill anyway. Sadly many autos do. Honda Jazz and Big Toyota people carriers in my recent experience. I find torque converter autos best for not rolling on hills. I find a handbrake an even better way of not rolling: I've thirty years of using that method in a manual car so it's instinctively the way I'd do it in an auto, even if it did have transmission that made it less likely to happen. Going into park makes a very nasty lurch if you happen to be rolling very slightly and haven't come to a complete stop. By the way (digressing slightly) what would you say needed adjusting on a brand new (manual) car if the car rolls an inch or so and then comes to an abrupt stop when you come to rest with the footbrake, fully apply the handbrake and then release the footbrake? Eg when stopping at traffic lights on an up/down gradient, with the car either in gear and the clutch down or else in neutral. Until I can get round to taking the car into the garage to get it looked at, I've learned to release the footbrake slowly so the roll and sudden stop are more gradual. |
#25
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
On 21/09/15 21:00, NY wrote:
By the way (digressing slightly) what would you say needed adjusting on a brand new (manual) car if the car rolls an inch or so and then comes to an abrupt stop when you come to rest with the footbrake, fully apply the handbrake and then release the footbrake? Eg when stopping at traffic lights on an up/down gradient, with the car either in gear and the clutch down or else in neutral. Until I can get round to taking the car into the garage to get it looked at, I've learned to release the footbrake slowly so the roll and sudden stop are more gradual. Play in the suspension. Probably worn rubber bushes. -- Global warming is the new Margaret Thatcher. There is no ill in the world it's not directly responsible for. |
#26
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
... On 21/09/15 21:00, NY wrote: By the way (digressing slightly) what would you say needed adjusting on a brand new (manual) car if the car rolls an inch or so and then comes to an abrupt stop when you come to rest with the footbrake, fully apply the handbrake and then release the footbrake? Eg when stopping at traffic lights on an up/down gradient, with the car either in gear and the clutch down or else in neutral. Until I can get round to taking the car into the garage to get it looked at, I've learned to release the footbrake slowly so the roll and sudden stop are more gradual. Play in the suspension. Probably worn rubber bushes. Ah, hadn't thought of that. Probably more like wrongly assembled than worn since the car has only done 5000 miles and has been like that from day 1. |
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
On 21/09/2015 21:16, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 21/09/15 21:00, NY wrote: By the way (digressing slightly) what would you say needed adjusting on a brand new (manual) car if the car rolls an inch or so and then comes to an abrupt stop when you come to rest with the footbrake, fully apply the handbrake and then release the footbrake? Eg when stopping at traffic lights on an up/down gradient, with the car either in gear and the clutch down or else in neutral. Until I can get round to taking the car into the garage to get it looked at, I've learned to release the footbrake slowly so the roll and sudden stop are more gradual. Play in the suspension. Probably worn rubber bushes. In a brand new car? My experience of auto handbrakes was doing a hill start in one. It held the handbrake on just long enough so that I stalled the engine. THEN it let it off. I hit the footbrake VERY quickly. Andy |
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
On 21/09/2015 20:00, Mike Tomlinson wrote:
En el artículo , Michael Chare mUNDERSCOREn escribió: I recently hire a VW Golf. Buggered if I can see what this has to do with uk.d-i-y. What's wrong with uk.rec.driving? I hired a VW Touran earlier in the year with the automatic parking brake, the first time I'd encountered one. Yes, it took a moment to get used to, but once I'd worked it out it was perfectly logical. The mistake is to treat it as a replacement for a manual handbrake. Once you get over that way of thinking, it works quite naturally. The tricky bit was moving the car a short distance from rest up a steep hill. We had to read the instruction manual to find out how to open the boot! You have to press the top of the VW sign on the back of the car Poor dear. You had to RTFM! Can you even read? I get on better when the text is in English. -- Michael Chare |
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
On 21/09/2015 13:57, Michael Chare wrote:
I recently hire a VW Golf. It had an automatic transmission and an automatic hand brake. The instruction manual was in French which did not help matters. http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/owners/manuals In the past few months I have had two hire cars with automatic "hand" brakes. The Passat was a dream - it just felt right and did what I expected. The Vauxhall Insignia was foul. Felt as if the brake was not releasing fully until I was doing about 30 mph. And didn't hold that well on steeper hills. -- Rod |
#30
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
On 21/09/2015 22:04, polygonum wrote:
On 21/09/2015 13:57, Michael Chare wrote: I recently hire a VW Golf. It had an automatic transmission and an automatic hand brake. The instruction manual was in French which did not help matters. http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/owners/manuals Unfortunately you can't download VW car manuals as pdf files, as I found out when I could not get the manual for a new car I was thinking of buying. EU should do something about that as hiring a car in a foreign county where you are not very familiar with the language can not be that uncommon an experience. -- Michael Chare |
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
On 21/09/2015 22:51, Michael Chare wrote:
On 21/09/2015 22:04, polygonum wrote: On 21/09/2015 13:57, Michael Chare wrote: I recently hire a VW Golf. It had an automatic transmission and an automatic hand brake. The instruction manual was in French which did not help matters. http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/owners/manuals Unfortunately you can't download VW car manuals as pdf files, as I found out when I could not get the manual for a new car I was thinking of buying. EU should do something about that as hiring a car in a foreign county where you are not very familiar with the language can not be that uncommon an experience. Wholeheartedly agree that these things should be readily available. Even if my French were pretty good, I'd prefer to read it in my native language. But I suggest that the hire companies have a duty as well. -- Rod |
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
How do they work? |
#33
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message ... On 21/09/15 21:00, NY wrote: By the way (digressing slightly) what would you say needed adjusting on a brand new (manual) car if the car rolls an inch or so and then comes to an abrupt stop when you come to rest with the footbrake, fully apply the handbrake and then release the footbrake? Eg when stopping at traffic lights on an up/down gradient, with the car either in gear and the clutch down or else in neutral. Until I can get round to taking the car into the garage to get it looked at, I've learned to release the footbrake slowly so the roll and sudden stop are more gradual. Play in the suspension. Probably worn rubber bushes. Very unlikely with a brand new manual car. |
#34
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
On Mon, 21 Sep 2015 20:49:27 +0100, NY wrote:
I'm baffled that people can ever manage to reverse without lowering the mirrors when the only reference points are lines/kerbs at ground level rather than waist high hedges or walls. Can't explain how I did it but I could put the Disco II into the middle of a parking space parallel to the lines in pretty much one smooth reversing movement. 10+ old car, no fancy tilting mirrors. B-) Had to see the lines to start with but once out of view just knew where they were. Can't say I can do the same in the Freelander 2 yet, I always seem to end up on the skew. It's almost as if the steering is non-linear, near straight ahead requires a larger movement of the steeering wheel for given amount of road wheel movement that it does approaching full lock. Auto parking brake seems to "just work", provided you drive how I think people are taught to drive these days. That is the parking brake only applied when actually parked or actually required for a hill start. Stopped on the "flat" in traffic or at lights/junction you put it into neutral and release the clutch, holding the car on the foot brake. Not that you should hold the car on the clutch but for a short pause when already in 1st/2nd just keep the clutch pressed. Why bother selecting neutral and releasing the clutch? 'Cause if you don't and you are on a hill the car won't engage the GRC and you will roll when you release the footbrake. B-) I have found it a bit sluggish to release, say when you are trying grab a gap when joining a busyish main road with the traffic doing 60+. But you just pre-empt the start by 1/2 a second. -- Cheers Dave. |
#35
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
writes And there's no reason not to use park in an auto instead of the handbrake when stopped in traffic, etc. But on a steep hill or when a winch is attached to the towbar (on-topic for d-i-y?) it reduces the strain on whatever in the gearbox is holding the car. My holey Disco's handbook says to use the handbrake when using a winch. -- Bill |
#36
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
On Mon, 21 Sep 2015 21:00:32 +0100, NY wrote:
By the way (digressing slightly) what would you say needed adjusting on a brand new (manual) car if the car rolls an inch or so and then comes to an abrupt stop when you come to rest with the footbrake, fully apply the handbrake and then release the footbrake? Nothing, perfectly normal behaviour for vehicles with a transmission brake, like Defenders and Discovery's. Just the "slop" in drive chain and suspension. -- Cheers Dave. |
#37
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
On Mon, 21 Sep 2015 14:19:01 GMT, DerbyBorn wrote:
I guess an automatic handbrake costs less as there are no strong cables or lever mountings. Hum, simple, lasts for ever, cable and lever replaced by motor, gear box hi-speed worm drive (I think) and still cables to the brakes. -- Cheers Dave. |
#38
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
On Mon, 21 Sep 2015 16:14:46 +0000 (UTC), Adrian wrote:
I find with my new car I occasionally forget which gear I'm in because there's less sense of engine racing or labouring than there was with my old car - Used to occasionally look for 6th in the Disco, now look for 7th... ... and it's not just confusion of 4th/6th or 3rd/5th but even 4th/5th where there's a difference in both up/down and left/right position - The bias on the Freelander box is 3/4 and R is next to 6 with no collar/push down interlock to prevent you going past 5/6. So 4 to 5 has a habit of ending up nowhere and 5 to 6 will try R! Does it MATTER which gear you're in? It's either the right one for the road speed, or the wrong one. The sound, the feel and the rev counter will tell you that. That depends, much quieter car that revs considerably slower. Disco 2300 rpm @ 63mph, Freelander 1750 rpm @ 63 mph (all ish but close enough). Normall sort of driving would have the Disco up to nearly 3000 rpm before changing up, Freelander doesn't have to go much above 2000 rpm. When I first got the FL the little green "change up" light was on an awful lot. And the damn thing will do nearly 30 mph in 6th with the engine at idle, it'll even fight the brakes... -- Cheers Dave. |
#39
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
In message , NY
writes I'm baffled that people can ever manage to reverse without lowering the mirrors when the only reference points are lines/kerbs at ground level rather than waist high hedges or walls. What did we do before lowering door mirrors were available? There are probably quite a lot of people reading here who started driving long before door mirrors were fitted to cars. It was not that long ago when the only mirror was internal. No door mirrors, and no wing mirrors. -- Graeme |
#40
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VW automatic parking brake. etc
"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
ll.co.uk... On Mon, 21 Sep 2015 21:00:32 +0100, NY wrote: By the way (digressing slightly) what would you say needed adjusting on a brand new (manual) car if the car rolls an inch or so and then comes to an abrupt stop when you come to rest with the footbrake, fully apply the handbrake and then release the footbrake? Nothing, perfectly normal behaviour for vehicles with a transmission brake, like Defenders and Discovery's. Just the "slop" in drive chain and suspension. But this is a manual car so it doesn't have a transmission brake. I can't see how suspension is implicated if the car is fully at rest (ie car body has stopped moving relative to the wheels) and the wheels then rotate slightly when the footbrake is released after the handbrake has been applied. I'd have thought that this indicated some sideways play on the brake pads that are operated by the handbrake - I presume there must be separate pads because if there was only one set of pads they would already be applied by the footbrake and should remain applied just as hard when the handbrake pulls them on and then when the footbrake pressure on them is released. Car is a Honda CR-V if that helps identify problem further. |
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