Keyless Cars and Their Carbon Monoxide Toll

[giant_mtb]

Ehhh. I don't trust cable operated parking brakes.  Comes from living in a salty road car eating state, and never knowing when the cable is just gonna say "fuck it" and snap. Even when good, they don't hold well from going in reverse.

Agreed. Especially if they don't get used all the time, they just fail. 

My A4 was one of those fancy hydraulic/electric/whatever ones and I had confidence in it, but would park in gear on slopes anyways.

[Morris Minor]

It was a driving test item for me: parallel park the car, on a hill, next to the kerb. You had to leave it in gear, handbrake on, steering angled away the kerb. Switch off engine.

[Soup DeVille]

I parked in neutral when I had stickshift. I don't like to rest the car on whatever the "P" locking mechanism is so I always use the parking brake now.

The parking pawl locks the output shaft of the transmission. They can be broken, but it takes a lot of force. Its also a beefy, protected mechanism that doesn't wear out,  opposed to the cable which is often exposed underneath the car, or the brakes which wear out. (Yes, I know the parking brake is often a seperate, smaller drum brake inside the rear discs, but it wears out too- especially when it goes outnof adjustment and doesn't release completely).

[Xer0]

I park in neutral with the handbrake unless on a hill, then I'm in gear.  I don't remember the exact details, but I had a friend park his car in 1st gear and had remote start on it but he didn't have the hand brake engaged.  The car kept cranking, lurching forward, not catching, then repeating and he had to chase after it.  Pretty bummed I wasn't there to experience it.

[CaminoRacer]

Always park in gear + parking brake.

[Lebowski]

I have always parked a manual in gear, parking brake on. And I tend to use the parking brake more than most people in an auto as well, I like redundant.

[veeman]

In the 4.5 years I've daily driven a manual shift yourself, I've never parked in gear.  Now that I think about it, that's pretty dumb to do on a slope.  I'm used to by habit turning on the car with right foot on the brake but my left foot not on the clutch, then releasing the brake with the parking brake still on.  Then I fiddle with my phone setting the Waze and fiddle with the heat/ac settings until I get going. The times when parking lot attendants or car dealership service technicians have parked my car, I'm jolted when I turn the car on and the car lurches forward.

I use the parking brake a lot on the automatics I have especially when loading up the SUV with luggage.

[Morris Minor]

In one of my earlier visits to the USA I was allowed out in my father-in-law's Chevy Citation (what a treat.)
I could not start the thing. Did not realize it had an interlock on the clutch: depress the clutch, turn the key, life will be good.
In the UK you paid for starting the car in gear (fender benders etc)

[Laconian]

I park in neutral with the handbrake unless on a hill, then I'm in gear.  I don't remember the exact details, but I had a friend park his car in 1st gear and had remote start on it but he didn't have the hand brake engaged.  The car kept cranking, lurching forward, not catching, then repeating and he had to chase after it.  Pretty bummed I wasn't there to experience it.

LOL

[Soup DeVille]

In the 4.5 years I've daily driven a manual shift yourself, I've never parked in gear.  Now that I think about it, that's pretty dumb to do on a slope.  I'm used to by habit turning on the car with right foot on the brake but my left foot not on the clutch, then releasing the brake with the parking brake still on.  Then I fiddle with my phone setting the Waze and fiddle with the heat/ac settings until I get going. The times when parking lot attendants or car dealership service technicians have parked my car, I'm jolted when I turn the car on and the car lurches forward.

I use the parking brake a lot on the automatics I have especially when loading up the SUV with luggage.

This is all wrong. All of it.

I need to go lay down now.

[MX793]

In the 4.5 years I've daily driven a manual shift yourself, I've never parked in gear.  Now that I think about it, that's pretty dumb to do on a slope.  I'm used to by habit turning on the car with right foot on the brake but my left foot not on the clutch, then releasing the brake with the parking brake still on.  Then I fiddle with my phone setting the Waze and fiddle with the heat/ac settings until I get going. The times when parking lot attendants or car dealership service technicians have parked my car, I'm jolted when I turn the car on and the car lurches forward.

I use the parking brake a lot on the automatics I have especially when loading up the SUV with luggage.

Do you daily an antique?  Every MT vehicle sold in the US for the past 40+ years has an interlock that requires the clutch be depressed to start the vehicle.  Unless someone disables it (necessary to install a remote starter).

[Soup DeVille]

Do you daily an antique?  Every MT vehicle sold in the US for the past 40+ years has an interlock that requires the clutch be depressed to start the vehicle.  Unless someone disables it (necessary to install a remote starter).

Most do, but there are exceptions. VW didn't for a while, and my '95 Jeep didn't.

In any case, everything he's describing is making my teeth itch.

[MX793]

I will say that my habit of parking in neutral on flat ground likely comes from growing up with dirtbikes and ATVs.  These tend to roll easier in neutral than in gear with the clutch disengaged.  And since the toys were pushed in and out of the garage, that meant putting them in neutral before parking in the garage made that task a little easier.

[AutobahnSHO]

That makes sense.

[veeman]

This is all wrong. All of it.

I need to go lay down now.

Do you daily an antique?  Every MT vehicle sold in the US for the past 40+ years has an interlock that requires the clutch be depressed to start the vehicle.  Unless someone disables it (necessary to install a remote starter).

Most do, but there are exceptions. VW didn't for a while, and my '95 Jeep didn't.

In any case, everything he's describing is making my teeth itch.

Well I just went out and started my car.  By golly I do depress the clutch and brake when I start the car but then let go of both the clutch and brake with the parking brake still on.  That's when I fiddle with the Waze and HVAC controls. 

I'll have to get used to putting the car in gear when I turn it off. 

[Raza]

I've seen people fail to fully engage their parking brake on gentle slopes and have the car start to roll away from them. Or have a car with a bad brake that is fully engaged to the same. Seems like a pointless risk to take even if you're fairly certain the ground is level.

But regardless, if you're actively thinking about how to shut off the car, you're still a step ahead of the Darwin finalists in the OP. Manuals win again.

One day my friend left his Wrangler out of gear on flat land.  Then an announcement comes over the loud speakers (this was high school) that a Jeep was rolling down the parking lot lane on its own.  Turns out, even though the ground was flat, the wind was high enough that it was pushing the car around.   

[Raza]

I have always parked a manual in gear, parking brake on. And I tend to use the parking brake more than most people in an auto as well, I like redundant.

Same here.  In the S4, I always use the e-brake when I put it in park (engaging before I let my foot off the brake).  Old habit from when I drove an automatic regularly. 

[AutobahnSHO]

One day my friend left his Wrangler out of gear on flat land.  Then an announcement comes over the loud speakers (this was high school) that a Jeep was rolling down the parking lot lane on its own.  Turns out, even though the ground was flat, the wind was high enough that it was pushing the car around.   

Love it.

[Soup DeVille]

One day my friend left his Wrangler out of gear on flat land.  Then an announcement comes over the loud speakers (this was high school) that a Jeep was rolling down the parking lot lane on its own.  Turns out, even though the ground was flat, the wind was high enough that it was pushing the car around.   

Don't know the exact years this effected, but mine was recalled for the parking brake releasing because the ratchet pawl wouldn't engage all the way.