[Vikram Arya]

Originally Posted by R2D2

I do exactly the same thing I also release the handbrake only after I am ready to roll (even with an auto transmission car). So even if in stick shift the transmission was engaged and the clutch pedal not pressed the handbrake would save the day.

And yeah, this decades old habit of mine has saved me from embarrassing outcomes several times because many people including friends (on those very rare occasion I trust them to drive my car ), technicians at the service centre etc have the irritating habit of leaving the car in gear to prevent it from moving forward or backward inadvertently.

Use of parking brake in cars with manual transmission has its utility however one should always use the parking brake (foot operated/electronic parking brakes are a norm in North America) in vehicles equipped with automatic transmission.

When you put your vehicle in park “P”, a device inside automatic transmission called the “parking pawl” engages. If your car is parked on an incline the entire load of vehicle comes on to your driveline something that will damage your transmission in the long term & automatic transmissions are very expensive to fix.

The clunk that you hear when you shift from park to drive especially when parked on an on an incline can be avoided by following these steps:

1. Activate your parking brake first and shift into park when you park your car.
2. Shift in to Drive and then disengage your parking brake when starting from stationary position

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Vikram Arya

1. Activate your parking brake first and shift into park when you park your car.
2. Shift in to Drive and then disengage your parking brake when starting from stationary position

I recall following much the same steps the last time I drove a slush box in the US.

Frankly automatic transmissions with standard torque converters are not my thing and given a choice I'd always pick a stick shift over an automatic. The manual transmission gives me what I can only describe as a 'connection/control point' with the car which I just like very much.

[trinity0114]

Hello
I recently drove a Verna 1.5 diesel 1st gen of a relative and this particular car had a peculiar problem of in-gear jerking. While driving in second gear at about 2000 rpm if you stop accelerating i.e let go off the throttle pedal the car used to jerk violently. I always use a lot of engine braking while driving but in this case as soon as the throttle pedal was let off the car jerked and depressing the clutch was the only option. Could any member point out what would be wrong

Regards

[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by trinity0114

I recently drove a Verna 1.5 diesel 1st gen of a relative and this particular car had a peculiar problem of in-gear jerking. While driving in second gear at about 2000 rpm if you stop accelerating i.e let go off the throttle pedal the car used to jerk violently. I always use a lot of engine braking while driving but in this case as soon as the throttle pedal was let off the car jerked and depressing the clutch was the only option.

Posting with personal experience, may or may not help you with your case.
Had a similar problem in my friend's Figo but on all gears over 1800 rpm. Found one of the injector is clogged / malfunctioning. Replaced it and the issue is solved.
Give a try with injector cleaning additives before going for replacement.

[BB311]

It might not justify the current discussion going on in the thread, but its very much related to my Mechanical Empathy, or lack of it and the consequences.

Although, I am generally a sedate driver but frequent burst of anger while driving have really taken a toll on my car - Ford Ecosport TDCI 2015. What I have damaged in the last two years is:
> Rotors and Pads changed @ 40k kms
> Clutch has started shdudering at lower rpms' (Car age is 40k)
> Suspension has started making the thud thud sound
> Interiors have started rattling at some places lately.

I always promise myself that I will drive like a gentleman, but the sleeping beast inside me bursts often more often than required or accepted. Perhaps, the next service bill will calm me down

[Popeye]

Mistakes make you smarter!
I had similar experience with the clutch on my Indigo. It worn out around 25k and luckily due to the extended warranty gold or platinum package i got away with a minor sum.
But that changed the way I use my clutch from thereon.

[Sameer 26]

In addition to points mentioned at the beginning of thread, do we have to consider anything else if we are driving it less often or driving it for shorter distances?
There is separate thread about effects of driving car for short distance. But was trying to understand what extra need to look after in such cases?

[Swapnil4585]

Originally Posted by Sameer 26

In addition to points mentioned at the beginning of thread, do we have to consider anything else if we are driving it less often or driving it for shorter distances?
There is separate thread about effects of driving car for short distance. But was trying to understand what extra need to look after in such cases?

Drive at lower RPM, don't accelerate fast, keep driving in a higher gear and lower RPM (don't lug though), don't make frequent gear changes, and, while coming to a stop, take the foot off accelerator, down shift from the highest gear to the second gear, and then apply brakes. Your car will consume lesser fuel for the warm ups. (That's my experience and therefore a practice )

[self_driven]

Bumping an old thread...

My dad has this habit of letting the car move on its own without accelerator input in 1st and 2nd gears over bad/broken roads for 300-400 metres or even more. He finds it more convenient than speeding up and working with the gears again and again over such roads.

I'm not sure if this can be considered lugging as the revs are around 1000 (raised by ECU) and the engine does not feel strained. Note that pedals are not used and the car runs freely over such bad roads.

Is there any negative impact from such driving style on the car's mechanicals or fuel economy?

[rayjaycleoful]

Originally Posted by self_driven

Bumping an old thread...

My dad has this habit of letting the car move on its own without accelerator input in 1st and 2nd gears over bad/broken roads for 300-400 metres or even more. He finds it more convenient than speeding up and working with the gears again and again over such roads.

I'm not sure if this can be considered lugging as the revs are around 1000 (raised by ECU) and the engine does not feel strained. Note that pedals are not used and the car runs freely over such bad roads.

Is there any negative impact from such driving style on the car's mechanicals or fuel economy?

I think this is the perfect way to maintain to do it (as long as the said roads don't slow the car down)
. You have more control on speed and it is healthier than half clutch and brake. Even in b2b traffic one should aim to leave the clutch asap and let it roll in 1st.
Though some cars do have the habit of jerking in first without clutch in my experience.

[KkVaidya]

Originally Posted by self_driven

Is there any negative impact from such driving style on the car's mechanicals or fuel economy?

It is perfectly ok to let the car crawl in gear. Only if there is an incline and engine starts to knock is when you have to downshift to 1st.

Originally Posted by rayjaycleoful

Though some cars do have the habit of jerking in first without clutch in my experience.

This would be due to low torque. Most diesel engine cars would not jerk.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by self_driven

I'm not sure if this can be considered lugging as the revs are around 1000 (raised by ECU) and the engine does not feel strained. Note that pedals are not used and the car runs freely over such bad roads.

There is absolutely no problem with this till such time that the revs fall below the very low threshold. If the revs fall too low, you will of course need to use some throttle input.

I use this technique all the time when driving in bumper to bumper traffic, and where any accelerator input would speed up the car too much. Have been doing this for years, and no problems at all.

[ptaneja]

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss

Give a try with injector cleaning additives before going for replacement.

Would vouch for Liqui Molly Diesel Purge - a single can should be good enough to clean out the clogged injectors.

[raneesao]

Hello everyone!

This one is definitely one of those old but still gold threads.

I had one question which has been bugging me. I have seen many drivers and technicians say that you shouldn't start up the car and immediately put it in reverse. They advise putting it in 1st, and driving 6 inches forward before putting it in reverse and backing it up. I can't think of any technical reason for this. Anyone?

Happy motoring,
Anees

[Nalin1]

Originally Posted by raneesao

I had one question which has been bugging me. I have seen many drivers and technicians say that you shouldn't start up the car and immediately put it in reverse. They advise putting it in 1st, and driving 6 inches forward before putting it in reverse and backing it up. I can't think of any technical reason for this. Anyone?

If you take this seriously and move six inches ahead on our beautiful roads to follow this 'practice', either you will be kissing a headlight/bumper or running over someone's feet.

The first gen Verna normally would not slot into reverse immediately after a cold start. A few seconds of waiting and it was normal. This behavior was also mentioned in the user manual.