BMW: Inability to move from 'Park' to 'Neutral' with ignition on, but engine off

Ravich · 6th October 2017, 22:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by prasadee

People forget hand brakes all the time. Or they do not engage it well enough. Or, they brakes could be worn. Automatically switching to park is the safest way to leave a car when engine is turned off. Imagine a car parked up a hill or a steep driveway.

Nothing against the transmission going into PARK when ignition is turned off. It is a good safety feature. This point was really about the difficulty ( near impossibility for a newbie ) in moving to neutral under engine off condition, when there is a safety related reason. I am sure they could have provided this after multiple warnings (" are you sure ...?")and confirmation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by prasadee

.....
Seems logical for an engineer - ECU thinks transmission has gone bad, do not allow any operations including shift to Park.

Sorry. Have to strongly dispute this feature (?) as being logical. Am an engineer too. That is the reason I asked others if they can think of any scenarios that pose graver safety related risks that warrant this level of difficulty in moving to neutral. Keep in mind damage to the car or transmission ranks much lower in severity than getting hit by another vehicle while attempting this on a highway.

Ravich · 6th October 2017, 23:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

In case of modern cars with the rotary knob type transmission shift what happens if the car battery goes dead? Will one not be able to shift to neutral if the battery/engine dies on the road?

I guess we better read the manual carefully before going on long trips !. Seriously, I personally think this is a significant enough safety issue to raise with India homologation agency.

prasadee · 7th October 2017, 00:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravich

Sorry. Have to strongly dispute this feature (?) as being logical. Am an engineer too. That is the reason I asked others if they can think of any scenarios that pose graver safety related risks that warrant this level of difficulty in moving to neutral. Keep in mind damage to the car or transmission ranks much lower in severity than getting hit by another vehicle while attempting this on a highway.

No need to dispute the feature with me.

I am not a fan of this feature (engineering bug). A disabled car cannot even be bumped off the traffic lanes by cops. If we are designing autonomous cars, I am sure we can design a car that has ability to go to neutral, without having to get under a flooded car.