Driving an auto - anything to watch out for?

[scaryjim]

Right, I've just booked a Sedona for a week, and apparently it's an automatic. I've never driven an auto before. Anything I need to be careful of, or do I just slip it into drive and put my foot down?

[TAKTAK]

Don't press the clutch, you end up going through the windscreen.

Gets my dad everytime

[scaryjim]

*chortle* that's a lovely image I can just see me doing that first time I pull onto the motorway!

[peterb]

And remember to use the clutch when you get back to the UK.

Only think you need to be aware of is that automatics tend to creep when drive, so with feet off the throttle but in drive, the car will inch forward, which can be useful in trfic, but means you need to keep your foot on the brake at traffic lights/junctions etc.

[kalniel]

It'll get you at the first junction you come to. You'll be breaking nice and smoothly and then involuntarily your left foot will go down hard to engage the clutch.. only it's still the brake and you'll do an emergency stop 5m from the line

Never gets me at other times, just the involuntary engaging clutch coming to a stop because I think the car will stall otherwise.

Think of the brake as more like a clutch when moving the selector - press down when moving into drive to prevent lurching forwards/backwards. When in drive just slowly ease upwards as if finding bite point and you'll move off smoothly without needing the accelerator. Put it in Park when you're stopped.

[Smudger]

Pretty much what other people have said - unnecessary clutch-pressing, and remembering to press the clutch when you're back in a manual car. Not so much when you're taking off but approaching junctions etc. I think for most autos you have to have your foot on the brake to engage Park.

[scaryjim]

Put it in Park when you're stopped.

Including stopping at traffic lights / busy junctions etc? Or just keep a light foot on the break like peterb suggests?

Remembering to clutch when I'm back in a manual shouldn't be an issue, I'll only be driving this thing for a week then I probably won't have a car again until around Christmas (unless I decide to have some time away at half term, I guess).

And thanks everyone - this the Hexus we all know and love

[kalniel]

Including stopping at traffic lights / busy junctions etc? Or just keep a light foot on the break like peterb suggests?

You've only got the car for a week, so riding the brake at lights isn't a problem. If you owned the car I'd only ride the brake for short stops and pop it into N or P at longer waits. Again, the behaviour is not dissimilar to a manual - when would you leave the clutch down, or when would you slip into neutral and raise the clutch?

[Mutley]

You've only got the car for a week, so riding the brake at lights isn't a problem. If you owned the car I'd only ride the brake for short stops and pop it into N or P at longer waits. Again, the behaviour is not dissimilar to a manual - when would you leave the clutch down, or when would you slip into neutral and raise the clutch?

What I would watch out for there, is using Park...IIRC, you have to go through Reverse to get to Park, which means you can give the guy/gal behind a fright when you move from Park into Drive! I.e. the reverse lights can momentarily flash on, as you move from one gear to another.

You should adapt very quickly. Whenever I pick up hire cars in the US, they are automatic, and it doesn't take long to adjust. I tend to find the biggest problem is that I forget I'm now sat on the left, and keep reaching for the gear stick or hand brake with my left hand!

[Dareos]

If, like me, you drive with one hand on the gearstick, dont its a bad habit anyways and you are more likely to shift down (probably into 1, 2 or 3) in an auto, tbf your left foot missing the clutch will alert you anyways.

In some cars, particularly american ones, repressing the brake pedal will engage the parking break, handbrake isnt needed (hence why the yanks call it an emergency brake).

VW have engaged an autoclutch thingy that prevents the car moving forward when on a hill, something to do with not burning out the clutch, this does not work in reverse as my mother found out in the snow a couple years back when her brand new golf trapped her in the door and repeatedly whacked her into the garden wall. (deep snow, slippy footing, all a bit of a disaster really). Not sure how common this is among automatics but be wary of it.

[Mblaster]

Similar to above, where I worked previously someone took the pool car out (an automatic) and while coming off the motorway on the slip road went to put the clutch down but instead slammed the brakes on. Wouldn't have been so bad, but the person behind them wasn't paying much attention and ran into the back of them.

[GoNz0]

i find putting the left leg as far back as possible in an un natural place helps stop the left foot heading for the clutch, when i was teaching a friend to drive an auto i held her left leg to stop her doing it until she got to grips with it.

[nickdavies]

Something like that! I recommend tucking your left foot out of the way otherwise you'll press the brake instead of the clutch and fly through the window!!! Good luck.

[mmh]

yeah, to echo what these guys are saying let your left foot go to sleep somewhere out the way... remember you do everything with your right foot unless you wanna break tooo sharply

[TheAnimus]

First time I ever drove an automatic, it was a mustang.... in a backwater part of the US, and erm a sheriff (he WAS the law) told me to drive it, because the owner was too drunk.

It had the ability to accelerate to twice the speed limit in half the time I thought it would take. It also couldn't corner for toffee.

Don't think this posts helps.

[peterb]

<---snip
when i was teaching a friend to drive an auto i held her left leg to stop her doing it until she got to grips with it.

Any excuse!! (and a very sigable quote )