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Car Forum / Jaguar Cars / September 2005Parking Protocol
I recently drove my son's stick shift auto, the marque doesn't matter. I found that he left it in gear while parked. I asked him about that and he said everyone leaves a stick shift in gear while parked. Many, many moons ago, when my car at college was a '47 Ponitac with a stick shift, I was told never to park it in gear. Why, because if it was hit from front or back while parked, in addition to front end or rear end damage, you would have gear damage in your transmission or maybe in your engine. Consequently I have never left my XKE in gear while it was parked. I always use the parking brake and turn the wheels into the curb if on a hill. Am I being an old foggey or is this still good advice? I need to know as I will soon will be signing my XKE over to my son and want to make sure he treats it well. Al Lucky Son. I am 52 and yes, dare I say it, you are an old Fogey. It was my Dad who would do the turning the wheels into the curb trick and use the parking brake. Actually Dad (now 76) will not buy an auto despite his poorly hip just in case it snows - you can't control an automatic in snow - one can but despair. Wack it into P and go do your shopping. Hand brake for hills. Terrible but there you go. Once you have given the XKE to your Son it is his car, leave him to deal with it the way HE feels is appropriate. Very hard to let go, I have 3 boys and trust me I know just how hard it is when they inherit the various family cars in their respective turn. Rise above it Dad. Actually thinking about it, it is probably an offence to leave your car without the hand brake on even though you are using the solinoid brake with it in P. I have just spent 2 years in Aussie (you remember they are the guys we have just whipped the arse off at cricket) and there the cops are pretty much anal about anything. Like 4 kph (sort of 2 1/2 mph) over the speed limit on an express way and they go into a hissyfit. Not that I would of course but if you hang your arm out of the window whilst driving they will stiff you for 3 points (called demerits there) and a hundred plus bucks. Leaving your window part down when you leave the car to go for a paddle on the beach is another heinous crime guaranteeing similar 'black cap' punishment. Similarly not using your parking brake and they are buggers for this one. Even a smelly christmas tree deoderant thing hanging from your interior mirror to get rid of the kangaroo smell gets you a couple of hundred dollar jobbie plus the obligatory 3 demerits. Bloody GREAT place though (actuall it really is). Leave the old fogey part of you behind. If you have brought your son up well then trust him to treat HIS new car well. Andy >I recently drove my son's stick shift auto, the marque doesn't matter. I > found that he left it in gear while parked. I asked him about that and [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Al > Lucky Son. > [quoted text clipped - 52 lines] > > > > Al Sorry about the misunderstaning of "auto." In the US, "auto" is short for automobile. "Stick shift" means manual transmission. And when I was a kid, we called an automatic transmission a "slush." As far at the parking/emergency brake on the XKE, it was my understanding that it could be used for braking during spirited driving when you wanted your rear end to brake loose to swing the Jag around a corner. It could also be used in icy conditions to slow the car and still have steering control without locking the front wheels. BTW, my '47 Pontiac was a tank. It could be hit without visible damage to the massive bumpers it had. It was was hit from the side in the rear fender well by a driver coming out of a gasoline station while I was pulling over to the side of the road. We both examined my car and his and could not find any damage. When I went home, I measured both rear fenders and found that the one hit had been bent in about an inch; but to the naked eye, it looked OK. Try that with a modern car. I've had my XKE since I bought it new in '71. I never had any of the hideous problems with electrics and the like. The worst thing that ever happened to the car was the repeat failures of the fuel pump. The first failed at 400 miles and the second at 33000 miles. The third is still going strong at 86000. I gave the second one to my son is going to get a bebuild kit for it. Then he'll have a "good" one handy when the current one fails. Al Al Al, My wife is 42 and I am 54 and we come from different parts of the country. We were BOTH taught in our drivers ed courses as well as by our parents that you NEVER leave a manual transmission car parked unless the car is in gear. All 3 of my teenagers were taught the same thing in the last 3 years in their drivers ed classes. If the nose is headed down the hill the wheels are headed into the curb and the car in Reverse. If the nose is headed up a hill than the back of the front wheel is into the curb and the transmission is left in first. I was always told that if someone hits the car hard enough to hurt the transmission or engine than the tranny or engine is going to be the LEAST of the damage done. I addition to that, the LAST thing I would ever do with an XKE is trust those rear parking brakes. I have an S-Type and a 420 and they BOTH have the same IRS parking brake system as the XKE. Webserve > I recently drove my son's stick shift auto, the marque doesn't matter. I > found that he left it in gear while parked. I asked him about that and [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Al I thought Al was talking about an auto not manual (I read 'stick shift auto as distinct from a column shift aout but still an auto) although I understand your observations about a Manual and agree with them. > Al, > My wife is 42 and I am 54 and we come from different parts of the [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] >> >> Al It's required by law in British Columbia. The car must be in gear, or if an automatic, in park. The hand brake must be on, and the wheels turned, so that the vehicle cannot roll into the road. Steve R. >I recently drove my son's stick shift auto, the marque doesn't matter. I > found that he left it in gear while parked. I asked him about that and [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Al >I recently drove my son's stick shift auto, the marque doesn't matter. I >found that he left it in gear while parked. I asked him about that and >he said everyone leaves a stick shift in gear while parked. Not sure I quite understand what you mean here. If it is an auto, your should leave it in Park, not in one of the forward or reverse gears. If it is a manual (ie 'stick shift') then yes, you should leave it in gear - reverse is the norm. Use the handbrake as well, of course, but never rely on the handbrake - especially in an older Jaguar. They rarely work very well or for very long. David Betts (davidb@motorsport.org.uk) The Classic Car Gallery: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?m=17830847103&n=398038677 Of course, David, now that we have that all straightened out -- let me throw in the fact that my S-Type with the DG250 automatic has neither a "Park" or a "Low" position available on it. Both were removed by Jaguar at the factory so that the car could not be wound out in low and then jammed into Park at an emergency scene. Thus, if the Parking brake does not hold, the car WILL roll away. One of the main reasons there are only a few of these Jags left (besides the rust) !!!! Webserve > >I recently drove my son's stick shift auto, the marque doesn't matter. I > >found that he left it in gear while parked. I asked him about that and [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > David Betts (davidb@motorsport.org.uk) > The Classic Car Gallery: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?m=17830847103&n=398038677 >Of course, David, now that we have that all straightened out -- let me throw >in the fact that my S-Type with the DG250 automatic has neither a "Park" or >a "Low" position available on it. Both were removed by Jaguar at the >factory so that the car could not be wound out in low and then jammed into >Park at an emergency scene. Thus, if the Parking brake does not hold, the >car WILL roll away. Fascinating. Never knew that. My XJ6 series one 4.2 has both. so it would seem Jaguar learnt the error of their ways fairly rapidly. With your car, I think I'd carry around a brick <g>. David Betts (davidb@motorsport.org.uk) The Classic Car Gallery: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?m=17830847103&n=398038677 The early US automatics and semi-automatics, as well as the Chrysler Fluid Drive, had no lock or direct mechanical connection to the engine in the transmissions. They depended solely on the parking brake which was typically very good. When the stopped engine is used as a brake it has much better effect in its normal direction of rotation. Some modern engine manuals have warnings against rotating the engine backwards, I think maybe because of the oil pump and/or camshaft drive. Don Young > Of course, David, now that we have that all straightened out -- let me > throw [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] >> The Classic Car Gallery: > http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?m=17830847103&n=398038677 >I recently drove my son's stick shift auto, the marque doesn't matter. I >found that he left it in gear while parked. I asked him about that and [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > >Al When I was taught to drive in the UK there was no mention of leaving the car in gear when parked, but it's something I have since adopted as a backup to the handbrake and has become habit, if on an incline then it's in a forward gear (1st) if facing uphill or reverse if facing downhill. My Jag is automatic and is always left in Park, with the addition of the handbrake. -- Mark. www.markvarleyphoto.co.uk www.mvp-fine-art.co.uk www.4x4info.info www.shoot-to-thrill.com |
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