[chris7469]

Just trying to get a poll. How many people turn their cars off while in N or in 1st with parking brake up? Any advantage(s) disadvantage(s) either way?

Thanks. CM

 

[dsd]

I generally just keep it in 1st and power off unless it has auto neutralled, then I just power it off then.

I have been told that there is no difference as the computer does an auto thing that puts it in the position it likes. (No clue if this is true)

-dsd

 

[thebimbo]

If in N then do remember to breathe, Difficult I know.

 

[dsd]

I always use the hand-brake.

-dsd

 

[STARDOC]

Handbook recommends you place the car in 1 when parking. One big disadvantage though is that if the battery ever runs out and you can't access it for a jump, you will not be able to shift the car into neutral and roll it.

 

[Avantgarde]

When parked on an uphill inclination, I always engage in gear '1' before switching off the car and Gear 'R' if the car is facing a downhill inclination.

At neutral, the transmission ECU selects Gear '1' when switch off all the time....it certainly is a neat feature.

 

[RQ]

At neutral, the transmission ECU selects Gear '1' when switch off all the time....it certainly is a neat feature.

So you are saying that when you re-insert the key it switches back to N because it remembers that you parked it in N in the first place? Somehow I doubt that.

I park in N all the time, and when I get back it the car is still in N because I'm too lazy to push the brake pedal while pressing the start button...

 

[SJP63]

So you are saying that when you re-insert the key it switches back to N because it remembers that you parked it in N in the first place? Somehow I doubt that.

I park in N all the time, and when I get back it the car is still in N because I'm too lazy to push the brake pedal while pressing the start button...

Always leave it in 1. It automatically selects N when you turn the key to start

 

[demoe]

I really need to read my owners manual

I had no idea I was supposed to park in 1st....

I have always done as I have always done with prior vehicles, Park in Neutral, with Parking brake always on.

 

[barbuckle]

I have tried parking the cc in 2nd gear and also in reverse and it has moved out of it's parking bay in both gears !
Hence, as the manual stipulates, I always park in 1st gear to stop the car rolling under it's own weight (you have been warned!)

You must have noticed the warning beeps when you switch-off in neutral?

I leave the parking brake off if the car is sitting longer than overnight as it tends to bind-on.

 

[RQ]

Always leave it in 1. It automatically selects N when you turn the key to start

Not true, at least not for a GS.

If you leave it in 1st when you park, you have to depress the brake pedal or the "start" button will not function. Depressing the brake pedal, the car will start in N.

But if you park in N, as I normally do, you can get in the car and push the button without pressing the brake pedal.

 

[barbuckle]

Same in my 02 CC - must have foot on brake to start engine from 1st gear.

 

[Toffe]

A QP goes to 1 irrespective what gear you are in when you switch off (N, 1 or R). It also always starts in N. Obviously there is no difference between 1 and N, until you press the gas (which actually engages the gear).

- Toffe

 

[maserati of minneapolis]

When you shut the car down in N it leaves it in N. I watched a coupe that was parked in N without sufficient handbrake start rolling away.. After that I was always sure to leave it in 1 and a good dose of handbrake.

- Mark

 

[SJP63]

Not true, at least not for a GS.

If you leave it in 1st when you park, you have to depress the brake pedal or the "start" button will not function. Depressing the brake pedal, the car will start in N.

But if you park in N, as I normally do, you can get in the car and push the button without pressing the brake pedal.

Yes it is true even in a GS....but you always have your foot on the brake when starting...why wouldnt you!

 

[RQ]

...because sometimes I'm not sitting in the car when I lean over to start it, or I'm just lazy and don't push the brake before pushing the start button.

Frankly I'm not in the habit of pressing the brake pedal to start a car, my Cayenne Turbo SUV was only car that I've owned that demanded that, and I found it weird.

Petty, I know.

 

[CCPotenza]

...because sometimes I'm not sitting in the car when I lean over to start it,

That's how people die in freak accidents. Not necessarily you, but 4 or 5 year old boys, trying to emulate Dad, are very creative when it comes to climbing into a car and turning the key. (I only put my Dad's '57 Chevy part way through the fence separating our yard from the neighbor's. Fortunately, my little sister wan't standing in front of the car at the time).

I think that's why US DOT regulations require that a car built to be sold in the US after a certain date (not sure what year, but probably early 2000's) cannot be started without either pressing the brake or the clutch pedal completely. There is typically a micro-switch down there .... with the car off and quiet, you can maybe hear the switch as you press on the brake or clutch. In my '02 Porsche 911 Turbo, you have to pin the clutch pedal all the way to the floor before the switch will fire.

It's a safety thing. It doesn't bother me anywhere near as much as the referees in the Super Bowl did. Are they going to ref the Steelers' first game in September so they can get their Super Bowl rings at the same time?