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Rented an Auris for 3 days in Denmark the other week. Base spec, manual 'box, and good ol' fashioned manual handbrake. So why won't it start unless my foot is on the clutch? What new safety feature is this on an otherwise fully manual car? Pointless "innovation" IMHO.
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It stops you from starting whilst in gear and smacking the car infront. I always start my cars with the clutch depressed as it reduces the load as you are not turning the gearbox. It comes under mechanical appreciation. Regards Peter
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... So why won't it start unless my foot is on the clutch?...
I hope it's only the starter motor that is disabled by this feature, otherwise you couldn't push or tow start the car in the event of a flat battery.
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I always start with the clutch depressed - never trust a gear selector (did my training on Simca 1100s and VW camper vans!), and used to have Saabs that locked the transmisison in reverse until you turned the key - always safer to press the clutch in case you turned the key too far.
But as PeterD says - decreases the load on the starter - especially in winter.
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I had an 09 Golf as a loan car a few months ago, and that had an identical feature of having to depress the clutch before turning the ignition, otherwise you couldn't start it
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Scheesh
Tractors had this safety feature YEARS ago
jat
M
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In the US,there are all sorts of combinations of clutch depression,hand brake etc. on both manuals and autos.(I know autos don't have cluches).Comes from the "compensation" culture-"I just started the car and the next I knew I was floating down the river!!!"
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I always depress the clutch when starting a car, for me it is done automaticaly like (for some), indicating, putting on seatbelts or foglights. ;-)
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I always press the clutch, now.
I once leaned in the window of a car to start it, it was in first because the handbrake was off, it started. It stopped when it hit another car.
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Yes I always press the clutch in, prior to starting the car, my driving instructor taught me to do this, and it has stuck ever since.
As stated above, it reduces the load on the starter, and I have never had the car lurch forward into another car or fence etc as a result - however my car is not clever enough to not allow you to start the car if you don?t have the clutch depressed
Edited by redviper on 11/11/2009 at 10:39
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Hyundai were one of the first to come up with this system, at least in British market cars.
They put many hundreds onto rental fleets, Lantra's mainly but i'm sure there were Accents too, they had the switches disabled because of so many calls from customers unable to start the cars.
Good cars too, end of rental and refurbed saw me delivering lots around the South coast dealer's, very popular with retired folk being completely reliable.
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My sister drove her 205 GTi into the dining room bay window when she started it in gear.
She also swiped the old man's 505 7-seater down a tree in the garden, damaging every panel on the left side.
Two serious accidents without leaving the driveway - what a star.
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I seem to remember hearing a long time ago of a stuck vehicle being extracted from difficulty by being 'driven' out on the starter motor?
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Done that one
In the Galaxy to get her in off the road, cant even remember why she stopped?
I felt for the starter motor though
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Strikes me as more common sense that's slowly being relegated to the past and written off as 'useless' information by the 'why should I have to?' generation.
Always check it's in neutral & press the clutch on starting. Always check it's in gear when parked up.
As a Citroen owner that's more relevant to me than most...
Steve.
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Most bikes won't now start unless the clutch is pulled in.
On my GSX750 the choke cable broke and I never got round to replacing it. In order to start it I had to hold the clutch in, hold the choke open with the other hand and prod the starter button with my knee. I once had the brainwave of nudging the button with my nose to save the balancing act of knee starting and exploded the myth that Japanese bikes don't vibrate.
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...nudging the button with my nose to save the balancing act of knee starting...
I had a four-stroke 125cc Suzuki with a little lever on the carb to operate the choke.
This lever took to refusing to remain in the choked position, which meant it had to be held there by hand.
It was quite difficult reaching under the fuel tank to do that while operating the kickstart.
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I changed my 2006 Corolla for a new Auris last month. Yes, the Auris won't start unless the clutch pedal is fully depressed - in practice it is absolutely no problem and prevents the possibility of the car jerking forward should it inadvertantly be left in gear.
My sister's 2005 Getz also has the same feature.
My Auris is the 1.33 with six speed gearbox and stop-start technology. When the 'eco' mode is operating, the engine stops when one becomes stationery and neutral is selected. The engine re-starts quickly and unobtrusively when the clutch is depressed to select first to move off.
Appears to be a good system that works well.
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It's all down to these effete starter motors, and lack of personal injury risk. In days of yore, you had to start the thing by twirling the handle. Soon found out if the car was in gear, by the absence of part of your hand. Same with bikes: but more complicated. Tickle the carb, lift the exhaust valve, and retard the ignition. Then risk a compound fracture if you were too timid, and the engine kicked back.....
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