Electric cars.

I'm not sure what is taught these days and probably my clutch and hand brake method would cause me to fail a test these days, but its how I was taught to drive by my Dad, but after passing the test.
Nobody drives the same after passing the test as they have to during a test, you find the way that works best for you.

I think most things in life are like that.

Brake lights flashing are usually one of two things, possibly a nervous driver on an unfamiliar road or someone far to close to the car in front.
I usually back off a bit if I see either.

 

Its what you was given a left foot for.

The way its going everyone is going to end up with only one leg, .... You ask Darwin.

 

I will do the next time I see him.

 

I'm a dinosaur pete but like you I use my handbrake for hill starts even though our Yeti has hill start assist; this hill start assist was disconcerting at first back in 2016; I'd stop on an incline and apply the handbrake then a few seconds later the car would settle back making me think I hadn't applied the handbrake; the only infuriating thing on our Yeti is the silly stop/start function which I'd never trust; in congestion it flattens the battery and as to long term won't it destroy the flywheel ring gear teeth. Fortunately I switch it off for every journey as soon as I turn the ignition on.

I always use the gears to slow down anticipating what's ahead and I don't crawl to a standstill; one really annoying thing is to be behind a car approaching red traffic lights only for the car in front to stop about three car lengths then creep forward on the clutch leaving a big gap.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

It's there to reduce emissions and to save engine wear.

The flywheel and starter motor are designed for the extra work.

It won't run your battery down. The computer monitors lots of things, including your battery charge, when deciding whether or not to switch the engine off. My car has it. If it's particularly cold, if it's used too much battery or various other scenarios, it simply doesn't switch the engine off. If it has switched the engine off and you've been sat for a little while, using electric, it will start the engine back up even if you don't touch the pedals.

I can assure you, Skoda have thought it through properly.

 

Or, you could say the VW Group have.

 

Hi,

Many thanks for your interesting reply @Clueless 1 v2 I'll never trust the thing even if Skoda has thought it through; I wonder just how much engine wear it actually saves; a well serviced diesel engine doesn't need this kind of technology to obtain very high mileages. I tried using the stop/start function when we first bought the Yeti but at busy junctions I was always worried relying on electronics which I also will never trust. I do have enough common sense to know when to turn the engine off. I think car electronics are becoming much too complicated and I think it was pete who earlier stated why not make a basic cheap car for people like me and my wife who only travel mostly short distances; 70mph is the limit not the target and blistering performance cannot be used it being just expensive show. What will most likely put modern cars in the crusher?

Kind regards, Colin.

 

What I do not like about stop-start technology, not having it myself, is the cars in front that do have it. There are a set of lights near me where the road I am on gets a very short green then a long wait on red. When I am behind new cars the lights go to green, the first one starts and drives off, the second one starts and drives off, the third one starts and drives through on the amber and I have to sit for another cycle of the lights. If they were all ready to go you could easily get four, possibly five cars through at a time.

 

Half the time the stop starts are not the problem, its the dreamers that just take ages to get moving, some people just never seem to be ready to move when the lights go green.

 

I'm afraid that choice was taken away from us years ago. We're putting our absolute faith in electronics every time we drive. The engine management computer, taking inputs from an ever growing range of sensors, decides everything the engine does, be that choosing when to fire the spark plugs (obviously except diesel), how wide to open the now electrically controlled throttle, how much fuel to inject etc. On more modern engines, the computer even adjusts the valve timing while you drive.

Perhaps more scary than engine management is the fact that a computer also gets to control your brakes, to varying degrees depending on how modern the car is. Even the most ancient first generation ABS has the potential to decide NOT to apply the brakes when you say. There are other electronics to monitor the brake electronics and revert to old fashioned primitive brakes IF a fault is detected. I once had an abs sensor go bad. The computer did detect the failure but not straight away. I knew several seconds before the computer did, when I went for the brakes and abs did it's thing even though conditions were good. One wheel incorrectly reacted like it was on ice, pulsing the brake rapidly. This was on an old Volvo, very basic by today's standards. I once had a Citroen Xsara that I nicknamed Christine, because it was a psychopath. Among other ways it tried to kill people, I once went to slow down gently for the red traffic light ahead, except I had absolutely no brakes at all. I did the old pumping the brakes, to no avail, car still hurtling straight towards the old lady that was crossing at the green man. I had my hand on the hand brake ready to take my chances turning the car into a sledge, one last desperate stomp on the foot brake and it woke up, and practically buried its nose in the tarmac. I only had that car for three weeks, which is about how long it took of conversations, letters, threats of legal action, to get the garage to take it back and cancel the contract. The day I took it back, the computer screen warned me of an ice risk. It was 35 degrees centigrade that day, and psycho car was making sarcastic comments about me giving it the cold shoulder.

 

They sound like older cars to me Jocko, that don't start as quickly as the newer ones. Mine is just over a year old and the stop/start is instant, as soon as the clutch pedal is pressed. I tend not to release the clutch when sitting at lights so the engine remains running. Hand brake is on though.

 

Hi,

I've just done the three supermarket shopping; for a change a car was already at Morrison's red traffic lights so I pulled in behind and parked up whilst watching the lights miss a full sequence; the car in front was getting impatient and started to go through at red but then stopped thinking better of it; I just sat as usual but it made a refreshing change because it's usually me these lights stop having already let the rest of the world through; had the posts been wood I'd happily take along one of my petrol chainsaws.

I always have the dash cam running which makes me a better driver because it's like having a police officer in the car watching my driving so I adhere to amber traffic lights and every speed limit; I drive at the maximum speed allowed when safe to do so but often get tail gated especially through the long 20mph section through Flockton village; having finally broken free into the short 30mph then onto the 50mph run up to Grange Moor its incredibly annoying to get behind a cyclist where it's all double white lines so I end up head of a very long queue when the perfectly good pavement is totally empty of pedestrians but then I'm regarded as just another selfish car driver.

I'll never put a cyclist in danger or indeed anyone else but I become the bad guy because I stick to the law.

I love our Skoda diesel Yeti and am now going to wash and dry it before the heavy rain arrives; I also check tyre pressure including spare each time I wash the car never relying on the automatic tyre warning which at times informs me of a tyre problem but when I check the tyre pressures are fine.

Another thing I dislike about modern cars is lack of spare wheel; our Yeti has the space saver spare wheel which quickly gets me mobile again if the car suffers a puncture but this is progress?

I'd better get off my backside it's like summer this morning the car displaying 14C; WOW.

Kind regards, Colin.