What you should know about motoring but didn't.....

mikemac

Own up people, have you any examples of things you didn't know about motoring in general and felt embarresed when you learned

I'll start:
Got a replacement car from a garage but all our family cars before that were either Toyota or Mazda. This was a Ford afaik
This replacement car had reverse in the top left of the gear stick and not bottom right. Oh I struggled and struggled for aaaaages before I learned you lift the gear knob and then select reverse.

And I was driving for years before I knew you could flick the button on the rear view mirror if you were getting dazzled by a car behind you. That's something I should have known

Any other examples?
Call me a muppet if you wish, supposed to be a light hearted thread.:)

Steve

I still don't know what a tracker mortgage is...

wait.,

L1011

I spent twenty minutes trying to open the fuel flap on a hire (accident replacement) car once, and had to phone a mate IN ENGLAND who has the same car in the end. Nissan Micra.

Hal1

MYOB wrote: »

I spent twenty minutes trying to open the fuel flap on a hire (accident replacement) liar :rolleyes:car once, and had to phone a mate IN ENGLAND who has the same car in the end. Nissan Micra.

How did you open it? Since I don't drive a micra .

Duiske

MYOB wrote: »

I spent twenty minutes trying to open the fuel flap on a hire (accident replacement) car once, and had to phone a mate IN ENGLAND who has the same car in the end. Nissan Micra.

Had much the same happen a few weeks back. New Ford Focus. They don't even have petrol caps.

LightningBolt

Couldn't open the fuel flap on an Almera and didn't know where the headlights on an Opel Astra was.

Steve

Actually, I do have a story.

Was in the car with my boss (his car) a few years back and we were in a traffic jam nearing Dundrum when he suddenly decides to hop out shouting I'm going into the bank, find somewhere to park...

So I slid into the driver seat of the brand new s-class and sat there smugly.

Traffic started moving ahead and so I slipped it into 'D' and gently pressed the gas pedal.

Next thing I got a message on the dash telling me the car was refusing to budge because the handbrake was on so I reached down between the seats to release it.

Panic then ensued as I frantically looked for something resembling a handbrake. After several minutes of beeping infuriated drivers behind me, I eventually found the button that released it.

I don't think I've ever been as embarrassed on the road as then...:o

L1011

Hal1 wrote: »

How did you open it? Since I don't drive a micra .

Theres a release catch to the right of the steering column, one for the boot one for the fuel flap. Never thought of looking there, thats a blank panel over the fusebox in every other car I've had.

ninty9er

SteveC wrote: »

Actually, I do have a story.

Was in the car with my boss (his car) a few years back and we were in a traffic jam nearing Dundrum when he suddenly decides to hop out shouting I'm going into the bank, find somewhere to park...

So I slid into the driver seat of the brand new s-class and sat there smugly.

Traffic started moving ahead and so I slipped it into 'D' and gently pressed the gas pedal.

Next thing I got a message on the dash telling me the car was refusing to budge because the handbrake was on so I reached down between the seats to release it.

Panic then ensued as I frantically looked for something resembling a handbrake. After several minutes of beeping infuriated drivers behind me, I eventually found the button that released it.

I don't think I've ever been as embarrassed on the road as then...:o

+1

Was moving my friend's dad's Merc to make room for more cars in the drive and couldn't find the release. I knew the parking brake pedal was, but not the release. kept stepping on the parking brake to see if it was a step on step off manouver:o:o

peanuthead

well, before i started my first ever driving lesson, my instructor asked me where i was at. My response was

well i dont know what these 3 pedals down here are for, but I do know my friend nicknames them A, B and C!!!

The look of confused horror on his face was classic... talk about total beginner

Pete67

Hire car in germany, Merc M class diesel automatic. Drove it about 300km on the autobahn and then into into Munich. First time I came to a red traffic light, I put the transmission in neutral and applied the handbrake. That was a mistake, I sat through three cycles of the lights before realising that you conld not select drive unless your foot was on the brake pedal. I rarely drive automatics, so took a while to figure out. T'was embarrassing, I got plenty of dirty looks that day!

Boskowski

Hire in Boston. First time ever in a Toyota Prius, that hybrid thing. Took me 15 minutes to get the thing going or I should say 15 minutes to understand that I was actually ready to go.

Rowley Birkin QC

What is the deal with those Mercedes handbrakes?

I know a guy who worked for a guy who bought a new E-Class a few years back, had to ring Mercedes Ireland to figure out how to move the thing.

nialler

10 minutes after getting my s-class pulling into a petrol station (yes they eat petrol) asking a guy how to open the petrol cap he was driving an E class and he calmly walked over and just leaned on the end of the cap and it opened, needless to say I said thanks and pumped, I was pulling, swinging out of it as the car was locked so was the cap, failed to mention the 10 mins in the car looking for the release, idiot I tell ya.

copacetic

First time I drove an S3 (8P) couldn't get the fecker to start. Turned out you have to depress the clutch or it won't start. Hadn't come across it before.

Voodoomelon

Did you all know that the location of the filling nozzle on the small picture of the petrol pump on your petrol gauge indicates what side of the car the filling cap is on?

sosulio

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Did you all know that the location of the filling nozzle on the small picture of the petrol pump on your petrol gauge indicates what side of the car the filling cap is on?

This one is a bit of an urban legend! It's true for some cars but not for many more so I put it down to coincidence.

Berty

Rented a Chrysler 300 CC in the US and didnt know it had a hand brake. Well, there wasnt one between the seats. There was a little pedal (tiny) next to the brake or where the clutch should be. Never saw it and the release was where my cubby hole in my audi is. Just below the steering wheel.

I accidently engaged it one evening and the next morning we were going shopping. The dash kept flashing stop and the alarm was going. I called the hire company whom sent out(within 40 minutes) a brand new Chrysler 300 with a full tank of "gas". It was about 30 minutes after calling in the hire company that I noticed the handbrake.

OOPPPPSSS!!

R.O.R

ninty9er wrote: »

+1

Was moving my friend's dad's Merc to make room for more cars in the drive and couldn't find the release. I knew the parking brake pedal was, but not the release. kept stepping on the parking brake to see if it was a step on step off manouver:o:o

+2

Couple of years ago I brought a new 3 series from the underground car park up to the road in front to hand over to a customer. He gave me the C-Class rental he'd been in, which I then had to move back in to the underground car park.

First time I'd driven a new C-Class and like ninty9er I thought the parking break pedal was a step on, step off manouver - all that does really is put the "hand brake" on harder.

I'm sat on the road, in front of a customer in his brand new 3 series with the quandry of whether to embarras myself, get out of the Merc and ask him how to release the hand brake - or what I eventually did which was to give it loads of revs and semi-drag the back wheels down the ramp to the darkness of the underground. Out of view of the customer I eventually found the stupid release lever and fecked the thing up to the outside car park where my own bus was parked.

As it was the end of the day I was straight in to my motor and heading out - only to be flagged down by the customer who was still on the road as he couldn't start his 3 Series As I always start Manuals with foot on the clutch, or Auto's with foot on the brake it took me a couple of minutes to figure out you need the foot on the clutch to start the 3 series.

Jumping in and out of different cars during the day, it takes longer to figure out where the key goes (right side of steering wheel still for most, left side of wheel on A4/A6/3 Series/S40, behind the gear level on Saab), what to do with the gear knob to find reverse (lift, push down, force left etc,) and then work whatever "hand brake" set up that particular manufacturer now has, than it does to set up the seat and mirrors :mad:

Blitzkrieger

LightningBolt wrote: »

didn't know where the headlights on an Opel Astra was.

At the front of the car.......... I'll get me coat.....

Had that foot-lever-for-handbrake problem too but it disengages automatically in my car when you start driving so I needn't have bothered. What did catch me one day when I didn't select Park properly was I didn't realise the auto box had to be in Neutral to start the engine. Was trying fe*king everthing to start it. The head-light dimmer switch being a button below the handbrake foot lever was a new one to me too...

TheNog

The missus spent months looking for a gold VW Bora and was delighted when she finally got one. I thought I'd take it to the shop and try it out. Got to the junction, stopped, looked left and right very carefully like. Didn't want to put a mark on it. Went to put it in first gear and suffering from a heavy left hand, depress the gear lever and put it into reverse instead of first and went into a car behind me.

Thankfully no damage to either car, never told the missus.

homer90

Pete67 wrote: »

Hire car in germany, Merc M class diesel automatic. Drove it about 300km on the autobahn and then into into Munich. First time I came to a red traffic light, I put the transmission in neutral and applied the handbrake. That was a mistake, I sat through three cycles of the lights before realising that you conld not select drive unless your foot was on the brake pedal. I rarely drive automatics, so took a while to figure out. T'was embarrassing, I got plenty of dirty looks that day!

:p good one !!

R.O.R

Most Merc Autos I've driven have a Creep Stopping device (can't think of a better way to put it). If you are in traffic, in "D", push the brake pedal all the way to the bottom.

This should engage the brake which stops you creeping forwards meaning you don't have the hardship of keeping your foot on the one pedal. Automatically releases when you accelerate a bit.

Make sure you try it with a bit of space in front, as I couldn't get it to engage on a 08 C200cdi Auto I delivered recently, but it was there on a 07 A150 CVT I had as a hire car last year.

golfpaul

Damn automatics! I remember leaving my car in for a service years ago and getting a loan of an automatic. I was told it was easier to drive than a manual, which it was, until I was pulling up outside my house and decided to use the clutch. Yes, with no clutch I nearly ended up going through the windscreen with my left foot on the brake!

Slig

golfpaul wrote: »

Damn automatics! I remember leaving my car in for a service years ago and getting a loan of an automatic. I was told it was easier to drive than a manual, which it was, until I was pulling up outside my house and decided to use the clutch. Yes, with no clutch I nearly ended up going through the windscreen with my left foot on the brake!

My wife was driving her dads automatic mondeo back from the pub once with him in the back and me in the front passanger seat. I had to keep reminding her she was in an automatic as her left hand kept coming off the steering wheel and onto the gearstick ready to change up gear!!

stesaurus

Yeah a combo of automatic and petrol cap for me.

Current car I own is an RX-8 and I had just bought it and was driving back from UK. I pulled into a petrol station on way to Holyhead and pulled up next to an attractive woman in a nice 3 series.
I was trying to look all smug and confident with myself to 'ahem' impress her. But when I went to open the petrol flap I hadn't a boggle.
Really didn't make the impression I had hoped for as she drove off smirking to herself while I sat in my car reading the manual to find the release.

Also got caught out in the States recently with an auto Ford Explorer. Took me about 30 mins of reading the manual to figure out how to get the thing moving.

ergonomics

This one scared the life out of me. I'd been driving for nearly a year but was still learning. I didn't feel like I was getting anywhere with my first instructor so I changed. First day I met him he did a really really basic lesson to see how much I knew. I had told him I could drive fine, just needed to improve my driving.

So we get in the car and asks me a few questions which I answer confidentially, and apparently have all the wrong answers to. Then he asks where my blind spot is. I pointed between the two head rests of the car, and out the back window. This is where my previous instructor had told me it was. Thankfully he's no longer teaching anymore.

cjt156

Flat battery & asked a mate for a jump start. Spent about twenty minutes searching for the bonnet release in his rental Focus. Eventually asked someone else in the staff carpark & he just came & flipped the blue oval badge to reveal a key-hole!

Did the old clutch-foot brakeing in an auto too - think everyone will do it once.