Last time you conked out

lawlor.08

Just wondering when is the last time people conked out. Yesterday while coming to a stop i just completly forgot to put the clutch down for some reason and the car cut out.

robbie_998

reversing to turn around in a residential area and the steering wheel was at full lock..... should've giving it a bit of welly !

wayne0308

It used to happen to me constantly (I'm a learner driver). Last time it happened was at a roundabout, the entrance to the roundabout is on a hill and I finally saw my gap and I conked before I even moved.

Faith+1

I conk out from time to time and I've been driving 2 years on a full license!:rolleyes:

Cormac2791

Me?? Conk out?? Never!! =]

Midnight_EG

2 days ago, I hadn't driven in a few days, reversed out of my garden, went into first and it hopped out. Although I managed to save it and the car didn't conk out as such :P




So proper conk out....a long time

**Timbuk2**

The last time I conked out was during a lesson, about 2 months ago. I never conk out in my mother's car (which is the car I normally drive) but my instructor's Opel Corsa wasn't able to handle slow speeds (going around a very sharp left turn) in second gear, and started to chug forward, which caused me to brake and conk out. I didn't want to put my foot on the clutch going around the corner as this is 'coasting'. My mother's car has no problem going at slow speeds in 2nd.

af_thefragile

Do it everyday.

Always end up forgetting to cut off the engine before taking my foot of the clutch (I park my car in 1st, don't trust handbrake alone). And then I do it many random times like at traffic lights or while reversing. But then I just turn on the engine again and get going in no time. Practice makes you perfect!!

**Timbuk2**

af_thefragile wrote: »

Do it everyday.

Always end up forgetting to cut off the engine before taking my foot of the clutch (I park my car in 1st, don't trust handbrake alone). And then I do it many random times like at traffic lights or while reversing. But then I just turn on the engine again and get going in no time. Practice makes you perfect!!

It's always very impressive when somebody recovers quickly from cutting out. It doesn't happen often to me, but I tend to freak out a bit when it does. I start trying to do everything too fast and forget what I should do. Silly things like 'do I need to move the gearstick into neutral to start? What about the handbrake?'!

I once seen a man pulling out of a parking space and cut out. He just kept rolling and started the engine as he rolled out. If it wasn't for the sound, you wouldn't have even known

af_thefragile

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

It's always very impressive when somebody recovers quickly from cutting out. It doesn't happen often to me, but I tend to freak out a bit when it does. I start trying to do everything too fast and forget what I should do. Silly things like 'do I need to move the gearstick into neutral to start? What about the handbrake?'!

I once seen a man pulling out of a parking space and cut out. He just kept rolling and started the engine as he rolled out. If it wasn't for the sound, you wouldn't have even known

As I said, practice makes you perfect... It now just comes automatically to me. I cut out, pull up the handbrake if on a hill/slope, put into neutral (or if in real hurry just press the clutch), key back to off and then turn it on (annoying thing in my car, if you cut out you've got to turn back the key all the way to the off position before you can turn it to start the car again), engine comes to life, into 1st, move on.

You've just gotta relax and take it easy. Its usually at traffic lights or in slow moving city traffic when you're under a bit of pressure, but the guy behind can wait a few seconds. Not the end of the world!

Midnight_EG

Or else, if you know you're gonna cut out, dump the clutch and save yourself

af_thefragile

^Indeed. You've got about a second to save it before you conk out. But sometimes you're a bit too late...

Just remember to take it easy. The guy behind can wait a few seconds till you get the engine going again. If he gets impatient, he can sod off! Its not your problem.

The other day I got myself into the tightest pickle one could imagine to get my car out of. I was driving down this narrow street which ended up in someone's driveway. Car's parked everywhere and I had to turn around. Took my time and then proceeded to do my most ambitious 10 point turnabout I ever did. Literally millimeters to spare on either side. I couldn't move the car by more than a few inches before hitting something. Clonked out a million times but it was good there was no one around. I just took my time, no panicking, easy, little by little I could turn my car around. Was the happiest man alive after I get out of that spot!!

**Timbuk2**

Is conking out bad for the car? My brother is starting to learn to drive next week and I'm guessing conking out will be a regular occurence! If he conks out the car shortly after turning it on, will the battery be too run down to start again (as you need to drive to recharge it!)?

Alanstrainor

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

Is conking out bad for the car? My brother is starting to learn to drive next week and I'm guessing conking out will be a regular occurence! If he conks out the car shortly after turning it on, will the battery be too run down to start again (as you need to drive to recharge it!)?

Unless your battery is dodgy to begin with, i wouldn't worry about the car not starting again. The battery is charged by the engine, but it should have a full charge(or close enough) when you start the car. Starting the car, wouldn't completely drain the battery either. I really wouldn't worry tbh.
As for conking out, it's not particularly bad on the car, it's obviously not the best for it, but again it's not something i would worry about as it will only happen for a short while.

murrayp4

During my test yesterday....no big deal, just turn ignition and move on

Magenta

It was a few months ago, while starting on grass (had never done that before).
When I started driving, I used to conk out ALL THE TIME!
And then worrying about it would make my movements jumpier... and I'd conk out again! After the first while I realised that it's nothing to worry about and that stopped it!

Alanstrainor

the last time i conked out was last year, had been driving an automatic for a year at that time, and had to take the company car (SAAB 93), conked out while reversing out of the spot!

daveharnett

I'm driving three years and I did it the other day. Tried to take off in 5th at a T junction :eek: For some reason the normal 'automatic' (or at least unconscious) shift to 1st as I come to a stop just didn't happen, and I wasn't stopped for long enough to do the usual double check.

Moral of the story is that it happens. The car can be restarted and on it's way in 2-3 seconds without any kind of hurry if you keep calm: clutch, hand/foot brake if necessary, cycle the ignition, gear, and off you go.

panda_cub

af_thefragile wrote: »

Just remember to take it easy. The guy behind can wait a few seconds till you get the engine going again. If he gets impatient, he can sod off! Its not your problem.

... I wish! Just today, I pulled up to a yield at a cross, stopped because couldn't see the road clearly to just pull out, and conked. It was grand though, I don't panic anymore as it just happens sometimes on a slope. So I was just about to turn the key in the ignition again and the car behind me beeped at me.. I glanced in my mirror, and went to start the car, when these blue lights started flashing! The fecker had put on his siren to let me know he was a garda?!

People will probably think I was obstructing him, but I wasn't conked two seconds, the road was really, really, quiet (it was only about an hour ago) and he had plenty chances to pass me out before then if he was in a hurry. It's a quiet area and if he was in a rush he wouldn't have chosen that back road!

I actually had both my parents in the car at the time, so I know I wasn't in the wrong initially stopping. My dad thought he might want me to pull over then so I moved across the junction and went to pull in, but off he went, cool out, in another direction.

Obviously this only just happened so I'm all worked up about it now but honestly, I can't get over the attitude :mad:

daveharnett

panda_cub wrote: »

Obviously this only just happened so I'm all worked up about it now but honestly, I can't get over the attitude :mad:

Don't worry, it's not just you - what a world class d**k. Don't suppose you got a reg no?

panda_cub

daveharnett wrote: »

Don't worry, it's not just you - what a world class d**k. Don't suppose you got a reg no?

No, he was right on my tail, then took off. Wish I had though! We were all too busy being shocked I think

Stark

Did ye not consider that he might have gotten a call on his radio and needed to speed off for something urgent?

"Got overtaken by an ambulance with flashing lights this morning, what a prick! Did he not realise that I was in no rush to be getting anywhere and neither should he?"

Why don't you ring the station and tell them that a nasty Garda gave you a fright by overtaking you with his sirens on?

Alanstrainor wrote:

the last time i conked out was last year, had been driving an automatic for a year at that time, and had to take the company car (SAAB 93), conked out while reversing out of the spot!

Same thing happened to me after switching back to manual after driving automatic for a while. Forgot to put the clutch in the first time I came to a stop.

Alanstrainor

Stark wrote: »

Same thing happened to me after switching back to manual after driving automatic for a while. Forgot to put the clutch in the first time I came to a stop.

It is like riding a bike though, once you're driving for about 5/10 minutes you're straight back into the swing of things. I was pleasantly surprised! I'm still driving an auto, and haven't touched a manual since that day in work! Can't wait to get back to one, i despise the auto tbh.

panda_cub

Stark wrote: »

Did ye not consider that he might have gotten a call on his radio and needed to speed off for something urgent?

"Got overtaken by an ambulance with flashing lights this morning, what a prick! Did he not realise that I was in no rush to be getting anywhere and neither should he?"

Why don't you ring the station and tell them that a nasty Garda gave you a fright by overtaking you with his sirens on?

Uncalled for.

He switched the lights on for less than a minute until i took off, and turned them off again as he went on his way. The road leading up to the cross would have allowed him to overtake me at any time, I wasn't doing the limit and he was behind me for a while.

Ah well, I'll just chalk it down to experience

Stark

The emergency services do that all the time, switching on the sirens at junctions and switching them off again until necessary. Force of habit as leaving them on continuously on their way to somewhere can actually cause them to take longer to get somewhere due to panicky drivers. Ask any ambulance driver and they'll tell you this. The Garda in question didn't have to be in a rush coming up to the cross, they can get a call regarding an emergency at any time. It's often happened to me that there'd be a Garda car or an ambulance cruising behind me for a while before the sirens come on and they shoot past me. It's not up to you or I to judge how they do their jobs.

daveharnett

Stark wrote: »

The emergency services do that all the time, switching on the sirens at junctions and switching them off again until necessary.

You're right, they are selective about when to use their lights/sirens - they can make situations less predictable, cause other drivers to panic etc...

So why on earth would he choose to use them when the car in front is stalled and obviously unable to help him progress?

Because he was a d**k.

I take your point in general, there's just no evidence to suggest that it applies to the op's experience. BTW, the london met have some great examples of courteous, professional emergency driving online.

richard2010

Eh I conked about 5 mins ago coming out of a petrol station! Nice! :P

Magenta

I think it's just something that happens now and then. Even Olympic runners trip a bit now and then!

phasers

Coming back from the supermarket this morning!

there's something about that route, every time I drive it I cut out at least once... I think I'm preoccupied thinking about the lovely food in the boot :pac:

**Timbuk2**

phasers wrote: »

Coming back from the supermarket this morning!

there's something about that route, every time I drive it I cut out at least once... I think I'm preoccupied thinking about the lovely food in the boot :pac:

Or it could be that the car is quite a bit heavier with the food in the back of the car. You need a bit more gas if it's heavier, so maybe that's why?

phasers

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

Or it could be that the car is quite a bit heavier with the food in the back of the car. You need a bit more gas if it's heavier, so maybe that's why?

I'd actually never thought of that! Thanks

Makes total sense, I'll have to remember that next week

Swatka

i conked out today on a pretest... but i was in first so i just went back on the clutch to just below the bite started it quickly and kept moving. the instructor was impressed lol.


i get confused between my car and his... mines a rover 414i and his is a new corsa... the clutch difference messes with my head.

**Timbuk2**

Swatka wrote: »

i get confused between my car and his... mines a rover 414i and his is a new corsa... the clutch difference messes with my head.

That used to happen to me as well! My instructor's car was an 09 Corsa, and it had a 'sharper' clutch than the 98 Starlet I was used to driving! When you were going to move you would expect the clutch to behave the same, which usually led me to rev the engine a bit too much, or possibly cut out.

The more you drive, the quicker you adjust to new cars.

Jenna69

OMG i conked out in the middle of a roundabout yesterday, i went into it ok but i slowed down as i was turning and when i went to accelerate into my exit i conked out, couldn't understand what i did wrong. I started up the engine again, into 1st gear and onto acc while letting up clutch and out again, this happened three times until i realised i wasn't on the acc at all but kept hitting the brake instead of acc. No wonder i couldn't take off. Can you tell i'm on a LP :o:o
Also thanks to the van driver coming behind me for giving me plenty of time to recover and not hurrying me by beeping me along. Cheers;)

cosmic

I conked out in a car park yesterday. I was reversing out of my spot and my car died. Sometimes when I turn on the engine the car's really shaky and the clutch is super sensitive. I said this to a mechanic and he said it's because it's an old car. If I feel it shake I normally have to lay on the accellerator - I hope if this happens in my test the tester understands. Knowing my luck it will happen pulling out of the test centre car park on the day :rolleyes:

danthefan

Been driving since about last October, I still stall occasionally.

af_thefragile

Clonked out 3 times today.
I like to play with the clutch while stopped at the lights on in heavy traffic. Keep the car like balanced on the clutch to stay stationary without using breaks.
Works most time but sometime while taking off I take my foot off the clutch a little too early or don't give enough gas... But I don't take too long to recover to it doesn't matter too much!

highlydebased

I conk out at the same set of lights all the time. They change very quickly too...I hence avoid it. And I'm on my pink license 7 months to the day. (Not that it makes a difference)

**Timbuk2**

af_thefragile wrote: »

Clonked out 3 times today.
I like to play with the clutch while stopped at the lights on in heavy traffic. Keep the car like balanced on the clutch to stay stationary without using breaks.
Works most time but sometime while taking off I take my foot off the clutch a little too early or don't give enough gas... But I don't take too long to recover to it doesn't matter too much!

You shouldn't hold the car on the clutch. You will most definitely burn out the clutch eventually by doing that. They are very expensive to replace. Use the handbrake instead.

Max Power1

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

You shouldn't hold the car on the clutch. You will most definitely burn out the clutch eventually by doing that. They are very expensive to replace. Use the handbrake instead.

^this^

Exactly what I was going to say. The clutch wont last long if you use it to balance the car!

Leeg17

Yesterday turning right at a T junction, (on the road going perpendicular to the _ of the T lol), stopped, went in a gap but the car coming sped up , tried to go into second gear without speeding up enough. Conked. Had to put on emergency lights to let him overtake as clearly he had no patience lol

starlit

monday, when pulling up! just started on my 2nd permit so as a learner driver still have a long way to go, can conk out during the most simplest tasks i.e. pulling out!:(
Especially at junctions (very dangerous i know) and conked out in the middle of the road a few times and when in traffic and worst of all on a hill/give.