Automatic car: unexpected benefit

30-04-2019 11:35am #1

Have the auto box for about 9 months now and since I got it I've had a very good run of not being bent over with back pain.
Just being able to rest my foot even in the city, as opposed to having it primed over the clutch (and the depressing action), leaves me much more comfortable after a journey and not stiff up legs and back.

Think that I am stuck on auto from now on, which is not something I thought that I would ever say

*Edit* I am prone to lower back pain anyway, not like the manual was the cause of the pain but did feel worse after long a long drive

zilog_jones · 30-04-2019 11:56am

I'm not sure about back pain, but I used to have a lot more trouble with my left knee until I switched to an automatic. That combined with cruise control makes the long journeys so much easier. I couldn't go back, not for a daily driver anyway.

demanufactured · 30-04-2019 2:05pm

My next car will be an auto.

colm_mcm · 30-04-2019 2:09pm

Makes sense. Cruise control is great for the back too.

vectra · 30-04-2019 2:09pm

my next car is auto !
Oh
And petrol

colm_mcm · 30-04-2019 2:10pm

vectra wrote: »

my next car is auto !
Oh
And petrol

Not a fcukin Camry hybrid I hope.

I predict you didn’t actually like the Mondeo, want to go back to VAG stuff. Probably some sort of crossover.

vectra · 30-04-2019 2:12pm

colm_mcm wrote: »

Not a fcukin Camry hybrid I hope.

I predict you didn’t actually like the Mondeo, want to go back to VAG stuff. Probably some sort of crossover.

Almost 100% correct in your reply
I will give you 95% :pac::pac:

dastardly00 · 30-04-2019 2:16pm

I have my auto nearly three months now and it's the greatest thing since slice bread. I have no desire whatsoever to go back to a manual gearbox for my daily driver. I too can suffer from back pain and not having to use a clutch has helped me a lot

jmreire · 30-04-2019 2:49pm

I have been driving manual's all my life, and much preferred them to Automatics...one reason being that in snow or ice, they don't hold the road as good as a manual. Secondly, automatics tended to be heavier on fuel, and thirdly, if an auto transmission gives trouble, it can be very expensive to put right.
Then 15 mths ago, I bought a car that I really liked,,,,but it was Automatic. I took a chance anyway, and I have now joined the ranks of the Automatic Brigade. For the snow-winter conditions, I bought a set of snow chain's.... but have yet to used them. It is a bit heavier on fuel than my previous manual, but I can live with that... the ease of driving makes it worthwhile. As for transmission problem's ..proper maintenance and servicing will definitely lessen the risk of expensive repairs. I got back into a manual a few days ago....nearly had to re-learn all the moves again.. kept expecting the gearbox to do the changes itself....so now, as standard, all future purchases will be automatic.

30-04-2019 2:55pm

jmreire wrote: »

I have been driving manual's all my life, and much preferred them to Automatics...one reason being that in snow or ice, they don't hold the road as good as a manual. Secondly, automatics tended to be heavier on fuel, and thirdly, if an auto transmission gives trouble, it can be very expensive to put right.
Then 15 mths ago, I bought a car that I really liked,,,,but it was Automatic. I took a chance anyway, and I have now joined the ranks of the Automatic Brigade. For the snow-winter conditions, I bought a set of snow chain's.... but have yet to used them. It is a bit heavier on fuel than my previous manual, but I can live with that... the ease of driving makes it worthwhile. As for transmission problem's ..proper maintenance and servicing will definitely lessen the risk of expensive repairs. I got back into a manual a few days ago....nearly had to re-learn all the moves again.. kept expecting the gearbox to do the changes itself....so now, as standard, all future purchases will be automatic.

I had mine out in some serious (for Cork) snow/ice conditions, a few months back.
Put it in tip tronic and no issues. Other than me changing gear, by habit, on a hill which caused the same traction loss I would have had in the manual.

30-04-2019 3:13pm

Clutches in cars are gradually becoming a thing of the past, with the advance of hybrid and electric cars. It’s years and years since I drove a car with a clutch, they will some time soon enough be like cars of my grandmother’s day when she had to double-declutch to move her crash gears.

zilog_jones · 30-04-2019 3:17pm

I drove my Prius in the snow last year, "Eco Mode" reduces throttle response so it was very easy to accelerate gently without losing traction, and the traction control would kick in and cut power if I tried doing anything dumb. Continuously variable so no option to change gears anyway. Was easier than any manual in the snow.

Wibbs · 30-04-2019 3:38pm

Never had any issue with clutches or manuals regarding back or leg discomfort. Seats another matter. After a long drive anyway. All but one of my jalopies have had Recaros and I'd find it bloody hard to sit in anything else for long. A mate has a very nice Beemer. Lovely place to be in, except for the seats. I find them too hard with not enough side support. Then again I'd be about 1.5 Mick Jaggers in build so that's much of it.

30-04-2019 3:46pm

Wibbs wrote: »

Never had any issue with clutches or manuals regarding back or leg discomfort. Seats another matter. After a long drive anyway. All but one of my jalopies have had Recaros and I'd find it bloody hard to sit in anything else for long. A mate has a very nice Beemer. Lovely place to be in, except for the seats. I find them too hard with not enough side support. Then again I'd be about 1.5 Mick Jaggers in build so that's much of it.

If you sit in a chair and lift your foot (as you would hovering over a clutch), it's your lower back that will work to keep your balance. You'll feel it tense up a bit (well my fecked lower back does anyway)

jmreire · 30-04-2019 7:19pm

Deleted User wrote: »

I had mine out in some serious (for Cork) snow/ice conditions, a few months back.
Put it in tip tronic and no issues. Other than me changing gear, by habit, on a hill which caused the same traction loss I would have had in the manual.

You have TipTronic in your car, so I would hazard a guess that it is a VAG car? ( VW, Skoda, Audi etc) with front wheel drive.? So much better traction than a rear wheel drive like mine. Last time we had some snow, mine would not even climb the slight slope on the drive way up to the main road...... had to use a shovel and a yard brush to get her up....was not so bad on the main road, as the traffic had cleared a good path.

Voodoomelon · 30-04-2019 7:46pm

The auto/manual debate should be well and truly over in this day and age. The only reason manuals still exist is economy of production.
Manuals are a complete and utter waste of a drivers effort for 99% of driving.

Anyone who has never driven an automatic (actually the only caveat is it needs to be a good automatic) should seriously consider one next time round.

James Bond Junior · 30-04-2019 7:48pm

I daily an auto and summer a manual. I never miss the manual but I do miss the auto at times. My mother, wife to be and all her family are auto and swear by them.

jmreire · 30-04-2019 8:31pm

Wibbs wrote: »

Never had any issue with clutches or manuals regarding back or leg discomfort. Seats another matter. After a long drive anyway. All but one of my jalopies have had Recaros and I'd find it bloody hard to sit in anything else for long. A mate has a very nice Beemer. Lovely place to be in, except for the seats. I find them too hard with not enough side support. Then again I'd be about 1.5 Mick Jaggers in build so that's much of it.

It's quite surprising really when you think about it......the nr of "high End" cars that have seats that are not as comfortable as you would like. And you are not the 1st that I have heard making the same comment...

Wibbs · 30-04-2019 8:45pm

Deleted User wrote: »

If you sit in a chair and lift your foot (as you would hovering over a clutch), it's your lower back that will work to keep your balance. You'll feel it tense up a bit (well my fecked lower back does anyway)

Well C_e you just had me sitting like an eejit with me leg in the air, you barsteward.

Didn't feel the tension so my back must be OK enough in that regard. More luck than judgement mind you.

jmreire wrote: »

You have TipTronic in your car, so I would hazard a guess that it is a VAG car? ( VW, Skoda, Audi etc) with front wheel drive.? So much better traction than a rear wheel drive like mine.

Front wheel drive, snow tyres and a limited slip diff for the win.

jmreire wrote: »

It's quite surprising really when you think about it......the nr of "high End" cars that have seats that are not as comfortable as you would like. And you are not the 1st that I have heard making the same comment...

Same here J. I have generally found that outside of the real top end stuff with third party seats like Recaros standard seats in Beemers, Mercs and Audis to be too bench like for my bony arse anyway. Lexus seats I've found too soft. Stuff like Ford and the like generally better. Again for me. Go back twenty years however and the higher end stuff had better seats. I used to muse that maybe their wider entry into the US market and that market's extra arseage had something to do with it?

corks finest · 30-04-2019 8:50pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Have the auto box for about 9 months now and since I got it I've had a very good run of not being bent over with back pain.
Just being able to rest my foot even in the city, as opposed to having it primed over the clutch (and the depressing action), leaves me much more comfortable after a journey and not stiff up legs and back.

Think that I am stuck on auto from now on, which is not something I thought that I would ever say

*Edit* I am prone to lower back pain anyway, not like the manual was the cause of the pain but did feel worse after long a long drive

I will never go back to manual ( stuck in traffic is a night mare with a manual

30-04-2019 8:50pm

jmreire wrote: »

You have TipTronic in your car, so I would hazard a guess that it is a VAG car? ( VW, Skoda, Audi etc) with front wheel drive.? So much better traction than a rear wheel drive like mine. Last time we had some snow, mine would not even climb the slight slope on the drive way up to the main road...... had to use a shovel and a yard brush to get her up....was not so bad on the main road, as the traffic had cleared a good path.

Well Geartronic. Volvo S80 so yeah FWD

Also... Great seats

jmreire · 30-04-2019 8:55pm

Wibbs wrote: »

Well C_e you just had me sitting like an eejit with me leg in the air, you barsteward. Didn't feel the tension so my back must be OK enough in that regard. More luck than judgement mind you.

Front wheel drive, snow tyres and a limited slip diff for the win.

YUP !! That will do the trick with an Automatic. I have a set if chains for mine,,, just in case, as realistically, we don't often get the amount of snow that is got in other Country's, and even when we do get a heavy snow fall....it does not last too long, but just in case... I have the chain's.

Odyssey 2005 · 30-04-2019 8:58pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Have the auto box for about 9 months now and since I got it I've had a very good run of not being bent over with back pain.
Just being able to rest my foot even in the city, as opposed to having it primed over the clutch (and the depressing action), leaves me much more comfortable after a journey and not stiff up legs and back.

Think that I am stuck on auto from now on, which is not something I thought that I would ever say

*Edit* I am prone to lower back pain anyway, not like the manual was the cause of the pain but did feel worse after long a long drive

Also great if your eating an ice cream cone,or a burger. Much easier

Spanish Eyes · 30-04-2019 8:59pm

Automatic for me now all the way. On the few occasions I had to drive with gear stick, it was no big deal to switch, but the auto is the biz.

Will become the norm in time too I think.

corminators · 30-04-2019 9:17pm

Most people in Dublin should be on auto. All that start stop traffic.

It's faster to move off in traffic too which helps get more people thru the light phases. Sure, some manual drivers could get the clutch ready for when the next guy moves off but most don't bother.

I still switch gears the odd time with an auto if necessary to suit the conditions. Some you just tap the stick a little to go up or down. Still, no clutch needed.

Wibbs · 30-04-2019 10:49pm

Jaysus, I'm surrounded by bad backs, knees and lazy Americans.

corminators wrote:

It's faster to move off in traffic too which helps get more people thru the light phases. Sure, some manual drivers could get the clutch ready for when the next guy moves off but most don't bother.

Actually yeah C that's a good point and something that makes my teeth itch are those dopey morons that seem to take ten minutes to realise the light turned green and another ten to put the damned car in gear.

Still, ye'll have to take it from my cold dead hands...

(and they're usually hot, or cold, depending on the weather. Leather knob's are better. Oh err...)

ForestFire · 30-04-2019 10:53pm

New car sitting in Dublin port waiting on transport to my garage.

First auto car 1.5 dsg petrol and adaptive cruise control.

Also have lower back problems and some car seats are so bad for this and constant left leg clutch movement also plays havoc over long journeys. (Country roads through many villages)

the_syco · 30-04-2019 11:22pm

Mate got an auto, as he needed a 7 seater (that could take three baby seats). He finds it grand, and his wife loves it as it's easier on her back.

Have used auto when in Canada, both in Toronto (uHaul truck) and Calgary (Dodge Grand Caravan). The only thing that I didn't like about the auto was that I couldn't drop a gear when I wanted to overtake. Aside from that, found them great, especially on the hill starts! Have a manual Mondeo atm, and tbh, I'll stick with manuals whilst in Ireland.

zilog_jones · 01-05-2019 9:31am

the_syco wrote: »

The only thing that I didn't like about the auto was that I couldn't drop a gear when I wanted to overtake.

Just floor it and it'll kick down, couldn't be easier

01-05-2019 9:37am

zilog_jones wrote: »

Just floor it and it'll kick down, couldn't be easier

Takes a bit of getting used to the lag. When I first got it I was making the move before the gear change had happened and had no bloody power.
You get used to it.

Odyssey 2005 · 01-05-2019 9:42am

zilog_jones wrote: »

Just floor it and it'll kick down, couldn't be easier

Sport mode . A great button altogether:)

01-05-2019 9:49am

Odyssey 2005 wrote: »

Sport mode . A great button altogether:)

I wish...
My button reduces power (Eco+) and "sports" just disables traction control

Saying that if I do floor it in Eco+ the computer realises I need power and ignores the Eco mode and the autobox and throttle revert to normal, for as long as it's floored.

zilog_jones · 01-05-2019 9:50am

Deleted User wrote: »

Takes a bit of getting used to the lag. When I first got it I was making the move before the gear change had happened and had no bloody power.
You get used to it.

I would be shifting down in a manual before making the manoeuvre anyway, and that takes time too. Modern autos aren't exactly slow to react.

01-05-2019 9:53am

zilog_jones wrote: »

I would be shifting down in a manual before making the manoeuvre anyway, and that takes time too. Modern autos aren't exactly slow to react.

Oh I know, and I would too. It's just that once you downshift you THEN hit the pedal, with instant power.
With the auto you hit the pedal, then the (auto) downshift, then power. Took me, maybe, twice to adjust to the order change.

Wibbs · 01-05-2019 10:19am

Deleted User wrote: »

Takes a bit of getting used to the lag. When I first got it I was making the move before the gear change had happened and had no bloody power.
You get used to it.

I never did get used to an auto TBH Ce. I never found one that changed gear when I would even half the time, never mind in "spirited" driving. If anything old style auto slush boxes that clunked between gears were easier for me to live with because I had low expectations going in.

Personally I'd have two choices; EV with essentially one seamless "gear" and/or a manual ICE, knob or paddle*. Cruise control I've never had. Doubt I'd use it TBH. I mean it's hardly a hassle to keep a throttle pedal in position. Granted if you've got a bad back or the like, then hell yeah. I had a bad lower back issue once for a couple of months and jaysus it was a bloody purgatory that affected my daily life in ways I would have never imagined. I can't imagine how that would be if it was permanent. :eek:

Wouldn't wish it on anyone TBH. Funny enough at the time the only seat that I didn't end up cursing my lot in was my cars.

*which sounds like a request at a pool orgy.

roguey · 01-05-2019 11:24am

On this note, I'm looking to get a new car, looking heavily at a 2010ish Civic. I've only driven an auto once, recently in a rental focus and I loved it. I do get back problems when driving, so I would very much consider getting one. Has anyone any experience with the auto in a Civic? I believe its called i-powershift or something like that and can be an acquired taste.

twin_beacon · 01-05-2019 11:39am

I really want an automatic gearbox in my next car. Spending time in daily traffic give me pain in my left leg

colm_mcm · 01-05-2019 11:52am

roguey wrote: »

On this note, I'm looking to get a new car, looking heavily at a 2010ish Civic. I've only driven an auto once, recently in a rental focus and I loved it. I do get back problems when driving, so I would very much consider getting one. Has anyone any experience with the auto in a Civic? I believe its called i-powershift or something like that and can be an acquired taste.

Toyotafanboi here had one and liked it. My opinion is that all these mechanised manual boxes are largely the same and have the same drawbacks.

Seve OB · 01-05-2019 11:56am

do these automatic cars also do away with having to use a choke

?Cee?view · 01-05-2019 12:13pm

This is the most depressing thread.

Visions of driverless, auto eco electo purgatory....

dastardly00 · 01-05-2019 12:42pm

?Cee?view wrote: »

This is the most depressing thread.

Visions of driverless, auto eco electo purgatory....

That's not necessarily true though. I find my auto-box very, very fun... a GTI DSG

Dero · 01-05-2019 12:56pm

?Cee?view wrote: »

This is the most depressing thread.

Visions of driverless, auto eco electo purgatory....

Depressing? You're clutching at straws now. :pac:

On topic, my wife has a Peugeot 3008 with the 8-speed auto, and there is no comparison to a manual. Before that she had an "automated manual" and while it was OK, the proper auto is a different beast altogether. It is such a relaxing car to drive, especially on longer drives and stop/start traffic.

My daily commute can be very stop/start (M7/N7) and my next car is 100% going to be an automatic.

mooseknunkle · 01-05-2019 1:01pm

Ive been driving an auto the last 7 years and id never go back to a manual i had a rental for a week and it was a nightmare hated every minute driving it! I dont know why more people aren't driving autos,you can drink a cup of coffee and eat a chicken fillet roll with worrying about changing gears whats not to like

dudara · 01-05-2019 1:03pm

I have to be a dissenting voice here. I haven’t met an automatic gearbox yet that I liked. The times lags particularly annoy me. I infinitely prefer the control that comes with manual. Auto just feels so soulless to me.

Having said that, I realise the market is moving in the opposite direction, especially with electric. I have some test drives set up for the new 3 series soon, so let’s see if that changes my opinion.

CoBo55 · 01-05-2019 1:21pm

ForestFire wrote: »

New car sitting in Dublin port waiting on transport to my garage.

First auto car 1.5 dsg petrol and adaptive cruise control.

Also have lower back problems and some car seats are so bad for this and constant left leg clutch movement also plays havoc over long journeys. (Country roads through many villages)

What is it? Octavia, Golf?

CoBo55 · 01-05-2019 1:24pm

Last two cars were dsg, gone back to manual.. I'm comfortable with either.

ForestFire · 01-05-2019 3:01pm

CoBo55 wrote: »

What is it? Octavia, Golf?

Ha ha close, buts it's the other one you left out ;-) (no not the Porsche!)

Current car is Octavia Estate manual 1.2 TSI, that's going back as a trade in.

I had a choice of the new 1l Tsi, but needed something better to progress to in terms of power and Dsg.

Pretzill · 01-05-2019 4:10pm

Double Post

Pretzill · 01-05-2019 4:10pm

I love my automatic too. But unlike the OP I end up getting a pain in my left leg on longer journeys because I'm not using it my knee sort of locks up. Having said that, it's very fuel efficient and is a smooth drive.

blastman · 01-05-2019 4:30pm

Went automatic for the first time about 9 months ago after swearing I never would. I have to say I do like it as a daily drive, as the commute is no fun anyway, generally speaking. It's big and comfortable (even mates who drive Mercs and BMWs concede it's more comfortable to travel in) but can pick up its skirts when required.

I do have a weekend car for manual fun, when required. Best of both worlds.

Wibbs · 01-05-2019 4:33pm

dudara wrote: »

I have to be a dissenting voice here. I haven’t met an automatic gearbox yet that I liked. The times lags particularly annoy me. I infinitely prefer the control that comes with manual.

This. Like I say I never found one where I wasn't regularly looking down at the gearbox going WTF? You change now? Or not.

Automatic car: unexpected benefit

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