I prefer auto transmissions, always rent them, but own a manual because SWMBO was given the keys of an auto to move without any thought of instruction by her boss and frightend herself (twice). How do I convince her that autos are easier to drive than manuals. I have offered to rent an auto to teach her how to drive one, and explained the auto driving licence limitations due to manuals being more difficult to drive.
Any other ideas? New car on the horizon, I want auto, she wont entertain.
New SWMBO not an option, too expensive!
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I would point out that once DRIVE is engaged she has no need to take her left hand off the steering wheel. Also her left foot must not leave the floor. Using her right foot, press the pedal on the right and the car will go faster, press the pedal on the left and the car goes slower. Easy peasy. Good Luck.
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If your wife will agree to it, why not book her an hour with a qualified driving instructor in an auto. Better that than you renting a car and the two of you coming to blows ! If at the end of her hour's practice with a pro she still won't go for it.....um...buy another manual I'm afraid.
Edit - for what it's worth, my wife has no problem driving autos but just doesn't care for them. I have no preference really. Both types of gearboxes have their advantages and disadvantages.
Edited by Humph Backbridge on 04/07/2009 at 21:35
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Navy from your post i'd bet the good lady had the dubious displeasure of her first taste of the gearbox from hell....the automated manual known by various aliases usually a series of 3 letters to make it sound cool, trendy and the biz...not my experience..;)
To me they feel like driving with your tipsy mate operating the clutch pedal but badly, truly hideous creation 'spawn of the devil'.
By the way did i mention i don't like them?
Take her for a test drive in a proper auto and i'd be very surprised if she didn't love it instantly.
It would have to be something very special to tempt me away from from real auto's.
There's a distinct possibility however of eggy clock again if the car she moved was a proper auto, but i somehow doubt it....he said with fingers and everything else crossed..;)
By the way 2 years or so ago i arrived at a dealer to deliver some motors, and found the front showroom window had disappeared inside with an almighty crash...yes some poor soul had found out the hard way the pleasures of the gearbox from hell.
Edited by gordonbennet on 04/07/2009 at 22:16
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Tell her to curl her left leg under her right leg. The leg won't then be tempted to push a pedal. After two or three days she will wonder what all the trouble was about.
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gordonbennet. OK - I'll be the one to bite. What is the "gearbox from hell"?
I drive an automatic. Switched from manual 12 years ago.
SWMBO refused to drive my car for years and years. Then she drove it when I insisted that she should learn to do so in case of an emergency. Result - when she recently got rid of her old banger under the scrappage scheme she bought a car with an Automatic gearbox!
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--------->>>>> What is the "gearbox from hell"? <<<<<----------
cars.about.com/od/thingsyouneedtoknow/a/ag_howDSGw...m
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I'll be the one to bite. What is the "gearbox from hell"?
Ok i admit i'm biased...did i mention i hate automated manuals?
Gearbox from hell is my own phrase for a so called automatic that is really a manual that has a relatively normal clutch operated by electrickery and controlled by yet another ECU, which also takes it upon itself to release the throttle and reapply it once the change has taken place.
It sounds good in theory, and some are better than others to be fair.
It's my own personal hell as i have the dubious pleasure of having a 12 speed version of this thing on the truck i drive..and yes it's about as much use as the proverbial chocolate teapot!
So good is it and so dangerous (being so slow) to pull out of junctions with, let alone hope that it could possibly select the correct gear when resuming power.
When for instance rolling up to a roundabout and then being able to keep going without stopping the box is totally unable to resume by selecting the correct gear, and makes a steady resumption of progress into a pigs ear of erratic mimsing.
So i drive my fully automatic truck in manaul mode for my sanity (questionable) and the sake of maintaining progress of some sort.
Getting back to cars fitted with this, to be fair most drivers will find them ok for general running around and open road driving, where they really show their weakness is in heavy stop/start and slow moving traffic.
They are at their worst imo when trying to close manoeuvre, especially if there's a kerb or pot holes involved or on a steep hill.
And you should try to load them on a transporter..listen carefully to the driver to learn lots of new words..;)
Just out of interest LDO, which auto's do you have?
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Quite agree with Humph - SWMBO is the same as Mrs. Backbridge, as she likes to be in control, and thinks she loses some of that control with an auto.
I do think you need quite a powerful engine for the size of car to get the best out of an automatic - a conventional automatic at any rate. Also if you're thinking about a diesel, make sure that Mrs Old Navy (the Wren?) can put up with the drone that a 4-cylinder diesel makes coupled with an auto box.
VW's DSG and Ford's Powershift transmissions make sense, but like GB, I can't for the life of me see the point of those semi-automatic outfits where you have to change gear but without a clutch. Citroen must lose a lot of Picasso sales as the 2.0 diesel can only be had with this setup. The same goes for Smart.
I know that husbands and wives have to compromise sometimes, but semi-automatic isn't the sort of compromise that would lead to marital bliss. Martial, more like.....
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Now on her 3rd Auto, Erin Dors wouldn't entertain going back to a manual. She didn't like the idea of an auto but fell in love in day or so.
Ted
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Never push an auto onto someone who doesnt want one
it always ends up in a wall
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Having followed the link to that DSG system it sounds like a clever piece of engineering that would enhance one's driving pleasure no end.
So what happens in practice then?
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Another plus point for autos is " up hill starts" no fiddling with hand brakes,biting points etc the car won't roll back, all taken care of by those wonderful automatic gearboxes. Also it,s virtually impossible to stall an auto.
Edited by maltrap on 05/07/2009 at 18:01
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Suggest that she tries driving auto with left shoe removed
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Just out of interest LDO, which auto's do you have?
gordonbennet - thank you very much for giving such a thorough answer to my question.
I can now understand why you dislike the gearbox of your work vehicle. I would hate it as well.
The autos that I drive are a 6 speed BMW steptronic, and a 5 speed Mercedes auto box with manual override. (I'm not rich, by the way, I just had a one-off windfall inheritance).
Both are torque converter + planetary gear types. I only ever drive them as straight autos.
Before that, I had a Nissan Primera with a CVT auto, which I was really happy with.
I'd never go back to a manual gearbox, but the BMW is disappointing. It insists on always starting off in second gear, and can be frightening pulling out of junctions. Dealer checked it, and gave me an official print out showing that this is "normal". I've had BMW loan cars which all drive the same as mine - so I know that there is nothing particularly unusual about my car.
I'd like to get a car with a better automatic box.
On paper, the VW/Audi DSG box looks the answer. Figures for conventional auto boxes carry a large penalty over their manual equivalents in terms of performance and fuel economy. However with DSG this is not the case.
The technology looks clever, and very believable. It looks modern compared to a planetary gearbox, which harks back to days when there were no electronics and all the controls were comparatively clumsy analog ones.
So that I could see what they were actually like to drive, I tried a DSG gearbox in an Audi A3 and really liked it in stop-start traffic, and on twisty country roads. However the A3 is too small for me. I need an A4-sized car, and you can't get a DSG-type box on an A4 - only a CVT type. *Sigh*
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We can help you here: you can get a Skoda Octavia - same platform as the A4 but with much more room even in the hatchback - with DSG, as indeed you can get the Golf. The Golf estate has slightly less space than the Octavia estate but more than the A4.
Edited by Avant on 05/07/2009 at 21:47
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Just checked out the HJ review (and one-or-two others).
You are dead right - the Octavia hatchback is a very impressive car.
Another one to add to the "seriously consider" list.
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>>. Also it s virtually impossible to stall an auto.
You've clearly never driven with my father!
I've never known anyone to make a constant hash of driving at automatic... he's owned it for 12 years and still messes it up!
I'm not fond of the idea of an automatic, I like being able to choose my gears - I know the road conditions the box doesn't. (maybe its a female thing)
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 06/07/2009 at 00:47
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