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> Its a stick shift so remote start is pointless since someone has to press the clutch in. I have driven stick shift cars my whole life, and never encountered

> Its a stick shift so remote start is pointless since someone has to press the clutch in. I have driven stick shift cars my whole life, and never encountered one where I had to press in the clutch to start the engine.

tonteldoos 5y ago
Unless you park uphill/downhill, and leave it in first as an added safety measure with the parking brake...
mulmen 5y ago
Wait, what? You... start your car in neutral? Like... with the clutch out? I have never actually tried that. I will have to experiment next time I am in my car. On the other hand my 1990 Honda motorcycle must be in neutral to start (there is no clutch position switch) and I don't use the clutch there. Very handy because people love to sit on it for selfies when I park it and they tend to jam it into gear while crawling on it. I assume it is in neutral (I always park that way) and if I hit the starter in gear it would shoot across the street. Thinking about it I suppose that protects me from bumping the starter while riding as well.
- rightbyte 5y ago
  Be advised that you increase the risk of driving off accidentally at start by just being in neutral. The clutch is a good double safe that you feel the whole time whkle starting where as the gear is just a check in advance that you can mess up.
  - mulmen 5y ago
    I always put the clutch in when starting my car. On the bike I trust the neutral switch, which you are right, I shouldn’t. It had to be in neutral to park but no guarantee randos haven’t crawled on it. So far the switch did it’s job.
    - rightbyte 5y ago
      Ye I believe that fundamentally the check "am I pressing the clutch down" is simpler than "did I put in neutral" when cranking since the former requires no memory.
- mulmen 5y ago
  In case the future internet cares I tried this in my 2010 BMW and with the transmission in neutral and the clutch out the car will turn on but not start until the clutch is depressed.
derrikcurran 5y ago
Wait, does that mean you park in neutral?
- perryizgr8 5y ago
  Yes, I engage the hand brake usually.
  - derrikcurran 5y ago
    Ah ok. I usually use the hand brake as well, but I also park in gear so that the engine will help stop the car from moving, especially if the brake fails. I use 1st gear except when facing down a slope in which case I use reverse, for obvious reasons. I guess an argument could be made that if you're on flat ground, leaving it in neutral will protect your gears if someone were to hit your car hard enough.
to11mtm 5y ago
Really? Every stick car I've owned (2.5 Saturns, 1 Subaru) has had some sort of interlock switch set up such that if the clutch pedal was not pressed in, turning the ignition would do nothing, whether or not the Car is in gear.
overgard 5y ago
Wait so you just park your car in neutral? I mean, I know you CAN do that, but it's generally frowned upon. With the push button start I dont have the option, clutch and brake have to be pressed in or it doesn't even attempt to start
- agurk 5y ago
  When I was taught to drive a while ago (but at least still this millennium) I was instructed to park in neutral with the handbrake on. I was also taught the drill of starting the engine would involve checking the car was in neutral and to this end the instructor would always leave it in gear to catch me out if I didn't check. To this day I still instinctively wobble the gear stick to check it's in neutral. There was a recommendation to consider leaving it in gear if on a steep hill. I had three different instructors over my time, and all said the same thing. This was in the UK where driving a manual is the expectation for a test - if you take the test in an automatic you are issued a limited licence which prohibits driving manual cars (which is the large majority of cars in Europe). I have noticed when driving/being driven in the US that handbrakes are hardly used. I have partly assumed as 'P' on an automatic is sufficient most of the time, and also that education seems to be different - lots of people call it the e(mergency)-brake, i.e. not something to be used regularly. That all being said, all the manuals I've driven in the last ten or so years require the clutch depressed to start the engine, which always felt like a strange requirement as I knew it was in neutral. I've never driven a manual in the US so I have no idea what's standard there.
  - emerongi 5y ago
    Same in Eastern Europe. Park in neutral with handbrake on. I leave the gear in when parking on an incline. Older generation always parks with the gear in though.
  - overgard 5y ago
    Weird, in the US the way it's taught is you always put the car into first gear when it's at rest (and pull the hand brake, and turn your wheels towards the curb). But yeah, most people drive automatics and just leave the transmission in park.
everdrive 5y ago
I have also driven stick shift cars my whole life, and I've only had one that would let you start it without depressing the clutch. It was a 1985 Honda Accord. I had never driven stick before, so when I went to start the engine, the car immediately lurched forward and stalled. Every car I've had since then has required me to depress the clutch before it will attempt to turn over the engine.
jjav 5y ago
> I have driven stick shift cars my whole life, and never encountered one where I had to press in the clutch to start the engine. I think it's mostly a USA thing? Too many lawyers. My 90s BMW (US market) didn't need the clutch pressed to start, but all my other cars have had that annoyance. I usually disable it so I can start the car normally.

tonteldoos 5y ago

Unless you park uphill/downhill, and leave it in first as an added safety measure with the parking brake...

mulmen 5y ago

Wait, what? You... start your car in neutral? Like... with the clutch out? I have never actually tried that. I will have to experiment next time I am in my car. On the other hand my 1990 Honda motorcycle must be in neutral to start (there is no clutch position switch) and I don't use the clutch there. Very handy because people love to sit on it for selfies when I park it and they tend to jam it into gear while crawling on it. I assume it is in neutral (I always park that way) and if I hit the starter in gear it would shoot across the street. Thinking about it I suppose that protects me from bumping the starter while riding as well.

rightbyte 5y ago
Be advised that you increase the risk of driving off accidentally at start by just being in neutral. The clutch is a good double safe that you feel the whole time whkle starting where as the gear is just a check in advance that you can mess up.
- mulmen 5y ago
  I always put the clutch in when starting my car. On the bike I trust the neutral switch, which you are right, I shouldn’t. It had to be in neutral to park but no guarantee randos haven’t crawled on it. So far the switch did it’s job.
  - rightbyte 5y ago
    Ye I believe that fundamentally the check "am I pressing the clutch down" is simpler than "did I put in neutral" when cranking since the former requires no memory.
mulmen 5y ago
In case the future internet cares I tried this in my 2010 BMW and with the transmission in neutral and the clutch out the car will turn on but not start until the clutch is depressed.

derrikcurran 5y ago

Wait, does that mean you park in neutral?

perryizgr8 5y ago
Yes, I engage the hand brake usually.
- derrikcurran 5y ago
  Ah ok. I usually use the hand brake as well, but I also park in gear so that the engine will help stop the car from moving, especially if the brake fails. I use 1st gear except when facing down a slope in which case I use reverse, for obvious reasons. I guess an argument could be made that if you're on flat ground, leaving it in neutral will protect your gears if someone were to hit your car hard enough.

to11mtm 5y ago

Really? Every stick car I've owned (2.5 Saturns, 1 Subaru) has had some sort of interlock switch set up such that if the clutch pedal was not pressed in, turning the ignition would do nothing, whether or not the Car is in gear.

overgard 5y ago

Wait so you just park your car in neutral? I mean, I know you CAN do that, but it's generally frowned upon. With the push button start I dont have the option, clutch and brake have to be pressed in or it doesn't even attempt to start

agurk 5y ago
When I was taught to drive a while ago (but at least still this millennium) I was instructed to park in neutral with the handbrake on. I was also taught the drill of starting the engine would involve checking the car was in neutral and to this end the instructor would always leave it in gear to catch me out if I didn't check. To this day I still instinctively wobble the gear stick to check it's in neutral. There was a recommendation to consider leaving it in gear if on a steep hill. I had three different instructors over my time, and all said the same thing. This was in the UK where driving a manual is the expectation for a test - if you take the test in an automatic you are issued a limited licence which prohibits driving manual cars (which is the large majority of cars in Europe). I have noticed when driving/being driven in the US that handbrakes are hardly used. I have partly assumed as 'P' on an automatic is sufficient most of the time, and also that education seems to be different - lots of people call it the e(mergency)-brake, i.e. not something to be used regularly. That all being said, all the manuals I've driven in the last ten or so years require the clutch depressed to start the engine, which always felt like a strange requirement as I knew it was in neutral. I've never driven a manual in the US so I have no idea what's standard there.
- emerongi 5y ago
  Same in Eastern Europe. Park in neutral with handbrake on. I leave the gear in when parking on an incline. Older generation always parks with the gear in though.
- overgard 5y ago
  Weird, in the US the way it's taught is you always put the car into first gear when it's at rest (and pull the hand brake, and turn your wheels towards the curb). But yeah, most people drive automatics and just leave the transmission in park.

everdrive 5y ago

I have also driven stick shift cars my whole life, and I've only had one that would let you start it without depressing the clutch. It was a 1985 Honda Accord. I had never driven stick before, so when I went to start the engine, the car immediately lurched forward and stalled. Every car I've had since then has required me to depress the clutch before it will attempt to turn over the engine.

jjav 5y ago

> I have driven stick shift cars my whole life, and never encountered one where I had to press in the clutch to start the engine. I think it's mostly a USA thing? Too many lawyers. My 90s BMW (US market) didn't need the clutch pressed to start, but all my other cars have had that annoyance. I usually disable it so I can start the car normally.