My Embarrassment

[pederito1]

Took car for a MOT and cam belt change yesterday. They lent me what I thought a nice Seat Mii which I had not heard of, automatic and very new to go home in, I don`t really like autos but kid myself I can drive anything. Anyway I just missed a traffic light and switched off as I always do now and turned the key when they changed but NOTHING, not even turning the engine! People behind were very good no hooting or even a rude gesture when they managed to get round me. So I sat for a while contemplating the RAC also kept trying the key, then after several minutes lo and behold it started normally!! I of course turned out the manual when I got home and found out that if you turn the ignition off it goes into "Safe mode" and will not start again for one minute! Has anyone come across this before??

[Workingman]

I do not trust those 'turn-off-when-idling' systems, for all sorts of reasons, and I do not believe they save much, if any, fuel in the grand scheme of things.

You were lucky, Ped, not to get any road-rage from the other motorists. In a lot of places the horns start blowing if you are not moving within nanoseconds of the light going green.

[jenniren]

I've been driving an automatic for over 11yrs now and would never go back to a manual. It's never occurred to me to turn off the ignition at traffic lights so don't know if it happens with my model The only time I turn it off while in traffic is if it's a very long queue and it's obviously not going anywhere for a while.

[pederito1]

Not to save fuel WM but for the sake of the pedestrians close by. Believe it is the law in Switzerland.

[Lozzles]

It was, when we lived there Ped...but not here

[miasmum]

I have never known anyone do that before either. Not surprised you confused the poor car

I don't even use my hand break from journey start to journey end