do all mechanics leave your car in gear when they have done a job on it
That would depend on what type of work they were performing on the car…Today, 90% of the vehicles on the road have automatic transmissions, so they would put them in “park” unless they were exercising the drive-train…
took my car for a new backbox and the new one wasnt fitting properly, so the mechanic said i have ordered another one but its only coming tomorrow, he didnt put the old one back on he said i could drive it without one and that it would be fine, so with the car window being down and the keys in the ignition i leant into the car to start the engine so i could listen to the noise what i didnt know was that he had left it in reverse without the handbrake on and the car shot off causing lots of damage i want to know who is to blame i have spoke to cab and they say its a tricky one.
Your fault. Never start a manual transmission car that way.
Hmmm - I always park a manual transmission in gear so it is less likely to roll if the parking brake isn’t holding. I’m not a mechanic, so I can’t answer for them.
It’s not tricky at all. You started the car without being in control of the car. You are lucky you didn’t hurt someone. Most modern cars will not start unless the clutch is depressed…What is the year, make and model of your vehicle please…And is the “backbox” you mention a speaker box?
my car is a 206cc 53 plate, no the backbox is the back of the exhaust.
What country are you in? 206cc, 53 plate does not identify your vehicle…
Whenever you park a car with a manual transmission, you are supposed to leave it in gear with the parking brake engaged. This way, if one device fails to hold the car, the other device will keep the car from rolling away out of control.
poscablue, I believe this is your fault, 100%. You should have checked first to see if the car was in gear and/or pressed the clutch before you turned the key. Your mechanic parked the car as it should always be parked for maximum safety.
When I get my car back from my mechanic, I always find it in gear. If I didn’t find it in gear, I would probably ask that the mechanic to leave it in gear next time.
You may not want to be lectured, but you pulled a bonehead move. I suggest you learn from it instead of looking for someone else to blame.
I park a manual transmission vehicle in gear except when in the shop, because some fool may come along and turn the key. Salesmen sometimes come around to do a trade in appraisal.
In the eighty’s and early ninety’s before the clutch safty switch was popular, once a year I would see a mechanic reach in to start a car and crash it into his tool box.
if you look at the highway code it says only when on a hill should the car be left in gear incase of handbrake failure because i defo wasnt tought to leave it in gear and i passed my test 17 years ago i was always told neutral with the handbrake on, also in the highway code it says you should never get out of the car without applying the handbrake.
As already pointed out, a manual should always be left in either 1st or reverse when parked. That high ratio between the wheels and the engine provides the best holding power for the vehicle.
Beyond simply pointing out that this boo-boo is “on you” 100%, let me suggest that if you have not been parking your car in gear you should get in the habit of doing so.
as already pointed out read your highway code if the car is on a flat its hardly likely to roll only on hills should this be done with the wheels pointing towards the kerb if facing downhill and wheels away from the kerb if facing uphill
I am a citizen of the world, a true Gypsy that follows the Sun…Right now I’m on the Island of Cape Cod, Coppertone, Testosterone and Fried Clams…
What highway code?? Do you just make this stuff up as you go along? This repair is on you…
My wife leaves the car in neutral when she parks, I put it in reverse.
She hates it when I drive her car as the next time she goes to start it she releases the clutch and it jumps backwards.
I hate to be “that person” but although you weren’t taught to leave the car in gear when parked it seems as though your mechanic was. Does this make either of you wrong at that point? No. However the mechanic didn’t wreck your car, you did. It would be different if the mechanic was the one who just reached in and turned the key without checking to make wure the car wasn’t in gear but he didn’t, you did.
Heck, I’m impressed that your car started that quickly with just a bump of the key, I don’t know that mine would have even if it didn’t have a clutch safety switch.
Yes I know that it’s infuriating to have your car crashed by what you feel is no fault of your own and it’s normal to try to place the blame on someone other than yourself.
Learn a lesson from this occurrence, never assume that your car is in neutral (or in gear) if you weren’t the last person to operate it. I check for handbrake and gear every time I get into or out of the car. Of course this may be because I had a similar experience to yours once and sent a brand new car (15 miles on it) down the side of a mountain backwards.
I will never disable my clutch switch.
You, and drivers like you, are the reason the clutch safety switch was invented and installed. What country do you reside in? I have never heard of a highway code and I have been a driver for many years.
“as already pointed out read your highway code”
Apparently, Poscablue is not aware that highway codes (motor vehicle regulations) vary from country to country, and in the US (where at least 98% of the forum members are based), the highway codes vary to some extent in all of the 50 states. Thus, telling us to “read your highway code” is not likely to have most of us reading the same details.
Poscablue, would you kindly reveal the country in which you reside?
thankyou bisbonian i have seriously learned not to do this again, and i was a bit confused as to why the car didnt just stop as i let go but the car has been fixed now like new again, but thanks for not commenting i wasnt trying to get out of the blame i knew i had my part to play in it i just wondered if he was at all to take any part of it
vdc driver im in england united kingdom
Peugeot 206, I’m guessing a back box is a muffler.