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How To Drive A Lexus Autobox?


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OK showing my ignorance but i confess the only time i've ever driven an auto was when a woman asked me to drive her espace out of a car parking space a few years ago cause she couldn't reverse (si resists sexist comment.......lol)

So what's the crack then? In my ignorance we have drive neutral & reverse where you press button on lever? & put in approriate hole (again si keeps his inappropriate sense of humour in check) then press go pedal?

What have i missed about the finer or more basic technicalities?

Cheers

Si (puts on dunce cap & goes to lick the minibus)

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Have to admit mate I was new to autoboxes with the Aristo but I tell you what it's perfect in this car!

Guess the same rules should apply..

Start the car with the lever in park and apply brakes, then just pull the lever either into R or D (I also get M for manual mode for the tiptronic and then L (1), 2 & 3 if you want to feel like you're physically driving a manual and also N.

Have to admit I never use N, good point actually, I always keep meaning to ask if when you come to lights you're supposed to just leave the car in D and press the brakes to hold you or drop the car into N and then back into D to pull away?

I just always seem to be on the brakes in this thing and I warped a set of disks in no time initially, you're talking I literally killed 100% of the pad and the disks in 10,000 miles - how long are they supposed to last?!

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Have to admit mate I was new to autoboxes with the Aristo but I tell you what it's perfect in this car!

Guess the same rules should apply..

Start the car with the lever in park and apply brakes, then just pull the lever either into R or D (I also get M for manual mode for the tiptronic and then L (1), 2 & 3 if you want to feel like you're physically driving a manual and also N.

Have to admit I never use N, good point actually, I always keep meaning to ask if when you come to lights you're supposed to just leave the car in D and press the brakes to hold you or drop the car into N and then back into D to pull away?

I just always seem to be on the brakes in this thing and I warped a set of disks in no time initially, you're talking I literally killed 100% of the pad and the disks in 10,000 miles - how long are they supposed to last?!

When i know i am going to be stationary for a while, i normally select N , think it stops the wear on the bands, sounds good anyway !

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i know from trackdays you certainly dont want to be sat on brakes especially if they've been nicely heated up ;) 10k does sound sparse unless your a serious late braker or sumin?

They have handbrakes surely even if that means you only warp rears (presumign handbrake applies to rear) and the rears will be less hot c/o the majority of braking being done at the front?

Otherwise ta for the heads up so far.

Si (talking shyte? lol)

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The autos tend to have footbrakes mate, push it on via the pedal on the front left, then release with a pull of the handle on the dash - have to admit I don't tend to use that in traffic, it's a ballache if you're sat at the lights for ten seconds and have to press the normal brake, change to park, push the footbrake on, then press the normal brake, pull the footbrake off, and engage gear.

Also the other reason I don't like doing that is that changing between drive and park means you go past reverse which lights the reverse lights up and gives the person behind a fright :lol: Mind you guess you could use neutral instead of park which removes that problem?

As for the braking don't think I'm a late braker, I know that a lot of the time I'm with other people I always get a bit worried when they brake late!

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Have to admit I never use N, good point actually, I always keep meaning to ask if when you come to lights you're supposed to just leave the car in D and press the brakes to hold you or drop the car into N and then back into D to pull away?

If im stationary for anything more than 30 seconds I will normally stick it into N

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I'm sure I read somewhere that the gearbox is worn more by being moved into N when in traffic than it is by being left in D, though admittedly I can't find this again now I look! Something to do with the fact that the brake bands are locked together when the vehicle is stationary, so the torque converter is the only bit slipping. But if you put it in N, both sides of the torque converter spin so when it goes back into D, the jolt through the box wears out the brake bands. Probably a poor explanation but it made sense of a sort to me!!

So for the moment, I stick it in D and leave it there until I need to reverse, or stop and get out.

The GS430 has a gradient sensor meaning it drops itself down into lower gears when it senses you are going downhill, thus saving the brakes and the manual effort of moving the lever into 4 or 3. I thought there was something wrong with it when I first noticed it! The height of laziness perhaps? No wonder I seem to be gaining weight!

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I'm sure I read somewhere that the gearbox is worn more by being moved into N when in traffic than it is by being left in D, though admittedly I can't find this again now I look! Something to do with the fact that the brake bands are locked together when the vehicle is stationary, so the torque converter is the only bit slipping. But if you put it in N, both sides of the torque converter spin so when it goes back into D, the jolt through the box wears out the brake bands. Probably a poor explanation but it made sense of a sort to me!!

So for the moment, I stick it in D and leave it there until I need to reverse, or stop and get out.

The GS430 has a gradient sensor meaning it drops itself down into lower gears when it senses you are going downhill, thus saving the brakes and the manual effort of moving the lever into 4 or 3. I thought there was something wrong with it when I first noticed it! The height of laziness perhaps? No wonder I seem to be gaining weight!

And all these years I've thought I was helping relieve the gearbox at lights!

Next point.

Does anyone but me use BOTH feet to drive it? I use my 'clutch foot' to brake, as I feel it gives me that extra edge of control. A tip from the oft-missed Setright from 'Car'.

As to the braking/warped discs. You CAN go slower you know; judge the road ahead and cruise up to light/junctions, letting gravity slow you, rather than jumping on the brakes. As your petrol costs money, you'll save dosh too this way. Less energy used=less petrol.

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Does anyone but me use BOTH feet to drive it? I use my 'clutch foot' to brake, as I feel it gives me that extra edge of control. A tip from the oft-missed Setright from 'Car'.

As to the braking/warped discs. You CAN go slower you know; judge the road ahead and cruise up to light/junctions, letting gravity slow you, rather than jumping on the brakes. As your petrol costs money, you'll save dosh too this way. Less energy used=less petrol.

Like I already said Chris I don't push the car that hard, 95% of the time I'm driving around town so very rare I ever stop hard as you don't get time to do anything other than crouch along nowadays :(

I have tried using both feet in an auto but I didn't like it, I've just got used to using the one foot now - see where you're coming from in regards to extra control though!

Thanks for that link as well Mike, see what you mean about the extra wear, sounds like I'm doing things about right then for once :D

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Does anyone but me use BOTH feet to drive it? I use my 'clutch foot' to brake, as I feel it gives me that extra edge of control. A tip from the oft-missed Setright from 'Car'.

As to the braking/warped discs. You CAN go slower you know; judge the road ahead and cruise up to light/junctions, letting gravity slow you, rather than jumping on the brakes. As your petrol costs money, you'll save dosh too this way. Less energy used=less petrol.

Like I already said Chris I don't push the car that hard, 95% of the time I'm driving around town so very rare I ever stop hard as you don't get time to do anything other than crouch along nowadays :(

I have tried using both feet in an auto but I didn't like it, I've just got used to using the one foot now - see where you're coming from in regards to extra control though!

Thanks for that link as well Mike, see what you mean about the extra wear, sounds like I'm doing things about right then for once :D

Agree about the link. Will try NOT to go into N now! BOTH my cars, LS Ser 4 AND Nissan S-Cargo, are auto.

I know what you mean, Aido, about it being a bit odd to use both feet. Took me a few weeks to get adjusted from'Clutch', to Brake on left foot. But now, after several years, it's 2nd nature. Trouble is, have to THINK when driving a car with gears! Keep 'braking' with the clutch!!

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Remind me not to get in a manual with you then Chris :D

I'm going to have another go on the way home, have to admit I've not tried it for a long time since I used to drive an auto Volvo - might have to see what it's like in this one :)

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So silly question round 162 is it ment to pull slightly even when your not on the gas? ie so when i come off brake & it;s in D it pulls forward very slightly/slowly seems like a good way to stop rolling back hill start stylee but just wanted to check it was normal? Does seem to feel like the band or whatever powers the magic fairies under the bonnet clicks every few seconds when in D but on brake so remainign stationary.

Hopefully just my auto ignorance but wanted to check it's nothing more awry?

Ta

Si

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Yes. The torque converter is the bit that is slipping - a torque converter can be thought of as basically two sets of fan blades, facing each other, sitting in a common bath of transmission fluid. One is connected to the engine, and the other to the gearbox. Whilst stationary, the blade connected to the engine will be trying to turn the blade connected to the gearbox, so if you take your foot off the brake then the car will slowly pull forward. It will provide a limited amount of resistance to rolling back down a hill, but not much.

You shouldn't be getting clicking noises, though it may be nothing to do with the engine/box at all. For one thing, the brake-assist fitted to these cars has a pump fitted to it that clicks on and off periodically, drove me nuts trying to work out what it was until one day I fired up the engine with the bonnet open, and saw what it was making the noise!

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more of a light whirring noise but defo related to amount of gas applied must pay more attention to it only i found out how to work the radio & CD interchanger so that's got rid of that noise for now ;) lol.....

Si

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more of a light whirring noise but defo related to amount of gas applied must pay more attention to it only i found out how to work the radio & CD interchanger so that's got rid of that noise for now ;) lol.....

Si

I'd never notice! Always Julio or Mariza soothing my journey!!(??)The stereo is a major reason I bought the car!

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