Did I do any damage?

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I accidentally turned off my new car (via the push button start) while still having the transmission in Drive. Made a semi-loud 'clunk' sound when I did so. Anything to worry about? I'm still getting used to everything after driving the same car for 23 years!
 
Should be totally fine. That's something any manufacturer should have thought about. I've done it.

The clunk was probably just the park pawl engaging.
 
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You just heard the engine go from providing power to consuming power as things came to a stop so it wasn't a graceful, smooth shutdown. You're not going to hurt anything; otherwise there'd be way more transmissions blowing up because the car stalled while driving.

I've shut off my car in gear by mistake a few times and it doesn't seem to care.
 
We got my grandpa to stop driving this year.

For all these years, for whatever reason, he would always turn the car off in gear, and then put it in park. I'm guessing because back in the day he used to drive stick shifts?

Either way, thousands of times he did this with my Jeep when he used to own it. It's got one of the smoothest transmissions I've ever driven.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
We got my grandpa to stop driving this year.

For all these years, for whatever reason, he would always turn the car off in gear, and then put it in park. I'm guessing because back in the day he used to drive stick shifts?

Either way, thousands of times he did this with my Jeep when he used to own it. It's got one of the smoothest transmissions I've ever driven.


My father did the same. Day after day even though I'd ream him for it.
He passed three years ago and I wish he was still around to irritate me
frown.gif
 
I have a friend that had a car where you could pull the key out with it still in the run position. He did this doing about 50mph. Shut the engine off too for the heck of it, then popped the clutch to start it again. Lol
 
As long as you werent moving you'll be fine. My A4 has a gear selector that just toggles forward for reverse and back for drive. Once you push it forward or back it returns to the center, and just becomes a hand rest for the MMI controls. Also you can put it in park by pressing the P button on the side of the stick, or while still in drive once you've parked just push the stop button and it automatically goes into park and sets the parking brake. This is how I usually do it, just turn off car and it automatically goes into park and I've become so used to it when I drive my daughter's civic I always forget to put it in park and just turn it off. It makes no sound but I started to get out if it the other day and it started ROLLING!! I have to be more careful when I drive that thing
 
Originally Posted By: dbias
...just push the stop button and it automatically goes into park and sets the parking brake...


I have the opposite "problem". When I've been in an unfamiliar rental car with electronic parking brake, I've found myself reaching frantically for the non-existent handbrake lever and easing off the brake as I leave, paranoid the car will start to roll away.

Funny how the items we use train us into certain habits that don't quite work with other versions. Just like how my mom assumes headlights are always on when the car is on, and probably would be one of those drivers in the dark without lights if we didn't exclusively own cars with always on or automatic headlights.
 
Originally Posted By: reemoe2
I accidentally turned off my new car (via the push button start) while still having the transmission in Drive. Made a semi-loud 'clunk' sound when I did so. Anything to worry about? I'm still getting used to everything after driving the same car for 23 years!


Does it have a torque converter?

My wife hard stalled a demo Subaru legacy with a stick in first and I think she jumped the timing belt. The engine ran terrible after that one incident. Only time ive seen a problem. If you think about stick cars you are brutally slowing the motor every time you shift.

I don't see a problem with your automatic. Plus you should be able to tell US if you have a problem. No perceived problem may equal NO PROBLEM
smile.gif
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What is the car anywho?
 
What happens to cars with ESS? They're doing it hundreds of times a week in some cases. Is the transmission shifting into park or neutral every time the car stops? I doubt it is going into park, that would be stupid imo. I'm not sure how the system works, but it appears not to be damaging transmissions, yet. In your case, no worries at all.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
We got my grandpa to stop driving this year.

For all these years, for whatever reason, he would always turn the car off in gear, and then put it in park. I'm guessing because back in the day he used to drive stick shifts?

Either way, thousands of times he did this with my Jeep when he used to own it. It's got one of the smoothest transmissions I've ever driven.


A lot of older cars with carburetors would "diesel" if you put them in park, then turned the ignition off. Shutting them off in drive eliminates that.
 
Originally Posted By: MarkM66
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
We got my grandpa to stop driving this year.

For all these years, for whatever reason, he would always turn the car off in gear, and then put it in park. I'm guessing because back in the day he used to drive stick shifts?

Either way, thousands of times he did this with my Jeep when he used to own it. It's got one of the smoothest transmissions I've ever driven.


A lot of older cars with carburetors would "diesel" if you put them in park, then turned the ignition off. Shutting them off in drive eliminates that.


You're bringing back memories of an old Dodge van I had with the 225 slant 6. There were many times I shut it off that way. That could have been the biggest POS I ever owned. lol
 
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