auto box how to drive

[bob13]

A couple of silly questions really. I had never owned a automatic till now, and i only do now as i had a motorbike accident which meant i can't drive a manual. Is it safe to put the selector in 'N' while still move so you can coast to a stop. And if you are coasting down a hill is it safe to then put it into 'D' while still rolling. I know this is lazy driving but exspecialy when in slow moving traffic on a downward hill, as i know leaving auto in drive while at stand still and in slow moving traffic can over heat the box.
All the best bob.

Hi never put an auto in N whilst moving otherwise you will blow it up (or do at least major damage to it)

[adieu]

i'm forever putting my auto box into N and coasting up to junctions. Hasn't done any harm yet. Car is a 96 850.

Regards

Iain

I've blown several boxes in "N" slipping to "D" whilst on the move is ok

"P" Locks the entire thing
Don't slip it between D and R whilst moving the box hates it.

I've never had a problem with leaving a box in "D" whilst sitting in Traffic in over 2million miles. Don't sit an auto in "P" for too long the fluid gets hot then and can cause extreme damage to the box same as filling the autobox make sure it's in "N" then you go through the gears to move air bubbles and to clear the plates and bands.

Charlotte

[blues60]

I only slip between "D" & "N" at very low speeds in traffic and approaching junctions. To be honest there is nothing to be gained with regards to fuel economy if you let the car coast to a stop. It actually is more economical to let the brakes slow the car down with the car in gear rather than letting the car idle and coast. Apparently the engine uses less fuel decellerating rather than idleing.
On a different note, I still haven't used the 3 & 4 gears on mine. Has anyone else? I just stick it into drive and go!

An interesting question with much debate, not a silly one Bob13.
Like you Adieu, I always slip the shift to 'N' when I'm sure I'm coming to a complete stop. Not to be done though if you need to pull away again, especiall if the road speed is higher than what you'd be doing in 2nd gear. A bit like engaging 2nd when you're doing 50 in a manual car. The auto box seems to select a lower gear then.
An interesting point to say that its more economical to stop with the drive in 'D'. As soon as you've slowed to idling 'crawl' speed, the car is attempting to drive the car forward while you're trying to stop it with the brake. How can that be more fuel efficient? Cheers Sarumboy