What to do at the lights?

[Jimbo147]

Have been trying to find out what is the best thing to do with the gearbox when waiting at the traffic lights?
My options are
1. Leave it in D and hold the car using the brakes, cant be good for the brake, especially after some spiritedly driving
2. Select P and no parking brake, car rocks a bit and must look funny from the outside
3. Select P and use parking brake, might be a bit belt and braces option
4. Select N and use parking brake, seems to make most sense as its the simplest gear selector movement
Very interested to find out what others do and whether it makes any difference being a c63.

 

[automaniaman]

1. I always left mine in drive...

 

[Deleted member 6183]

I leave mine in Drive but cannot say that it's the same for a C63, maybe there is a special procedure. Maybe ask your dealer?

 

[Scooby_Doo]

If stop/start isn't available then I usually put it into "N" and use the parking brake. Usually I forget that it's in "N" when the lights change.

 

[Piff]

How new is the car?
We have a "hold" function on the brakes where you press the brake pedal a bit harder and it locks the brakes on. Left in D it only then takes a press on the accelerator to release the "hold"

 

[Stratman]

The handbook for my car says leave it in D and hold it on the brakes, so that's what I do.

 

[Jimbo147]

The car is a dec 2012 so facelift model, i dont have the lock on the foot brake.

 

[StuartK]

Option 1

 

[190]

Leave it in drive and hold with the parking brake. Any car that doesn't have a perfectly smooth idle will show it more in neutral than in drive which loads the engine a little. Probably not an issue for any of the recent cars but could be on older 4 cylinders.

 

[Adrian5405]

Normally leave it in D, but if it looks like the lights are going to be a long time i pop it into N

 

[tec]

Normally leave it in D, but if it looks like the lights are going to be a long time i pop it into N

This makes most sense, as it's courteous not to dazzle drivers behind you with brake lights.

 

[Mrhanky]

Surprised the C63 does not have the hold feature, even my 11 year old car has it.

 

[Wheelsnuts]

Use hold if I am likely to be there some time. Otherwise just foot on brake and leave in drive.

 

[gaz_l]

Put it in neutral and repeatedly blip the throttle. Sounding the horn helps too, if the lights aren't changing quickly enough for your tastes..

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[MancMike]

Do what the manufacturer expects you to do.

They expect you to do the obvious, leave it in D and hold the brake lightly. It's one foot driving. All the "not good for the brakes" this and that they've already considered for you.

Don't overthink it.

 

[developer]

I leave mine in D, ready for the kind of getaway I believe others around me will want to see.

It is, after all, an AMG model .

 

[renault12ts]

I wring my hands and worry constantly about how to drive...not.

 

[C180CGI]

We have 2012 facelift C class so you should have thjs feature, push the brake pedal down and hold function will kick in.

 

[Jimbo147]

I will have to try the hold feature as this sounds like the correct way to do it. Do you also have a parking brake if you have the hold feature?

 

[HB]

I'm Off for a drink