Driving quirks.

[mouseflakes]

Which brings me onto an old friend of mine. He used to collect his Grandson for weekend visits, when the boy was about 6 or 7 years old. One day, his Wife went instead. Well, when the young'un burst through the door after the short journey, he was really happy. He declared out loud to the assembled company (Me included) that there were no wankers or bastards on the way back, like when Grandad drives.

 

We had a mk1 Civic when our boy was small. My missus used to drive him around everywhere in it and for a while when he was around 2 the car was cutting out at junctions. One day during that time I took him out in the car for a change. When we pulled up at the first junction, even though the car was running fine, the little lad shouted what he was now used to hearing from his mum at every junction - 'Ohhh this f*cking car!'

[MK5 Escort]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who turns down the radio when I slow down to junctions/roundabouts/car parks e.t.c. Once I had my mother in the car with one of her CD's blaring away when I pulled into a petrol station and turned it down. "I'm listening to that...!" she says "Aye, and so's the rest of the forecourt...!" I said, getting out!

 

I also have a habit of looking at the mileometer every time it clocks over another 1000 miles. Doesn't that last mile always seem to take an age to click over...?!

 

I'm also a bugger for all the air vents being in the same position - a habit I've picked up from my father.

 

My cars very rarely go more than a fortnight without being washed. I can't stand driving a dirty car. Another habit I've picked up from my father. It’s also always washed and vacuumed before any long journeys (such as holidays / weekends away). The night before such a drive will be the only time the car is reversed up the driveway, so it's easier to get the luggage in the following morning. It's a 'traditional' thing!

 

Like Pete, I never wipe the insides of the windows when they're steamed up. It just creates a horrible mess once the fan has done it's job. I'll also sit and wait for windows to demist rather than wipe them. Yes, you've guessed it - yet another habit I've picked up from my father!

[mouseflakes]

All this talk of clearing misted windscreens reminds me of a journey home with family friends when I was a kid. I'd spent a winter's day at their house and they were going to drive me home (in their Mk2 Triumph 2500).

 

Their tiny wizened granny lived literally just around the corner and she had been visiting too - so they were going to drop her home on the way.

 

We all sat wrapped in our coats in the stationary Triumph in the dark outside their house while the father waited for the engine to warm up and for the frosted windows to clear. I was probably staring sleepily at the shining 'Trivial Pursuit' warning light array as I usually did in their car. After about five minutes of this the granny piped up - 'The journey to my house seems to be taking a long time tonight'. Daft old prune.

[dollywobbler]

J-J - I thought you DID have to wait for hydro Citroens to drag themselves off their arse before driving off? I always do this anyway - in fact, there's a quirk. I never start a car and just drive off. I don't sit there waiting for it to warm up either - that's actually worse for engines - but I do like at least 30 seconds of engine running before moving off.

[scooters]

I always turn mine down in carparks and approaching stationary traffic, if I am listening to a CD (probably because I don't want people to hear what I am listening to!!).

 

Since I have had the 14 I have found I can keep my left hand on the steering wheel whilst resting my elbow on the door armrest thingy.

 

the reason why I like volvo 240s so much is they are the only car I have found where the distance between the drivers window lidge and the steering wheel is exactly that of my elbow to fingers meaning I can comfortably prop my arm on the window ledge and steer with my fingers (light 240 steering) for hours at a time. One of the reasons I have been through so much kit has being trying to find a car which has the same dimensions - the 940 is almost there and the 850 just about but the 240 is spot on!

[myglaren]

After skim reading all your insane quirks I was thinking that I have none at all.

 

I always reset the trip meter when I put petrol in.

 

But I totally do this! I think it's due to a child hood influence of my Dad using a weird little magnetic fuel-miles thingy that was permanently attached to the top of the 2CV dash and reset each time he filled up as the fuel gauge died and he just got this odd little thing instead of fixing the gauge! Also because the LPG gauge in the CX is a bit, well indeterminate.. but resetting the trip counter each time shows how many miles per litre I got. I even keep the receipts and write the mileage on them too I suffer a quiet inner rage when I forget to reset the trip counter...

 

I really don't get the 13 on the volume superstition! Don't think I'd even notice if i'd left mine on 13 apart from it's too frikkin quiet!

 

Other quirks:

 

I always indicate on approach to roundabouts/ junctions even when I know there's no other traffic. ( I do have good reasons for this!!!)

 

In supermarket crap parks I not only almost always reverse into a space (or better, drive through to the one on the other side if possible) but I park well away from others (often to find that someone has still decided to park next to me when I return!

 

I drive with dipped beam on all the time.

 

I always wait for the Citroen suspension to move up before driving off even when I don't need to. Likewise I like to try and catch a glimpse of it doing this in shop windows but it never often enough. When parked up I like to catch a glimpse of the self leveling moving down a bit after getting out even though I've seen it a million times..

 

I get quite annoyed when other drivers in modern expensive cars hold me up when their cars can't go over rough bits of road/ resurfacing ramps quickly.

 

That's all I can think of - maybe I'm not a quirky driver?

 

Almost the same as I do. Always reset the odometer and try and get a few more miles from a tankful next time (and generally fail)

Keep the (VAT) receipt, note the total miles and plug it all into a spreadsheet so I know how much money I'm wasting.

 

Don't do the waiting to rise thing anymore as the C5 is always there but the rest - definitely.

Speed bumps - identical.

 

Always have autolights on and have felt-tipped the sensor so they are almost always on (except when they don't bother coming on at night when I have just filled up).

 

Not the volume thing - never look at it but only last week discovered that there is a volume control on the stalk - It always irritated me that I had to adjust the volume on the radio which seemed insane with the other controls on the stalk. Only had the car 3 1/2 years so it is still a bit new

Never listen to the radio though, really cannot abide it, I like to know what is coming next, plus other peoples music choices appear dire at the best as I'm sure mine do to them. Always have a CD running and generally Myléne Farmer although it has been Heather Nova this week.

No aerial anyway, took it off a year or so ago to run the slug through the car wash and never replaced it, probably gone for good by now.

Once had a Neil Young tape (Decade) playing for three years in one of the Imps. Engines got swapped around regularly but the tape was never touched (when I did take it out on dumping the Imp, I put it in my snazzy new expensive tape deck which instantly chewed it up)

 

Always reverse into any parking space - I appear to be incapable of any other method.

Instilled in me by my dad (who didn't teach me to drive) and have always done it - I find it easier and can see any approaching vehicles, which I can't when reversing out. Always thought it was a more logical approach and that reversing into oncoming traffic was illegal. Sure my driving instructor told me that! (in 1964).

My kids all do the same, not from me nagging at them, just copying the old man (I never taught them to drive either).

 

I too like a clean car - it never is though, not for more than a couple of hours anyway.

 

Never have both hands on the wheel except in anticipation and execution of manoeuvres.

[Louise2cv]

I slow down with my gears and even brake when approaching junctions way before I'm 2m away from the white lines... apparently this makes me quite rare. Most people I see just keep going and then slam on at the last minute.

[myglaren]

^ Same here - try not to use brakes - I'm sure a lot of folks think my brake lights don't work

[scooters]

ahhh - the dying art of engine braking

 

I was always taught to only use the brakes to stop the car and when travelling at high speed to assist in taking the revs off and to always engine brake. Modern tdis and sloppy driving tuition where there is no connect between what you are pushing and what is happening is to blame -

 

in a 2cv or a moggy you have little option BUT to engine brake!

 

fuel gauges and Odo - us shitters would never rely on a fuel guauge to tell the truth!

 

Odo all the time and fill up every 200 miles for a big car and 300 miles for a wee car - can't go wrong with that

 

instruments indeed!

[wuvvum]

I have a habit of resting my gear-changing hand on the edge of the passenger seat when I'm alone in the car. I also frequently steer with my knees, especially in the Innocenti where the steering wheel is set quite low and the steering is high geared enough that I can take corners with my knees as opposed to just keeping the car in a straight line. I also always double-declutch and blip the throttle on the downshift to third gear when approaching the turnoff from the A149 into my town - that's the only place where I ever do that, unless I'm driving something with buggered synchromesh.

 

I have a policy of never, ever letting school run parents pull out or turn across in front of me when driving in Norwich. The density of schools in Norwich is sufficient that kids will by definition live within easy walking distance, and parents who drive their kids to school are therefore creating unnecessary congestion which makes my journey to work take significantly longer (I get ten minutes extra in bed during the school holidays as the drive in is so much quicker). On the other hand, school buses and kids cycling to school invariably get waved through.

 

I never use my headlights unless it's dark enough that I need them to help see where I'm going. If it's raining or dull I will use sidelights, which are more than adequate for the purpose of increasing the car's visibility. People driving with dipped headlights on all the time creates light pollution, makes it harder to see bikers / cyclists / pedestrians, plus seemingly at least 50% of cars on the roads have one or more headlights far enough out of alignment that it dazzles oncoming drivers. The only exception (apart from when it's foggy or snowing heavily) is when I'm driving on a badly surfaced motorway and the level of spray is such that my sidelights aren't bright enough to penetrate.

 

If I'm on the motorway and I reach a queue of traffic that means I need to slow down significantly or stop, I will always switch my hazards on until the car behind is obviously slowing down. This is a habit I picked up in France, where everyone seems to do it.

 

I also always leave cars in gear when parked up, partly because I've owned enough cars with dodgy handbrakes over the years that it's often been a necessity.

 

I very rarely listen to the stereo in the car - I only usually turn it on when I'm sat in traffic. I don't have any qualms about having the volume on 13 though.

 

When I'm pulling up outside my house, I always turn the engine off just before coming to a stop. Again, this is the only place where I ever do this.

 

I used to slow down through the gears, as that is how my dad taught me, but then someone pointed out that with disc brakes it's really no longer necessary to use the engine braking to help, and clutches are a lot more expensive to replace than brake pads. I still use gears to keep my speed down on hills etc. and stay in a low gear when in traffic to avoid having to constantly touch the brakes.

 

I always drive automatics two-footed - this is due to owning a couple of autos back in the day (VDP1500 and Jetta) which would cut out at idle unless I kept my foot on the throttle.

[dollywobbler]

Scooters - how long since you last drove a 2CV?! The brakes are one of the best bits. I've surprised a few moderns in my time (especially the Mondeo that rear ended me...)

 

I always engine brake though - was taught to do so when learning to drive in 1995. It was still the way they did things then.

 

Wuv - I tend to go for headlights. I get really miffed when you see folk driving along (especially on the A14 the other night) in the gloom with sidelights on. With a Series Landy, the sidelights seem to be brighter than the headlamps, but I prefer to put the headlamps on earlier now. Inspired by a trip to Scandinavia I guess... 2CV sidelights tend to have crap connections, so I can never trust them to work anyway. Be seen and be safe and all that.

 

Does piss me off the amount of people driving along with their main beams on though, blissfully unaware that they're blinding everyone and ignoring the blue light on the dash.

[ChinaTom]

Maybe I'm wrong here, but I'm sure the Pug 405 GTX had a function whereby you could peg the audio volume to the road speed - I am sure I remember the radio turning itself down when slowing down. Or did I dream that?

[wuvvum]

Maybe I'm wrong here, but I'm sure the Pug 405 GTX had a function whereby you could peg the audio volume to the road speed - I am sure I remember the radio turning itself down when slowing down. Or did I dream that?

I know the Lexus LS400 used to do that. The 405 GTX I once borrowed didn't, but then very few of the electrics on that still worked properly so it might have been a feature when the car was new.

[Pete-M]

The radio volume thing is very common nowadays. It's fitted to all sorts of stuff. Frogeye Scorpios have it, but the firsr mainstream sheds I remember with it were Cav CDXs.

[AnthonyG]

I also engage the clutch in when starting manuals (an old habit for when I worked in garages), and I always park well away from other vehicles in supermarkets if I can.

 

I also turn the stereo down when approaching junctions, before parking etc. This is because of driving out of my parents drive (farm track) in Wales, where you have to turn the stereo off, as you are in the middle of the road by the time you have inched out enough to have good visibility both ways, and vehicle noise is the only way you have warning of something coming.

 

I also hold the steering wheel in exactly the same way as my Dad!

[AlsoMike]

I have to have the window down a little bit when I'm driving, whatever the weather or temperature, I find it weird to be in the car with the windows shut now.

[seth]

I'm a window down person too. There's no halfway either. Its either open all the way or shut. That possibly comes from being an A35 owner...

 

Besides that my quirk is not getting angry on London streets. I just hang back and let everyone get on with it. No point trying your hardest and pissing people off to get to the next red light quicker than the next guy.

 

I also weave around potholes and crawl slowly over speed bumps.

[hennabm]

I always try to park away from any other vehicle in a car park. Usually though some mouth breathing benefit claiming scum will be parked 2mm off once side or another on my return.

 

Never use 13 on the volume control

 

Want to be in front of the vehicle in front when driving the company car (whatever and whenever) but tend to wander along with the rest of the sheep when driving my own.

 

Lock myself in when driving alone in strange towns - and there are plenty of those in the UK.

 

Slow down for 30s when entering villages but do speed up when reaching the other side. Unlike a lot of drivers that continue on a 40 -45 regardless of limits; 30, 40 50 and even 60 limits there they are at 40-45mph. Grits my f***ing s**t.

 

Happy Friday

[Skizzer]

I always try to park away from any other vehicle in a car park. Usually though some mouth breathing benefit claiming scum will be parked 2mm off once side or another on my return.

 

Slow down for 30s when entering villages but do speed up when reaching the other side. Unlike a lot of drivers that continue on a 40 -45 regardless of limits; 30, 40 50 and even 60 limits there they are at 40-45mph. Grits my f***ing s**t.

 

Big +1 to both of those.

 

I usually miss out third when going up through the gears, a habit from Mrs S not liking the engine noise over 3000rpm in my old car.

 

I'd never thought about odd numbers on the stereo, which seems to mark me out as quirky in this company

[ProgRocker]

Anyone else have any driving quirks? I always turn the stereo down approaching junctions, roundabouts and slow traffic. It must be a concentration thing but my kids always laugh at me for doing it.

 

I do the same thing - I think its to do with the volume coming from the stereo vs the engine noise.