Hi
Yes
You are reading this since someone made a terrible mistake... twice.
I am new to manual shift after 14 years of automatic and i am ok when driving forward and all, just keep forgeting the clutch when reversing, i heard LOUD, PIG SQUEAL.
Sooner or later I will say byebye to my brand new 2008 astroblack cabrio.
Pls help.
R

 

This just seems odd 'cause i naturally go to the clutch when my hand goes to the shifter

 

Haha from the way it sounds you are undergoing classic conditioning ie. You mess up and you are punished with a "pig squeal"

I'm sure you won't forget much longer

 

Damn i keep think about my stupid mistake and how bad it possibly will do my new baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is my tranny gonna break?????
Is it covered by warranty????
Can they tell????
Gosh!

 

Luckily I didnt shifted right in, i heard the squeal and my hand bounced back the **** to neutral...
Is the car gonna be alright? I am panicking!!!!
The 1st and 2nd gear seems harder to shift now? very notchy? is it gonna break? is it gonna break?
=...(

 

I would assume (always dangerous) that doing this little noisy mistake once or twice would not cause major damage, but repeated often enough will grind a lot of metal off of the gears, and could be a very expensive thing to do. I would imagine that if it went that far, a mechanic would take one look the ground up gears and realize that a non-warranty repair will be needed. Most of us condition fairly quickly - bad noise avoidance syndrome and all....

 

Youll get used to it. It just takes time. Just about whenever Im stopped I have the clutch in. I know its not great for the clutch over time. But it keeps me from forgetting. I have been driving a manual for a year and a half now i'd say it took about half that time for it to become second nature

 

If you are new to your manual shift, and you are making mistakes (as anybody new to it would) I suggest you get your mistakes done, and after you notice you are getting better HAVE THEM FLUSH THE TRANSMISSION. It would be a few bucks out of your pocket, but getting all the little metal pieces flushed out will preserve what you have left. If you are going to destroy your clutch, get it done before it isn't covered (there is nothing in your contract that says you have to be a good manual-shift driver). Have fun learning.

 

Hold on, how do you start the car without standing on the clutch ?

 

Pretty sure I could rig something with a taser gun, your seat, and some wire to the "R" shift gate...

 

remind me not to sign up for your driving school Blimey. I may not be the best driver, but I don't want to flinch every time I go to touch a control in the car....

 

This is why I love my torque converter.

 

I would think the loud GRINDING noise would be all it takes!

 

OH! so I would definately have my tranny oil flush after break in...

Strangly enough, my 08 MC cabrio can start any time without the clutch depressed.

 

Have the dealer look at this. Oh, and wait till you miss a shift (2nd to 3rd)
sounds nasty too.

 

Pick up a rental or even test drive a different car (not yours) and practice!... Joking!

 

like alot of people already said, grinding is normal. It will take a while for the transmission to do some major damage. Dont worry!

You said you can start your car without depressing the clutch, that is very very very strange. I've never heard of that before....

 

Although it is supposed to be a safety feature (so you don't try to start the car in gear and have it lurch, either hitting something or eventually hurting your starter) that is a convenient feature in the winter, when you want to reach in and start it while clearing snow on the outside.

 

Hey at least your not at P*ssy like me. I bought my car in automatic. I only drive around 3500 miles per year, so I didnt think I would be in it long enough to learn how to drive safely using a clutch. Plus when I drive im in stop and go traffic. Still, manual is much cooler...even I will admit that

 

What I did when I first started driving a manual was just do things very slowly. I had a mental checklist and made sure I went thru everything before stepping on the gas. Just take your time and think about what you're doing, and pretty soon it'll just be natural.

 

Like sex -- now it takes less than a minute

Ooops, did I say that out loud? -- now the censors are going to be all over me.

 

I read the title of this thread and the first thing that came to mind was:

Check into the price if a new tranny and clutch. If that's not a reminder enough, than not much will be.

 

get some candies in your car... and promiss yourself that every time you do it right.. you can have a candy!!!

probably works!!!

 

1. Pay attention to what you are doing so you don't hurt someone. If you can't pay attention, don't drive.

2. You have the only standard shift MINI in the world that will start with out the clutch being depressed. Your car is broke.

 

Dear remotecontrol,
You need to have a series of actions which you always follow. Sit in your car with it off, and go for a mental drive while you act out the shifting. Here are the rules:
1) YOUR LEFT FOOT IS ALWAYS ON THE CLUTCH
Unless - a) you are POSITIVE you are in a gear, or
b) you can "waggle" the gear selector in neutral.
I have been driving stick for 18 years and I still give the gear selector a is-it-really-in-neutral, side-to-side move before letting my foot off the clutch at a stop light. It used to be a conscious thought, but quickly became a habit.
Next - practice A LOT, three days in a row instead of a little every day until it feels more natural. A little every day will take longer than three days of intense "training".
Have fun with it.