How to Shift Gears for an Automatic Car Wash?
2 Answers
For an automatic car wash, first drive in with the D gear, stop and press the brake to shift to N gear, then release the brake. Introduction to Automatic Transmission: Automatic transmission, as the name suggests, does not require the driver to manually shift gears. The vehicle will automatically select the appropriate gear based on the driving speed and traffic conditions. Generally, an automatic transmission car has six gear positions, from top to bottom: P, R, N, D, S, L. Principle of Automatic Transmission: The engine's power is transmitted through the gearbox, which is also a key factor affecting fuel consumption. Generally, an automatic transmission consumes more than 10% more fuel than a manual transmission. Whether manual or automatic, the more gears there are, the more fuel-efficient the transmission is.
Every time I go to an automatic car wash, I follow this procedure: first, drive the car onto the conveyor belt and come to a complete stop. The key is to remember to shift the gear into N (Neutral), then release the brake but keep your foot off the accelerator. The car will be moved along by the conveyor belt—during this time, don’t turn the steering wheel or engage the handbrake. When the machine starts spraying water midway, the car might shake a bit, which is completely normal; just keep it in neutral. Once the wash is done and the exit light turns on, shift to D (Drive) and drive out. One time, I forgot to fold in the side mirrors, and they got knocked askew by the brushes—now I always check the mirrors before queuing. The whole process is straightforward; the conveyor belt does most of the work—just make sure you don’t shift into the wrong gear.
