What are the standard steps for parking and turning off a vehicle?
2 Answers
The standard steps for parking and turning off a vehicle are: 1. Press the foot brake to stop the vehicle, then shift the gear from D (Drive) to N (Neutral); 2. Engage the handbrake, turn off the engine, and release the foot brake without turning off the power supply; 3. Press the foot brake again, shift the gear from N to P (Park), release the foot brake, turn the key back to the off position, and remove the key. The standard steps for starting a vehicle are: 1. Turn the ignition key to the second position (power supply mode) to allow the vehicle's computer system to perform a self-check for at least 6 seconds, press the foot brake, and shift the gear from P to N; 2. Release the foot brake, turn the ignition key to the start position to ignite the engine; 3. Press the foot brake, release the handbrake, shift the gear from N to D, slowly release the foot brake to start moving, and smoothly press the accelerator according to road conditions to drive safely.
I've developed a six-step routine for parking and shutting down the engine: First, drive to a level spot, brake smoothly to a complete stop; shift into Neutral to relieve transmission stress; immediately engage the handbrake to prevent rollback on slopes; turn off power-hungry accessories like AC, headlights, and radio to ease the next startup; then turn the key to shut off the engine (for automatics, only shift to Park after this step); finally, remove the key and double-check window closure, especially in rain. Once, I rushed and skipped Neutral before shutdown – next morning, the transmission clunked loudly. The mechanic warned this severely damages gear trains, so don't repeat my mistake. Adopting this disciplined procedure can significantly extend your engine's lifespan.
