Initially, I tried to make the thread a POLL. Simple question, simple answer; not meant to be mistaken as an intellectual free-for-all. Squirrel guy had to get all serious and then it all went downhill....
Joey Bagadoughnuts: "six.." Joe Schmuckatelli: "half a dozen..." Joey Bagadoughnuts: "six.." Joe Schmuckatelli: "half a dozen..." Joey Bagadoughnuts: "SIX!!!.." Joe Schmuckatelli: "HALF A DOZEN!!! you &^$%# MORON!!!..." ...and so it goes. Ya just gotta looooove PriusChat sometimes....
What other car forum would have over 40 responses on how to shut the car off? We are a quirky and anal bunch enthusiasts. But I love all of you!
Personally I put my foot on the brake, then engage the e-brake (habit from 20 years of driving stick before automatic perhaps) then hit the P button. Total time taken so far, less than 2 seconds. Next I turn off the radio and lights - if they're on - turn off the power and get out of the car. Twelve seconds after stopping I'm out of the car and on my way. Just hitting the power button would save me about six seconds, four times a day, or around 1hr 44 minutes in a year. To make up for the time lost I may get out of bed two hours early tomorrow.
Doh !, I new there was something I was forgetting, that explains the uneasy feeling I had when I walked away and looked back.
Curious: When parking, what do YOU do? Sometimes called "watching the submarine races." Well, it would have been a matter of the circumstances at the time. Typically, you shut of the car, turn to the girl in my case, murmur something banally intimate and then start kissing, etc. Bench front seats were a real benefit. On very rare occasions, the grappling was moved to the back seat. How you got there was always problematic... over the seat backs or go outside... definitely a function of your/her state of undress. Except in the case of the VW Transporter, the "bus," which had a walk-thru between the two front two not-really-bucket seats. I am certain that the owners manual was silent on these matters.
Since getting the car I never pressed P before turning it off, also because I had read the Owner's manual and it read that pressing the On/Off button would set P. So why bother. The P button is there for, likely, legal reasons and also because you can use it to stop the car in place (hence "P"ark...) while keeping it turned on. I use P whenever I stop at a long traffic light to reduce the strain on the right leg that needs, otherwise to keep the foot on the brake the whole time, also when on flat roads (thanks to the useless D crawl simulation). I don't shift to N, because if the car decides to charge the battery it can do so. P is like D without moving. N is also advised against in the Owner's manual for this reason. When I park, if the road is not "flat" and the weather not cold (with cold weather it could freeze and not unlock, so I am told...), I also insert the pedal brake, which has the advantage to keep the car in place once you release the brake. With P inserted, you release the brake and the car can still move a tad (swinging...) before the gears go against the lock inserted by the P switch (which I find annoying). My previous car was a manual gearshift, and I would set the car in neutral, pull hand brake and turned it off (I never left it in gear).
+1 I do everything you said. Sometimes, I don't do anything. My car runs so quiet that when I pull into a parking/garage spot, I've actually forgot to turn off the car. I just got out. Oh, gosh, that's embarrassing! Happy Motoring, Tom
If you are in P and you car gets pushed or hit from the rear (or front) the transmission can be damaged.
I guess his insurance will have to pay for the damage of the transmission as well then... But I get your point - using the brakes the worst it can happen is that your bumper gets damaged (depending on how hard you get rear-ended...).
I was thinking of posting a thread wondering what people do..park then power or just power..then I realized it was probably covered already....great post... I was one of those push park and then power..but just recently started going straight to the power button when I get home.
Another old fart here used to manual transmissions. I *always* engage the e-brake. Seems like cheap insurance and it is already a habit. I press 'park' before hitting the power button. I realize I do not have to, but the extra step gives me a moment to think whether I am ready to shut the car off (did I look at the fuel and MPG gauges ?), and the shutdown is quieter without any engine rattle, something I much appreciate. Re the problem of leaving the car in IG-ON: I forced myself to get in the habit of always locking the car before I walk away, just so that it will beep at me if I forgot (and I have) to power the car down.
I just press the power button when i know i am done driving, if i stop to pick someone up, or i want to listen to music for a little while ater my trip i'll use the "P" button, and later power off the car when i am ready to leave.
I've read most of the owners manual for the 2008 Prius I bought a month or so ago. I've also read a lot of the service manual (Bentley version). Perhaps I missed a detail or two, but until I saw this thread, I didn't know that pressing POWER automatically invokes the PARK function. Thanks all.