Put it in park, or shut it off?

[bushranger]

I've had my 2007 X5 for about a month. It has comfort access. The other day I pulled in the driveway and forgot to hit park on the gearshift and just turned the engine off. I was surprised when the transmission shifted into park automatically. Is this a design feature? Can I just turn the car off when I come to a stop or do I risk damage to the transmission?

Thanks.


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[BustedKnuckles]

It is an electronic transmission and will automatically put itself in park once the engine is shut off. My driveway is a hill and I put the vehicle in neutral and apply the parking brake before shutting off the engine. Sometimes I put it back in park sometimes I don't. It hasn't caused any issues and I don't believe you have anything to worry about. The transmission will switch to park the same way it would if you did it yourself.

That being said, It couldn't hurt to do it the right way unless you have a reason.

[Proflyer]

I always use the auto-stop so once I stop the parking break is on anyway, then I just shut it off. I asked the tech a while back and he said it doesn't matter, the car basically pushes the park button for you when you shut it off. Either way it's the same electronic signal to the transmission.

[bushranger]

Interesting. If I understand the owner's manual correctly, it looks like just switching off the engine without putting it in park is a normal operation.


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[ryan5034]

Originally Posted by BustedKnuckles

It is an electronic transmission and will automatically put itself in park once the engine is shut off. My driveway is a hill and I put the vehicle in neutral and apply the parking brake before shutting off the engine. Sometimes I put it back in park sometimes I don't. It hasn't caused any issues and I don't believe you have anything to worry about. The transmission will switch to park the same way it would if you did it yourself.



That being said, It couldn't hurt to do it the right way unless you have a reason.

It's just a safety feature. But consider the last sentence above. If you get used to being lazy and just shutting it off and walking away you might get a nasty surprise when you rent a car one day or otherwise parking a vehicle that doesn't have this feature.

[bushranger]

Good point. When I first got it I was not used to the electronic transmission and didn't fully trust that it was going into park. It's good to know that the safety feature is there.


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[ard]

If you happen to be on an incline and the car begins to roll, prior to shifting- when it does enter park it can do serious damage.

[ryan5034]

One thing I do find annoying is you must have the driver door closed to move in D or R. I know it sounds obvious but sometimes I know I need to back up 2 feet and I used to watch the ground roll by to gauge the distance. Trailering and such.

[ard]

Originally Posted by ryan5034

One thing I do find annoying is you must have the driver door closed to move in D or R. I know it sounds obvious but sometimes I know I need to back up 2 feet and I used to watch the ground roll by to gauge the distance. Trailering and such.

Yes. Same here. First time it happened it was super confusing....

[bawareca]

Originally Posted by ryan5034

One thing I do find annoying is you must have the driver door closed to move in D or R. I know it sounds obvious but sometimes I know I need to back up 2 feet and I used to watch the ground roll by to gauge the distance. Trailering and such.

I have a habit of backing up wit the door opened, especially with a trailer hooked-up. Just keep the left foot on the brake with slight pressure applied and the tranny will not shift into park regardless that the door is opened.