Double Parallel parking a Ford Fiesta automatic

[Moonlover]

6 minutes ago, transam said:

Can you move the ride in drive....?

I presume you mean 'move the shift into drive'.......

 

Why would you want to do that?

[transam]

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

I presume you mean 'move the shift into drive'.......

 

Why would you want to do that?

Am just asking a question.......

[mogandave]

As I said: allowed, yes; legal, no. Maybe learn the difference between the 2?

Do why do they paint lines and post signs saying it's okay if it's not?

[mogandave]

Correct, but if someone pushes a ride and hurts someone with the uncontrollable vehicle then a BiB problem..

It would be civil,not a criminal matter.

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, transam said:

Am just asking a question.......

Ok, you have a vehicle with a dead battery. But you need to move it, by pushing or towing. You can't do that whilst the transmission is in park and you can't move the shift lever without electrical power. Hence the override function of the 'shift lock release', which does not require electrical power.

 

You can now select neutral and move the vehicle. Putting it into drive would be of no help at all.

 

Sorry I guess I misunderstood the context of your query.

[mogandave]

Ok, you have a vehicle with a dead battery. But you need to move it, by pushing or towing. You can't do that whilst the transmission is in park and you can't move the shift lever without electrical power. Hence the override function of the 'shift lock release', which does not require electrical power.
 
You can now select neutral and move the vehicle. Putting it into drive would be of no help at all.
 
Sorry I guess I misunderstood the context of your query.

I think the "shift lock release" needs power, it just only works with the key off.

[Moonlover]

11 minutes ago, mogandave said:

 

I think the "shift lock release" needs power, it just only works with the key off.

 

Which would completely defeat the purpose of the device!!!!!

[mogandave]

Which would completely defeat the purpose of the device!!!!!

Why is that? You have to turn the key off for it to work.

I imagine it would have to energize (or de-energize) a solenoid of some kind to work.

[Moonlover]

5 hours ago, mogandave said:

 

Why is that? You have to turn the key off for it to work.

I imagine it would have to energize (or de-energize) a solenoid of some kind to work.

 

Yes. Correct. For normal operation, i.e. you need to have the brakes applied to actuate the solenoid, before you can get the shift out of park. In engineering terms this is commonly known as a safety interlock. But if the battery is dead, the solenoid cannot operate, rendering the vehicle immobile.

 

This is where the 'shift lock release' comes in. It is a mechanical override so that the vehicle can be moved, for towing to a workshop for example. (Or in Thailand to shove it around a carpark!)

 

Get it know?

[transam]

Which brings me back to my point that any vehicle without a driver should remain safe with wheels locked.

[giddyup]

2 minutes ago, transam said:

Which brings me back to my point that any vehicle without a driver should remain safe with wheels locked.

The incidents of runaway cars in private carparks is staggering,.

[mogandave]

Yes. Correct. For normal operation, i.e. you need to have the brakes applied to actuate the solenoid, before you can get the shift out of park. In engineering terms this is commonly known as a safety interlock. But if the battery is dead, the solenoid cannot operate, rendering the vehicle immobile.
 
This is where the 'shift lock release' comes in. It is a mechanical override so that the vehicle can be moved, for towing to a workshop for example. (Or in Thailand to shove it around a carpark!)
 
Get it know?

Thanks, I was confused, I thought we were talking about the button that allows you to shift from park to neutral with the key off.

[transam]

1 minute ago, giddyup said:

The incidents of runaway cars in private carparks is staggering,.

The ride in question will not runaway anytime, that safety feature has been built in. It seems there is a "hidden" override in case of breakdown which I would wager the instructions for it are in the handbook...

[giddyup]

1 minute ago, mogandave said:

 

Thanks, I was confused, I thought we were talking about the button that allows you to shift from park to neutral with the key off.

 

We are.

[Moonlover]

11 minutes ago, mogandave said:

 

Thanks, I was confused, I thought we were talking about the button that allows you to shift from park to neutral with the key off.

 

No mogandave, don't worry, you're not confused. That little button is  the shift lock release.

 

However, please don't ask me to comment on the OP's Ford. The last Fiesta I owned was a 1979 manual shift!

[patyh]

On the present day fiesta, Ford have linked the car control to the Ford Sync system. In my previous Ford Ecosport, which had the same system as the fiesta, the park lock control and traction control system is turn off/on via the Ford Sync Infotainment system. 

 

To answer a previous question, if the car battery is dead and you did not turn off the park lock control (the option to shift to neutral when the key is removed), then you will not be able to shift the gear to neutral no matter how hard you try unless you go for the potential destructive of removing the gear knob cover to force it into neutral.

 

IIRC, the "P" on the gear lever only locks the gear and the wheel that the gear is directly connected so.. So, if you need your car tow and is unable to shift to neutral, the rear wheel should still moves freely with the handbrake released .  

[ftpjtm]

In answer to the OP there are 2 options I have used;

 

1) Remove the small cover to the right of the shifter. Shut off the car with the shifter in P and remove the key. Use the key to depress the white piece of plastic inside the cover, while moving the shifter to N. Best method although it requires you to use a small screwdriver to open the cover and looks a bit unsightly if left this way.

 

2) If you have 2 sets of keys put the car in N and turn the car off by turning the key as far as it will go. You can't remove the key but the electronics of the car are off so you won't drain the battery. Lock the car with the second set of keys. Advantage no minor modifications to the car, obvious disadvantage is you've made the car more vulnerable to theft. But I have used this method before discovering the first. Now I keep a small screwdriver in the car in case I need to double park.

 

To those social crusaders who have ranted on the evils of double parking, you obviously haven't spent much time driving in the major cities of Thailand or Asia. Try parking at Suvarnabhumi during Songkran or between Xmas and New Year. The attendants will instruct you to double park, and if you are blocked will assist you in moving the cars blocking you. That's one of thousands of examples when double parking is perfectly acceptable in Thailand.

 

Pictures below of the cover to be removed to allow the Fiesta to be parked in Neutral.

 

 

[MINIMIGLIA]

Just park some where else, too easy???

[ftpjtm]

4 minutes ago, MINIMIGLIA said:

Just park some where else, too easy???

Or you could just stay home. Even easier.

[mogandave]

In answer to the OP there are 2 options I have used;
 
1) Remove the small cover to the right of the shifter. Shut off the car with the shifter in P and remove the key. Use the key to depress the white piece of plastic inside the cover, while moving the shifter to N. Best method although it requires you to use a small screwdriver to open the cover and looks a bit unsightly if left this way.
 
2) If you have 2 sets of keys put the car in N and turn the car off by turning the key as far as it will go. You can't remove the key but the electronics of the car are off so you won't drain the battery. Lock the car with the second set of keys. Advantage no minor modifications to the car, obvious disadvantage is you've made the car more vulnerable to theft. But I have used this method before discovering the first. Now I keep a small screwdriver in the car in case I need to double park.
 
To those social crusaders who have ranted on the evils of double parking, you obviously haven't spent much time driving in the major cities of Thailand or Asia. Try parking at Suvarnabhumi during Songkran or between Xmas and New Year. The attendants will instruct you to double park, and if you are blocked will assist you in moving the cars blocking you. That's one of thousands of examples when double parking is perfectly acceptable in Thailand.
 
Pictures below of the cover to be removed to allow the Fiesta to be parked in Neutral.
 
 

Can’t you just drill a small hole in the cover to keep from having to remove the cover every time?

[ftpjtm]

4 minutes ago, mogandave said:

 

Can’t you just drill a small hole in the cover to keep from having to remove the cover every time?

I suppose, but you'd need something fairly stout to push down the white plastic piece. For example, I don't think a paper clip would work. And you'd have to keep the "pushing" device on hand. If you drill a hole large enough for the key to pass through your pretty much destroying the cover.

 

It's convenient enough to pop the cover out with the screw driver I keep in the car. Then with the cover back in place all looks good as new (although after looking at my pictures I guess I need to do a bit of interior cleaning).

[mogandave]

I suppose, but you'd need something fairly stout to push down the white plastic piece. For example, I don't think a paper clip would work. And you'd have to keep the "pushing" device on hand. If you drill a hole large enough for the key to pass through your pretty much destroying the cover.
 
It's convenient enough to pop the cover out with the screw driver I keep in the car. Then with the cover back in place all looks good as new (although after looking at my pictures I guess I need to do a bit of interior cleaning).

I was thinking of a hole big enough for a small screwdriver.

[Henryford]

1 hour ago, ftpjtm said:

In answer to the OP there are 2 options I have used;

 

1) Remove the small cover to the right of the shifter. Shut off the car with the shifter in P and remove the key. Use the key to depress the white piece of plastic inside the cover, while moving the shifter to N. Best method although it requires you to use a small screwdriver to open the cover and looks a bit unsightly if left this way.

 

2) If you have 2 sets of keys put the car in N and turn the car off by turning the key as far as it will go. You can't remove the key but the electronics of the car are off so you won't drain the battery. Lock the car with the second set of keys. Advantage no minor modifications to the car, obvious disadvantage is you've made the car more vulnerable to theft. But I have used this method before discovering the first. Now I keep a small screwdriver in the car in case I need to double park.

 

To those social crusaders who have ranted on the evils of double parking, you obviously haven't spent much time driving in the major cities of Thailand or Asia. Try parking at Suvarnabhumi during Songkran or between Xmas and New Year. The attendants will instruct you to double park, and if you are blocked will assist you in moving the cars blocking you. That's one of thousands of examples when double parking is perfectly acceptable in Thailand.

 

Pictures below of the cover to be removed to allow the Fiesta to be parked in Neutral.

 

 

Only acceptable to d**k heads who are too lazy to drive 10 yards to the next free space.

 

[mogandave]

Only acceptable to d**k heads who are too lazy to drive 10 yards to the next free space.
 

While I agree only d**k heads park like this when walking a little further will yield a proper spot, there are not always spots available.

[ftpjtm]

16 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Only acceptable to d**k heads who are too lazy to drive 10 yards to the next free space.

 

On December 27th I was at Suvarnabhumi picking up a friend. I drove into the top of the second garage because it's typically less full. As I drove in an attendant told me to double park. Since I don't like to and had time to kill, I drove through the entire garage not finding a single space opened, and passing perhaps 500 double parked cars. I finally double parked on the ground floor.

 

In your opinion, what should I have done?

[ftpjtm]

22 minutes ago, mogandave said:

 

I was thinking of a hole big enough for a small screwdriver.

 

That would certainly work, but since I have the screw driver in the car and it's easy enough to pop the cover off and on, and I don't double park often, I prefer my method as it leaves the car unblemished.

[ExpatOilWorker]

56 minutes ago, ftpjtm said:

On December 27th I was at Suvarnabhumi picking up a friend. I drove into the top of the second garage because it's typically less full. As I drove in an attendant told me to double park. Since I don't like to and had time to kill, I drove through the entire garage not finding a single space opened, and passing perhaps 500 double parked cars. I finally double parked on the ground floor.

 

In your opinion, what should I have done?

You should have double parked when the parking attendant first told you so and saved yourself counting 500 cars.

[JaseTheBass]

Can’t you just drill a small hole in the cover to keep from having to remove the cover every time?

I bought a secondhand car for the missus recently and the previous owner had stuck a rawl plug under the cover to permanently allow the selector to be moved when the car is parked.

Sent from my R2D2 droid using my C3P0 manservant

[fredob43]

The new Tuna has the same problem. You have to put it in P before you can turn off the engine. (No key you just press a button) It will turn off in nutral but all the ignition lights stay on. Then you cant close the door without an alarm going off. Have made inquires and have been told it's down to safety.

 

Like others only had the problem using it at Swampy when there were no parking space's.

Eventually found one but it took me about 40min:

N/B can only select drive once engine is running with your foot on the brake, other wise it's locked solid. With no chance of moving it. Old one had a button so not a problem.

[ftpjtm]

13 hours ago, fredob43 said:

The new Tuna has the same problem. You have to put it in P before you can turn off the engine. (No key you just press a button) It will turn off in nutral but all the ignition lights stay on. Then you cant close the door without an alarm going off. Have made inquires and have been told it's down to safety.

 

Like others only had the problem using it at Swampy when there were no parking space's.

Eventually found one but it took me about 40min:

N/B can only select drive once engine is running with your foot on the brake, other wise it's locked solid. With no chance of moving it. Old one had a button so not a problem.

I am amazed that Toyota would not allow this in the new Fortuner, being from an Asian car maker and the practice of double parking being so common throughout Asia. I wonder if it can be done by changing electronic settings in a way similar to that described for the more modern Fords with keyless ignition.