Putting the DCT in P

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by NoMoreAudi

I don't know if someone mentioned this already but turning "off" the car while in gear is different than turning it off in neutral. It's only after the 2nd time you hit the "off" button will a neutral parked car go into "park."

[BMWRX]

I wonder if the same conversations were being held, albeit in reverse, when automatic cars came to prevalence.

"Why do I have to put the car into P when I park? My other manual cars, I just turn the car off and don't have to do a thing!"

[Krish_1]

Originally Posted by BMWRX

I wonder if the same conversations were being held, albeit in reverse, when automatic cars came to prevalence.

"Why do I have to put the car into P when I park? My other manual cars, I just turn the car off and don't have to do a thing!"

haha, good one! P is a non-issue IMO, the only time I even think about it is when I valet the car and have to explain to the valet driver how to park it.

I'm a DCT newbie (only 2k miles seat time so far) so correct me if I am doing something wrong, but the bigger annoyance to me is that I feel like two people are driving the car when I am in manual mode. Particularly slowing down to a stop from 4th or 3rd, I downshift and the computer downshifts for me a split second earlier or later than I shift, which causes the car to go into 1st rather than 2nd, and the car bucks. Manual has got to be manual, even if the car stalls.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

On vacation right now driving a Mustang rental. I keep forgetting to put it in P every time I get out of the car. Pretty annoying that required additional step

But your wife's RS3 has a "P" position too, right? I guess she's not letting you drive it enough :

Originally Posted by Krish_1

Manual has got to be manual, even if the car stalls.

OT, but there's a reason why no manufacturer does it that way - it would inevitably cause a few folks who aren't paying attention to stall the car at an inopportune time, lose power assist, and have an incident. And that would be a field day for the lawyers.

You just need to get into the habit of downshifting a little earlier.

[Krish_1]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

You just need to get into the habit of downshifting a little earlier.

hahaha, enough said! Just making sure there is no secret setting I am missing.

[BzsBimmer]

Originally Posted by Krish_1

hahaha, enough said! Just making sure there is no secret setting I am missing.

Also depends on what S mode you’re on. The more bars, the more aggressive shifting is.

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

But your wife's RS3 has a "P" position too, right? I guess she's not letting you drive it enough :

Yup, and I do forget it in drive also when I shut it down. And I did complain about it earlier in the thread too .

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...1#post23340751

[Arcades]

Originally Posted by Krish_1

haha, good one! P is a non-issue IMO, the only time I even think about it is when I valet the car and have to explain to the valet driver how to park it.

I'm a DCT newbie (only 2k miles seat time so far) so correct me if I am doing something wrong, but the bigger annoyance to me is that I feel like two people are driving the car when I am in manual mode. Particularly slowing down to a stop from 4th or 3rd, I downshift and the computer downshifts for me a split second earlier or later than I shift, which causes the car to go into 1st rather than 2nd, and the car bucks. Manual has got to be manual, even if the car stalls.

If you're on Sport or Sport +, you have to downshift earlier to avoid the M-DCT downshifting for you to hold the revs higher.

If you're slowing down in traffic & you're in Sequential, it's sometime best to just let the car downshift for you. All DCTs (including the M-DCT) downshifts on their own and it's generally better that way.

[MRV99]

Originally Posted by Arcades

If you're on Sport or Sport +, you have to downshift earlier to avoid the M-DCT downshifting for you to hold the revs higher.

If you're slowing down in traffic & you're in Sequential, it's sometime best to just let the car downshift for you. All DCTs (including the M-DCT) downshifts on their own and it's generally better that way.

Just for clarification, the DCT will lazy down shift as you slow down to a stop light if you don't down shift yourself. It is not going to rip off down shifts going gear to gear trying to keep you ready to nail the gas and go. Mine is shifting at 1k rpm so even if you do downshift after the DCT downshifts for you your only jumping 500-1000 rpm and is Malone not noticeable.

I have never had my DCT in Sport/Sport+ do aggressive down shift ever in S mode. Maybe in D but not S.

[Krish_1]

Originally Posted by MRV99

Just for clarification, the DCT will lazy down shift as you slow down to a stop light if you don't down shift yourself. It is not going to rip off down shifts going gear to gear trying to keep you ready to nail the gas and go. Mine is shifting at 1k rpm so even if you do downshift after the DCT downshifts for you your only jumping 500-1000 rpm and is Malone not noticeable.

I have never had my DCT in Sport/Sport+ do aggressive down shift ever in S mode. Maybe in D but not S.

Thanks for the tips/suggestions @MRV99 and Arcades! Didn't intend to thread jack, but I appreciate the responses nonetheless. You are right, in that DCT does not do an aggressive downshift. My only issue has been while slowing down from 4th to 1st (to a stop sign for ex). My foot is off the gas at that point, and I downshift from 4 to 3 to 2, and once in a while got caught off-guard because the computer already shifted to 2, and I go to 1. I've tried downshifting a bit aggressively, and have not run into the issue again, so maybe it's just a learning curve of DCT. Still loving DCT, and still no regrets though.

[SD ///M4]

Originally Posted by Krish_1

My only issue has been while slowing down from 4th to 1st (to a stop sign for ex). My foot is off the gas at that point, and I downshift from 4 to 3 to 2, and once in a while got caught off-guard because the computer already shifted to 2, and I go to 1. I've tried downshifting a bit aggressively, and have not run into the issue again, so maybe it's just a learning curve of DCT. Still loving DCT, and still no regrets though.

Not clear exactly how and when you're downshifting when coming to a stop, but as so many here have said, you have to drive it like a manual transmission.

As you are coming to a stop, especially a stop sign where you know ahead of time that you have to stop (compared to a traffic light that just turned yellow up ahead), watch your tachometer and downshift when you get to about 2000 RPM. Just like a manual, you don't do all your downshifting at one time, you space it out as you are slowing down and downshift at the appropriate interval.

The closer the RPMs get to 1500 RPM, the more likely the transmission is going to downshift automatically (to prevent stalling), so you have downshift manually before that, otherwise you may end up downshifting just as the transmission downshifts automatically, going directly from 3 to 1. I did that a few times when I first got the car, but only in neighborhoods where I was going less than 30 MPH and was only downshifting from 3 to 2.

[Krish_1]

Originally Posted by SD ///M4

Not clear exactly how and when you're downshifting when coming to a stop, but as so many here have said, you have to drive it like a manual transmission.

As you are coming to a stop, especially a stop sign where you know ahead of time that you have to stop (compared to a traffic light that just turned yellow up ahead), watch your tachometer and downshift when you get to about 2000 RPM. Just like a manual, you don't do all your downshifting at one time, you space it out as you are slowing down and downshift at the appropriate interval.

The closer the RPMs get to 1500 RPM, the more likely the transmission is going to downshift automatically (to prevent stalling), so you have downshift manually before that, otherwise you may end up downshifting just as the transmission downshifts automatically, going directly from 3 to 1. I did that a few times when I first got the car, but only in neighborhoods where I was going less than 30 MPH and was only downshifting from 3 to 2.

You're right, the computer seems to intervene at around 1k to 1.5k rpm. Once I saw that, problem solved. I chalk it up a newbie DCT driver issue.

[Champagne_Reign]

"You wanna Rip that E-Brake" (In Bow wow voice)

[jc05e46m3]

Originally Posted by BMWRX

I wonder if the same conversations were being held, albeit in reverse, when automatic cars came to prevalence.

"Why do I have to put the car into P when I park? My other manual cars, I just turn the car off and don't have to do a thing!"

Full circle.

[imcpa]

haha, good one! P is a non-issue IMO, the only time I even think about it is when I valet the car and have to explain to the valet driver how to park it.

I may use SOME, not all, drive thru car washes, but I never use a valet, so I won't have to explain anything.

[shortseller]

Originally Posted by Arcades

...
If you're slowing down in traffic & you're in Sequential, it's sometime best to just let the car downshift for you. All DCTs (including the M-DCT) downshifts on their own and it's generally better that way.

Is this the recommended way specified by BMW whenin S mode? Thus has happened to me, I try to stay ahead of it and downshift myself but sometimes I forget to. I do as a practice always let the car shift from 2nd to 1st in any event. Please advise me otherwise if I’m not correct here, it’s my first dct as well.

[Arcades]

Originally Posted by shortseller

Is this the recommended way specified by BMW whenin S mode? Thus has happened to me, I try to stay ahead of it and downshift myself but sometimes I forget to. I do as a practice always let the car shift from 2nd to 1st in any event. Please advise me otherwise if I’m not correct here, it’s my first dct as well.

This, honestly depends on a few factors.

If you are in S, which mode you're on (1 being the lease aggressive to 3 being the most aggressive) will depend on how quick you should downshifting in order for the M-DCT not to give you some fits. The more aggressive setting, you can downshift shift early from 7 - 2 or up shift late from 2 - 7 (aka the car wants to hold the revs higher).

However, across all DCTs I have driven, I never downshift from 2 to 1, I pretty much always let the car do it. Even the PDK gives you that jerk most of the time because you do it late in the RPM band, in which case the car's computer generally is already going to do it. That's one of those things when it comes to DCTs that you just have to learn. 2-1, most of the time or 100% of the time, let the car do it.

[bimmerboyE92]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

If the engine is shutdown with the DCT in either S, D or R, it will it directly go to P. If the engine is shutdown with the DCT in N, it will stay in N and will require another press of the Start/Stop button to go into P.

It has to be noted that if you open the driver's door and unlatch the driver's safety belt with the engine running and the DCT in S, D or R, the DCT will automatically go to N. So if you shutdown the engine at that point, it will stay in N.

I used search! Yay! So if you have race seats and 6 points and have removed the stock seat belts. After coding out the seat air bags and seat belt receptacles, the only way to get the car to go into P is to shut it down with the door closed. Opening the door will keep it in normal. Car is on jacks at the moment and I couldn’t figure out why the drive wheels were spinning. Search has led me here.

[bimmerboyE92]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

If the engine is shutdown with the DCT in either S, D or R, it will it directly go to P. If the engine is shutdown with the DCT in N, it will stay in N and will require another press of the Start/Stop button to go into P.

It has to be noted that if you open the driver's door and unlatch the driver's safety belt with the engine running and the DCT in S, D or R, the DCT will automatically go to N. So if you shutdown the engine at that point, it will stay in N.

Thankfully search led me here before I took my car with race seats and coding to the dealer. Mental note, turn off car before opening door when at the track, because my seat belts are coded out so they never show buckled. Can’t use the hand brake either.

[bagekko]

Just for the record my 2013 135i with DCT did have a Park button. Just traded my 2016 6spd for a 2018 DCT and was confused by no park button, read the manual, and searching here to confirm procedures. Its really gonna throw off the wife when she uses the car.

[Humdizzle]

i just test drove an M2 comp and was confused by this too. I just put it in neutral, e-brake up, and shut it off. gave me some warning on the dash like the car can't be locked or something. didn't feel like it was necessary to restart the car and figure out the process. just handed the keys back to the SA

usually when i park my manual cars i'll leave it in neutral and throw the ebrake up. shut it off. then after i let off the brake i'll put in gear as a failsafe. i'd rather not have the weight of the car resting on the trans while parked.

[RoundelM3]

I always just make sure the car is in "D" and shut it off. Immediately goes into "P". No need to push any buttons, etc.