Hello,

Is it just me, or a combination of me and something wrong with the car???

I got my full driving licence in 2018 and got my car the next week. I am a VERY occasional driver. I only learned to drive because my mother and her husband split and she needs help getting to hospital appointments and running errands and such (she now lives with me, my husband and our newborn).

It can be weeks to months between my driving the car. I learned in my instructor’s new diesel car and by the time I took my test in Aug 2018, I could have made it tap dance down the road if you wanted.

Now that’s all well and good 👌🏻... but I then bought an older (10 years old) petrol car! No one told me about the difference in technique needed here with manual cars and I did do some research but never came across that. OF COURSE I got into the bad diesely habit of trying to pull away on the clutch with no gas. For the diesel car that was no problem. Even a quick pull away. For my little petrol? Ha! STALL!

You can imagine that only driving occasionally, I haven’t quite broken the bad habit yet. I get so cross with myself when I don’t remember to rev or rev more but I also feel like something is off with my car.

I’ve already taken it to be looked at before but the garage said they couldn’t replicate the problem I’ve had 🤷🏼‍♀️ I did tell them it’s not all the time. I had the problem today and last week when I drove, but the last time before that was... last year? I don’t remember for sure. It didn’t happen the last few times I drove before last week. Maybe before I got pregnant?

There are 3 things I want to ask if anyone might know about:

1) depressing the clutch is fine and smooth etc but lifting it back up after changing gear or trying to find the bite, is not smooth at all. It’s like the pedal is sticking or jarry or something? It’s hard to describe - it’s just not smooth. I know very little about the car’s actual mechanics. Do I just need to oil the pedal with wd40 or something or could this be something more complicated?

2) Happened last week and today. I will give some gas (around 1500 flat, 2500 hill), find the bite and the car will pull, but then despite feeling the car pull, when I release the handbreak... sometimes it will still stall. Last week on a hill with a big-ass Audi behind me 😧 It only crept forward, even with the clutch fully up, after revving to like 8500! That was scary! It did the same today but not on a hill, thankfully - I was just trying to drive forward out of a parking bay. No one was around, we parked to go in and ask directions, so I wasn’t rushing, I was being very mindful and it did it like 3 times before it would pull away yet I did the exact same thing. Engine on in neutral. Clutch down, gear to 1st. Give some gas around 1500, find bite and car pulls. Handbrake off. 🤷🏼‍♀️ obv after it successfully pulls away clutch comes fully up and more gas but I don’t even get the chance like this!

3) only happened today and makes me think it’s not just me??? I was on a flat road at a red light, waiting to turn left. Handbrake on, in 1st gear but clutch fully down. The car just died. I didn’t even try to give gas/ find the bite or anything yet... the whole car just died. Even the cable charging my phone went off - as if I’d turned the ignition off, only I hadn’t. I turned the key to try and start the engine again (already handbrake on with clutch down so went back to neutral), it would not start. It made a noise like when you have a flat battery with not quite enough power to turn the engine (I had to have the battery and clutch replaced after I got the car, which is how I know). But then it started and was fine after trying like 5 times🤷🏼‍♀️ - it’s a new battery fitted and tested by the RAC and it had no issue turning over since it was fitted to now.

I was thinking about trying to get some extra driving lessons but in my car, not someone else’s (can’t atm due to pandemic) - but does it sound like there are also some clutch and battery issues or something here! I’d want to get those resolved first, obviously - maybe at a different garage, even though the one I use is reputable.

I know some of it is me needing practice with petrol clutch control in a less powerful engine, but I’ve only had it 2 years, maybe driven it like 20 times and have had to replace the battery and clutch as well as have an oil leak fixed shortly after getting it, so I’m thinking it’s not JUST me??

Sorry, I know that’s really long but I’m trying to explain as best I can. I don’t want to end up spending £££s if the problem is just me

TYI

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