Clutch pedal position switch

[ZokEE]

Hi guys, long time lurker, first time poster.
My wife and I bought an RS wagon in November and the one thing that drives me crazy is having to dip the clutch to start the car. When i have kids and bags and strollers and shopping in arms and want to start the car to cool it down it's infuriating having to get in to start the damn thing. If anyone wants to chime in with the ''it's a safety feature'' line please cease and desist, I've never owned an automatic car, nor a manual that requires you to put the clutch in to start it and haven't put one through the garage door yet.

I have done some reading on bypassing the switch, but haven't found any useful info or pictures on where the switch is located in the octavia. I have pulled some of the plastics out from around the footwell, but cannot seem to find the two switches that people mention (one for the start lockout and the other for the cruise control). If anyone has had any success with this could they please point me in the right direction?

As an alternative does anyone know if switching off this feature could also be achieved through the VAG-COM interface.

Thanks in advance, Steve.

[woofy]

To be honest I didn't know there was one. I must just do it out of habit...I have the same scenerio, but just get in and start it. These days I also have a Santa Fe with a start button and even those you have to have a foot on the brake. It's not really a big deal for me.

If it helps, hold down the open button on the key fob so all the windows go down, that will be a lot more effective than starting the car to begin with.

[Jake02]

It must be a new RS thing as my 08 model doesn't require you to do that at all (thank god, sounds rather annoying!). Also annoying that you can no longer turn the ESP off.

But I do mean that I often start the car in Neutral and I assume you can't start it in Neutral. Obviously I'd start the car with the clutch in if it were in gear! I experienced this on a cousin's 2009 Corolla where you have to be in gear and with the clutch in to start the car; sorry ZokEE that's what I assumed you meant.

[woofy]

Ah that would explain it, I have a late 08 RS so it probably doesn't do it. The first cars I saw this in was the Getz years ago.

[spellbound]

I was taught to always start a car with clutch depressed years ago , only noticed the dash display re clutch couple of months after delivery .

Think about the dude who got crushed to death in the bush with his dumb habit of starting from outside , so its a safety issue with great merit .

[woofy]

I was taught to always start a car with clutch depressed years ago , only noticed the dash display re clutch couple of months after delivery .

Think about the dude who got crushed to death in the bush with his dumb habit of starting from outside , so its a safety issue with great merit .

I wasn't going to say it as they mentioned they didn't want to know, but yes it's a habit that was drummed into me. And with my kids in the car I doublecheck the gearbox is out of gear and still have my foot on the brake in case its not.

[K1W1]

Must be a new feature in Skodas.
My Dec 2009 registered vRS diesel does not do that but our April 2009 Audi S3 manual does. I just automatically depress the clutch pedal before I start any manual car anyway.
I did try mine to see what happens and with the diesel it lurches forward a long, long way if you start it in gear. You would be 100% guaranteed to hit the car in front in a car park or the front of most garages if you did it accidentally so imo the safety switch is probably a good thing that you should learn to live with rather than something that you should disable.

---------- Post added at 05:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:25 PM ----------

When i have kids and bags and strollers and shopping in arms and want to start the car to cool it down it's infuriating having to get in to start the damn thing.

Use the remote to open all the windows instead.

[spellbound]

Must be recent, because my GTI is april 2011 build , even my partener was told by her instructor to always depress the clutch , audi of course had the issue in the states back in the 80's with the auto models , can only start with brake engaged .

[K1W1]

audi of course had the issue in the states back in the 80's with the auto models , can only start with brake engaged .

That's common on a lot of auto cars now.

[Mysticality]

My 2007 Kia Rio used to require the clutch in to start, regardless of shifter position.

It must be a new RS thing as my 08 model doesn't require you to do that at all (thank god, sounds rather annoying!). Also annoying that you can no longer turn the ESP off.

My MY12 can turn ESP off.
As far as I know, its fully off, too.
I had it in 3rd gear, going 'round a long sweeping corner, then suddenly the turbo kicked in, 4k RPM and the thing was going straight forwards. If thats not ESP off I don't know what is!
Reminded me of my old Rio, actually!

[MarksVRS]

Needing to have the clutch in would annoy me (my Sept 09 TDI does not have this feature).

I am actually in the habit of "shaking the gearshift" to check it is in neutral and starting with the clutch out. The reason being is that it can be difficult to engage 1st gear if the mainshaft is not spinning. Just a habit of mine for both my car and bike.....

Even more annoying for me is the need to turn the ignition fully off to restart if the engine stalls. I have stalled the car a couple of times and it is scary and dangerous to find nothing happens when you are in traffic and nothing happens when you try to crank it. You need to overcome your natural instinct and turn the ignition off before cranking.

[woofy]

Yeah when I handed the Skoda over to my wife in Dec I warned her about stalling it as you have to turn it right off. Also she experienced the leave the indicator on random beep, even though when I first did it, she told me her 70s Passat yrs ago did the same thing...albeit without the noise.

[K1W1]

The reason being is that it can be difficult to engage 1st gear if the mainshaft is not spinning. Just a habit of mine for both my car and bike.....

So unless your bike is about 20 years old you have to pull the clutch in to start it surely?

[BlackSuperb]

You have to have your foot on the brake to get a DSG gearbox out of park.

[K1W1]

Yes but the OP just wanted to start the car basically while standing outside.