Wondering what your car’s Auto Hold button does? Learn about the functionality of this feature and how it can enhance your driving experience in our detailed guide.
We have become accustomed to reading short texts and devouring videos that last less than a minute. For this reason, it is not surprising that most people who buy a new car do not even think of taking a look at the vehicle manual.
We complain that cars are becoming more expensive. And that’s true. However, we pay for many features that we never use , simply because we don’t know they exist. It’s a real shame to discover something useful about our car after 10 years of driving it day in and day out.
One of the features that many modern cars have that few people know what it does is Auto Hold . Very few people know about its existence, and only a small percentage of drivers actually use this peculiar driving aid. Keep reading and you’ll save yourself from having to read the long manual for your vehicle. I promise.
What does the car’s “Auto Hold” button do?
Driving a modern car is much easier than getting behind the wheel of a vehicle that is 10 or more years old. New cars on the market are packed with little aids. Thanks to them, even the most clumsy driver can get around safely .
The “Auto Hold” button is not a particularly new invention. In the past, it was implemented in many luxury cars. Today, this feature is found in a large part of vehicles of any range that are sold new.
So what is it? Well, it’s a system that allows you to take your foot off the brake when the car is completely stopped. This way, you don’t have to shift into gear, put it in neutral or apply the handbrake. The vehicle itself will do this work for you and you can take your feet off the pedals. The brake lights will remain on while the vehicle is stopped.
Is it a substitute for the handbrake?
Not exactly. Modern cars no longer use a handbrake as such, but an electromechanical one. The button to activate this parking brake is also usually on the centre console. The Auto Hold simply serves to keep the car stopped at a traffic light, for example. It is useful in cases where you would apply the handbrake to take your feet off the pedals, so to speak.
Requirements to activate Auto Hold
The way Auto Hold works is quite peculiar. The system is activated by pressing a button that is usually on the centre console or near the gear lever. When it comes into operation, it does so automatically. We do not have to constantly activate and deactivate it manually.
However, there are a number of conditions that must be met for Auto Hold to work. In fact, before you take your feet off the pedals, it is important to look at the dashboard and make sure that the “Auto Hold” light is on .
The requirements for Auto Hold to activate are as follows:
- The car must be completely stopped , with the engine running. If the vehicle has an automatic transmission, it is not necessary to shift from “D” to neutral. What is important is that the brake is pressed firmly enough to signal the system that we are stopped.
- The button must have been previously activated. It usually has a light indicating whether it is active or not, exactly the same as in vehicles with Start & Stop.
- Auto Hold will only activate if we are wearing the seat belt . It is a preventative measure to prevent us from getting out of the car.
- Finally, the mechanism automatically deactivates after 10 minutes of inactivity to prevent wear.
What Auto Hold is not
Okay, so now you know what the function is for. Before we say goodbye, you need to know something else. Many people confuse Auto Hold with Hill Assistant .
Both functions can coexist , and in some cases, Auto Hold can be complemented by Hill Assist. For example, if you stop on a hill with Auto Hold activated, it will keep the car braked, and when you accelerate, the Hill Assist system could kick in if necessary.
Also, if your car has hill assist , even if Auto Hold is deactivated, the car should not fall backwards, as the other assistance will be active.
In any case, and as a piece of advice, it is advisable not to rely entirely on these types of driving aids . They make our lives easier, yes. However, if they fail or we have to use an older vehicle – due to an emergency, for example – these aids will have done us a disservice. Driving a manual car once a year without aids or beeping when parking is the perfect recipe for not getting rusty and always being prepared to drive any type of car.
If you want to keep learning interesting things about your car, stay with us, it’s more entertaining than reading your car’s manual. In this other post we explain what the button on the seat belts is for. And, in this other one, we talk about how the starter motor works and what parts it has.