A quick and random query…
Can you start the engine in neutral in an NC3 without pressing down on the clutch pedal?
Driven many an NC but out of habit I’ve always pressed down on the clutch when starting the engine.
The other day I had my own NC3 in neutral and with my foot off the clutch pedal, the car started. Normal? Or do I have a faulty clutch switch?
Thanks,
Nick
Never started my NC with the clutch down.
It’s a perfectly normal way to start a car, not just an NC manual gearbox model.
However I always go back to when my dad taught me how to drive, he’d driven everything from, buses big trucks to tanks in the army, he said push the clutch pedal down before starting the car. That’s really stuck with me to present, you don’t have to of course.
I agree, always best practice to start it with the clutch pedal down regardless 
But my question really, is the NC meant to start without the clutch pedal down? Mine does and I wasn’t sure if there something up with my clutch switch.
An ND won’t start unless the clutch pedal is pressed down, is the NC the same?
NC starts without the clutch depressed, definitely.
Thanks Mick 
That’s to do with turning on the ignition so that the push-button start will work.
With older vehicles, even though not usually necessary, it’s still a good idea to depress the clutch pedal because there’s less load for the starter motor (that’s what I was taught many years ago, anyway).
If one tends to park on the flat with the car left in gear, but handbrake off to prevent it rusting onto the discs, then pressing down the clutch before starting is a very worthwhile habit!
When a student I bought a very cheap (£10) Mk2 Zephyr with a chipped tooth on reverse because the former owner said he didn’t notice he had knocked the column change one day when starting it. We could hear reverse was not happy; he was scared to drive it. I changed the gearbox oil and two tiny chips were on the magnetic sump plug so I was confident driving it for the next few thousand miles until rust finally killed it.
However my Mazda3 with Start button requires the clutch to be depressed to turn over the engine, otherwise the button simply steps through the normal acc, ign, off, etc sequence.
Very handy if one forgets to park the mirrors closed within the half minute or so after switching off normally.
I was given advice as a young kid learning to drive , clutch in whilst starting…just incase , safety first.
I was taught to depress the clutch when I learned to drive. Later in life when I started driving auto’s, most of them required the foot brake to be pressed before they would start so it kinda followed on from the clutch thing.
The ND is pretty cool as the start stop button changes from red to green when you press the clutch to start which adds a bit of theatre in a small way.
My Audi with DSG box requires footbrake to be depressed before starting , just makes sense.
My current JDM NBFL only starts if you depress the clutch pedal. My previous UK-market NBFL started regardless, so I assume it’s a market-specific requirement.
I was taught to drive by police as a police officer in 1979 who used the Roadcraft method and I still do it automatically now no matter what vehicle I’m in
Dunno whether this was because police vehicles were driven by at least 3 different drivers over a 24 hour period …any of whom could have accidentally left it in gear
Saves on embarrassment of the vehicle lunging forward and stalling or worst hitting something close in front
Was also taught to check ‘handbrake on & out of gear viz in neutral’…Belt and Braces
I leave the car in gear when I park especially at home as we have a steep drive.
Foot brake, clutch, neutral, start. Wait 10 secs or so for revs to drop then pop in gear and off we go - naturally the roof is coming down wherever possible during the idling period.
My Kia Stonic requires both the clutch and footbrake to be depressed before pressing the start button.
Very safety conscious 
A bit off topic, but if you hold the starter button down on an ND it will turn over the engine and NOT start - good for getting oil round after an oil change or after a winter storage period. So sort of Not Starting With Pressing the Clutch Pedal 
Not sure what you mean about not starting an ND if you hold the button down.
I’ve been told that if you press the Start button in an ND 3 times without the clutch being pressed, while driving, the engine will turn off.
Haven’t tried it myself
That one is a new one to me…
Just press and hold it down. The engine will turn over/crank but not start. You have to release it before it will start.