Hi No Fly Zone,
I use minor Manual adjustments for course, alt and speed, and then re-engage the auto toys.
I have never seen anyone treating the automatics like that before. The designers must be tearing their hair out.
Some FO's are horrified
I'm not surprised.
Why not simply change the heading / speed / Alt selector by only one click initially until you've checked it was the correct knob by looking at your PFD?