Parking/Emergency Brake Debate

[sciphi]

My fiancee and I have an ongoing debate about using the parking/emergency brake on hills in our automatic cars, both with rear drum brakes (mine: 1999 Buick LeSabre, hers: 2009 Honda Fit). I always put on the parking brake on anything more than a small hill so the parking pawl doesn't take the strain of holding my car in place. My dropping the car into D on hills after releasing the parking brake sound perfectly normal. She never puts the brake on because her mechanic told her years ago it would seize up the rear brakes. Her shifting into D on hills results in a pronounced clunk and shudder not present on flat ground.

What are your positions and experiences?

 

[exranger06]

I always use the parking brake on hills. If I park on a hill, I shift to neutral, apply parking brake and release foot brake, so the parking brake is the only thing holding the car in place. THEN I shift to park.
I really don't see how using it will seize the rear brakes. I always thought the exact opposite: if you don't use it, the parking brake mechanism can eventually rust and seize. But if you use it regularly, the mechanism keeps moving and won't lock up.

 

[sunfire]

A bit off topic... but hate it when family or fiancee believe what complete stranger mechanic says rather than you!

 

[mstrjon32]

Her mechanic is a moron. I always use the parking brake, even on perfectly flat ground there is no reason not to. On my automatic transmission car I shift into N, hold the service brake, set the parking brake, release the service brake to make sure the parking brake is holding the car, and then shift into park. With the standard transmission, I just set the parking brake, take my foot off the service brake to make sure it isn't rolling, shut the engine off, and then leave it in 1st if the nose is up or R if the nose is down.

There is absolutely no good reason not to follow this procedure, it keeps the weight of the car off your motor and transmission mounts and is much safer than allowing the weight of the car to sit against the transmission alone.

 

[labman]

Some of the older rear disks used setting the parking brake to adjust them. If you never used your parking, brake the pedal got lower and lower. By then, the thing was frozen up and the caliper had tobe rebuilt/replaced.

If setting the parking brake causes problems, how have I got along with my manual transmission cars all these years.

If rear brakes stick, it is due to failure to clean up or replace the hardware when you reline.

Women will believe anything somebody with their name on their shirt tells them.

 

[froggy81500]

Originally Posted By: mstrjon32
Her mechanic is a moron. I always use the parking brake, even on perfectly flat ground there is no reason not to. On my automatic transmission car I shift into N, hold the service brake, set the parking brake, release the service brake to make sure the parking brake is holding the car, and then shift into park. With the standard transmission, I just set the parking brake, take my foot off the service brake to make sure it isn't rolling, shut the engine off, and then leave it in 1st if the nose is up or R if the nose is down.

There is absolutely no good reason not to follow this procedure, it keeps the weight of the car off your motor and transmission mounts and is much safer than allowing the weight of the car to sit against the transmission alone.


on an older car, a lot of the time the e-brake cables would rust up and not work, sometimes getting stuck. Tyical problem here in the Northeast. Newer vehicles seem to have better cables on them because I haven't seen any with e-brakes hanging up like that in a very long time. Perhaps this mechanic is pretty "old school" thinking about cars back before the 1990's? If everything in the e-brake is maintained there is no reason not to use it.

Its actually good to set the brake on an auto when parking on a decent grade to relieve stress on the parking pawl in the transmission. on really steep grades, sometimes its next to impossible to get the vehicle out of park because of it.

 

[sciphi]

Nice to know I'm not alone! And her mechanic is also a next-door neighbor she's known since they were kids. It's a family-run business that's a number of generations removed from the founder. I don't know who there told her that, but it was many years ago.

I've always used the parking brake on every car I've owned, especially the last car with a manual. Never had a problem, nor has my brother, or my mom, or my dad.

 

[SLCraig]

Always use my parking brake, never once had an issue with seizing. Its the opposite. Being as its a safety item as well, I recommend 100% using it whenever you park your car. I do (5 speed though)

 

[CivicFan]

Well, it is possible that the parking brake cable may freeze during winter or seize because of rust in wet conditions. If it seizes while the parking brake is pulled then it may heat up the rear brakes.

I think the chances are minuscule but it's not impossible.

 

[tomcat27]

absolutely YES use the parking brake. the problem lies in the situation where someone has never used their parking brake and the cables and mechanism are really rusted up. in that case, it could cause the brakes to drag - but then that problem should be fixed as the emergency brake is actually a valuable 2nd brake on a car. I have seen a few cases where lives were saved, altho almost nobody would ever think to use them in the event of a brake failure or loss of power boost (more common). of course, you will probably never convince her to do otherwise. if you do, she's a keeper.

 

[JHZR2]

Use it or loose it. Id especially not want to stress a honda transmission, for fear of snapping it.

 

[froggy81500]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Use it or lose it.


exactly.

If other states are like NY, the e-brake is part of the annual safety inspection and has to be operable in order for the vehicle to pass, along with everything else covered. Many times shops won't bother to check it because they are afraid once they pull that handle, it won't come back down. A dealer shafted us like that. Slapped an inspection sticker on the car and the day after we picked the car up, they had to flat bed it back to the dealer because one of the rear wheels was locked up because the parking brake hung up. I had to force it out of the driveway to get my own car out. Not cool.

I had a late 80's pickup with a 5 speed up until 2004 that the parking brake worked flawlessly. Probably because it was always used. the only time I had a problem with it hanging up was when the rear shoes got really worn down and they got stuck on the backing plate. That was my own fault because I let the shoes get too far worn.

 

[Shannow]

I've never imagined NOT using the parking brake, except up in the snow country, and in a dead flat park (where there is the tiniest risk of them icing together).

I think if a car was to go wandering down here and the park brake wasn't applied, there would be a negligence charge in there somewhere.

 

[sciphi]

Now if only I can convince her it's our best interest to use said parking brake...Likely a battle I'll bring up several times more, and point out that several makes have hill control using the parking brake and automatic parking brakes, so if it's good enough for a $40k Benz, it's worth applying to a $18k Honda with what promises to be a wonky transmission.

 

[RoGuE]

I always use my parking brake in my 07 Malibu, even on perfectly flat ground, I just don't push it down all the way on flat ground. My main line of think is if someone backs into my car or soemthing, and breaks the parking pawl, what keeps it from rolling away?

 

[Tosh]

Buddy, the battle was already lost when you let her get a Fit with an automatic...

 

[oilyriser]

Driving School teaches to always use the parking brake, for reasons Shannow wrote. If someone hits your car while it's parked, and sets it loose, bad things can happen.

 

[ARB1977]

I like the idea on putting the AT in neutral before setting the E brake. Every now and then i feel alittle clunk when my truck rolls back...this is on a slight incline.

 

[labman]

+1 My driveway slopes in front of the garage. With manuals, I always set the parking brake. When visitors leave their AT's in park, it gets ugly sometimes.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: labman
+1 My driveway slopes in front of the garage. With manuals, I always set the parking brake. When visitors leave their AT's in park, it gets ugly sometimes.

Same here. Mine's so steep I've had vehicles slide down a few feet when it's icy AFTER their parked. If I don't set the parking brake regularly, I'll 'exercise' them. I even mash and release it on my leased Ody a few times a month.

Joel