Foot brake and a driver used to manual

cleverdicky

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Hi , wondered if anyone else has come from a manual to auto but found a locking parking brake where the clutch should be.

I am VERY concerned a time may come when doing a hairy start at a dodgy junction, an automated leg response may whack the parking brake as if the clutch was there. Frightening :shock: prospect!
Is there a foot guard perhaps people could recommend.

many thanks
 

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I do not think that this will ever be a problem,,just forget that you have a left leg
 

lakeside

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The parking brake pedal isn't where a clutch pedal would be. It's much further to the left, and much higher. It won't be a problem.
 

Miffy

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yes, as above, its actually quite an effort to press the park brake, not something your liable to do in error
 

Juddian

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And it's effect being usually so poor that you may well drive off not knowing its on anyway..;)
 

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And it's effect being usually so poor that you may well drive off not knowing its on anyway..;)

I do many a time when I actually use the thing
 

wireman

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If your parking brake will allow you to pull off with it engaged there is something wrong with your car.

If you do not apply the brake when parking or whilst stopped (for more than a few seconds) there is something wrong with your driving, i.e. a fail on any driving test.
Driving off with the brake applied is also a fail, how can you forget with a lamp on the dash?

If you do have the habbit of never using the parking brake it will sieze up and then it will not hold against a running engine and become quite stiff to apply properly, in addition the pressure applied to the service brake will be released if you are involved in a rear on collision whilst stopped and then you will be in a good position to have a second collision with the vehicle in front of yours.

It takes no time to use the brakes correctly so why not do so?
 

brandwooddixon

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I've yet to drive an automatic where it is impossible to drive off with the parking brake applied. Even my wife's first Nissan Micra could do this.

I'm not saying that the performance was great, but as the friction material burns off the brake becomes less effective.

I'm sure that I could do the same with mine, if I ignored the warning message on the dash!
 
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recycledjuvenile

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mine gives an audible warning if you drive with the parking brake on as well as the light on the dash
 

survey

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mine gives an audible warning if you drive with the parking brake on as well as the light on the dash

I too can drive off with the parking brake applied. Likewise I get an audible warning and warning light. I only tend to apply my parking barke if parking on a distinct slope.
 

jberks

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If your parking brake will allow you to pull off with it engaged there is something wrong with your car.

If you do not apply the brake when parking or whilst stopped (for more than a few seconds) there is something wrong with your driving, i.e. a fail on any driving test.
Driving off with the brake applied is also a fail, how can you forget with a lamp on the dash?

If you do have the habbit of never using the parking brake it will sieze up and then it will not hold against a running engine and become quite stiff to apply properly, in addition the pressure applied to the service brake will be released if you are involved in a rear on collision whilst stopped and then you will be in a good position to have a second collision with the vehicle in front of yours.

It takes no time to use the brakes correctly so why not do so?

Sorry but I disagree. What you are saying is based on the situation 50 years ago, and as out of date as the stopping distances on the back of the highway code.

Parking brakes are virtually useless on an auto. I have driven off many of times in mine with the brake on and if it was so unusual I doubt MB would have engineered in a buzzer to warn you. Sure there's a warning light but when setting off you should be looking out, not at the dash. There is no way a shoe based parking brake will be able to resist the torque of a modern turbo diesel, or be of any real use in a rear end shunt. Sure it will stop you faster than no brake, but no where near as quickly as a firmly applied brake pedal and that difference could be the difference between hitting cross traffic or not. I have heard the argument about someone being knocked out but again, with modern seats, headrests and seatbelts I doubt that has occurred for years.

You could theoretically apply it with sufficient force to be partially effective but the effort required will simply result in cable stretch. Remember, a parking brake is a 1920's design with brake shoes and cable actuators. From an engineeering standpoint the equivalent of a bronze axe on a chainsaw world. The only exception being the electronic handbrake found on some newer cars (I use my SBC hold function which does the same thing).

Foot on the brake pedal when stationary is by far the safest thing to do. Shift in P when parked. Use the parking brake if you want but don't rely on it. Cables snap, brakes slip and the strength is minimal anyway.

Having fallen foul of someone using a parking brake at the end of a queue on a motorway I can say with certainty that a) it didn't stop him rolling forward at a great rate of knots when I hit him and b) had he followed my advice and kept his foot on the pedal I would have had several seconds more warning from his brake lights (though admittedly the moron didn't put his hazards on either) that he was slowing/stopped and been able to brake earlier and avoid the collision.
 

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I can drive off in either direction with the parking brake on,,it is only the bleeping that tells me
 

turbopete

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only benefit in using the parking brake instead of the footbrake is that you dont warp as many discs!
 
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cleverdicky

cleverdicky

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OK thanks guys. However two things to consider.

1, the consequences and methods to avoid, of 'ramming on' the parking footbrake if in motion (they were once called emergency brakes)

2, If they're that bad as you say, how has any of you passed an MOT ?
eh! what was that ??? speak up ;)
 

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OK thanks guys. However two things to consider.

1, the consequences and methods to avoid, of 'ramming on' the parking footbrake if in motion (they were once called emergency brakes)

2, If they're that bad as you say, how has any of you passed an MOT ?
eh! what was that ??? speak up ;)

The parking brake when parked is something else, it is a different design to a rolling brake, but sufficient for the rolling road,, MB know this and fit the bleeper,, my V70 is a different design and this car would not move 1" with the handbrake on, but no bleeper fitted..
 

keith100

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Sorry but I disagree. What you are saying is based on the situation 50 years ago, and as out of date as the stopping distances on the back of the highway code.

Parking brakes are virtually useless on an auto. I have driven off many of times in mine with the brake on and if it was so unusual I doubt MB would have engineered in a buzzer to warn you. Sure there's a warning light but when setting off you should be looking out, not at the dash. There is no way a shoe based parking brake will be able to resist the torque of a modern turbo diesel, or be of any real use in a rear end shunt. Sure it will stop you faster than no brake, but no where near as quickly as a firmly applied brake pedal and that difference could be the difference between hitting cross traffic or not. I have heard the argument about someone being knocked out but again, with modern seats, headrests and seatbelts I doubt that has occurred for years.

You could theoretically apply it with sufficient force to be partially effective but the effort required will simply result in cable stretch. Remember, a parking brake is a 1920's design with brake shoes and cable actuators. From an engineeering standpoint the equivalent of a bronze axe on a chainsaw world. The only exception being the electronic handbrake found on some newer cars (I use my SBC hold function which does the same thing).

Foot on the brake pedal when stationary is by far the safest thing to do. Shift in P when parked. Use the parking brake if you want but don't rely on it. Cables snap, brakes slip and the strength is minimal anyway.

Having fallen foul of someone using a parking brake at the end of a queue on a motorway I can say with certainty that a) it didn't stop him rolling forward at a great rate of knots when I hit him and b) had he followed my advice and kept his foot on the pedal I would have had several seconds more warning from his brake lights (though admittedly the moron didn't put his hazards on either) that he was slowing/stopped and been able to brake earlier and avoid the collision.


Oh, absolutely right on every point. (well I don't know about the Highway code bit!!) I only use the p. brake on hills. Its pretty useless for anything else - certainly wouldn't hold the car if rear-ended in traffic.

Keiyj
 

brandwooddixon

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Eitherway, back to the OP's point, the parking brake pedal is sufficiently out of the way that you'll never mistake it for a clutch pedal.

On another point, I use my left foot when releasing it to avoid the embarassing "bang" as the pedal whizzes back up.

In fact when stopped at junctions I often hold the car on the parking brake (with the catch released) and not the footbrake, just prior to moving off.
 

roadhog

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My parking brake holds the car without any problems at all since I replaced the discs and adjusted the shoes properly. I would suggest there's something wrong if you can drive off with the brake applied.
My Merc was my first ever auto but I've never had a problem confusing the parking brake with a clutch pedal.
 

Blobcat

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Oh, absolutely right on every point. (well I don't know about the Highway code bit!!) I only use the p. brake on hills. Its pretty useless for anything else - certainly wouldn't hold the car if rear-ended in traffic.

Keiyj
Since moving "oop north" and having a 25' drive I do use the parking brake but only when parking, I never used it at all previously but I don't like the feeling of the car going back against the gearbox on my drive. I love the brake hold for the crawl to work.
 


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