Two stupid questions.... very stupid...

[IllusionX]

Gee, how come so many people don't learn this in school?
the first thing i learn in driving school was to use the e-brake.
plus, pulling e-brake turns off the DRL when you start car, and will not turn them on until you release it.
You also don't want your car (for whatever reasons) to start rolling and killing a kid.... Safety 1st (tm)

oh and i almost forgot, you need the pull e-brake for the remote starter! :)

Originally Posted by thebarber

i got used to using the parking/emergency brake as well when i started driving a mercury topaz back in the day....it was a auto (and v6, w00t)

i use my ebrake most of the time in my manual yaris as i leave it in neutral. im worried if i leave it in gear and someone in a parking lot bumps me, it could mess up my transmission....so ebrake it is. (that and my wife will stall the car if i leave it in gear, lol). sometimes ill just leave it in gear w/o the ebrake when i park....i like to mix it up

we have an auto aveo which i dont always use the ebrake...usually only if im parking on a hill....but i guess i should use it more often than that

and i ALWAYS use the ebrake in winter......how else can i skid the @$$ end around?!

I always pull the e-brake. none of my friends do.. so guess what happens after i've driven their car... :P

[wiirenet]

I've never used this and never considered it :x

So some noob questions follow- lets say I start using it, or at least pay more attention if I'm in a hill or not heh.

I drive the car into the parking spot with my foot on the brake pedal, lift the lever up (the e-brake right?) then switch the gear into P?

Or do you switch to P first, release the pedal and then use the e-brake? Just don't know the correct order heh. Don't even remember learning this. :x

[JustAnotherAsian]

Originally Posted by wiirenet

I've never used this and never considered it :x

So some noob questions follow- lets say I start using it, or at least pay more attention if I'm in a hill or not heh.

I drive the car into the parking spot with my foot on the brake pedal, lift the lever up (the e-brake right?) then switch the gear into P?

Or do you switch to P first, release the pedal and then use the e-brake? Just don't know the correct order heh. Don't even remember learning this. :x

the bolded/first one is correct. don't feel stupid- it's better to be safe than sorry. a car parked on a hill has a lot of potential for an accident.

[GeneW]

Originally Posted by texkid

Not a dumb question at all.

Believe me, I drive stick and there have been times where I nudge it gear with E-brake engaged.

1) It is good to have the E-brake engaged, ESPECIALLY if driving an automatic due to the fact that without it over time there will be damage to the transmission when putting the car in "P" and then just let it wobble in place.

2) I don't think that moving the car 20 feet would've done permanent damage to the car. I knew a guy that drove his Mazda ALL DAY with it up and didn't realize it. But it wouldn't hurt to get it checked.

I don't know about Honda but older US ATs had a very very tough parking pawl that usually outlived the car. Usually they don't mind being on a hill, though it's probably prudent to curb the wheel or use the emergency brake.

I don't like to use the ebrake during the winter since sometimes they freeze solid. In the summer it's probably harmless.

Gene

[Forrest]

Originally Posted by Carrot Top

When I bought my Yaris, I was told always use the hand brake whether its stick shift or auto. This prevents it from rusting out. The parking pin is only the size of your pinky...so if you think of the weight of your car being held by that pin, thats were the parking brake comes in to help. On my parent's Ford LTD (I told this story on here before)they never used the parking brake...eventually it broke and one time at my Grandfather's gravesite we are standing there putting flowers on the grave, my Mom forgot to use the e-brake and the car started rolling down the lane...we had to run and jump into the car, finally stopping it. Could you imagine if we hit a few tombstones? We might of been attacked by some angry ghosts!

Maybe Grandpa was sending a reminder...put on ebrake !

[MadMax]

Originally Posted by wiirenet

I've never used this and never considered it :x

So some noob questions follow- lets say I start using it, or at least pay more attention if I'm in a hill or not heh.

I drive the car into the parking spot with my foot on the brake pedal, lift the lever up (the e-brake right?) then switch the gear into P?

Or do you switch to P first, release the pedal and then use the e-brake? Just don't know the correct order heh. Don't even remember learning this. :x

As JAA stated, it is the middle one. But since my driveway is on a considerably slant, I stop the car, put it in 'N,' set the brake, take my foot off the brake pedal, let the car settle then put it in 'P.' It only takes a second, and I believe it keeps the stress off the automatic transmission.

I don't believe there is a mere pin that keeps the transmission in 'P,' seems like a liability issue if it were prone to breakage. But I still prefer to go as easy as possible on my Yaris, so I can get the most out of it.

Cheers! M2

[toyo]

I only use it in hills, I guess I'll start using it more ;P

[Zaphod]

A friend of mine once gave me some cool advice with the cable brake.

He suggested practicing stops with it as you're parking. That way if the master cylinder on your hydraulic brake ever does fail (this happened to me once), you'll be less likely to lock up your rear tires.

[JustAnotherAsian]

^it's something that you need to be familiar with indeed. i had to use the parking brake as an emergency brake in an emergency one time too in my old lex. a rear brake line ruptured and my brake fluid got low enough to a point of about 50% effectiveness. i had to add additional braking force via the parking brake twice and finally pulled over (good thing i wasn't on the freeway). i had it towed to a local mechanic i happened to know, and he said that i probably had two or three more pushes on the pedal before the entire brake system was rendered useless.