So get this, I have had this car three days, three days and it already is running into things. I had the car at the gas pump, go to go inside and get a drink and as im walking up everyone is honking and yelling at me. I turn around and the car drifted into one of those red poles that surround the pump!

Turns out the parking brake does not hold the car no matter how hard you pull it. This is totally not my fault, but the car was bought specifically AS-IS. Im pretty pissed off needless to say.

The bumper is a little loose and the paint is cracked in a spider web and a little red is on there. I dont really know what to say to them, I dont think theyll do anything BUT:

Before buying the car they had the rear brakes and rotors replaced. In my mind if you do this work the rear hand break should be adjusted as well. Theyre not open today but im going to call tomorrow and bitch. Anything you guys suggest I should say? I honestly dont even know what to say, I cant expect them to repaint it, and I really dont trust them to work on the brakes, I can do a better job myself. Any help?

 

Pretty sure they're gonna tell you it's the kind of basic shit you should check first thing when you buy a used car. (not saying you're dumb, im pretty sure I didn't test my e-brake thoroughly before using it)

The as-is part of the sale is the nail in the .
coffin
If you get lucky you might get some kind of compensation but I doubt it.

Good luck.

 

Don't ask them to get the job done.

It's clear that you can't trust who you bought it from.
Just ask for compensation to fix it.

https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...happen-759578/

 

Sorry OP. First gear or reverse is a must in any parked MT car.

 

Yup I know there's really no expectation for them to compensate. Im just pissed that it happened at all. Like the brake doesnt hold even at the top of the range. Im going to adjust it ASAP. Im just pissed that its already busted up. Until then I will definitely be leaving it in gear. I dont usually do that, but ive also always adjusted the brakes to my liking and knew they would hold on all of my other cars.

Anyone know if a detail shop woulc be able to buff something like spider web cracking out? Or is that risking the paint chipping? Maybe theres a clear coat type thing they could cover it to prevent from spreading. Does the paint on these cars have the flex type paint where you can sand down the outer layer without effecting base layer?

Im really good with engine mechanics, but I know nothing about paint and detail really.

 

need pics, but most likely that'll need to be painted

 

Sorry to hear about this...I was gonna say also, dont you put it in gear as well? When I park my manual its always parking brake up and leave it in gear. Never rely on just the parking brake!!!

 

If you bought it "As-is" then whoever you bought it from is not at fault for anything. You should've done a PPI and made sure the car worked to your expectations before purchasing.

Lesson learned, I guess.

 

but the car was bought specifically AS-IS.

 

The hand brake is easily adjusted.
Adjust the handbrake at the center console below the storage compartment with a 10mm deep socket and u joint. Have the hand brake get to it's tightest a little over halfway where you can't pull no more. This is commonly not done when people take it to the mechanic for brake work. The parking shoe in the rear rotor should also be adjusted.

 

I had the same shit happen to me if they safetied the car then they should pay to have it fixed. In a Manuel you need a functional ebrake nobody checks to see if that shit works you expect it too work. Needless to say the dealership did the work and made sure it worked. I was lucky in that I noticed it in my driveway

 

I wouldn't say its totally is not your fault. You should leave your car in gear

 

Sorry to hear this, GS.

 

Sorry to hear about that! Doesn't sound like it had to do with rotor replacement though, probably just the e-brake adjustment.

A similar thing happened to me a few weeks ago. I was at a buddy's place, and he was finishing replacing the pads on his sister's G35. We were planning on adjusting my e-brake after he was done, so I parked about 30 feet behind his sister's car (curb parking), and I got started on removing the center console. Stopped after I took off the inner plate though, as I didn't feel like messing around with too much in the heat. For some odd reason, I left the e-brake off though, and never put the car in gear.

My buddy then decides to test his sister's brakes, and I'm sitting in there with him. He puts the car in reverse, and then he tries to brake. No such luck. We keep creeping in reverse and he's in a mad scramble, pumping the brakes, yelling, "OMG. I can't stop!" The whole time, I'm sitting there thinking, "oh....s---!" and counting down until we hit my car. He even shoved the car into "park" as it was AT, but the gear doesn't catch, and it just keeps grinding the gear. 10 seconds later, we hear a boom and I don't even want to climb out the car. I finally do however, and we see that my car rolled back a few feet from impact. I was also literally like 2 inches away from a Prius parked behind me, which I can't tell if my car actually hit.

There wasn't really any damage to my car as far as I could tell; the point of impact ended up hitting my license plate holder, and due to me not putting my e-brake on, the car just rolled when it got hit. His sister's car however, now has two wonderful bolt imprints on her pristine white bumper. Call it dumb luck? I don't know. Definitely glad I left the e-brake on that time however, and didn't keep the car in gear.

 

Thanks for the reminders, everyone. I sometimes get lazy and just rely on the parking brake, but after reading these two threads, I'll keep it in 1st or Reverse!

 

but i do smell some recklessness and cluelessness of the OP.

drive slower and use caution at all time.

 

Reading comprehension seems to not be your strong suit ehh?


How much slower can OP drive if he wasn't even in the car, keys out, engine off?


Sorry to hear OP but agree with everyone else's sentiment of "in gear when parked" GL with seller though. PPI may have helped in this case.

 

Oh man thats scary. I found another guys thread on here where his car went about 150ft without him in it into a tractor trailor. All things considered I am lucky it was not worse. It could have easily rolled into another vehicle or the gas pump or the heavily trafficed street.

Im about to go adjust it now then Im off to work. I dont think Im even going to call the place. Ill probably just argue with them over nothing.

 

The deed is done. Pain in the ass to adjust it through that little hole. And the nut doesnt want to turn without a good bit of force, itll just bounce back, which is hard to get in that little box. So I snaked an extension under the back of the console and that gave me all the legerage I needed.

Its annoying you cant see what youre doing, or mine is just so far up cuz its been adjusted too much. Dunno the car came with 130K so its been through a lot before me.

The e-brake in general doesnt feel strong like my last car. It is tighter now, but I still dont trust it. Im going to leave it in gear for now.

 

The 12mm adjuster nut itself is like a spring loaded rachet motion. You have to hold the deep socket with your other hand to get it to tighten or it will spring back. It tightens every few full turns then becomes loose, repeat. You'll notice the nut pulling the stud-like bracket in. It took me alot (maybe 30 full turns) to get the hand brake tight and normal.

 

Not necessarily true. I have a remote start and I use only the e-brake all the time. Of course, I regularly adjust the e-brake as needed. Never been an issue.


OP, there is a major and a minor e-brake adjustment procedure. You likely should do both.

 

Difference being the OP just got his car and hadn't adjusted the e-brake. If you don't think it's a must, it might be better categorized as an exceptionally good idea -

 

Oh yes. What has now become a MUST is adjusting the parking brake and inspecting it before ever relying on it. Like I said above Im still scared to rely on it now. This is a big car compared to my last. Havent had a problem in the past trn years of just using the parking brake until now.

 

Sometimes you'll forget to fully engage a working hand brake too if you're in a hurry, like if you're hungry and running out to grab the food. Gear + hand brake is a must at all times.

 

If they "safetied" the car? Is that like zip-tying it? They're not responsible at all. Drum type parking brakes are a joke; especially on a 3500 lb car. Always park it with the ignition off and in gear. The parking brake adds only a marginal level of insurance against the car rolling.

 

What are you basing that statement on?