I have a weird habit of putting the e-brake up, and then putting the car into park when I park the car. As it doesn't put any stress on the transmission. But I've realized just out of my friends/random people maybe 1 out of 15 people actually do this. My mom never does in her SUV, and either does anyone I know really, but I've read it's actually recommended.

Does it really make a difference? I'm pretty sure the manual for my car actually says to do it, but barely anyone does. Randomly at work one day I walked around the parking lot, and I saw maybe 1 car with the e-brake up out of like 20 automatics.

 

I do it in all the cars I drive.

 

It seems fairly common for car people to do, but the average person doesn't seem to do it.

 

I do it too. I started driving on manuals. Carry over habit I suppose.

I've gotten my immediate family to do it, for the most part. And some of my friends. But most people I know still rely on Park to hold their vehicle. Even on inclines...

 

if im parked up/down hill yes and i let the brakes hold the weight of the car and not the tranny...

 

I always thought the hand brake was a "parking brake" rather than an "emergency brake."

I always use the hand, or foot operated, parking brake before putting the auto transmission into park, and put on the hand brake before putting the manual transmission in neutral (or reverse), as I was taught to do it that way while learning to drive.

 

I always put the parking brake on, even when I'm not on an incline. I do so because it puts less of a strain on the transmission, and if anything, i'd rather replace the brakes sooner, than a whole transmission.

Even when you're on a slight incline/decline and you don't put the parking brake on, the car moves a little before the transmission stops the car, and you can feel it jerk kind of. I read that it was bad for your transmission.

I've tried to get my mom to put her parking brake on but she doesn't give a fuck unless it's on like a steep hill. What's even worse is that she drives a 2nd gen TL... and you know the transmissions on those were known for their bullet proof strength... NOT

 

+1

 

+2

which is a rarity for me since pensacola is flat

 

I never use mine, it's so flat here I'm convinced it doesn't matter.

 

+3 Only on hills.

 

I have been using the ebrake on my automatic cars since day one of my driving.

 

I've always done it. My dad never does though and it's weird to be in the car when it jerks a little, thinking of the tranny being stressed.

 

+4 only on hills... and in NYC that is a rarity...

 

+5 only hills, put brake on first then put into park.

 

always do it, doesn't matter less strain on the tranny. i don't trust the little pin holding the car......

 

I live in NY where there are virtually no hills, but I still use the handbrake everytime.

 

All the time, whether on a manual or automatic. One of the reasons I do this is because of the frigid temperatures and wet slush during the winter months. If you don't use your parking brake on a regular basis, especially during moist and/or cold conditions, the cable and parking brake components have a greater likelihood of seizing if/when it needs to be used.

Terry

 

See that blue gear mechanism? That is the parking pawl in an automatic transmission. That is what stops the car when you put it into park. Letting it rest on that pawl is not only bad for the gear, but pretty dangerous considering a 1 inch long part is stopping a 2 ton car. Always, always use the parking brake, thats what it's there for.

Just so you know

 

^^^even when it's completely flat? No slope or grade at all??

 

You can feel the pawl engage, if its flat and the car rolls freely it's probably safe to say the pawl isn't being touched. If you push the car though it will get stopped by it, obviously.

 

okay, I don't know if this is what you're talking about... but for example, at my parents' house... their driveway has a slope... and YES, I do use the e-brake. BUT when I'm gettin' ready to leave, start the car, let go of the e-brake, and I feel this... something engage as the car roll slightly downwards... it's not bad, but it isn't pleasant either, is that what you're talking about?

 

I always use it hill or not. In my manual cars I leave it in gear with the e-brake up as well.

 

Even if the ground is flat the car still moves...Whenever I'm with my mom she parks the SUV and it rolls foward a few inches after she puts it in park, which is kind of weird to me. You can hear a "click" when the parking mechanism catches it. Then again she has 70k miles on her 02 suv, and it seems to be fine?

 

Always

 

Yes, that thing you feel engaging is the parking pawl. It's not necessarily harmful to leave it resting on it... There are people with cars that have over 300k miles and haven't touched their parking brake once...

The only time I'd say it's harmful is when your on a good incline and the only this stopping the car is the gears in the transmission. If that part fails, the car rolls freely to where ever it want... Albeit it would have to be a pretty steep incline to break your transmission...

 

6

 

Most of the failures happen if you're parked on a hill and someone bumps you as they're trying to maneuver themselves into the spot next to you.

 

I'd say that's the most common cause of failure. Most other times is constant parking on a steep hill without the e-brake.

 

Hey S A CHO, doopstr said e-brake FIRST then put it in park... will that reduce that "engaging" harse thump?

 

Ebrake first then park eliminates the parking pawl engaging anything. That is the best thing to do. It's still there if the e-brake fails but with the brake engaged it's holding no weight of the car.

Stop car...foot on brake... engage parking brake... foot off brake... shift to park.

If you do that then there will be no thump at all, it will go into, and come out of, park very easily.

 

i'll normally stop, leave my foot on the brake, shift to park, then engage the parking brake, and the car does not move.

when getting in it, i'll turn the car on, put my foot on the brake, disengage the parking brake then shift.

car does not roll at all from it's spot.

 

thanks for that info, cuz that thump like engaging has always bothered me

 

Same here.

 

it takes some of the stress off the trans when parked on a hill.

the key is to put on the e-brake before you put it in park

 

But if you never take your foot off before you put the parking brake on, it shouldnt matter what you do first since the car doesn't move and the brakes are holding it the whole time.

 

I've NEVER heard of the parking pawl breaking before.
I'll do it on a slope but only because it's easier to change from P to D.

 

I have, only when a car was hit by another car. I've never heard of one breaking from being parked on an incline, but excessive weight on all the transmissions gears certainly wont help prolong its life.

 

I always use the e-brake, incline or not.

Oh, and is there a difference in how it's done? That is, is it better to:

A) with car stopped and brake depressed, set e-brake and then put car into park

or

B) with car stopped and brake depressed, put car into park and then set e-brake.


I usually do B, but will once in a while do A if it's a very steep hill. Of course, I usually try to avoid hills to begin with.

 

You can do it any which way you like. I've always stopped in Neutral for a second to see if the brake is grabbing sufficiently, then just slide it into Park.