Electronic parking brake

[AltoBAP]

Years ago a mechanic told me the single best thing you can do to increase the lifespan of your vehicle is use the parking break every time you park.

Makes sense and I have done that ever since. I doubt you'll wear out your parking brake, but wear and tear on transmission is a real concern. I'd error on side of using it.

Wear and tear on the transmission? Single best thing to improve lifespan of your vehicle? Jesus. Park pawl does not = transmission, when it comes to wear and tear, unless you are slamming it into P while cruising at 5MPH or above.

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[Dad]

That's the conventional wisdom. Which assumes the parking brake works and doesn't get stuck.

The real issue is having an electronic parking brake that is just one more thing to break.

On the flip side if the car knows when it needs the brake then that's different, in theory anyway.

I had a 1998 Allegro motorhome and the parking brake cable broke. They wanted over $300 to fix it and that was several years ago. Point being, I'm not so sure a mechanical parking brake setup is any more reliable than electronic.

 

[Dad]

Wear and tear on the transmission? Single best thing to improve lifespan of your vehicle? Jesus. Park pawl does not = transmission, when it comes to wear and tear, unless you are slamming it into P while cruising at 5MPH or above.

"Park" means one is using the transmission to stabilize the vehicle, so it would seem to me the transmission is involved. Now, whether or not using the parking brake prevents transmission breakdown is another matter.

 

[fossil]

sounds a bit like the lane assist/ lane centering debates.

please don't feel insulted if you know this, not everyone does.
park is a function internal to the transmission. the park pawl engages a gear internally that locks the transmission gears from rotating. in the Mav 8F35, if the pawl wears to the point of failure the transmission must be removed to be repaired. if your dealership doesn't have a transmission guy, and many do not, this can lead to a more lengthy and expensive repair.
engaging the parking brake before putting the trans in park can greatly reduce pawl wear. flat surfaces, not a big deal.

the parking brake, once known as the emergency brake, is part of the ABS/ auto hold braking system. how the brakes are physically applied is a mystery to me and I welcome an educated explanation.

 

[FromAway]

I had a 1998 Allegro motorhome and the parking brake cable broke. They wanted over $300 to fix it and that was several years ago. Point being, I'm not so sure a mechanical parking brake setup is any more reliable than electronic.

Not having to constantly tighten cables that stretch and can break is a huge upgrade. My previous Bronco II, Explorer, and Ranger all sufferred from terrible parking brake designs.

 

[Tiger Dude]

I had a 1998 Allegro motorhome and the parking brake cable broke. They wanted over $300 to fix it and that was several years ago. Point being, I'm not so sure a mechanical parking brake setup is any more reliable than electronic.

I had a Chrysler in the 80s that went through 2 (2!) clutch cables in 75,000 miles. One would think a cable would be about the simplest thing to design but leave it to Chrysler to screw it up. That car would shed parts like an overfilled OTC.

 

[Dad]

I had a Chrysler in the 80s that went through 2 (2!) clutch cables in 75,000 miles. One would think a cable would be about the simplest thing to design but leave it to Chrysler to screw it up. That car would shed parts like an overfilled OTC.

Couldn't find an emoji for "funny - not funny", but your point is clear.

 

[JayGA]

sounds a bit like the lane assist/ lane centering debates.

please don't feel insulted if you know this, not everyone does.
park is a function internal to the transmission. the park pawl engages a gear internally that locks the transmission gears from rotating. in the Mav 8F35, if the pawl wears to the point of failure the transmission must be removed to be repaired. if your dealership doesn't have a transmission guy, and many do not, this can lead to a more lengthy and expensive repair.
engaging the parking brake before putting the trans in park can greatly reduce pawl wear. flat surfaces, not a big deal.

the parking brake, once known as the emergency brake, is part of the ABS/ auto hold braking system. how the brakes are physically applied is a mystery to me and I welcome an educated explanation.

Sounds like an Internet legend to me.

In the rust belt we never really used the hand brake unless it involved steep hill street parking. More concerned about them rusting out or getting stuck.

 

[Dad]

Sounds like an Internet legend to me.

In the rust belt we never really used the hand brake unless it involved steep hill street parking. More concerned about them rusting out or getting stuck.

While not necessarily an internet legend, your point about rusting shut is probably something not many of us considered. Thanks for the information.

 

[Thex]

I just had the IPC recall done yesterday, and now the parking brake auto engages in my driveway. It has never done this before and its the same spot I have been parking in since 2022.

 

[Dad]

I just had the IPC recall done yesterday, and now the parking brake auto engages in my driveway. It has never done this before and its the same spot I have been parking in since 2022.

Maybe that's a good thing? Isn't the auto park brake supposed to detect an incline and automatically engage? Maybe that feature wasn't working before your recall.

 

[Thex]

Possible. Now I just have to retrain myself, hahaha

 

[Dad]

Possible. Now I just have to retrain myself, hahaha

Yep, it's pretty much muscle memory for me at this point.

 

[AutobahnSHO]

Yeah, I've noticed the brake on sometimes on a not super steep hill in my driveway. Push gas and it releases automatically.

 

[Dad]

Yeah, I've noticed the brake on sometimes on a not super steep hill in my driveway. Push gas and it releases automatically.

That's how it's supposed to work. I don't know what degree of incline triggers it.

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