Automatic owners - do you also use parking brake?

[Wheelsnuts]

Never use it on level ground but always on slopes.

 

[Deleted member 113659]

Yes, I'm not a lover of the massive 'Clunk' you get when you release the parking brake. (It's even louder on the new Vito I have). That's why I just don't bother using them unless on a substantial hill.

The electric parking brake that was on our B Class was much better, nice and quiet.

Ant.

 

[Monkeylegend]

Damn it, I didn't know about that!

Neither did I until mine seized and I had to have the rear disc/drum skimmed and the mechanism freed up

 

[Monkeylegend]

Damn it, I didn't know about that!

I am aware that this is common practice, but I think that this is also technically illegal.



Interestingly this was the official advice given in my Vauxhall Omega owners manual, but I don't recall seeing it in the Mercedes manual.

Don't think it's in the manual. Mercedes would rather replace the rear discs and mechanism

 

[renault12ts]

Don't think it's in the manual. Mercedes would rather replace the rear discs and mechanism

Or they expect people to drive as they were taught...and use the hand brake?

 

[Lotiman]

Only use mine on a slope. Mind you, it's so pathetic, that if the gearbox pawl broke, I'm not sure it would hold the car anyway. All my MB's have had pretty useless parking brakes from new.

 

[Monkeylegend]

Or they expect people to drive as they were taught...and use the hand brake?

Of course you still do everything they taught you, no bad habits

 

[renault12ts]

Of course you still do everything they taught you, no bad habits

Only where safety is involved.

 

[Monkeylegend]

Only where safety is involved.

Never had a safety issue not using mine in nearly 50 years, but then again I do live in a flat part of the country.

 

[renault12ts]

Never had a safety issue not using mine in nearly 50 years, but then again I do live in a flat part of the country.

Did you see post #19?

 

[Monkeylegend]

Did you see post #19?

Yes and funnily enough in 13 years of E classes and 1.2 million miles I have never had an issue. I must be one lucky *******

I even leave my SL in the garage without the handbrake on as well.

 

[zipdip]

Well I would advise to always use the parking brake,on my S320 I only used it when I was on a gradient,but after a while the car had a fault,saying the parking brake was not working,cue experts saying the motor had gone £750,but when the car warmed up and you had stopped and then started the fault disappeared,so I started to use the parking brake every time, finding I had about 20 seconds to release the parking brake when first starting the car from cold,after a few weeks the fault on the screen went,so I always apply the parking brake.

 

[219]

Hi All

I have a 2011 Auto E250 with the foot operated parking brake, I'm in the habit of always using the parking brake when I've parked the car, the salesperson however had advised just putting it into Park is enough..

Any thoughts?

I use the brake if parking on a slope , as well as turning the wheels so they will roll against the kerb , and leaving in Park , of course .

With a manual vehicle , the parking gear is the lowest one which would cause the car to move uphill .

On the level , leaving the car in park is sufficient .

With winter approaching , it is worth bearing in mind that in sub zero temperatures it can be inadvisable to use parking brakes , lest the shoes freeze to the drums .

 

[Deleted member 65149]

I use it randomly with absolutely no logic in various situations, but more often when parked on a slope. My wife never uses it so it annoys her when she gets in the car after I've applied it.

 

[Stratman]

If you could see the Park pawl arrangement you'd never trust it to hold your car on even the mildest slope.

When driving I leave it in D and hold the car on the footbrake as recommended in the handbook, but I always apply the parking brake after a journey.

 

[del320]

Never use it on level ground but always on slopes.

Save my typing - my precise words!

My drive has quite a slope downwards. Drive in, stop with footbrake, throw it into park. Then take foot of footbrake and see what happens.
You'll use the parking brake every time afterwards.

 

[dad4geer]

Never used mine for parking on my 3 E classes, never had an issue.

I have been advised to put it on about once every few months and gently drive the car forward and back a few yards with it on to clean the drum part of the rear disc to stop it seizing up.

OK for the very first time I engaged the parking brake after getting back from work and noticed a ! Sign in dashboard... After that I put the gear in D and I was expecting car to not move but it moved... I then put it in R and it started going backwards while the parking brake was engaged! Is this normal? My last car an old Honda Civic had that lever hand brake which after getting engaged would stop the car rock solid and even if you put it in first gear and try to move you would feel something is holding the car back... I did not get that feel from my Merc whilst the P.B was engaged!

 

[renault12ts]

A parking brake will not hold any car in gear if the throttle is applied.

For most of you...you need your parking brakes serviced. They can and do hold our cars on steep slopes.

 

[RonFleet]

I have driven automatics for many, many years and always use the parking brake when parking. I may have been lucky, but have never had one freeze "on" in cold weather (why would this be different from a manual car's parking brake?).

 

[Aero]

Yeh, I use mine after hearing seizing and pawl breaking stories. I have to say though that it feels like an after thought when I use it.