Glyn M Ruck

One of the back cables is usually first to go but you need to check everything.

Good luck!

jcnash

+1.

I do this everytime. Before I put the car in park, I make sure that the handbrake is holding the car (car doesnt roll in any direction with the selector in neutral).

jcnash

The problem I have on my coupe is...when release the parking brake, it doesnt dis-engage fully. So I need to put my foot under the p-brake lever and push up till it fully disengages.

Its not a big deal, so havent looked at fixing this yet.

LILBENZ230

I also do the neutral - parking brake - release brake - put into P thing on my car because I don't like the sound it makes when the auto transmission is holding the car. I don't think it will hurt the car to use "park" though.

Glyn M Ruck

I just hang my car on the "Park" pin. I never use the emergency/parking brake. This is quite safe. The only problem with this is if the car gets hit by a moving vehicle the cost of the transmission repair can be prohibitive.

So you guys with good habits - keep it up.

iJimpanzee

But wouldn't insurance cover all damages?
At the speed required to hit the car and move it that much as to damage the transmission via parking brake.. I'd say most C-Classes could be totaled, so I wouldn't be quite worried about just the transmission at that point

I only use the e-brake if I'm parked on a hill, which is rare, and only if I can't let the front tire rest on the sidewalk due to having to turn in/out.
But when I do use the e-brake, I do feel even though I push it down quite far, the e-brake doesn't really hold the car in place, but still rocks forward/backwards slightly less than just putting the shifter in P.

I do feel that just using the brake, then putting the shifter in P, the rocking that ensues makes me feel bad for my car

Glyn M Ruck

Well, cars are totalled a lot more easily in the US than other parts of the world due to low value used.

Remember that I come from a country were approx 65% of vehicles on the road are not insured.

iJimpanzee

Very true.
I did not realize to what extent cars cost outside of the US due to the country's import tax until recently. It still amazes me that China imposes a 100% import tax on foreign cars.. The price of a Toyota in China would get you new M3 or C63 in the US... Ridiculous. The cost of an M3 is over 1.1 million HKD. At current trade value: $1 USD = 7.77 HKD.. You do the math That's well into the US loaded-GT3 territory

Now it makes sense when people come onto this board to sell their cars and ask for such ridiculous prices: It's because that's how much their car is worth in their country.

I love America if not for just the price of cars, the fact that San Francisco has no noticeable humidity

97W202

so its bad to leave ur car held by only the gearbox?

i have a manual..

Glyn M Ruck

Well a manual can run away unless you put it in a low gear. It has no gearbox lock. I would use the park brake on a hill.

LILBENZ230

I just don't like the "clunk" noise the transmission makes when pulled out of park after hanging by the lock pin. I always knew it was perfectly fine. Glad Glyn backed me up on that. I only use the parking brake when on inclines, as well. Would use it more if it were a hand brake because I really hate a foot brake.

97W202

+1

lkfoster

+1

jkowtko

Per the original post on this thread --

My parking brake starts to engage after only a few clicks, and I can get 6-7 clicks on the pedal, but those last few clicks seem extremely tough like I'm stretching the brake cables, and the parking brake doesn't hold extremely well.

I just pulled up the back seat and checked out the mechanism. In the unengaged position there is 1/8-1/4" of play in the yoke, and when I tighten the brakes I noticed that the rear cables only travel maybe 1/4" or so. Is that normal?

Fyi, I did adjust the star wheels on the brake shoes, 8 clicks off of snug. In fact I changed the pads and rotors recently and cleaned out everything with brake cleaner ... however I did not check the cable lever action on the parking brakes when the hubs were off :|

So my question is -- is 1/4" of travel on the rear cables normal, or should it be more? I hate to have to pull the rear hubs off again, but will do it if necessary.

Thanks. John

ncmudbug

My parking brake is not very strong but it does hold the car on a slight incline. That's fine with me. I almost never use mine (I have a 6 speed). I got the habit not to use them when cars had drum rear brakes and the parking brake only actuated one of the shoes which, it was thought, could cause warping of the drum (ok, I'm a fossil). Of course that's not an issue on our cars - or most cars for that matter, but I still have the habit. If I lived in San Francisco, I would kick that habit, obviously.

Glyn M Ruck

With everything adjusted properly these parking brakes should have no trouble holding the car on a steep hill.

phister

my parking brake holds my car perfectly, on inclines, declines, and level parking.

LILBENZ230

I had mine adjusted recently and it holds my car just fine, but the foot brake is the stupidest thing since the column shifter - I HATE IT! Also, something feels loose when I pull the release handle.. I might just start hanging it on the park pin except in extreme situations. The clunk is nasty, though.

tommy

Yes, the foot brake seems like a good idea until you actually need to use it. It is nice to have that space between the seats freed up, but what a PITA if you need to use it on an incline with a manny.

Mine holds my car fine as well.

TexFinn

Mine holds well, too. Then again, it is also one of the safety inspection requirements in Texas.

Never really paid much attention to the parking brake on any of my automatic equipped cars in the past until my wife's 04 Expedition didn't pass the test a few years ago. The guy said they test it so that the vehicle is in gear with engine around 1500rpms and the parking brake should hold it still.

LILBENZ230

Mine would fail that test, I believe.

tommy

Is anything working correctly on your car?

mleskovar

Mine as well unless I engage the pedal much harder than usual. Sometimes I forget and back out of the garage without releasing it and don't even notice until the warning comes on. But to answer the question of "is 1/4 normal" I would say any distance is OK if it holds. If it is adjusted correctly no play in the unengaged position works for me if the shoes don't drag.

LILBENZ230

Everything works correctly. I think the front suspension needs a refresh for sure, though.

tommy

LOL. Was sorry to hear about that - must be frustrating. At least my big fixes have been easy to diagnose, if expensive.