broken handbrake - ok to drive?

londonTiger

worried_jim wrote: »

Yes no worries, when you park leave it in gear and make sure you are good at hill starts!

When in gear I presume it would only brake one way and not the other? Or will it brake both ways?

I'm guessing it relies on engine breaking. It car can still move but very slowly and in slope?

londonTiger

if you park with the wheels pointing into the pavement as others suggested and into a well cambered road it should stay put.

In London, it's very rare to find hilly roads - but there are some towns that are built on hills and every other street is a slope.

you can probably get away without a working handbrake for the short term but I would prefer not to. It's a same day fix - but unfortunately garages seem to only be open 10-6/7 for some reason. If you need to be at work than you have to wait until the weekend I guess.

Mobile mechanics tend to be on the expensive side, if not by rates than by time because they dont have the ramps and other tools at their disposal to get jobs done faster.

adouglasmhor

My handbrake only works going forward, lucky as it's an auto I use park all the time.

hewhoisnotintheknow

leave it in first, point wheels at pavement if you are really worried

done it 1000's of time in various cars

legionare64

If anything happens your insurance will be invalid if. If your main brakes fail what would you do. Its as bad as driving with illegal tyres etc all fine until you hurt someone else.

GET IT FIXED or dont use it

adouglasmhor

legionare64 wrote: »

If anything happens your insurance will be invalid if. If your main brakes fail what would you do. Its as bad as driving with illegal tyres etc all fine until you hurt someone else.

GET IT FIXED or dont use it

No it wont.

[Deleted User]

You need to be wary of using the engine as a handbrake, if the gradient is steep it will only hold for as long as it takes the compression in the cylinder to leak away. I once parked my car on a steep slope with no hand brake. The engine held it for long enough to get out of the car, and then it started rolling forward in a series of lurches as the compression leaked out of each cylinder in turn.

It's not legal to drive a car that won't pass an MOT. The MOT certificate is required in addition to roadworthiness, not as a substitute for it.

Stooby2

LandyAndy wrote: »

True, but back in the real world, it is an offence that is highly unlikely to be detected and a problem that is very unlikely to cause the OP a problem.

I appreciate that, but the OP was asking if it's OK and was simply being told "yes it is", when in reality, it isn't. Now they know, they can make the decision whether to chance it or not.

LondonTiger wrote:

In London, it's very rare to find hilly roads - but there are some towns that are built on hills and every other street is a slope

I think the residents of South Norwood, Anerly, Forest Hill, Crystal Palace, Hampstead, Golders Green, Kingston, Shooters Hill, Blackheath, Croydon, Tulse Hill, to name but few, might be surprised at that observation.

GwylimT

Why don't you have a garage collect the car from work, replace the hand break and return the car, it isn't unusual or difficult to arrange.

Last week a teachers car was hit by anothers car, hand break had failed a few days previously, teacher relied on leaving the car in gear, the gradient of the car park isn't high at all, but the car could only hold for so long. Now their insurance wont pay out, paying for a repair on a brand new Audi that needs a new door isn't going to be cheap!

legionare64

adouglasmhor wrote: »

No it wont.

So you are saying it's okay to drive a car with defective brakes which would fail an mot or police roadside check. You will find if anything happens and it is found that the car was knowingly driven with a brake defect that insurance would be fine.
Insurance insist that the car be in a roadworthy condition which with defective handbrake it isn't.
It would fail an mot and be deemed unroadworthy.
Don't condone breaking the law it may be you who gets hit by one of these people who drive cars that they claim they don't have the time or money to fix.