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Applying Handbreak - Press Release button or Not

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Comments

  • EdGasket
    EdGasket Posts: 3,503 Forumite
    Car_54 wrote: »
    That's what I was taught too, many years ago.

    However, things change. Now it seems the entire motor industry disagrees with you. What makes you think they're wrong?

    I have an engineering background; I prefer to trust my own judgement. It stands to reason that metal teeth being forced over each other will cause those teeth to wear down.
  • Joe_Horner
    Joe_Horner Posts: 4,895 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    EdGasket wrote: »
    I have an engineering background; I prefer to trust my own judgement. It stands to reason that metal teeth being forced over each other will cause those teeth to wear down.

    Ed, for what it's worth I agree. But you're not supposed to show mechanical sympathy towards cars nowadays because the makers keep telling us how wonderful and reliable they are ;)
  • Samsonite1
    Samsonite1 Posts: 572 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    EdGasket wrote: »
    I have an engineering background; I prefer to trust my own judgement. It stands to reason that metal teeth being forced over each other will cause those teeth to wear down.

    Also, bear in mind that things like brakes and other parts are due for renewal after a certain number of miles. Hand brake is a moving part, so it can be designed to easily withstand ratcheting and be replaced after 10 years without loss of performance?
    To err is human, but it is against company policy.
  • salubrious
    salubrious Posts: 210 Forumite
    To give a small indication of how durable a ratchet/pawl is on vehicle handbrakes. I've only ever failed them 3 times on the mot test. Two from a BMW and one a Micra. I only remember because it is such an unusual fail.

    Out of tens of thousands of mot's that it isn't too bad :)
  • almillar
    almillar Posts: 8,621 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    However, things change. Now it seems the entire motor industry disagrees with you

    Teeny weeny slight exaggeration there...
    ONE owner's manual has been quoted as saying not to press the button, and we haven't really got to the bottom of why.
  • Samsonite1
    Samsonite1 Posts: 572 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    salubrious wrote: »
    To give a small indication of how durable a ratchet/pawl is on vehicle handbrakes. I've only ever failed them 3 times on the mot test. Two from a BMW and one a Micra. I only remember because it is such an unusual fail.

    Out of tens of thousands of mot's that it isn't too bad :)

    To put it another way, would anyone use a ratchet screwdriver but avoid using the ratchet mechanism?

    I believe the main reason for not pressing the button is that pressing the button stretches the hand brake cable and this makes the hand brake less effective fairly quickly and obviously much quicker than negligible ratchet wear.

    My own cars and my parents cars have often had to have the cable tightened. A long time ago I collected my Fiat from a Fiat garage, I got to a set of traffic lights and the hand brake did nothing at all it was completely loose. Basically, the guy who moves cars around had yanked it with the button pressed, way too hard and rendered the hand brake useless in one move! I fixed it myself and could see the stress marks on the hand brake cable. Having said that I still press the button out of habit, but not yanking too hard... I may try changing as I think I have proved to myself at least that using the button is bad!
    To err is human, but it is against company policy.
  • Car_54
    Car_54 Posts: 8,882 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    almillar wrote: »
    Teeny weeny slight exaggeration there...
    ONE owner's manual has been quoted as saying not to press the button, and we haven't really got to the bottom of why.

    Teeny exaggeration? Possibly.

    But I can confirm from personal ownership that Ford, Citroen, Vauxhall and VW all say the same. I'd be interested to hear of any major manufacturer who recommends otherwise.

    The fact that the DVSA mentions it suggests it is fairly long-established, as they are pretty slow to react to technical change. E.g. the same (2010) publication tells us that "many" modern cars have fuel injection instead of a carburettor.
  • orionmoo
    orionmoo Posts: 121 Forumite
    On my parents old car (Peugeot 307 57 plate), if you pulled the handbrake up with the button pressed, it wouldn't lock into place. You could tap the top of the handbrake and it was drop back down. But if you pulled it up without the button, letting it click through, it would stay firmly in place.

    I was always taught to press the button, and still do now 6 years on from passing, Maybe out of habit, more than thinking of wear and tear though..
  • Joe_Horner
    Joe_Horner Posts: 4,895 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    salubrious wrote: »
    To give a small indication of how durable a ratchet/pawl is on vehicle handbrakes. I've only ever failed them 3 times on the mot test

    That's because everyone's taught to push the button in when applying it...... :rotfl:
  • Zandoni
    Zandoni Posts: 3,465 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Samsonite1 wrote: »
    I believe the main reason for not pressing the button is that pressing the button stretches the hand brake cable and this makes the hand brake less effective fairly quickly and obviously much quicker than negligible ratchet wear.
    Can't see how that would make any difference.


    I believe the reason lies in the poorer quality mechanisms that are used in modern cars.
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