Electronic Handbrake

AdrianC

Stubod said:

..never really understood the need for an electronic handbrake?....seems to just add complexity for the sake of it and is something else to go wrong, a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist? 

Unfortunately, incompetence and indolence do exist in many drivers.

bengalknights

Ive had several now with electric handbrake and auto hold, yet to have one go wrong (circa 300k miles across the various vehicles)

Car_54

Stubod said:

..never really understood the need for an electronic handbrake?....seems to just add complexity for the sake of it and is something else to go wrong, a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist?

Saying that I have never had a car with one, but just don't fancy the idea myself..

It's not a soolution to a problem, it's simply a small improvement, making life a tiny bit easier.

My current car is crammed with things which were unheard of 20 years ago - reversing camera, heated seats, keyless ignition, etc. - none of which are 'needed'. But I would miss them if I didn't have them. And I do miss the keyless entry and heated steering wheel I used to have in previous cars.

Scot22

Many thanks all for this wealth of information.  On a personal level I my default is simplicity for everything.

Biggus_Dickus

[Deleted User] said:

daveyjp said:

VW introduced them to the Passat many years ago and there were expensive inherent design faults, which shouldn't be a surprise as VW excel in that skill.

A friend had a Vauxhall where it failed, leaving his car embedded in his garage writing the car off.

However the tech is now well established and it is becoming far more common.  Some vehicles do need the system resetting after pad changes.

Vauxhall have history with failing handbrakes, long before they went electronic. Including my brand new 1995-ish Omega, which ran away on a service area car park.

Now that does reminds me;.....I had a new 2.5 V6 Omega back then. I really loved that car and it was a big step-up from my previous Cavalier.

However, that Vauxhall suffered a handbrake failure ‘of sorts’....in fact the actual cause was my wife’s failure to apply the handbrake sufficiently.  The car rolled across the road down a slight hill and hit a substantial brick-wall at quite a low speed.

The damage was confined to the drivers-side rear corner and didn’t appear too bad. Unfortunately, the ‘minor’ collision introduced a serious steering problem that made the car extremely dangerous to drive in certain conditions. Several attempts at repair were unsuccessful and the car had to go.

Back on topic.....that incident couldn’t happen in my present car because the electronic parking-brake automatically engages if the car is put in ‘P’ or when the engine is switched off.

Even Er’indoors can’t get that wrong! 

clive0510

its designed to make life easier. and it does if its used properly. but like most things in life, it just takes a bit of getting used to. 

Sandtree

scot22_2 said:

Many newer cars have electric handbrakes.  Not sure about the technology.
Had anybody experienced costly repair ?  What is it like to use ?

My only issue was that my Mercedes didn't have a switch to engage the handbrake and when speaking to the Mercedes dealership (two unrelated ones in the end)  they gave wrong advice on it - they said it just comes on automatically after you put the car in park and that a roll of an inch or so is normal.

Ended up reading the manual (first time for anything in many years) which said how to engage the hold function and then a series of scenarios that resulted in the hold function engaging the electronic handbrake (eg taking the key out, opening the drivers door, X seconds passing etc).

After that it worked brilliantly and never had a fault so no costly repairs.

NaughtiusMaximus

Jeepers_Creepers said:

Reading my Citroen handbook, if the battery goes flat, your handbrake goes off! So always also leave your car in gear, and wheels pointed to the kerb if on a steep hill.

Must be a Citroen specific thing, pretty sure the norm is for an electronic handbrake to remain in whatever state it's in at the time if the battery dies, ie if you're parked with the handbrake on it stays on, if for some reason you didn't apply the handbrake it stays off.  

EssexExile

clive0510 said:

its designed to make life easier. and it does if its used properly. but like most things in life, it just takes a bit of getting used to. 

Not a lot of getting used to needed on some nowadays. I stop, take it out of drive, the handbrake comes on. When I go to pull away as soon as I touch the throttle the handbrake releases.

Well that's the way I've set it up, there seem to be a myriad of other options available but that works for me.

dipsomaniac

So the conclusion is good when/if you get accustomed.  expensive when it goes wrong or you need to change pads/discs