Electronic Parking Brakes

[Dan B]

If you have placed your wheels correctly, it may be (but no always) better to be shunted forward rather than having your brakes on anyway.

Is this in your opinion the usual scenario or is it more likely on balance that you'd be better with brakes on? You seem to have switched from "it's safer to use the footbrake because all four wheels are braked" to "it's safer to use the footbrake because no wheels will be braked when you get a shunt" and I'm wondering it it would simplify matters a bit if we just told people not to bother using any brake at all.

 

[Milkfloat]

Is this in your opinion the usual scenario or is it more likely on balance that you'd be better with brakes on? You seem to have switched from "it's safer to use the footbrake because all four wheels are braked" to "it's safer to use the footbrake because no wheels will be braked when you get a shunt" and I'm wondering it it would simplify matters a bit if we just told people not to bother using any brake at all.

I think that advice can be saved just for you.

 

[Levo-Lon]

My mate back in about 82 had a Austin Cambridge...he forgot to brake at the queue for the lights...a nice 4 car shunt..
That old Cambridge just kept pushing..lol..and it still drove after..with minimal front damage..imagine that now..4 right offs I'd think. Or 2 for sure.

My sister's 2k value Kia ceed was written off this week as it had a shunt and the air bag blew..700 for the bag and that made it a total loss..with the bumper etc..

 

[KneesUp]

I expect ours will be written off too - no airbags went off, but it's damaged at least one panel and the bumper, as well as all the plastic parts behind them, and I think it's moved another panel as it doesn't look straight any more - even without that, the parts will be expensive, and putting them on and spraying it the right colour will in all likelihood spell the end for the car, which is a shame as it was clean, had a full service history, and I've spent a few hundred quid on replacing parts to keep it working perfectly in the past 12 months.

I'm just waiting for the almost inevitable game of 'we think your car is worth £book value -n' 'well I think it's worth 'cost of similar car in Autotrader +y' to begin.

 

[Tanis8472]

Dunno about new Mercedes, but the older ones had it and I never found it a problem. They foot operated to go on and a dashboard lever to release. They were also autos, so even less of a problem.
Wifes Renault Zoe has hill start assist - gives a couple of seconds of holding car in place before it starts to roll back. It's electric though so effectively drives like an auto anyway.

Completely different systems
Mercedes systems are mechanical levers like a 'normal' handbrake.
The others are electrically operated which i really don't like.

 

[Dan B]

Completely different systems
Mercedes systems are mechanical levers like a 'normal' handbrake.
The others are electrically operated which i really don't like.

Do you feel the same way about the window winder? How about the starting handle?

 

[Profpointy]

Do you feel the same way about the window winder? How about the starting handle?

Well if the window won't wind down, hardly a disaster. If the handbrake won't release, or releases all of its own; well it's not so clever.

What happens if you have a flat battery with an electronic handbrake? Or the black box goes into error mode and refuses to release it? An electronic handbrake has added a whole load of complexity and failure modes to a previously entirely satisfactory handle to be pulled. A pal of mine had one and was trying to reverse carefully close to a kerb with his door open to look. The handbrake the refused to relase because the door was open. That's push starts ruled out straightaway.

What problem is an electronic handbrake actually solving?

They are particularly annoying on hire cars when you arrive at an airport late at night and you have to read the f-in manual just to drive away.

Anyhow, I think starting handles as an adjunct to a starter motor would be quite desirably with a fore-aft engine at least; admittedly impractical for transverse engines

 

[Piemaster]

Completely different systems
Mercedes systems are mechanical levers like a 'normal' handbrake.
The others are electrically operated which i really don't like.

Thats why I said 'older Mercedes'

 

[Drago]

[QUOTE 4760517, member: 9609"]I wonder if this Volvo had the electronic hand brake on it.


I can't find any stories in the news about a runaway causing an accident, all the same I feel sorry for this old bloke, what a nightmare seeing her role off and wondering if you are just about to cause a serious accident.[/QUOTE]

I don't feel sorry for him if he endangered other road users through his own error or laziness.

 

[swee'pea99]

What problem is an electronic handbrake actually solving?

Good question.

 

[Tanis8472]

Thats why I said 'older Mercedes'

Sorry misinterpreted your post a little

 

[Tanis8472]

Do you feel the same way about the window winder? How about the starting handle?

 

[Crackle]

I have one with an electronic dodah and it's great. Driving a car with a handbrake normally results in me attempting to pull off with the handbrake still on.

 

[mustang1]

Reminds me of the recent thread where people were bemoaning the introduction of touch-screen controls which demand that you take your eyes off the road to turn the fans on/off and any number of other basic functions. It does sometimes feel like technology is actually regressing - all sorts of stuff that wasn't broke is being 'fixed', thereby being farked.

My SO's friends have cars with touch screens and my SO wants one with a touch screen too. I told her that's a rubbish design but she wasn't convinced. Her friends have no design sense.

 

[mustang1]

How many drivers actually use their handbrake these days, other than when parking?

Not many i guess, but i still do. Especially when i need to turn the car quickly.