Electric handbrakes

codprawn · 03 October 2007, 02:38

I see more and more cars are being fitted with these stupid things now - WHY???

A manual handbrake is far more intuitive - just grab the big lever. You can also apply it gently in the event of an emergency.

Are they the best thing since sliced bread or a dangerous gimmick???

Limey Linda · 03 October 2007, 02:45

I sure would like to see someone do a handbrake start on a really steep hill with an electric type.

Nick Hearne · 03 October 2007, 08:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Limey Linda

I sure would like to see someone do a handbrake start on a really steep hill with an electric type.

Not a problem for me in my D3 just put it in drive & put my foot on the gas pedal & the brake releases automatically!

Makes for the easiest hill starts in the world!

vince · 03 October 2007, 16:03

My Passat sport 4motion has one, and you still have to press the brake pedal to release it, so you might as well hang it on the clutch. Its the most annoying thing ever on my car! And you can still engage it at anything under 15 mph, so dangerous!

BogMonster · 05 October 2007, 20:17

They are stupid and also unreliable. The only point worth making about them is that you can still do an emergency stop in a Discovery 3, you just hold the switch in the up position and it progressively engages the handbrake if the vehicle is moving. Makes a bloody horrible noise but it does stop the car. It's also part of the bedding in process for new shoes, when the handbrakebreaks, which it does.

On the same theme I wonder how long the silly "push in key fob and separate starter button" will last on the Freelander 2's - again, what was wrong with a key to put in the ignition? Somebody clearly has too much time on their hands...

codprawn · 05 October 2007, 21:55

I have seen several incidents where a vehicle has started to roll away and someone has jumped in and yanked up the handbrake lever - what chance would they have looking for a silly little switch?

Rogue Wave · 05 October 2007, 22:10

you gotta good point there! I don't llike a switch and a circuit board and a sensor and a solenoid replaceing what a lever and a cradle used to do. seems you've built in 4 stages of failure

mdt · 06 October 2007, 15:37

have latley driven 3 or 4 cars with these and could not for one second see the point in them... give me a cable that you can adjust and or replace with out a laptop.

do these things fail on or off? it is just pointless. looks like I am to be stuck driving pre 2006 cars.

Nos4r2 · 06 October 2007, 18:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdt

have latley driven 3 or 4 cars with these and could not for one second see the point in them... give me a cable that you can adjust and or replace with out a laptop.

do these things fail on or off? it is just pointless. looks like I am to be stuck driving pre 2006 cars.

At a guess if they fail they'll stay in the state they were in before failure-ie if on then it'll fail on, if off etc or the safety factor would mean they'd fail type approval.

Cables are so much simpler...

BogMonster · 07 October 2007, 13:36

The ones I have seen fail still work (as in they stop the vehicle) they just go "greeeeeeeeeoooonkkkkkkkkduggaduggaduggadugga" when you apply them which is enough to encourage the user to seek professional help

GuyP · 07 October 2007, 13:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Limey Linda

I sure would like to see someone do a handbrake start on a really steep hill with an electric type.

My mum had an electric handbrake on her 2004 Renault Scenic Diesel and it worked really well actually. Hill starts were easy, all you had to do was give it some gas and it auto released. She has a Freelander 2 now and misses the auto handbrake (although the Freelanders auto-box is a real gem).

Quote:

Originally Posted by BogMonster

On the same theme I wonder how long the silly "push in key fob and separate starter button" will last on the Freelander 2's - again, what was wrong with a key to put in the ignition?

They've had them on Honda S2000s since 1999. I quite like them. More suited to sports cars though "gentlemen start your engines"!