Electronic handbrakes why

[skinley]

richolmes said:

I have an electronic handbrake in my S-type and it works great. A joy to use and much easier than a conventional handbrake as long as it's an autobox as well, a small amount of added complexity at a service seems a small price to pay for the extra convenience.

Regarding the Op's situation - how did the customer get it to you if the handbrake was broken? Sounds like you just didn't know how to disengage it.

I see the point of a manual handbrake and gearbox on a sports car, but on a luxury car it makes little sense.

Just my opinion though!

Great, all you need now is automatic steering and you will be completely desensitized from driving altogether. Nice.

Why not just get someone else to drive?

Edited by skinley on Tuesday 12th July 21:23

[LuS1fer]

FRiend of mine had an S-Type new and within weeks had the locked on brake. Utter twoddle.

[ewenm]

I haven't noticed the inconvenience of a manual handbrake and having a non-electronic backup (or emergency brake as our US cousins call them) seems to be a good idea to me. Having an electronic handbrake would put me off buying a car.

[MG CHRIS]

skinley said:

richolmes said:

I have an electronic handbrake in my S-type and it works great. A joy to use and much easier than a conventional handbrake as long as it's an autobox as well, a small amount of added complexity at a service seems a small price to pay for the extra convenience.

Regarding the Op's situation - how did the customer get it to you if the handbrake was broken? Sounds like you just didn't know how to disengage it.

I see the point of a manual handbrake and gearbox on a sports car, but on a luxury car it makes little sense.

Just my opinion though!

Great, all you need now is automatic steering and you will be completely desensitized from driving altogether. Nice.

No idea and yes i know who disengage it even the diagnostic equipment is saying that when you release the button its telling the motor to disengage but it not but if it was a normal handbrake it wouldn't of happened, dont know if the guy just drove it down with the handbrake on and not notice it would not surprise me to be honest. Then again we had the same thing happen when i was in my block release in colege jag s-type same colour to not sure if its the same one to be honest.

Well you got electronic steering so its close enough drove a fiat with city steering on st its so light an no fell at all.

[Negative Creep]

So presumably if the battery goes flat the car is completely immobilised and a push start impossible?

[paranoid airbag]

ewenm said:

I haven't noticed the inconvenience of a manual handbrake and having a non-electronic backup (or emergency brake as our US cousins call them) seems to be a good idea to me. Having an electronic handbrake would put me off buying a car.

me neither. Still can't hold a candle to the pointlessness of auto wipers though. There should be a task force set up to work undercover in dealerships: anyone who sounds impressed by auto wipers has their licence revoked immediately. The only people who benefit are those who a)lack the observational skills to note it's raining, or b)are too lazy to flick a switch. Neither group can possibly be safe drivers.

[Glosphil]

ewenm said:

I haven't noticed the inconvenience of a manual handbrake and having a non-electronic backup (or emergency brake as our US cousins call them) seems to be a good idea to me. Having an electronic handbrake would put me off buying a car.

I suspect that your choice of car (without electronic handbrake) will rapidly diminish in the coming years.

[eldar]

Seems to be for people who can't do a hill start without driver aids and appliances. Seems a hideously complex way to do a very simple job.

[ewenm]

Glosphil said:

ewenm said:

I haven't noticed the inconvenience of a manual handbrake and having a non-electronic backup (or emergency brake as our US cousins call them) seems to be a good idea to me. Having an electronic handbrake would put me off buying a car.

I suspect that your choice of car (without electronic handbrake) will rapidly diminish in the coming years.

That's fine, the family wagon is a 10-plate and intended to last us a minimum of the next 10 years, probably 15+. After that we'll probably be in electric cars for our daily-driver anyway, so who knows what will be the norm.

[skinley]

Slightly O/T but I think park-assist belongs in room 101 along with electronic handbrakes, FFS, if you can not park your car or do a hill-start without 'assistance' then you should not be allowed to drive.

[MG CHRIS]

Negative Creep said:

So presumably if the battery goes flat the car is completely immobilised and a push start impossible?

Im not sure, would of thought that was the case unless the car has a back up feacture to allow the handbrake to be released if the battery was flat.

[eldar]

MG CHRIS said:

Im not sure, would of thought that was the case unless the car has a back up feacture to allow the handbrake to be released if the battery was flat.

The back up feature is -

Jack car up, and crawl underneath with the special hand brake release tool made out of tinfoil and a small bit of plastic.

Attempt to fit it into the 4.5mm brake release slot, that is covered in 7 years of cooked on st. Succeed after 20 minutes and 2,492 different swear works.

The handbrake clicks off, and you issue a joyous cry, until the car rolls off the jack and kills you, a baby polar bear and a bus load of nuns as it careers off towards the horizon.

Possibly.

[Lawsome]

It's not that you "can't", It's laziness.

My old mans company Passat has it and it fits in with the comfy ride / overly assisted steering / cruise control. Quite enjoy it when I need to borrow a saloon. Opposite of my MX5.

[dxg]

Just wait until the hire company have kindly delivered a Meriva (I know...) to your door, and have parked it on a hill which needs reversing off with this damm electronic handbrake on.

It's bad enough feeling for the biting point in a car you've not driven before. Throw in the handbrake and the hill and it's fun times indeed.

[Sound of Thunder]

Conventional handbrakes work as intended, electric handbrakes do not.

I use electronic handbrakes every day and hate them.

[billzeebub]

Motorway Cops BBC just now a brand new Evoque stranded in the outside lane for 45 minutes largely because of electronic handbrake! Coppers absolutely slating the things! Just so unnecessary! Something that should be available on notability schemes only, along with automatic tailgates etc! Without such practices the nations 'BingoWings' may not be so pronounced!!?..

[krunchkin]

I've driven a few cars with them - Passats, insignias, Mondeo. The thing i find is they can be very untrustworthy on the hill start aspect. I never trust them to hold the car automatically on a slope.

[Bonefish Blues]

Works brilliantly on the Prius.

Sorry about that.

[Big Rod]

paranoid airbag said:

me neither. Still can't hold a candle to the pointlessness of auto wipers though. There should be a task force set up to work undercover in dealerships: anyone who sounds impressed by auto wipers has their licence revoked immediately. The only people who benefit are those who a)lack the observational skills to note it's raining, or b)are too lazy to flick a switch. Neither group can possibly be safe drivers.

Actually, I was in the same boat as you until I was given a car with automatic wipers as a company car.

I 'pooh-poohed' them but fiddled around with them anyway and do you know, they're brilliant for one thing...

You those times wehn you get drenched by a vehicle coming the other direction or when you hit standing water and it covers your windscreen? One second you can see and the next you can't?

They react considerably faster than you or I can and for that reason I like them. The rest of the driving aids can go 'do one' although the parking sensors on the 'S' class are helpful but I could do without them.

[Bonefish Blues]

Completely agree - also really good in those changeable conditions when you can't quite get manual wipers on the right setting for any period of time.