VW Passat "Auto-hold" electric handbrake help required
Discussion
I'm using a company pool car for a few days- Someone has lost the manual and the person who previously had the car as their company vehicle has been fired.
Its a 57 plate Passat and has an electric "handbrake" that consists of a dash mounted button that you press to engage the brake.
There is a second button next to the gear lever marked "auto hold".
I've worked out that switching on "auto hold" whilst driving means that the next time you switch on the brake for a hill-start, you dont have to worry about switching it off to move away - the car takes the brake off on its own (this feature also acts as a primitive launch control system at traffic lights..... apparently
)
However, the auto-hold feature doesnt seem to work when you first get in the car and try to move away - this is a bit of as problem if/when I take the car home for the night as our driveway is on a slope... towards the house!
Can someone tell me how I should be using the system in this situation?
Trying the "balance the car" on the clutch then releasing the brake doesnt work as you have to depress the brake pedal to manually release the push-button brake.
Its a 57 plate Passat and has an electric "handbrake" that consists of a dash mounted button that you press to engage the brake.
There is a second button next to the gear lever marked "auto hold".
I've worked out that switching on "auto hold" whilst driving means that the next time you switch on the brake for a hill-start, you dont have to worry about switching it off to move away - the car takes the brake off on its own (this feature also acts as a primitive launch control system at traffic lights..... apparently
)However, the auto-hold feature doesnt seem to work when you first get in the car and try to move away - this is a bit of as problem if/when I take the car home for the night as our driveway is on a slope... towards the house!
Can someone tell me how I should be using the system in this situation?
Trying the "balance the car" on the clutch then releasing the brake doesnt work as you have to depress the brake pedal to manually release the push-button brake.
I do nothing but show people how these work on the new A4.
Personally I try to get away from the auto hold function, because you need the seat belt on have have to tell it you want it etc.
What I show people is this.
The car needs to see either brake pedal pressed OR throttle pedal and clutch movement before it thinks its safe release the the handbrakel. If you just lift up the clutch with the engine at idle and hold it there, it would be perfectly safe to release the H brake but the car simply wont do it until it sees some throttle pedal as well. Then you just press the H brake button and away you go. 90% of manual A4's customers I have spoken to didnt know this and were quite surprised the car knows you are lifting up the clutch pedal. (but it does)
Personally I try to get away from the auto hold function, because you need the seat belt on have have to tell it you want it etc.
What I show people is this.
The car needs to see either brake pedal pressed OR throttle pedal and clutch movement before it thinks its safe release the the handbrakel. If you just lift up the clutch with the engine at idle and hold it there, it would be perfectly safe to release the H brake but the car simply wont do it until it sees some throttle pedal as well. Then you just press the H brake button and away you go. 90% of manual A4's customers I have spoken to didnt know this and were quite surprised the car knows you are lifting up the clutch pedal. (but it does)
Tame Technician said:
I do nothing but show people how these work on the new A4.
Personally I try to get away from the auto hold function, because you need the seat belt on have have to tell it you want it etc.
What I show people is this.
The car needs to see either brake pedal pressed OR throttle pedal and clutch movement before it thinks its safe release the the handbrakel. If you just lift up the clutch with the engine at idle and hold it there, it would be perfectly safe to release the H brake but the car simply wont do it until it sees some throttle pedal as well. Then you just press the H brake button and away you go. 90% of manual A4's customers I have spoken to didnt know this and were quite surprised the car knows you are lifting up the clutch pedal. (but it does)
I don't get how some people don't understand it, even my Mum gets it in the A6 and she can't even turn the radio on or off...Personally I try to get away from the auto hold function, because you need the seat belt on have have to tell it you want it etc.
What I show people is this.
The car needs to see either brake pedal pressed OR throttle pedal and clutch movement before it thinks its safe release the the handbrakel. If you just lift up the clutch with the engine at idle and hold it there, it would be perfectly safe to release the H brake but the car simply wont do it until it sees some throttle pedal as well. Then you just press the H brake button and away you go. 90% of manual A4's customers I have spoken to didnt know this and were quite surprised the car knows you are lifting up the clutch pedal. (but it does)
I have something like this on the A6, took me a while to get used to it, but once you get the hang of a little power and the clutch in the right place it just turns its self off and away you go...try it in a car park first somewhere flat with nothing to run into, then progress onto hills... personally i love the feature, but as the wife now drives the A6 and i've got her A2, there are times i forget and stall the A2...quite embarrassing!
Think of auto hold as a "foot on the brake" button
If its switched on you dont need to use the handbrake at all until you have completed your journey
With auto hold switched on -
When you come to a stop(red light/traffic whatever) press the footbrake and when you stop completely press it a little harder, you should feel it "step" down a little bit.
The auto-hold then has the car on the brakes (you wont hear anything like when you apply the handbrake as the car is using the normal brake system and not the rear handbrake motors to hold your car still. also worth nothing that no brake lights will be on)
you can let go of all the pedals. (in a manual you can play with the clutch and gears as much as you like, as perviously mentioned the car wont release the brakes till it "see's" throttle)
When the light turns green, drive off as normal. Handbrake button is not needed at all.
(To clear up, the handbrake will/should release by itself when you go to pull away without you pressing it regardless of auto-hold being on or off.
or you can use the foot on the brake then press the button method)
If its switched on you dont need to use the handbrake at all until you have completed your journey
With auto hold switched on -
When you come to a stop(red light/traffic whatever) press the footbrake and when you stop completely press it a little harder, you should feel it "step" down a little bit.
The auto-hold then has the car on the brakes (you wont hear anything like when you apply the handbrake as the car is using the normal brake system and not the rear handbrake motors to hold your car still. also worth nothing that no brake lights will be on)
you can let go of all the pedals. (in a manual you can play with the clutch and gears as much as you like, as perviously mentioned the car wont release the brakes till it "see's" throttle)
When the light turns green, drive off as normal. Handbrake button is not needed at all.
(To clear up, the handbrake will/should release by itself when you go to pull away without you pressing it regardless of auto-hold being on or off.
or you can use the foot on the brake then press the button method)
Edited by Coupe_Daz on Tuesday 17th March 18:48
Coupe_Daz said:
(To clear up, the handbrake will/should release by itself when you go to pull away without you pressing it regardless of auto-hold being on or off.
That might be the case for the V Dubs, but I can tell you the A4's and A6's wont let the H brake off even of you give it throttle as you lift up the clutch unless you touch the button or are using auto-hold. You will just sit there and burn the clutch out.Edited by Coupe_Daz on Tuesday 17th March 18:48
Tame Technician said:
Coupe_Daz said:
(To clear up, the handbrake will/should release by itself when you go to pull away without you pressing it regardless of auto-hold being on or off.
That might be the case for the V Dubs, but I can tell you the A4's and A6's wont let the H brake off even of you give it throttle as you lift up the clutch unless you touch the button or are using auto-hold. You will just sit there and burn the clutch out.Edited by Coupe_Daz on Tuesday 17th March 18:48
Ever since I had an Octavia that beeped when I started it without the seatbelt on, I've been in the habbit of belting up before starting so that's not the problem.
However, I found a solution to my original problem:
I always park in-gear and then start with my foot on the clutch (still in-gear). It seems that the Passat doesnt like doing this and you have to park in neutral or take it out of gear before starting - once you've done this the auto-hold/release works perfectly.
Having driven with it for a week and through some busy traffic on hilly roads I think its a great system. Traffic jams on a hill are a doddle.
However, I found a solution to my original problem:
I always park in-gear and then start with my foot on the clutch (still in-gear). It seems that the Passat doesnt like doing this and you have to park in neutral or take it out of gear before starting - once you've done this the auto-hold/release works perfectly.
Having driven with it for a week and through some busy traffic on hilly roads I think its a great system. Traffic jams on a hill are a doddle.
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