Stupid Electronic Handbrake

[DJP]

So what am I missing here?

I am on holiday with a hire car. It is a manual Jeep with an electronic handbrake.

How on Earth do you do a hill start?

The handbrake doesn't automatically release and won't release unless you're holding the foot brake, which means that you can't also have your foot on the accelerator.

On a small hill, I just bring the clutch to biting point and hope that the engine idle is strong enough to hold the car momentarily.

But what about on a bigger hill? There seems to be a good risk of running backwards or stalling while you get your foot off the foot brake and onto the accelerator.

Or is there some other feature that I've missed?

The handbook is in foreign.

[BckFlash]

Does it have a small button behind the handbrake button saying Auto Hold?

If so, press that and it holds the brake on for hill starts etc.

Once it's switched on it should stay on and you'll not need to press it again. Effectively puts the handbrake on when you come to a stop and releases when you go to pull away.

Although I would've thought it should automatically release when you give it some gas?

Edited by BckFlash on Tuesday 26th July 12:24

Edited by BckFlash on Tuesday 26th July 12:25

[vikingaero]

I take it the car doesn't have Hill Hold after releasing the handbrake? Old 80's and 90's manual Mercs had this problem with the foot operated parking brake and hand release which wasn't conducive to smooth hill starts.

[LuS1fer]

I have a manual Insignia and you just drive off and it auto releases.

Most cars have an auto hill start function for a few seconds even with a manual handbrake.

[Dimebars]

Don't you just engage handbrake then drive off and the electronic brake self releases?

Used to in my old Audi

[LuS1fer]

https://gogirl.co.uk/news-and-advice/hill-start-el...

[ashenfie]

I don't of any system that does not auto release, had a few cars with electric hand breaks .

[Hoofy]

Any self-respecting PHer can do heel-toe braking, surely?

Also, I always say autos are better!

Not helpful, I know.

[jamei303]

Did you RTFM?

[DJP]

Hoofy said:

Any self-respecting PHer can do heel-toe braking, surely?

Also, I always say autos are better!

Not helpful, I know.

I can, but yes I agree.

Sadly however I am stuck with this otherwise okay car.

(It's a Jeep Compass btw)

[DJP]

jamei303 said:

Did you RTFM?

Did you RMFOP?

(Manual is in foreign).

[rigga]

jamei303 said:

Did you RTFM?

Did you read his post ?

DJP said:

The handbook is in foreign.

[Granadier]

another pointless gadget that's more trouble than it's worth

[Mammasaid]

PARK BRAKE
Electric Park Brake (EPB)
Your vehicle is equipped with a new Electric Park Brake System (EPB) that offers greater convenience. The park brake switch is located in the centre console.

To apply the park brake manually, pull up on the switch momentarily. The BRAKE warning lamp in the instrument cluster and an indicator on the switch will illuminate.

To release the park brake manually, the ignition switch must be in RUN. Then put your foot on the brake pedal and push the park brake switch down momentarily. Once the park brake is fully disengaged, the BRAKE warning lamp and the switch indicator will extinguish.

The park brake can also be automatically released. With the engine running and the transmission in gear, release the brake pedal and depress the throttle pedal. For safety reasons, your seat belt must also be fastened.

[Cold]

The auto hold stuff is something you should be able to configure using the onboard settings.

[Triumph Man]

I agree, that sounds stupid. Will it not auto release at all? Is it that the car feels the power being applied is not a threshold that if the handbrake were to release it wouldn't roll back?

[Hoofy]

That you have to RTFM or look in some options screen really demonstrates how overly complicated some tech can be.

I just picked up a new Golf whilst my Porsche is in for its annual service and it took me a good few minutes to figure out how to just wind the windows down to vent the heat!

[Pica-Pica]

DJP said:

jamei303 said:

Did you RTFM?

Did you RMFOP?

(Manual is in foreign).

I rather suspect the manual is in the local language, thus not foreign.

[DJP]

It doesn't appear to auto release. Unless you have to be more brutal than my mechanical sympathies permit?

Even so, I don't like it and it certainly isn't a convenience.

[Alex_225]

From the ones I've experienced they usually auto release when you go to pull away so should work in the same way.

I have an electronic handbrake on my CL and old S Class but being an auto hill starts aren't an issue, also it auto holds with a firm press of the brake when you stop anyway so it doesn't creep.