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.
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.
Waugh-terfall said:
They're definately a really good idea. Dad thought it was a bit gimmicky to start with but sees the point now. I'm pretty sure it works as an emergency brake too, as in, hold the button, it'll bleep and then maximum braking force will be applied to the wheels in an emergency
Surely taking your hand off the wheel in that situation would be a really bad idea?Gassing Station | Audi, Seat, Skoda & VW | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff