The BAD PARKING thread [vol4]

[DoubleD]

OlonMusky said:

I gave them a benefit of the doubt. If it really was flat and they parked like that... this would indicate some serious brain damage.

Well they are either an idiot for parking in the lane, or an idiot for not knowing how to use a handbrake.

[Frank7]

OlonMusky said:

This and the Citroen, sorry DS, above seem like a case of not engaging gear when parking and the handbrake letting go when the pads/discs cool down.

I’m the first one to admit that most of the posters on here know a lot more about cars than I do, but I’ve driven many types of vehicles, from Smart Cars to 44 ton articulated trucks, and I rarely applied the handbrake AND engaged gear when I parked, unless I was on an exceptional incline.
When parking an automatic, I just engage PARK, and don’t touch the handbrake.
Are you telling me that I’ve been parking manuals wrongly, and that in addition to applying the handbrake, I should leave it in gear every time I park?
Not that it will make much difference to me, it will be a cold day in hell before I willingly drive anything other than an automatic vehicle.

[Flumpo]

Frank7 said:

OlonMusky said:

This and the Citroen, sorry DS, above seem like a case of not engaging gear when parking and the handbrake letting go when the pads/discs cool down.

I’m the first one to admit that most of the posters on here know a lot more about cars than I do, but I’ve driven many types of vehicles, from Smart Cars to 44 ton articulated trucks, and I rarely applied the handbrake AND engaged gear when I parked, unless I was on an exceptional incline.
When parking an automatic, I just engage PARK, and don’t touch the handbrake.
Are you telling me that I’ve been parking manuals wrongly, and that in addition to applying the handbrake, I should leave it in gear every time I park?
Not that it will make much difference to me, it will be a cold day in hell before I willingly drive anything other than an automatic vehicle.

I suspect you’ve opened Pandora’s box here.

[LetsTryAgain]

Frank7 said:

I’m the first one to admit that most of the posters on here know a lot more about cars than I do, but I’ve driven many types of vehicles, from Smart Cars to 44 ton articulated trucks, and I rarely applied the handbrake AND engaged gear when I parked, unless I was on an exceptional incline.
When parking an automatic, I just engage PARK, and don’t touch the handbrake.
Are you telling me that I’ve been parking manuals wrongly, and that in addition to applying the handbrake, I should leave it in gear every time I park?
Not that it will make much difference to me, it will be a cold day in hell before I willingly drive anything other than an automatic vehicle.

I do the same in an automative, just 'Park'.
And I only leave a manual in gear, also don't use handbrake in that.
I'll use it every now and again to keep it doing something.
If I'm on a serious incline/decline i'll put the handbrake on as well as in gear as if there's enough push/pull the engine may well turn over.

[Elderly]

DoubleD said:

OlonMusky said:

DoubleD said:

OlonMusky said:

This and the Citroen, sorry DS, above seem like a case of not engaging gear when parking and the handbrake letting go when the pads/discs cool down.

In a flat carpark?

How can you be sure if it's totally flat? I've seen this happen in places which seemed relatively flat.

Well it looks flat

This is my local Tesco and I took the photos - it IS flat.

[Munter]

Frank7 said:

I rarely applied the handbrake AND engaged gear when I parked, .

To what benefit?

You'll always start with the clutch down anyway to take any extra load off the starter.

You gain a bit of safety putting it in gear, (should there be an issue with the handbrake. E.g. cable sticks, feels full on, but isn't). But what do you gain by deliberately not leaving it in gear?

[OlonMusky]

Frank7 said:

OlonMusky said:

This and the Citroen, sorry DS, above seem like a case of not engaging gear when parking and the handbrake letting go when the pads/discs cool down.

I’m the first one to admit that most of the posters on here know a lot more about cars than I do, but I’ve driven many types of vehicles, from Smart Cars to 44 ton articulated trucks, and I rarely applied the handbrake AND engaged gear when I parked, unless I was on an exceptional incline.
When parking an automatic, I just engage PARK, and don’t touch the handbrake.
Are you telling me that I’ve been parking manuals wrongly, and that in addition to applying the handbrake, I should leave it in gear every time I park?
Not that it will make much difference to me, it will be a cold day in hell before I willingly drive anything other than an automatic vehicle.

Yes.

[Frank7]

Munter said:

Frank7 said:

I rarely applied the handbrake AND engaged gear when I parked, .

To what benefit?

You'll always start with the clutch down anyway to take any extra load off the starter.

You gain a bit of safety putting it in gear, (should there be an issue with the handbrake. E.g. cable sticks, feels full on, but isn't). But what do you gain by deliberately not leaving it in gear?

Despite having passed my driving test first time, in 1957, on a three ton bread van, and driven a multitude of vehicles since then, I expect I’m going to expose my naivety to you now.
I don’t quite get what you’re suggesting and asking for here, for starters I didn’t get the memo about depressing the clutch when starting the vehicle, taking a load off the starter never entered my head.
All I did was, if the vehicle was a manual, I’d waggle the gear lever to ensure that it was in neutral, then I knew that I could fire up the starter.
What did I gain from deliberately NOT leaving it in gear?
No, go on, I give up, what could I have gained?
I wasn’t seeking to gain anything, I’d stopped the vehicle, parked up and was going to leave it, so this was what I did, switched off, applied the handbrake, removed the ignition key and locked the doors, another day, another dollar.

[Saleen836]

Having to depress the clutch is fairly common on a lot of cars now or the car wont start

[Munter]

Frank7 said:

<I'm so old that I can't learn anything>

Well I guess you'll never know what you could have gained with that attitude.

[anonymous-user]

Ahh, Frank7 posts; always a hint to go straight to the next page (or even the one after) to avoid a headache

[Vipers]

Frank7 said:

OlonMusky said:

This and the Citroen, sorry DS, above seem like a case of not engaging gear when parking and the handbrake letting go when the pads/discs cool down.

I’m the first one to admit that most of the posters on here know a lot more about cars than I do, but I’ve driven many types of vehicles, from Smart Cars to 44 ton articulated trucks, and I rarely applied the handbrake AND engaged gear when I parked, unless I was on an exceptional incline.

When parking an automatic, I just engage PARK, and don’t touch the handbrake.
Are you telling me that I’ve been parking manuals wrongly, and that in addition to applying the handbrake, I should leave it in gear every time I park?

Not that it will make much difference to me, it will be a cold day in hell before I willingly drive anything other than an automatic vehicle.

So did I until a mechanic, and I googled and turns out he was right, if you leave it in Park and someone shunts you, the thingly which locks the gearbox to the drive assembly can break, with the handbrake on as well, this will help to prevent this as the wheels will still be locked in a shunt.

As my drive has a slight incline, I put it in neutral, apply handbrake, car invariably rolls back a titch, only after it stops, do I put it in park.

[anonymous-user]

Vipers said:

So did I until a mechanic, and I googled and turns out he was right, if you leave it in Park and someone shunts you, the thingly which locks the gearbox to the drive assembly can break, with the handbrake on as well, this will help to prevent this as the wheels will still be locked in a shunt.

As my drive has a slight incline, I put it in neutral, apply handbrake, car invariably rolls back a titch, only after it stops, do I put it in park.

Good advice, and also why putting it in P when stopped in traffic isn't a good idea. A minor rear end shunt can go from minimal bumper damage to minimal bumper damage and smashed parking pawls inside your transmission...

[Frank7]

Munter said:

Well I guess you'll never know what you could have gained with that attitude.

I don’t think that I have an attitude really, I was asked a question that I couldn’t answer;
What did I gain from applying the handbrake, but not engaging gear?
That’s like asking, what did you gain from wearing black socks, rather than dark grey ones?

[Jagmanv12]

Vipers said:

So did I until a mechanic, and I googled and turns out he was right, if you leave it in Park and someone shunts you, the thingly which locks the gearbox to the drive assembly can break, with the handbrake on as well, this will help to prevent this as the wheels will still be locked in a shunt.

As my drive has a slight incline, I put it in neutral, apply handbrake, car invariably rolls back a titch, only after it stops, do I put it in park.

You don't have to be shunted. Years ago I know somebody was directed to park on the Brooklands banking. It was an automatic XJ.
He put it in park. When he came to leave the car would not come out of park and he had to call for a breakdown (AA, etc). Basically the pin that locks the transmission in park had become bent and wouldn't release. The weight of the car resting on this pin in park caused the problem.

[Plastic chicken]

My drive slopes slightly, and when parking the car for an extended time (like now), I'll let it rest on a wheel chock, then engage 'park', handbrake off. Prevents damage to the 'box, saves stretching the handbrake cable, and avoids the rear brakes sticking on.

[Rostfritt]

Vipers said:

So did I until a mechanic, and I googled and turns out he was right, if you leave it in Park and someone shunts you, the thingly which locks the gearbox to the drive assembly can break, with the handbrake on as well, this will help to prevent this as the wheels will still be locked in a shunt.

As my drive has a slight incline, I put it in neutral, apply handbrake, car invariably rolls back a titch, only after it stops, do I put it in park.

Wouldn't that only be the case if the drive wheels are wheels the handbrake engages on? Or are you assuming that the handbrake will stop the car getting shunted?

This has just reminded me to go and take my handbrake off and leave my car in gear. It has been two and a half weeks now since I drove it and I bet the handbrake is jammed on now.

[Vipers]

Rostfritt said:

Vipers said:

So did I until a mechanic, and I googled and turns out he was right, if you leave it in Park and someone shunts you, the thingly which locks the gearbox to the drive assembly can break, with the handbrake on as well, this will help to prevent this as the wheels will still be locked in a shunt.

As my drive has a slight incline, I put it in neutral, apply handbrake, car invariably rolls back a titch, only after it stops, do I put it in park.

Wouldn't that only be the case if the drive wheels are wheels the handbrake engages on? Or are you assuming that the handbrake will stop the car getting shunted?

This has just reminded me to go and take my handbrake off and leave my car in gear. It has been two and a half weeks now since I drove it and I bet the handbrake is jammed on now.

Your right, didn’t think it through.

[MartG]

[Plastic chicken]

Pre-lockdown. Young lady driver who had been in it avoiding all eye contact & disapproving looks by staring intently at something really important on her phone.

Bonus points for knowing what part of Glasgow this is..