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Parking Brake on or off everytime you park? And other things we do out of habit.

Idaho2018GTPremium

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I've always used the parking brake. It's called the parking break. In an automatic if you don't use it you're relying on the transmission to keep you parked which is putting unnecessary wear on one of the most expensive parts of your car. That's why they give you a cheap parking break to use to take that pressure off of it. Use it people.
So a transmission that is designed to handle 420+ ft-lbs of torque (for the '18+ A10) for many years of use will wear out if you don't use the parking brake on a relatively flat surface (rhetorical question)? I admit I use the parking brake when parked on a incline/decline with my A10 GT; but I do not use it on a flat surface or nearly flat surface because the torque applied to the transmission will be a tiny fraction of the torque applied to the trans by the engine during operation, esp. at peak torque output.
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torqued

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With a Manual I always use the Parking break.

Never bother with a automatic and I've never had a auto transmission go bad and i'm older than dirt. I say BS to the whole idea of ruining your transmission if you don't use your parking brake.
I had a Chevy from 40 years ago that if you didn't use the e-brake and were parked on a decent hill, sometimes it would be a real #*&*$% bear trying to manhandle the gear lever on the steering column back out of Park. Didn't seem like a good thing to be happening so I always use it.

The downside is in an automatic I didn't notice instantly if I forgot to release it.
 

geep81

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So a transmission that is designed to handle 420+ ft-lbs of torque (for the '18+ A10) for many years of use will wear out if you don't use the parking brake
The below is straight from the manual for our car. Seems pretty straightforward to me. They even call it out specifically for automatic cars.

Screen Shot 2019-11-08 at 1.07.22 PM.png
 

Hack

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I always use the parking brake when I park, except for at the track when the brakes are too hot. My reasoning is that the brake cables/mechanisms are under the car and they tend to rust over time. I want the parking brake to work when I need it and if it's going to fail I think having the cable freeze up is a lot less likely to happen if I use the brake all the time.

My startup process is to jump in the car, push down the clutch pedal and then hit the button. I put on the seat belt and my sunglasses while the car is running. That gives the car a few seconds of run time before I pull away. I avoid high revs when the car is cold, but I don't avoid heavy throttle. The cross street at my work has a lot of traffic, so I often have to get on it right away.
 

MaskedRacerX

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Yeah, I've got like 20 things to do as part of the startup process :crazy:

One of them used to be to set the exhaust/mode, but my Smart Top module is going that automatically for me now :rockon:
 

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RedEcoJet

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I use my parking brake now after my automatic has popped out of park twice. Once it rolled into another mustang. Dealer couldn't find anything wrong.

Jerry
 

David Schmidt

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Like everyone else, I have a shutdown ritual. At my house, I get to park outside, on a rather steep hill with expensive things I don't own at the bottom of said hill. I back into position, let the car settle (just baaarely) on the parking brake, shut down, put in first, let up on foot brake. If you push the tail a little, it'll roll down hill a bit... the e-brake is no match for this hefty girl on a hill.

Had a freak accident last weekend. With the car in the aformentioned situation, had a novice driver at the wheel, said driver hit the clutch and gas instead of the brake to to the floor, hit the go button, screaming revs - scared novice driver - dropped the clutch, bad times ensued. Only lasting damage is one rim (hit a curb) and a couple of psyches.
 
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kent0464

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I always use the parking brake and leave it in gear if it’s a manual. I also always use the parking brake with an auto, especially a ford.....they have a long reputation of popping out of park. Never rely on the park pawl.
 

Johnnybee

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Always on. Use keeps the cable from seizing as well, although this is not as much of a problem as the old days when the outer casing was bare metal, not like the coated ones of today. I figure if someone taps me in a parking lot, that will help prevent transmission damage as the rear wheels won't turn. Rolling is an issue. We had a 5 year old girl killed at a local school when another parent hopped out of their vehicle thinking it was in park and it rolled away. Habitual application of the parking brake would have prevented this unnecessary tragedy.
 

Sig556

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COMMON SENSE, Park your car, turn off the ignition, apply the Parking brake.
 

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tokuzumi

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I always use the parking brake in my cars. My Escalade has no pad left on the parking brake, but I still use it anyway. I always turn off HVAC, but don't touch the radio. In older vacuum operated HVAC cars, I would turn off HVAC as I was told it put a drag on the system when trying to start. Newer cars with electronic push button HVAC probably doesn't matter. I would guess the control modules send all power to start the car, and once started, it powers on the accessories.
 

13razorbackfan

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Parking brake goes on then vehicles go in park. When starting vehicle foot on brake, then gear the turn off e-brake. I make sure all my guys do this on my F250'S especially with weight of these trucks at 8k and the trailers but I do it on all my cars as well.
 

DevilDocAZ

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BrianGT2015

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I have a 6 speed. I have had standards ever since I could drive. Apply parking brake, take car out of gear, turn off AC and Radio if I have it on shut down car. When I start my car in the morning or after she has sat for a few days. Get in, check to see if she is out of gear, check parking brake, crank her up, run through gauges, she runs for about 30 seconds to a minute depending on what the temperature is outside, (now in the winter, I start her up and let her run for a while) tap the gas once or twice, (I do mean tap, maybe raise it a few hundred rpms) hear my exhaust, smile, then put her in gear and leave.

Someone might say why do you run through the gauges, Yes, I had a friend who asked me this. I told them very expensive mistake I made one time. I didn't notice oil pressure was low for some reason. Everyone here knows what happened next. (ROOKIE MISTAKE that taught me a lot of skills)
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