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

[RLMJR58]

Friends dad used to always say, “the transmission is not a kick stand for the car!” I knew a guy who left his truck parked with it in first gear on a very windy day when is was in the USCG, we went on a search and rescue mission and when we returned there was a white something in the water near our docks... as we got close it was the roof of his truck the wind had moved it down a slight slope and into the water. We winched it out with the station 3/4 ton quad cab dodge 4x4 and his insurance totaled it...

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[BrianGT2015]

Why would you take it out of gear?


Norm

Always take it out of gear because I have seen the accident of someone starting car in gear and forgetting it was in gear. They ran into the house by accident when they took their foot off the clutch. very expensive their wife was mad.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Always take it out of gear because I have seen the accident of someone starting car in gear and forgetting it was in gear. They ran into the house by accident when they took their foot off the clutch. very expensive their wife was mad.

Precisely why I suggest putting the car into either 1st or reverse, whichever would lurch the car away from the house (in this case). In the direction of least consequence otherwise.

In my experience - flat-lander, old New Englander, and almost exclusively driving MT cars, P-brakes have always been a strictly secondary means of holding the car in one spot. It's easier to remember to take it out of gear after the engine 'catches' while you do things like buckle up, make sure that others are, set the radio and the HVAC, and perhaps turn a couple of things off.


Norm

 

[BrianGT2015]

Precisely why I suggest putting the car into either 1st or reverse, whichever would lurch the car away from the house (in this case). In the direction of least consequence otherwise.

In my experience - flat-lander, old New Englander, and almost exclusively driving MT cars, P-brakes have always been a strictly secondary means of holding the car in one spot.


Norm

I guess environment dictates. I grew up in Arkansas. The flattest parts of Arkansas. So flat its just fields, and fields, and fields, and more fields. The only reason your car would roll is there was a rock you didn't drive completely over. and it pushed the tire back or forward.

 

[w3rkn]

I wonder if people who use parking brakes with auto, do it with their other cars too..?

Again, automatics have a "PARK". Manuals do not (thus Parking Brake).

 

[BrianGT2015]

I wonder if people who use parking brakes with auto, do it with their other cars too..?

Again, automatics have a "PARK". Manuals do not (thus Parking Brake).

I'm sure people do. I heard setting your parking brake is easier on the transmission when you put it into gear if you have any kind of incline or decline.

 

[Norm Peterson]

I'm sure people do. I heard setting your parking brake is easier on the transmission when you put it into gear if you have any kind of incline or decline.

It certainly can be physically easier to disengage the park sprag when it's not being loaded by the vehicle trying to roll downhill.


Norm

 

[ranjeetsodhi]

car from rolling forward one off and resting on the gears/pin/transmission

Suggest you all learn from my experience (and misfortune). I had my car in the shop for 3 months waiting for Ford US to ship the required transmission parts to my country so they could fix the transmission. Mine is a 2019 GT premium convertible 10 speed automatic.

The mechanic asked me if I used the parking break. My answer - No. His answer, to use the parking break even when parked on a flat surface to minimize the pressure/load on the transmission/gears.

Basically the transmission had to be repaired with some parts replaced because something was bent and worn out. The way this issue manisfested itself was that my reverse gear would not engage 40-50% of the times, and also the gear changes from 1 to 3 were rather jerky.

Lesson learnt (slightly expensive lesson).

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