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

[The_Phantom]

I set my brake out of habit...but it doesn't really do anything to help the transmission.

Turning off the A/C does mean you require less voltage to crank the car, but on modern vehicles it doesn't matter whether it is on or off.

I have a lot of customers that like to do some old habits, such as:

*Oil change at 500 - 1,000 miles from new
*Turning off all accessories before starting the car
*Only burning premium gas in EVERYTHING they own (In Mustangs, it makes sense as that's how you get the best performance...but I'm talking stock V6 Camaros, etc. here)
*Rotating tires every 1,500 miles
*Idling a N/A car before killing it for at least 30 seconds
*Warming up the car by letting it run 30 seconds before taking off

None of those are needed on a modern car. Now, if your car is cold and not warm....don't go beating on it. But you can start it, throw it in drive, and head out immediately without doing any harm.

My random quirk that I do every time I drive the car: I always turn off the car, open the door, and wait for the Mustang logo to appear and disappear on the nav screen before I get out.

I have no idea why and realize it affects nothing.

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[Blufc3s]

I put my manual GT in reverse and set the parking brake. In my auto Fusion I don’t normally set the PB unless I’m on a hill.
Your cables good seize over time if you don’t use the PB once in a while, at least up here in the north.

 

[Norm Peterson]

I have a 6 speed. I have had standards ever since I could drive. Apply parking brake, take car out of gear

Why would you take it out of gear?


Norm

 

[tokuzumi]

I always park my manual cars in first gear with parking brake on.

 

[Norm Peterson]

My boss crashed her mom's Buick Riviera when she was 16. She drove it into the garage door because it was in 1st when she started it.

That's not something that could happen with any MT car built in the last 40 years or so. Not unless the clutch-starter interlock switch shorted or otherwise failed in the 'closed' position or was intentionally bypassed, anyway.

But with that incident in mind, it's a good idea to leave the transmission in reverse if 1st would be the direction where damage (or the greater damage) could occur should the engine catch with the clutch engaged.


A MT Riviera? must have been a mid-1960's car.


Norm

 

[obgod3]

Got the auto on my car and never..never use the parking brake...

 

[Norm Peterson]

I'll have to ask, but I think it was a 64. The car and garage were both fine. Banged out the dent and pushed the garage panel back in line before anyone noticed.

Ahhh . . . the things people learn to do when the pressure is on to hide the fact that something not-so-good even happened . . .

I can still remember being out somewhere with my Dad and asking him if he'd let me turn the key to start the car up for the ride back home. I might have been 6 or 7 at the time (early 1950's) and had no reason to expect the car to lurch forward. I'm sure that Dad let that happen as an object lesson, and there's no doubt that it 'took'.


Norm

 

[Deleted member 35786]

Parking brake is cheaper to repair than a transmission.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Parking brake is cheaper to repair than a transmission.

You'll never break a transmission by leaving it in gear when the car is parked.


Norm

 

[Andy13186]

I use parking brake every time, and yes im auto.

When I had a manual I would leave it in neutral and put the brake on, one time this did bite me on my 2003 mustang gt I set the brake when parked on a steep driveway but I didnt set it hard enough and went inside, about 10 mins later I see my car is just sitting in the street it slowly rolled down the driveway. (no traffic on this area thankfully)

When parking on steep driveways or hills it is good to leave it in gear as extra security I learned from this. I only didnt like doing this because right when I first got the car I was trying to make this my habit and I let the clutch out before turning the car off and it stalled out hard obviously.

Another habit I have is just always wearing the seatbelt, even if I am just sitting parked I usually keep my seatbelt on, I am so used to it it just feels better to have it on and I dont want to break the habit.

 

[Deleted member 35786]

You'll never break a transmission by leaving it in gear when the car is parked.


Norm

With an auto you can over time, especially on hills.

The transmission’s parking pawl is really a backup device, not a substitute for the parking brake.

Consider the cost of repairing a parking pawl and repairing a parking brake and I am sure you will want to use that parking brake as your primary.

 

[Norm Peterson]

With an auto you can over time, especially on hills.

The transmission’s parking pawl is really a backup device, not a substitute for the parking brake.

Consider the cost of repairing a parking pawl and repairing a parking brake and I am sure you will want to use that parking brake as your primary.

Understood, though the parking pawl by itself is more than adequately strong for parking on level ground, long-term. I'm also intellectually aware that you should apply the P-brake in an AT vehicle before selecting 'Park' when parked on a slope.

I say 'intellectually' since what automatic transmissions might require does not automatically (sorry 'bout that) occur to me. Specific conscious thought is involved. Having not owned an AT car since the early 1970's, or even driven one so equipped at all in the last 15 years probably has something to do with that.


Norm

 

[MaskedRacerX]

Another habit I have is just always wearing the seatbelt, even if I am just sitting parked I usually keep my seatbelt on, I am so used to it it just feels better to have it on and I dont want to break the habit.

I put mine on even pull out of the garage and into the driveway to wash it. Otherwise, it feels like something is broken

 

[mustang1]

I (almost) always park with the M/T in 1st gear. My parking brake discipline could use improvement. I have exited my car before where the car starts moving and after scrambling back into the car I am annoyed to discover the gear shift is in neutral. That will definitely spike the adrenaline. Automatics are safer in this respect.

 

[mustang1]

... Another habit I have is just always wearing the seatbelt, even if I am just sitting parked I usually keep my seatbelt on, I am so used to it it just feels better to have it on and I dont want to break the habit.

I pulled out of a gas station one time (a long time ago) without putting on my seat belt and immediately stopped at a red light. While waiting at the light, a police officer pulled up behind me. Looking in my rear view mirror, I put on my seat belt. Lights come on. Officer says I just saw you put on your seat belt. Ticket.

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