[soldthetaco]

On other manual transmission vehicles I had, I never use the mechanical hand pulled parking brake because leaving it in gear such as 1st or reverse is enough to hold the vehicle in place. Also I heard stories about parking brake being stuck after rain or snow.

It might be my personal phobia, but every time I see someone park an automatic trans car without using a parking brake, and the vehicle just rocks back and forth, really painful to watch.

My sequence for parking the SC is:

1. come to a full stop using foot brake
2. put the vehicle in N
3. let go of foot brake releasing any potential stress due to slight inclination where I park
4. ignore step 3 if I know I park on an incline
5. engage the E parking brake
6. put the vehicle in P

in this way the vehicle's motion is never absorbed by the transmission. But then I use the parking brake pretty often.
How reliable is the E parking brake then? Is it okay to use all the time? Will the mechanism last the life time of the vehicle or using it all the time will drastically reduce the life span of the solenoid?

 

[GTAcruz]

On other manual transmission vehicles I had, I never use the mechanical hand pulled parking brake because leaving it in gear such as 1st or reverse is enough to hold the vehicle in place. Also I heard stories about parking brake being stuck after rain or snow.

It might be my personal phobia, but every time I see someone park an automatic trans car without using a parking brake, and the vehicle just rocks back and forth, really painful to watch.

My sequence for parking the SC is:

1. come to a full stop using foot brake
2. put the vehicle in N
3. let go of foot brake releasing any potential stress due to slight inclination where I park
4. ignore step 3 if I know I park on an incline
5. engage the E parking brake
6. put the vehicle in P

in this way the vehicle's motion is never absorbed by the transmission. But then I use the parking brake pretty often.
How reliable is the E parking brake then? Is it okay to use all the time? Will the mechanism last the life time of the vehicle or using it all the time will drastically reduce the life span of the solenoid?

Don’t have my SC yet, so can’t comment specifically about SC

however, my Toyota, when put in park, e-break automatically engages…

 

[Walking Black Bear]

I would be more worried about NOT using it than using it all the time. If I park on much of a grade, I'll use the e-brake. Every now and then I'll engage it just to keep it from seizing up on most automatics. If I'm not mistaken, the Santa Cruz is supposed to automatically engage it if it detects parking on a slope above a certain grade. I haven't tested that though. Myself, I use the Auto Hold all the time - so that e-brake system will never have to worry about seizing from lack of use.

So many people don't realize - because they are never taught, mostly - that you SHOULD always set the e-brake before shifting to park in an automatic when on a hill. Sheering off the park pin doesn't happen often, but it happens.

 

[Old Dan]

I used the parking brake on any vehicle that I drive. Every time I park for any reason.

 

[Roosterman]

I'm on the outside looking in then. I never use my parking braking now. I live in Wisconsin and there is plenty of salt used on the roads. I'm one of the unlucky that had the brake lock/freeze on. Didn't realize it until I saw smoke coming off my back end. The brake disk had gotten nearly red hot. Costly fix and swore off ever engaging the parking brake. In over 50 years of driving, never had a park pin shear. Maybe just lucky.

 

[Chiefan58]

I'm on the outside looking in then. I never use my parking braking now. I live in Wisconsin and there is plenty of salt used on the roads. I'm one of the unlucky that had the brake lock/freeze on. Didn't realize it until I saw smoke coming off my back end. The brake disk had gotten nearly red hot. Costly fix and swore off ever engaging the parking brake. In over 50 years of driving, never had a park pin shear. Maybe just lucky.

Also in Wisconsin and never use it.

 

[Trucklet4me]

I'm like Old Dan. I use it everytime.

 

[albnc74]

Every time.

 

[HSC4ME]

Don’t have my SC yet, so can’t comment specifically about SC

however, my Toyota, when put in park, e-break automatically engages…

I thought it was automatic on the SC too. Haven't been doing anything assuming it was on once in park and engine turned off. Once started and taken out of park I thought it automatically released.

Am I wrong?

 

[soldthetaco]

Don’t have my SC yet, so can’t comment specifically about SC

however, my Toyota, when put in park, e-break automatically engages…

SC does not

 

[Woodie23]

Once started and taken out of park I thought it automatically released.

That part is true, i've tested that. (oh...and I very, very rarely use the e-brake)

 

[JMII]

On other manual transmission vehicles I had, I never use the mechanical hand pulled parking brake because leaving it in gear such as 1st or reverse is enough to hold the vehicle in place.

Really? I'm the opposite - with a manual transmission I ALWAYS put the hand / parking brake on. To start the engine you have to push in the clutch so the vehicle is now in neutral and could roll. To stop it from moving you need your foot on both the clutch and the brake at start up.

For automatics the transmission (and wheels) are locked in park so no need for the parking brake, but I still use it on inclines... living in flat FL this situation is pretty rare.

Since the DCT is an automated manual I'm not sure how the transmission locks in park. I assume it works like a traditional automatic and thus the parking brake isn't required to stop it from rolling (it may rock slightly). Regardless it stills seems like a good idea to set the parking brake just to be safe.

Can't speak to the SC but the EPB on my C7 works great. It uses a small drum brake inside the rear rotors to lock the rear wheels. It will automatically disengage if you try to drive away which makes it function like a hill hold feature.

 

[Mike_TX]

I always engage the Brake Hold everytime I start the vehicle. Greatest invention ever. So the e-brake is automatically on when I park the truck.

 

[Mike86merc]

I am surprised to hear so many people are anti-parking brake. Especially with a manual transmission.

I live in an area where I don't have to use it all the time. But there are still plenty of situations where I use it due to being on inclines/declines.

 

[gcet]

My driveway is inclined and I apply the parking brake every time I park before I take my foot off the brake. I've always done this to relieve pressure on the tranny... right, wrong, or indifferent that is what I was taught 40 years ago whenever parking on a hill.

 

[ToadVine]

I grew up in south Florida - flat as pool table. When I was 16, I left my car in a store parking lot without the hand brake and in neutral. Got out, walked into the store and came back out a few minutes later.

My old, beat-up car was gone! Stolen! This is outrageous! I need to call the cops!

Hmmmmm... what's going on over there? Curiously, there was a big crowd of people gathered around something about 200 feet away -- located in a straight line back from my parking space.

I have always used the hand brake since then. Always.

 

[monogodo]

I've always used the parking/emergency brake when parking any manual transmission vehicle, for exactly the reason @JMII described: when depressing the clutch pedal, the vehicle will roll w/o a brake active. And in the older vehicles I learned on, they required some gas pedal action to get started.

In the automatics I've owned, I only used the parking/emergency brake when parked on an incline, otherwise I trusted the transmission to hold it in Park.

On the Veloster, which is a DCT, I also tend to not use it unless parked on an incline.

On the Santa Cruz, I also tend to only use it on an incline.

 

[HSC4ME]

SC does not

I will start using it beginning today, now that I know it doesn't get applied automatically, but does get released automatically. Thank you all.

 

[ToadVine]

Didn't I see some instructions on here that said if you stopped, put the car in 'Neutral' and turned off the ignition, the E-brake would engage? Then, you could put it in 'Park'.

 

[soldthetaco]

Really? I'm the opposite - with a manual transmission I ALWAYS put the hand / parking brake on. To start the engine you have to push in the clutch so the vehicle is now in neutral and could roll. To stop it from moving you need your foot on both the clutch and the brake at start up.

True, it does take getting used to in manual transmission to clutch in and foot on the brake to start. I didn't use parking brake because it's redundant in manual trans while in gear, and I wanted to avoid wear and tear and possible seize up the pads.