Outdated Handbrake

[Avallon]

In the off chance - I always need to manually unlock the handbrake before setting off. Haven't had to do that in any other electronic handbrake car - is it normal behaviour?

[bluespit]

do you mean you have to push the electronic parking brake switch down?, it most probably is a 2.0 like mine without auto hold. big fuss on here a couple of years ago about it.

[Avallon]

I do and yes I have a 2.0 (28i) - 64 plate. Would have thought they would have updated it so it auto releases. My 2010 A4 auto released...

[Angie4m]

What Bluespit is talking about is not auto release but 'hill start assist'. Everyone who engages the electronic hand/parking brake has to manually release it before driving off. The 3.0l variants have 'hill start assist' which will hold the car for a few seconds but it is not an auto release handbrake.

I have no issues with manually removing the parking brake, if I've engaged it for a reason then I want it to hold until I want it off. I'm sure if it's something you've used to in another vehicle but I don't believe that auto release is that common a feature of many manufactures.

[Grumpyowl]

My Lowly Citroen DD has Auto release

[dr_john]

I don't find pushing the little switch down a particularly arduous task.

[New2Zed]

Automatic handbrakes as well as hill-start are quite common nowadays and personally, I can't see the point of electric handbrake operation unless some form of automation is incorporated.

I would swap my electric handbrake for cruise control any day.

[xpar1]

I had an electronic handbrake in my Insignia, even if you left it on you could just drive off and it would disengage itself. TBH I prefer the old fashioned pull up handbrakes, always pull for that extra click on a steep hill

[luix_luix]

Automatic handbrakes as well as hill-start are quite common nowadays and personally, I can't see the point of electric handbrake operation unless some form of automation is incorporated.

I would swap my electric handbrake for cruise control any day.

If I recall correctly you can only disengage the electronic handbrake once the car is started, therefore helping anti-theft protection, i.e: at night a thief could enter your car, disengage the manual handbrake, push the car away from your house (with the engine still off) and start the car once you can't hear the motor... next day you wake up and your car is gone

(the above example actually happened to a friend of mine)

[xpar1]

therefore helping anti-theft protection,

Not wishing to hijack the thread, but whilst on the subject of security! The standard alarm fitted to the Z4, does it have an option for an audible alert when the alarm is turned on and off?

[srhutch]

Automatic handbrakes as well as hill-start are quite common nowadays and personally, I can't see the point of electric handbrake operation unless some form of automation is incorporated.

I would swap my electric handbrake for cruise control any day.

If I recall correctly you can only disengage the electronic handbrake once the car is started, therefore helping anti-theft protection, i.e: at night a thief could enter your car, disengage the manual handbrake, push the car away from your house (with the engine still off) and start the car once you can't hear the motor... next day you wake up and your car is gone

(the above example actually happened to a friend of mine)

Only problem comes when you want to work on the brakes and they are locked on. What do you do then?

[Garvin]

. . . . . . . I would swap my electric handbrake for cruise control any day.

I would give mine away if I could - hateful thing!

[Zed Five]

I like my electronic handbrake (and the small 'lever' switch). I sat in a 2 series recently and thought how crap an old fashioned handbrake looks these days. I cannot see why the 2 and 3 series don't have an elegant switch.

[TitanTim]

I like my electronic handbrake (and the small 'lever' switch). I sat in a 2 series recently and thought how crap an old fashioned handbrake looks these days. I cannot see why the 2 and 3 series don't have an elegant switch.

+1 coming from my Zed to the M135i it does feel a bit if step down using the old fashioned hand brake, plus I think the EPB seems to hold the car better on inclines.

Tim.

[ronk]

Does the EPB work mechanically on the disks?