Applying handbrake Poll

Poll Poll Do you hold the button in whilst applying the handbrake?

  • Yes

    Votes: 99 81.1%

  • No

    Votes: 16 13.1%

  • Never thought about it

    Votes: 7 5.7%
  • Total voters
    122
  • Poll closed .
Not certain what you mean by hold the button in. I press it move the hand brake up or down then release it.

Having 343 horses under the bonnet and being rear wheel drive, the hand brake is not strictly necessary for having fun in Tesco's, or any other snowy car park. :wink:
 
My Dad taught me this before I was old enough to apply for a driving licence - when I got some practice in empty car parks! :lol:

It still sets my teeth on edge whenever I hear a handbrake yanked up on the ratchet! :eek:
 
I hold the button in but thinking about it I think I let it out to the point where I can feel / hear the clicks. Just to make sure the pawl (?) is sitting in the groove and not balancing on the edge of the tooth.......stupid I know.
 
I never use the handbrake unless on a hill, and when I do I never hold the button in. Never had a handbrake fail in 38 years of driving.
 
Marlon said:
Another button holder here - timing of this poll is interesting as my Zed is booked in for a handbrake replacement!
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I thought about this a couple of weeks ago when I was with somebody who didn't push the button in and then forgot about it until I saw your post and so I thought I'd ask the question. :thumbsup:
 
Im sure I have seen handbrake mechanisms in the past where the ratchet part has been almost worn flat.
I would think the only thing that would cause this would be yanking the handbrake on with out pressing in the button.
 
Marlon said:
Crazy Harry said:
Marlon said:
Another button holder here - timing of this poll is interesting as my Zed is booked in for a handbrake replacement!
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I thought you had kicked off this poll having said yours needed doing. I assume that yours has worn in the spot where the handbrake is normally applied; and since you hold the button in and its got worse since you've had the car - is this about load on the ratchet when the car is parked. I hold the button in when applying the brake but also live in flat (ish) Norfolk. When I was living in the north (west and east as it happens) the handbrake was really resisting a trip down hill rather than some youth leaning on the back of my car when its parked.

So is the constant use on hills (of the north in your case Marlon) also an aggravating factor?
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No idea why mine's buggered - its got progressively worse over the last few years, so now I'm struggling to get any grip pulling it to its highest point - was told its the ratchet thats worn out. Its flat in Preston, I rarely park on a hill and don't do handbrake turns :D
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BMW handbrakes are notoriously bad. Rather than working directly on the rear discs, they use drum brakes within the rear disc bells. Some seem to need regular adjustment to work reliably. I had to adjust the handbrake of my old three series each year to pass the MOT and that on my Dad’s Z3 isn’t much better. My Zed has always passed, but sometimes seems a bit weedy.
Marlon, have you tried holding the button then pulling on and releasing the handbrake three or for times in quick succession? That is a fairly reliable method for encouraging the handbrake on my Zed to behave!
 
Mine failed it's MOT on handbrake imbalance.

Culprit turned out to be the fact that the BMW approved bodyshop that did my accident repair, decided not to bother reconnecting the offside handbrake cable to the drum :headbang:

On the plus side, it did start me down the road of pulling everything apart to see what else they'd failed to do / did wrong, but it was almost a year before I'd gotten everything back to standard.
 
I never use the handbrake, I just stick it in P.

BMW rear brake backplates rust, then the handbrake gubbins move around when you pull the handbrake lever, rather then applying brake force. If you are adjusting constantly it is probably time for new backplates.
 
NickDE said:
I never use the handbrake, I just stick it in P.

BMW rear brake backplates rust, then the handbrake gubbins move around when you pull the handbrake lever, rather then applying brake force. If you are adjusting constantly it is probably time for new backplates.
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It’s more relevant to those with manuals that don’t have a park position. Even though mine is an auto as well and I don’t use the hand brake unless on incline or on a hand brake turn I’ve also done as Chris_D does when parking a manual leave it in gear. I’m another one though that does push the button as I’m pulling up. More than anything I hate the ratchet sound.
 
Press the button in the zed. Don’t bother in the golf because the ratchet is not made of CHEESE like it is in the BMW.
 
Never I must I like the reassuring sound of the ratchet to let me know the handbrake is secure and as for the Z she is an Auto so once in Park should not move.
 
I am used to the fly-off type of hand brake from my old British stuff - where you have to use the button to lock the brake once you have it in engaged position, and you just need to lift on the lever and release it to disengage, without touching the button.
 
I said yes as I always do when using a car with a Mech handbrake. I was taught to press the button when I had my driving lessons in '66, the instructor said it would impress the examiner and show that I had empathy with the car!

The e Brake is used on my 35is unless it is in hibernation - In normal day to day driving I reckon its best to use it and keep the mechanics moving - 'P' position is only a small dowel and not really intended to hold the car - its only meant to lock the transmission.
 
I never press the button on any of my cars..

This video is interesting :)

[youtube]1ePcNfx1UEw[/youtube]
 
I prefer to hear the ratchet working, or not, if you see what I mean. I had to replace the handbrake on Steve as the ratchet was knackered when I bought it a couple of months ago. Listening to it working as you apply the ratchet allows you to feel any problems like cable taughness or bushes or ratchet. This is the first handbrake I have ever had to replace incidentally.so while I hear all the arguments about mechanical sympathy I'm not sure there is a case for it, I have done both down the years and I feel the slightly slower button unthumbed is more sympathetic to the cable and is less of a shock to it and allows you to "feel" the handbrake more.
 
Deffo a button holder though I don't apply it if it's in my garage. I noticed as soon as I bought it that there's very little movement of the handbrake for it to be fully applied. Is that normal on these? I seem to remember 4-5 clicks was normal. Just been out & checked mine, 2 clicks max, 3 if I really give it some, but I wouldn't normally do that. Seems to work fine & there's no sign brake binding.
 
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