Recently my above mentioned car was parked( I put on the automatic handbrake) on a hill on a side road. I was gone about 15minutes and as I was returning I saw the car rolling down the hill. It came a halt when it hit a bus shelter which was demolished and my car was badly damaged at the back. Luckily there was nobody in the bus shelter and in its travels it did not hit anybody. Thank goodness .
Any advice on this please.
MATH.
Edited by Webmaster on 17/06/2009 at 02:05
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Don't like them, don't trust them almost enough not to buy a car with one. The only advice I would give is to park in reverse gear and turn wheels into the kerb (see Highway Code) Not meant to sound pompous but can't think of any other way to word it ! Seems that some car-makers find it difficult to make proper, reliable manual handbrakes either
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Yep, you shouldn't rely on the handbrake alone. Always leave the car in gear.
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Did i miss something, with the thousands of cars i've delivered (circa 70,000 ish) i've never had a 'proper' handbrake fail once applied properly...even when the thing was worn out/faulty you could feel that something wasn't right when you applied it.
And the only one's i couldn't get off due to failure was electric too, had to manually disconnect....don't ask.
Yet again something has been mended that wasn't broken in the first place.
Not to worry it makes my own future choice of cars easier..;)
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Lord help us when we get fly-by-wire steering.......
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My boss's car did the opposite. Wouldn't release and left him stuck and red faced with everyone hooting him.
Not the best if ideas VW.
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There is usually a manual override I think. Often somewhere in the boot.
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There is usually a manual override I think.
And on a certain French motor there's something that looks suspiciously like an IUD in the toolkit that has to be inserted into a cutout in the passenger footwell and then you wind off the brake till something inside gives...thats the official way too...needs workshop visit before use again.
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Bit of a pelarva in a queue.
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I was thinking that. Be miserable trying to do a hill start from the boot......
Edit - The Passat estate would fit my needs quite well but I wouldn't have one because of the stupid handbrake.
Edited by Humph Backbridge on 13/06/2009 at 18:02
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Lord help us when we get fly-by-wire steering.......
Thought we already had... my Skodas have a steering wheel and a steering rack but the connection between them is electronic... thats FBW isn't it?
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My Passat estate is giving problems again with the parking brake. The usual won't release has now been joined by a won't apply. I'm on my second switch and second ECU unit. We run a fleet of 8 Passats and 3 of them have been stranded with brakes that won't release.
The other problem I have with it is the automatic release. This is part governed by a switch sensing the clutch pedal position. In order to operate this switch the clutch pedal has to be pressed right to the floor, well past the point at which the clutch actually begins to take up drive.
I beleive the design of this brake is a retrograde step, it is an on or off device, no element of proportionality in it's operation.
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As most of us have agreed before, these things are completely unnecessary and are an answer to a problem that doesn't exist. Fortunately no-one needs to buy a Passat, as there is the Octavia with the same range of engines, or the Mondeo if you need more room. The Octavia certainly has a proper handbrake, and I think that all versions of the Mondeo do too.
None of which solves the OP's problem! But if it's under warranty you should have a claim: presumably it can be proved that the device was on at the time. Your insurance co. may also be able to advise you, or they may want to make a claim themselves.
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I'm lost here.
What exactly is it that the poster wants advice on?
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Is it similar to Merc's handbrakes? [press clutch-ish thing to engage & pull a handle to disengage]
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No - it's even worse. You press a silly little button one way to apply it, the other way to release it. It's on or off so you can't do a hill start with it.
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I always thought they also came with hill assist. When choosing my next car (could have been a Passat) I will be sure to check this out.
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>>you can't do a hill start with it.
I've no experience of these things, but I believe they release themselves when you do a hill start.
They work perfectly in theory.
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The old-fashioned handbrake works perfectly in theory - and in practice.
Sorry if I sound reactionary - but does anyone know the ADVANTAGE of an electronic handbrake?
Edited by Avant on 13/06/2009 at 22:54
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does anyone know the ADVANTAGE of an electronic handbrake?
They fail more often, dealer will charge you ££ to fix software etc. Don't you think that's an advantage?
;-)
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They free up space in the car but I bet the main advantage is it makes it easier to make left and right hand drive cars - the electronic "button" is in the same location. Whereas a handbrake moves a few inches left and right.
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"....it makes it easier to make left and right hand drive cars - the electronic "button" is in the same location."
That's even worse - in a car designed for LHD it could be over on the passenger side of an RHD car.
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I had an electric handbrake on a Focus C-max rental car, definitely would not buy a car with one. As said above a poor solution to a non existant problem.
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. You press a silly little button one way to applyit the other way to release it.
And just to make things simpler..not, the new Avensis electric handbrake you push to engage and pull to disengage...that won't end in tears will it?
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On the avensis, you don't even have to pull the button to release it. The parking brake automatically releases when a few revs are applied and the clutch released in forward or reverse gears.
I've had a new avensis for 10 weeks, I disliked the electric parking brake but thought I would grow to like it, well I haven't yet, I still prefer a conventional handbrake.
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My fiance loves the electronic handbrake on her '07 Passat. Having driven it for several thousand miles, so do I! Now on 75k miles, I persuaded her to consider a more practical Superb for her replacement company car next year. Her first question was, did it have an electronic brake....no, it didn't, so a very short visit to the Skoda dealer. She has fingers crossed for a Passat CC next year.
Having said that, I would not want to run a Passat privately and risk the repair costs involved should it fail.
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First time poster. Views on why did happen and who is responsible as the hand brake button was certainly applied and the car then took 15 minutes to move. Why? Anybody with similar experience and how did they get on from a legal point of view. I have been told to get it checked at main dealers. Take point about handbrake which I usually do but could not have done this time. Thanks MATH.
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>>it makes it easier to make left and right hand drive cars - the electronic "button" is in the same location. Whereas a handbrake moves a few inches left and right.
Not rue with the Passat. On the rh drive version the handbrake button is to the right of the steeriing wheel (i.e. near the door), so I presume the lhd version has a the button in a corresponding position.
I seem to recall that HJ is an advocate of electronic handbrakes because they cannot be applied incorrectly (like half on).
It took me a while to get used to the electronic handbrake on my Passat but I quite like it now. It releases automatically as soon as you let the clutch in - as long as you're wearing your seatbelt, which had me fooled trying to reverse off the drive without belt on!
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First time poster. Views on why did happen and who is responsible as the hand brake button was certainly applied and the car then took 15 minutes to move. Why?
Brakes get hot when they are used. When the metal disc cools it contracts so the grip, if not adjusted, will loosen.
Edited by gmac on 14/06/2009 at 16:58
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I don't know about VW but Citroën say in their handbook when parking on a hill you should pull on the lever for a "few seconds" for the electronic handbrake to engage fully.
Apparently, leaving it to its own devices just does a standard lock, extra lock requires an extended hold on the switch.
This is also the case if you need to use the handbrake for an emergency stop should the footbrake fail. The electronics in the brake system sorts the rest out apparently (one brake having more effect than the other etc...)
What does the manual say ?
Edited by gmac on 14/06/2009 at 16:51
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Actual wording is:
"Maximum application is obtained by means of a long pull on the control A until you see the message << parking brake applied >> and you hear the confirmation sound signal.
DYNAMIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
In the event of a failure of the vehicle's main braking system or in an ex-ceptional situation (for example: driver taken ill, under instruction, etc.) a continuous pull on the control A will stop the vehicle.
The electronic stability programme (ESP) provides stability during dynamic emergency braking."
Isn't Babelfish wonderful ? Edit: This is the English wording for those wondering...
Edited by gmac on 14/06/2009 at 17:18
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and you hear the confirmation sound sign
....of braking glass and denting metal
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and you hear the confirmation sound sign ....of braking glass and denting metal
That's only if you have a main dealer fit the aftermarket rear park assist.
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Faulty Electronic Parking Brakes (EPB) on Passats have been reported by a number of owners. VW refuse to acknowledge the problem. Problems include:
- Failure to apply
- Failure to release
- Releasing by themselves once applied
The first two are inconveniences, the last obvously is a safety issue.
I have started a Facebook Group to discuss and share information on this issue. Maybe we can get VW to admit there is a design fault with these EPBs and recall them for repair.
www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_172638656097468
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