vauxhall insignia - electric hand brake , whats the problem!

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
View Threaded
Mon 4 Feb 2013 11:02
vauxhall insignia - electric hand brake , whats the problem! - bucca

why does every one moan about electric hand brakes?I was a bit concerned when i went for a test drive before i bought the car as im an enthusiastic driver but now i think its great, i pull the leaver and it comes on i then just select a gear and pull away and it disengages automatically, i can even stop on a hill without even doing any thing as it applies automatically perhaps im getting lazy with old age! i havent come across any down sides apart from i suppose it will cost more to fix 10 years down the line but the same apples to electric windows,and when you have 2 cars and one has it and one doesnt you have to remember to go back to the old trusted method!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Feb 2013 11:36
vauxhall insignia - electric hand brake , whats the problem! - gordonbennet

10 years?, battered in salt spray and road debris of every description.

Each to their own, some like them so loath them, i don't want one same as i don't want digital climate control, integrated bluetooth, memory seats or other must have gimmicks, something else of no use or benefit (to me) to go wrong.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Feb 2013 12:35
vauxhall insignia - electric hand brake , whats the problem! - bucca

there must be a demand for just a basic car with wind up windows etc, cars are just like mobile phones so confusing you dont know how to use them!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Feb 2013 14:59
vauxhall insignia - electric hand brake , whats the problem! - barney100
I'd consider basic car, the electric gizmos are lovely when they work. Electric handbrake? No thanks.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Feb 2013 15:05
vauxhall insignia - electric hand brake , whats the problem! - Drivethru

My Ford Ka (2011) has wind up windows and everyone laughs at them, I had the last laugh when the electric window stuck half way on one of their puegeots, especially as it was raining for hours and wasn't cheap to fix. It has an ipod connection, and that's all i need.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Feb 2013 15:11
vauxhall insignia - electric hand brake , whats the problem! - daveyjp
Entry level C1 107 etc are very stripped out, but not suitable for all due to their size.

I suspect the Dacia range will be great for those not wanting lots of gizmos and gadgets.

On a similar note we went looking at a replacement for our Aygo and were interested in the Yaris, but noticed it has a 6 speed gearbox. Why?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Feb 2013 16:07
vauxhall insignia - electric hand brake , whats the problem! - galileo
Entry level C1 107 etc are very stripped out, but not suitable for all due to their size. I suspect the Dacia range will be great for those not wanting lots of gizmos and gadgets. On a similar note we went looking at a replacement for our Aygo and were interested in the Yaris, but noticed it has a 6 speed gearbox. Why?

No doubt to manipulate emissions/economy figures to placate the CO2 reduction fanatics in Brussels and Westminster.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Feb 2013 19:40
vauxhall insignia - electric hand brake , whats the problem! - bazza

i havent come across any down sides apart from i suppose it will cost more to fix 10 years down the line but the same apples to electric windows,

Trouble is it's a different order of magnitude of cost, up to £1000 from what I read on eg Avensis forums. That's enough to write off a totally decent middle-aged car, not withstanding the enormous sheer frustration of having to fork out for a bill like that, on something so utterly pointless. I would dearly like a new Avensis but decided I just couldn't put up with over-complication like that, so it's crossed off my ever-dwindling list of choices.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 4 Feb 2013 21:27
vauxhall insignia - electric hand brake , whats the problem! - gordonbennet

I would dearly like a new Avensis but decided I just couldn't put up with over-complication like that, so it's crossed off my ever-dwindling list of choices.

I'm in exactly the same camp as you Bazza over Avensis, quite sure there would aready be a Tourer auto on our drive were in not for this absurd electric handbrake, even more incredibly Toyota saw fit to have it operate the opposite way to almost every parking brake ever fitted to any vehicle.

Take heart though, interior pics of latest Auris show a real live handbrake protuding proudly in the usual spot, hopefully Avensis' replacement will revert to type too.

Surprised at Toyota following lemming like in the first place.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 5 Feb 2013 09:22
vauxhall insignia - electric hand brake , whats the problem! - TeeCee
On a similar note we went looking at a replacement for our Aygo and were interested in the Yaris, but noticed it has a 6 speed gearbox. Why?

Seems to be the in thing these days. We've gone from "my car's got more valves than your car" via "my car's got more cupholders than your car" to "my car's got more gears than your car".

At least having the thing laden with extra valves or cupholders didn't require you to work harder while driving it. Having said that, I recall a conversation with my father as we completed the grinding of the last valve on an MG Midget cylinder head:

"Done. Glad that's over."

"You should be thankful you never got that Ferrari you were always on about."

"Why's that?"

"We'd still have another 40 to go....."

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 6 Feb 2013 00:01
vauxhall insignia - electric hand brake , whats the problem! - Avant

Slightly off topic, but GB, have a look at the Hyundai i10 as a replacement for the Aygo.

My elder daughter had four 1.3 Yarises in a row, and would happily have had a fifth but for a new one costing over £13,000 whereas the i10 was £7700, or about £100 less per month. She is very happy with it although she misses the 6-speed gearbox (which by the sound of it you wouldn't). Fifth in the i10 is high-geared enough for motorways: in fact it was only the fourth of her Yarises that had 6 speeds.

And it has a proper handbrake - as does the newly-announced Verso, so there is hope for Toyota!

Coming back to the OP's point, yes, you could get used to electronic parking brakes, but why should you have to? What problem is there with a properly adjusted mechanical handbrake that the EPB is supposed to be solving?

Edited by Avant on 06/02/2013 at 00:03

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide