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View Full Version : Ever wondered what happens when you push the handbrake button whilst driving ?



carl s
25-10-2007, 09:36 AM
Did it this morning by mistake, ( I know...) doing about 30mph round a small country lane, reached for the keys to stop them clunking around, went over a large bump, hand slipped on to the handbrake switch...

And I'm pleased to inform you the car didn't lurch to a halt. It looks like the fact that I had my foot on the accelerator means that the car decided to beep at me and throw up an error rather than apply the handbrake;

"Handbrake fault, please see owners manual"

A yellow brake warning light popped up on the dash. I stopped a bit later down the road in a lay-by. Pressing the handbrake button a couple of times seems to clear the error, and it all starts working again.

The moral of the story? If something rattles/clunks leave it be, it's far less stressfull...:)

iaint
25-10-2007, 10:38 AM
I thought VW claimed the handbrake button could be used to stop the car in an emergency. I would imagine that having your foot on the accelerator meant it didn't stop you but if you had been braking at the time you pressed it, then I would have expected it to have come on and brought you to a halt.

Speaking of stopping in an emergency, aren't your hazard lights supposed to come on automatically under severe braking? I say this as I had to brake sharply on the motorway the other day and the lights on my dash didn't flash. Do the hazard lights only flash outside the car in this scenario or is this feature linked to the use of the parking brake when stopping quickly?

Cheers
Iain

orangezorki
25-10-2007, 10:47 AM
Speaking of stopping in an emergency, aren't your hazard lights supposed to come on automatically under severe braking? I say this as I had to brake sharply on the motorway the other day and the lights on my dash didn't flash. Do the hazard lights only flash outside the car in this scenario or is this feature linked to the use of the parking brake when stopping quickly?

Cheers
Iain

Don't have my B6 yet, but I thought I read somewhere that they only come on if the ABS is activated for more than a couple of seconds - I guess that would have to be pretty extreme braking.

David.

iaint
25-10-2007, 10:57 AM
Don't have my B6 yet, but I thought I read somewhere that they only come on if the ABS is activated for more than a couple of seconds - I guess that would have to be pretty extreme braking.

David.

That would explain things, the Antilock Braking System didn't kick in, but the Anti Bowel movement System certainly did, and for at least a couple of seconds !!!!

Cheers
Iain

carl s
25-10-2007, 11:02 AM
I wouldn't recommend trying the button whilst driving, as my heart did skip a beat when I realised what I had done...

macker6464
25-10-2007, 11:23 AM
Hi all

I wondered exactly the same thing!

I thought is was a risk especially when you are in a strange car, hire car, fleet car etc you get bored and start wondering what buttons do. I thought what if you pressed it by mistake!

Well I tried it....but only at 5mph. It STOPPED very suddenly.

I didn't have my foot on the accelerator.

Interesting that this might be overridden if the accelerator is still pressed!

I wonder what insurers think about this "interesting" button and if there have been any accidents aassociated with it.

Funnily enough I stalled the other day on a roundabout and then panicked and kept pressing the handbrake button to start the car - oops.

Cheers

Ian

Quatrelle
25-10-2007, 03:36 PM
I seem to remember VW suggesting it can be used in an emergency, much like an ordinary handbrake (is there a legal requirement here somewhere?) - I've also 'practised' mine at walking speed. As to macker's comments re stalling, I felt it best to practise that as well, because on the odd occasion it's happened, it's happened where I didn't want it to happen!

carl s
25-10-2007, 04:29 PM
I seem to remember VW suggesting it can be used in an emergency, much like an ordinary handbrake (is there a legal requirement here somewhere?) - I've also 'practised' mine at walking speed. As to macker's comments re stalling, I felt it best to practise that as well, because on the odd occasion it's happened, it's happened where I didn't want it to happen!


I agree, I particularly don't like the fact that when you stall you have to take the key in & out the slot quickly before it restarts. Why can't we just press it down again when it's in ??

Slimbarry
25-10-2007, 07:10 PM
Do you have to hold it in to make the emergency brake work?

I have made the mistake of moving the DSG selector to 'P' before the car has come to a complete stop - the result, stops sharply and the hand brake appears on.

Santana
25-10-2007, 10:35 PM
I agree, I particularly don't like the fact that when you stall you have to take the key in & out the slot quickly before it restarts. Why can't we just press it down again when it's in ??

Carl s, you don't have to take the key all the way out. You just press it down to release it, then press it down again to start it. You can do this quite quickly, especially in a panic!

DSGboy
26-10-2007, 12:00 AM
I guess one of the morals of this story is that even in emergency situations people never seem to press the brake as hard as might be helpful. I suspect the car can stop a whole lot quicker than people might be used to, and the handbrake button is a demonstration of this.

It's a shame drivers don't get more of a chance to practice this, I would like to myself but think of the tyre damage! The driving test these days hardly prepares anyone as you only do stops from 30 max and most people never have to do one on a test. Pity that.

iaint
26-10-2007, 08:11 AM
Carl s, you don't have to take the key all the way out. You just press it down to release it, then press it down again to start it. You can do this quite quickly, especially in a panic!

One good thing about the Passat key/starter button is that is does have a dual role. I believe that if you stall a car with a separate starter button then you have to first turn the key off and on, then reach somewhere else on the dash to push the starter button. You can't simply hit the starter button to get going again.

Now this may not be the case with every manufacturer but a friend with a BMW has moaned to me about this before. At least ours is all together in one place.

Cheers
Iain

chrisvw
27-10-2007, 10:47 PM
I pressed the button while doing about 30. It beeped and I'm fairly sure it also braked the wheels. Braking with a standard handbrake feels completely different to footbraking and is nowhere near as effective.

I think the hazards only come on when braking above a cetain speed. I had to brake very hard on the motorway from about 70ish mph, but not hard enough to trigger the ABS I don't think, and the hazards started to flash. They stopped on their own - I'm not sure whether it was when I released the brake or slowed below a certain speed as I was otherwise distracted.

claranet
27-10-2007, 11:39 PM
Did it this morning by mistake, ( I know...) doing about 30mph round a small country lane, reached for the keys to stop them clunking around, went over a large bump, hand slipped on to the handbrake switch...

And I'm pleased to inform you the car didn't lurch to a halt. It looks like the fact that I had my foot on the accelerator means that the car decided to beep at me and throw up an error rather than apply the handbrake;

"Handbrake fault, please see owners manual"

A yellow brake warning light popped up on the dash. I stopped a bit later down the road in a lay-by. Pressing the handbrake button a couple of times seems to clear the error, and it all starts working again.

The moral of the story? If something rattles/clunks leave it be, it's far less stressfull...:)
I am surprised that this occured, because the construction and use regulations state that there must be a back up in the case of brake failure - in other words, the handbrake !

Whether the ABS kicks in I know not. It will be interesting to see what happens next year, when the first of the B6s will have their MOTs !! ;-)

claranet

carl s
29-10-2007, 12:39 PM
I must try the stall/restart again. Trouble is stalling the car due to too high a gear isn't that good for it!

BenR
30-10-2007, 01:38 PM
I have done it - the button won't stay down and it sounds a loud tone for as long as you press it. The car brakes hard and then a small pallet knife comes out of the dashboard and scrapes your nose off the windscreen.

james_tiger_woo
19-11-2007, 09:47 AM
I tried this on a company car last year just to see what happens at varying speeds - above 15 (I think it was) and nothing happens.

Childish - I know :-)

twvw
20-11-2007, 12:46 PM
Hi all,


I accidentally pressed the handbrake button coming up to a junction and the car braked. The manual says it can be used if there is a brake failure to bring the car to a halt.

When I picked my new Passat up I asked the dealer about the automatic hazard light activation under heavy braking as I had read it was a feature. He told me that it is disabled in the UK as it is against some road traffic legislation.

Do any of you have a problem stalling at low speed - like in traffic jams or getting out of the multi storey car park? I do!! Is it me or the car??

macc70
20-11-2007, 12:58 PM
Re: stalling at slow speed
Yes I have stalled several times while going slow and put it down to a new car and me.:confused:
I have since had two people mention this to me and you are the third STRANGE I think
I now just use a bit more concentration than I did with previous cars in slower situations (golf diesel)

Quatrelle
20-11-2007, 01:59 PM
Re: stalling at slow speed
Yes I have stalled several times while going slow and put it down to a new car and me.:confused:
I have since had two people mention this to me and you are the third STRANGE I think
I now just use a bit more concentration than I did with previous cars in slower situations (golf diesel)Have a look at this thread and then the link to another. I have been in situations recently when I'm sure I would have stalled the car, but it's been fine (famous last words again).

sathound
21-11-2007, 02:27 PM
And a Fourth!

I have stalled my 170PS estate several times. The first time was simply attempting to creep over a speedbump idling in second gear, on another ocassion turning into a side road whilst still in 3rd when I should have been in second and most recently whilst reversing into a parking space. This is my first diesel after V6 petrol so I guess it must be me but I am rather surprised that this engine seems to have zero torque until approx 1500 rpm and then BANG!!!

BenR
21-11-2007, 05:30 PM
I have even stalled while moving quite fast onto a roundabout - I accidentally put it in something like 5th or 6th gear and engaged the clutch to find no engine. Oops!

Has anybody esle also noticed how poor the brakes are? They don't inspire confidence like my A4 did.

james_tiger_woo
21-11-2007, 05:40 PM
My SE's brakes were pretty good, but that was about a year ago with a brand new car...

It'll be interesting to see how they compare with the 2.0 TDI SE I'm picking up on Tuesday with 35k up....

Quatrelle
21-11-2007, 07:31 PM
Has anybody esle also noticed how poor the brakes are? They don't inspire confidence like my A4 did.Our 'other' car is our old Laguna 1, which in its day was generally reckoned to have really good brakes. Our Passat's are excellent, imo, so it might be worth trying another Passat to make sure you haven't a problem (ABS perhaps?).

sathound
21-11-2007, 07:52 PM
No problem with the brakes so far. I am obviously not a diesel driver yet!!
I find it hard to believe the stop/go response of the car between 800-1500 and 1500-2500 revs when all I read suggested I would be massively impressed with diesel torque after V6 petrol motoring (economy yes!!) It all seems to come in at once above 1750rpm but below it is terribly dead. It seems 6 speed manual and the 170PS are not the best marriage as the car is happy in 5/6th gears for 90% of journeys and performs admirably cruising at speed but when you need perhaps 3rd coming into a roundabout braking hard but with a suddenly clear exit and put your foot hard down then anything below about 2000rpm will cause an unresponsive reply from the car and possible embarrasment on the roundabout or worse! Strange it stalls so easily however as if I attempt to cruise through a 30 limit after a 60-70mph section in a high gear (5th or 6th) the car refuses to stall despite the difficulty in maintaining 30mph and it seems the Computer attempts to maintain 1000rpm such that it is impossible to drive at 30 or 40 mph in 5th or 6th gear and drives like a tractor.

Any comments appreciated?

Quatrelle
21-11-2007, 11:03 PM
sathound - perhaps the point you make about 170 and 6-speeds is the difference, although 'acceleration' is bound to be subjective, so to speak. I find that my manual 140 is fine at low revs. and VW quote 1800-2500 as max torque figures, and at 1800 mine seems to fly (again, that's just my interpretation of its acceleration, not having come from a V6 !). Mine has freed off with the kms, but I'm sure that VW have tweaked it without telling me.

Stuart W
23-11-2007, 03:04 AM
Mine has freed off with the kms, but I'm sure that VW have tweaked it without telling me.

The dealer updated my TDI 140's software when it had its first service at 19k. I read somewhere that one reason for this was to cure the low-rev acceleration problem. However, if it was then I can't say I've noticed a lot of difference, in fact if I hadn't read that then I doubt if I would have noticed any difference at all.

Not ideal, but you do adjust your driving style to compensate.

Stuart W
23-11-2007, 03:11 AM
Whether the ABS kicks in I know not. It will be interesting to see what happens next year, when the first of the B6s will have their MOTs !! ;-)



Mine is a licensed taxi, so has to be MOTd from one year on, but it passed.:D

Don't know if they actually tested the 'handbrake' though - the VW dealer was busy so they got an appointment with one of the company's other franchises.

It also has to be tested yearly by the local council, and I'm pretty sure they didn't actually test the handbrake.

But there have been cars around with a similar set up for a few years, like the Renault Espace?

Stuart W
23-11-2007, 03:17 AM
I think the hazards only come on when braking above a cetain speed. I had to brake very hard on the motorway from about 70ish mph, but not hard enough to trigger the ABS I don't think, and the hazards started to flash. They stopped on their own - I'm not sure whether it was when I released the brake or slowed below a certain speed as I was otherwise distracted.

I felt the ABS working for the first time in 45k the other day when I had to brake from around 30 to zilch, and I don't think the hazards came on, so they must activate at a higher speed.

(Car in front came to a complete halt for no apparent reason when an ambulance with blue lights flashing happened to be coming the other way - don't you just love 'em?):zx11:

Quatrelle
23-11-2007, 07:07 PM
Mine is a licensed taxi, ......
Stuart, there was a thread on here "DPF - does it clean itself in the city?" http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum//showthread.php?t=18991

Does yours, as a taxi, get a chance to clean itself? Have you any thoughts on this?
John

DSGboy
24-11-2007, 11:50 AM
I felt the ABS working for the first time in 45k the other day when I had to brake from around 30 to zilch, and I don't think the hazards came on, so they must activate at a higher speed.

(Car in front came to a complete halt for no apparent reason when an ambulance with blue lights flashing happened to be coming the other way - don't you just love 'em?):zx11:

Driving too close then man, why do it to yourself?

Stuart W
25-11-2007, 06:02 AM
Stuart, there was a thread on here "DPF - does it clean itself in the city?" http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum//showthread.php?t=18991

Does yours, as a taxi, get a chance to clean itself? Have you any thoughts on this?
John

Well I try not to think about it to be honest, John:1zhelp:

At least, I've never had a problem with this, and the warning light has never come on.

However, I know another taxi driver who has a Skoda Superb with the 2.0 140 bhp lump (ie the same one as mine), and he's had no end of problems with his DPF, and I think he's been towed to the garage once or twice, and the warning light has come on quite often.

The only difference I can think of is that he lives a few hundred yards from where he wants to get to, so I could well see him driving this distance then stopping the car for a good while, then doing a couple of short taxi runs in a couple of hours and thus the engine would never get up to full operating temp. (Mind you, he does do more long distance stuff than I do.)

On the other hand, I live about eight miles from where I want to go, so I usually do this before stopping the car, therefore it's always up to operating temperature (at least as far as the coolant temperature guage is concerned, which is usually up to the 90 degrees mark within about four miles or so - I don't know about the DPF, but I've read that the cat takes about fifteen miles straight driving to get up to temperature?).

During a normal shift the temperature will certainly drop a good bit between runs (which can easily be a couple of hours apart) but if I do a run then the engine will certainly get up to operating temperature during the run, which presumably will help on DPF-wise. Perhaps the problem is related to the car being driven regularly without getting up to temperature rather than urban driving per se?

I had a look at the manual earlier and it says the best way to avoid or sort the problem is to drive at around 2000 rpm in 4th or 5th, and my run home is generally at least ten miles at roughly this (it's mainly A roads), so if there's any build up then presumably this run will help get rid of it. Most days I won't be revving it much above 2,500 rpm anyway, but if the manual is correct then high revs won't sort the problem anyway.

The only other thing I can think about with the Superb driver is that he seems to have some sort of additive injected into his, and he says that Skoda have told him that this must be replenished at about 100k or so, and he'll have to pay to have his done.

The Passat manual has a section under the DPF bit headed "Without additive", but doesn't have a "With additive" section, thus presumably this means that that Passat doesn't have an additive but the Superb does? There's no mention of an additive in the service schedule either, but it does say that the DPF must be checked at around 100k or so.

Anyway, the Superb driver said that the dealer had been told by Skoda not to sell any more of the 140 bhps to taxi drivers and instead keep on selling them the 1.9 115/130 bhp engines. I'm not sure if Volkswagen are thinking likewise, but I don't think they do much business with the taxi trade (at least as regards cars) whereas Skoda shift huge numbers to taxi drivers.

Just a thought from the other thread however; I would definitely have a DPF, would I? From what's said in the thread the DPF is optional on the 140bhp engine? It's not a thing that I thought about or was brought to my attention when I bought the car.

Stuart W
25-11-2007, 06:18 AM
Driving too close then man, why do it to yourself?

Now why did I know someone would suggest this:p

If I'd been too close I think it would have been an airbag rather than ABS job, but as it was I managed to stop with plenty of space to spare.

I'm not in the habit of tailgating, and indeed it's one of my pet hates, but if I did contribute to the near-incident then perhaps I was distracted by the emergency vehicles on the other side of the road (there were actually two, separated by a couple of cars) and thus when the car in front did start braking I was perhaps a bit slow to react.

However, if a car does what in effect is an emergency stop in front of you for no obvious reason then I suspect that most drivers following would have to brake pretty smartish as well, even assuming they're at a safe distance. Also, where the car in front braked was also a position where it would be expected to brake slightly anyway, so when it actually came to a complete halt it came as a bit of a surprise.

DSGboy
25-11-2007, 04:21 PM
Now why did I know someone would suggest this:p

If I'd been too close I think it would have been an airbag rather than ABS job, but as it was I managed to stop with plenty of space to spare.

I'm not in the habit of tailgating, and indeed it's one of my pet hates...

However, if a car does what in effect is an emergency stop in front of you for no obvious reason then I suspect that most drivers following would have to brake pretty smartish as well, even assuming they're at a safe distance.

Of course it wasn't a major criticism at all, my tongue was firmly in my cheek, and fair play to you for driving safely enough to avoid any collision.

I have been quite fascinated recently reading up about safer driving, and one interesting fact I saw was that the 2 second rule is pretty much nonsense - it only represents the correct braking distance if you are travelling at 19 mph. Any faster and there will be insufficient space between your car and the car in front to stop in time. Normally we are ok because the car in front doesn't stop dead, but if it hits something heavier it just might!

Quatrelle
25-11-2007, 09:50 PM
I have been quite fascinated recently reading up about safer driving, and one interesting fact I saw was that the 2 second rule is pretty much nonsense - it only represents the correct braking distance if you are travelling at 19 mph. Any faster and there will be insufficient space between your car and the car in front to stop in time.
2 seconds at 19mph is 17metres distance, 2 seconds at 70 mph is 62mtrs distance (approx.) from the vehicle in front.

The Highway Code says that the stopping distance at 20 mph is only 12 metres, at 70 mph it's 96 mtrs.

These, note, are stopping distances, so yes 2 seconds wouldn't be much good over about 23 mph.

However, the 2 second rule is designed to give you thinking distance, so (if your brakes are as good as the vehicle in front) it works ok - unless the vehicle in front stops dead, which it won't unless you follow it into a collision with a stationary, very large object or, unhappily, something perhaps crosses the centre reservation.

So, to be completely safe, 3 seconds might be a better bet at higher speeds, but it's not often the vehicle in front will stop dead.

I'm happy to use 2 seconds - the biggest variable is how quickly, or slowly, you count to 2 seconds :confused:

Either way, it leaves plenty of room for someone to pull-in in front of you, ruining your 2, or 3, seconds :mad:

Quatrelle
25-11-2007, 09:59 PM
Stuart
Your account is interesting...made me read my manual on the DPF and as you say, the lower gears should do it. Interesting also that you can clean it yourself, so to speak. Mine had a couple of hours on the autoroute at 130+kph/2300 rpm on Friday, so it should now be spotless! Because of the hilly, winding roads round here, I'm often in 3rd or 4th - not much good for mpg though.

p.s. There's no mention of 'additive' in the French driver's handbook.
John

Stuart W
26-11-2007, 05:12 AM
There's no mention of 'additive' in the French driver's handbook.
John

I had a word with the Skoda Superb driver last night, and I was wrong about him being towed to a garage - what he says happened once or twice is that the warning light has come on, the performance has suffered and he's had to go to the dealer to get it sorted because it won't clear.

He also says that the warning light has been on a lot of the time without any adverse effects, but he did get the additive replenished at about 70k (ie 100,000 km) and the problem seems to have disappeared; he's done about 10k since then without problem. (Cost him around £200 for the new additive)

As for the Passat, it may be that it's just short runs where the exhaust system doesn't get warmed up properly that's the problem (ie old lady driving a mile for the shopping twice a week, kind of thing) so for the average owner it shouldn't be a problem.

Stuart W
26-11-2007, 05:23 AM
So, to be completely safe, 3 seconds might be a better bet at higher speeds, but it's not often the vehicle in front will stop dead.



I probably leave three or four seconds on a quiet, fast road but of course if it's busy then people will tend to view this as an overtaking opportunity, even though all they achieve is one place and maybe cause a bit of grief while overtaking, so maybe a smaller gap is preferable in those circumstances.

Also, if you leave too big a gap then many people seem to see that as an excuse to tailgate you, even though they have no apparent desire to overtake.

Of course, it's easy to get a bit pedantic about all this, and if even the vast majority of people observed something approximating to the two second rule then that would be a major achievement:approve:

Quatrelle
26-11-2007, 12:48 PM
He also says that the warning light has been on a lot of the time without any adverse effects, but he did get the additive replenished at about 70k (ie 100,000 km) and the problem seems to have disappeared; he's done about 10k since then without problem. (Cost him around £200 for the new additive).Silly question perhaps, but what is the 'additive' that it costs £200? The only additives I know are things that you add to fuel or oil :o

Stuart W
26-11-2007, 02:11 PM
Silly question perhaps, but what is the 'additive' that it costs £200? The only additives I know are things that you add to fuel or oil :o

Don't know, but there's a Skoda PDF (or should that be DPF?!?) document which explains the DPF process, which is the top link on the following Google page, and it mentions the 2.0 TDI 103kW (ie 140 bhp) engine. However, it doesn't really expain much about the additive:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=additive+diesel+particulate+filter+skoda

So hopefully the Passat is the "without additive" option and instead benefits from the "passive regeneration" and "active regeneration"??:confused:

Quatrelle
26-11-2007, 02:40 PM
Another link on that page takes you indirectly to Tenneco, an American-based company who apparently make DPFs for most car makers. To further confuse, they state:

"Diesel particulate filtersfor original equipment (OE) applications remove particulate matter from diesel engine exhaust in a closed loop system. When gases carrying particulate matter flow through the filter's substrate walls, particulate matter is trapped and collected in the filter. A regeneration process, triggered by the engine management system, then burns off the soot using either a fuel borne additive or a catalytic filter coating. Filters are completely cleaned or replaced at a service interval between 150,000 and 225,000 km.

DPF for OES applications work in an open loop system wherein there is no communication between the filter and the engine management system to trigger the burning process. Instead, the design and the coating support continuous regeneration of the filter."

Open loop, closed loop - the first line in each paragraph seems to confuse the issue even more.

So now we (don't) know!

sschewie
05-10-2009, 11:06 PM
Holding down the parking button whilst driving WILL stop the car even if you are accelerating! At lower speeds the car comes to a very sudden stop. At higher speeds (40mph+) it slows down before stopping! Quite fun actually. probably not a good idea though.

turbine2
06-10-2009, 08:26 AM
I thought you had to keep it pressed too. Maybe there are different scenarios that it takes into account (speed < x apply full brakes, speed >=x ensure button is still pressed to apply brakes).

james_tiger_woo
06-10-2009, 11:18 AM
Holding down the parking button whilst driving WILL stop the car even if you are accelerating! At lower speeds the car comes to a very sudden stop. At higher speeds (40mph+) it slows down before stopping! Quite fun actually. probably not a good idea though.

I take it you've tried it then :)

Quatrelle
06-10-2009, 07:12 PM
Should be no different to an old-fashioned handbrake.

podwin
07-10-2009, 10:01 AM
Been reading this thread and just realised how old it is.

I have definitely seen my hazards lights activate under heavy breaking from 50mph to a standstill. The lights on the dash light up and the clicking noise is obvious.

I did try putting the handbrake on while driving, on a private road and seem to remember it beeping and displaying a message something like "don't be silly", but my memory is fuzzy, and it would have been only around 10mph. I'll try it again.

Also mentioned in this thread, is the DPF and reference to the Skoda Suberb. Their was a big thread on BriSkoda a while ago about this engine in the Skoda suffering with the problem mentioned. Big surprise was that the Skoda 140bhp engine in the Suberb (at the time) was not the same engine as we know, and I'm sure they found out it was an 8 valve, weird. The chap concerned was serious about taking legal action over it not being fit for purpose. There was a canister of gue in the inner wing of the boot which would feed into the DPF, or whatever it was.

sschewie
07-10-2009, 03:27 PM
o yes!!

jason_murray
03-11-2009, 12:57 PM
I read somwhere that to use the handbrake as an emergency brake you need to keep it pressed. should work at speeds up to 70 mph!!

jwturpin
16-11-2009, 04:26 PM
Foot off accelerator, press and hold handbrake button.. Car will stop very suddenly, ABS stopping wheel lock. Just brace yourself and steer! Didn't notice if hazards flashed at the time though.

passatleeds
08-12-2009, 01:12 AM
i can honestly say it really bugd me when i first got mine and i tested mine on grass... if u hold the button in and dont let it out it will lock the wheels at any speed!!! beware, see for yourselfs... :p

james_tiger_woo
08-12-2009, 09:28 AM
I read somwhere that to use the handbrake as an emergency brake you need to keep it pressed. should work at speeds up to 70 mph!!

And over 70 ??? :biglaugh:

shudman
11-12-2009, 12:05 AM
Mmmm.....what fun on grass !! Not sure the neighbour would appreciate a couple of sqiggly number 11's across his front lawn though :biglaugh:

Boy I feel childish even thinking about it !

nickdavenport
30-12-2009, 12:46 AM
After reading about applying the handbrake button while driving,i tried it and can confirm that when doing about 60 mph holding the button down the car will infact apply all 4 brakes and stop you VERY quickly in a very controlled manor.Now i just need a clean pair of boxers.lol...

Adrian44
30-12-2009, 10:32 AM
Nick,

Glad to know it works and thanks for making me laugh out loud!!!

T4-V6
07-01-2010, 01:17 AM
I womdered the samethink so snow was the ideal time to try, seems to apply the handbrake at a few possible 5 mph or maybe even less, nothing too worrying though

muggysnr
16-01-2010, 10:15 PM
I've read that at speed to get the handbrake to work you have to hold the button in for a couple of seconds

lumox
16-03-2010, 06:05 PM
Has anyone had the presence of mind to use the handbrake button in an 'emergency'?

In that situation, I'm sure my knuckles would be white from gripping the wheel, elbows locked and foot rammed on the brake pedal.
The last thing crossing my mind would be to take one hand off the wheel, press the handbrake button and wait for a few seconds!

Going back to braking distances - what distance should you leave if the car in front has a handbrake button??? :D

tommyweaves
16-03-2010, 07:39 PM
In that situation, I'm sure my knuckles would be white from gripping the wheel, elbows locked and foot rammed on the brake pedal.
The last thing crossing my mind would be to take one hand off the wheel, press the handbrake button and wait for a few seconds!


It should be the last thing on your mind when doing an emergency stop. It's when you find pressing the brake pedal doesn't work that you'll miraculously find the presence of mind to press the handbrake button hard enough to put it straight through the dashboard.;)

I doubt anyone who needs to stop in a hurry is going to think "mmmmm.......I wonder if now is a good time to try that handbrake trick!"

P.S. Don't lock your elbows:D