Do I really need the parking brake?

hamtv · Post by **hamtv** » 01 May 2016, 06:13

My parking brake is gone. The cable and adjustment look fine.. I suspect the parking shoes were totally distroyed before I bought the car 4K miles ago.

Is parking brake necessary on a car with auto transmission? I've been hearing conflicting opinions - some said the transmission would take too much stress and others said the lock in transmission is pretty strong so I should be fine.

Sommerfeldt · Post by **Sommerfeldt** » 01 May 2016, 08:04

The "parking brake" or emergency brake, is part of your car's safety system. Lacking a working parking brake will not only put stress on your transmission if you park on grades, it's simply going to be your very own responsibility if something goes wrong and your car starts to roll. Into another car. Or a stroller and a baby. Or old mrs. Losthermarbles as she's hobbling along from the grocery store.

Yes, your parking brake is necessary. Yes, you have to fix it. No, you won't be fine.

- S

57gretsch · Post by **57gretsch** » 01 May 2016, 08:28

It's not that hard to do.
Getting the rotor/drum off can be a pain. A 40oz hammer helps. The rest is just removal, cleaning, lubing and reassembly. The adjustment process can also be tedious. Remember to back off the adjustment at the lever before you do anything.
Yes. The park brake is part of the safety requirements. Here in Newfoundland, a vehicle is only inspected once. Again if it changes hands. Not really a good thing. I have seen some that should not have even been near a road. Let alone a trail or logging road.
If one really cares for what they drove...everything should be working. Maybe not the a/c. Especially if the accumulator looks like it is made of cheesecloth.

Post by **erikv11** » 01 May 2016, 08:59

If the lever moves up and down inside the car, then I agree it's not that hard to do. ALways a pain wrestling with the disc/drum and the hardware, but mechanically straightforward. But if the cables are broken and/or frozen, which is also pretty common, then it is a much bigger job. I haven't done that job yet so I don't know exactly, but I confess our V70 has not had a working parking brake in the 3 years we have owned it. One or both cables are frozen.

hamtv · Post by **hamtv** » 01 May 2016, 09:11

Thanks all for the advice. Hopefully I'll get some time next weekend to fix it.

Post by **abscate** » 01 May 2016, 09:57

You don't need it with an automatic if you live in the flatlands.

It isn't too useful as an emergency brake, not enough brake action.

You probably do need it to pass CT inspection though.

We use our parking brakes whenever the car is used, but not in the driveway where they sit for days, especially in winter

Post by **j-dawg** » 01 May 2016, 10:46

erikv11 wrote:But if the cables are broken and/or frozen, which is also pretty common, then it is a much bigger job. I haven't done that job yet so I don't know exactly

I have! It sucks. You have to pull up the console and rear carpet. Not technically difficult, but tedious. A full day of work the first time for sure.

Post by **cn90** » 01 May 2016, 22:26

As "abscate" pointed out, the braking power of a parking brake is not much at all. Go to any showroom and test drive a new car at 30 mph, then apply parking brake, even with new parking brake, the car still needs a long distance to stop.

- So the parking brake is only good for driveway use, so to speak.
- I have spent countless hours changing the shoes, installed new rotors, hardware etc. Only to find out it stops working a week later.
Maybe the cables are seized or whatever.
- I don't have the time to chase a minor issue (don't get me wrong, I like to fix stuff but parking brake is not one of them), in addition there is no inspection in Nebraska, so I don't fix it.

Sommerfeldt · Post by **Sommerfeldt** » 02 May 2016, 03:29

If you go 30 mph and pull the e-brake, and it doesn't lock your back wheels, then there's something wrong with the brakes. Leaving the e-brake non-functioning isn't only irresponsible, it's downright illegal in many states and countries.

cn90 - you're not supposed to stop the car using the e-brake only. For one, our cars have the engine up front, so more pressure on the front wheels. I.e. more braking power there. Seems like a pretty silly example. I'll dare you to park on a grade with only your transmission lock - I don't even do that on a flat. At that, and knock on wood - I've never had a malfunctioning e-brake. If you change out the hardware and it fails a week later, then chances are it's you doing the failing, not the brakes.

So all you guys trying to justify having sh1tty, half functioning e-brakes should be really careful - something like that isn't going to look good in an insurance investigation, either, whether it's an inspection point or not.

- S

Sommerfeldt · Post by **Sommerfeldt** » 02 May 2016, 03:46

For interests sake, I just talked to a couple of insurance agents, one here, one in the UK and one in the US. The unanimous answer - a failing e-brake will definitely have an impact on insurance claims where a working e-brake may have been a factor. I.e. should the brake fail while parked and the vehicle causes damage from rolling, other incidents where the brake may have been helpful in stopping, etc.

In addition, the UK agent said that keeping the vehicle in a good, working condition is part of the insurance conditions, and a failing e-brake will definitely be a violation of the insurance terms, no matter what did or didn't happen.

- S