Driving pet hates...

PaulCa said:
So maybe they have a rachet system.
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Why are you so critical of something you obviously are not familiar with? There is no ratchet and no cable. The handbrake actuator winds the caliper in and out. You even need to manually wind it out yourself when changing the pads, for example.

That of course means if the battery dies you aren't going anywhere and can't even be towed.
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If my battery dies such that it won't even operate the handbrake motor then it's not starting the engine either and I'd be looking to put a new one in the car before using it. Either way you can't tow my car anyway because its an automatic.

And to your second point... "yet".
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I've had them for 4.5 years now on cars up to 6 years old... when exactly is it going to fail and leave me stuck? And why? There isn't much to go wrong!

Meanwhile my E39 manual handbrake was a total joke..
 
PaulCa said:
How do you put your AC into drying/dehumidifying mode without cooling the car down?

How do you vary the air temperature to maintain a constant internal temp without having to constantly adjust while the outside temp changes and the engine temp changes?
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So the first one, and i can only base it on the cars I have owned, it only does this when you put the windscreen mode on, and the manuals were clear about this. In normal operation and heating they dont add dehumidification, thats added when you go windscreen mode as it means running the ac when its not necessary. Ac has the natural effect of dehumidifcation by air processing.

The second i thought I had covered already more than once, but will do again. I don't care what the temp is, what I want is to feel comfortable. I may start the journey wanting it cool, say I got in hot, but after 30 minutes i want it warmer.
The actual temp I don't care, literally.

There is only need for constant tweaking if you over do it, or if the temp significantly changes. Again I don't see it as a big issue.
 
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[TW]Fox said:
Why are you so critical of something you obviously are not familiar with? There is no ratchet and no cable. The handbrake actuator winds the caliper in and out. You even need to manually wind it out yourself when changing the pads, for example.



If my battery dies such that it won't even operate the handbrake motor then it's not starting the engine either and I'd be looking to put a new one in the car before using it. Either way you can't tow my car anyway because its an automatic.



I've had them for 4.5 years now on cars up to 6 years old... when exactly is it going to fail and leave me stuck? And why? There isn't much to go wrong!

Meanwhile my E39 manual handbrake was a total joke..
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This is quite often the way with cars. I was pretty critical of keyless until I regularly used it, now manual keys seem foreign.

(using Audi terminology) I think people dont realise there are two techs, hill start assist (can also be had with manual handbrake) and hold assist, only with electronic I think.

Again these things feel foreign when you start and then normal when used to them. I see having a manual handbrake as inconvenient as some seem to see manual heater/ac controls vs CC.
 
[TW]Fox said:
Why are you so critical of something you obviously are not familiar with? There is no ratchet and no cable. The handbrake actuator winds the caliper in and out. You even need to manually wind it out yourself when changing the pads, for example.
If my battery dies such that it won't even operate the handbrake motor then it's not starting the engine either and I'd be looking to put a new one in the car before using it. Either way you can't tow my car anyway because its an automatic.
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If you use a motor to "wind" in force, then remove power to that motor it will unwind releasing that force. A quick google reveals that they all have a "brake latch" or ratchet system to prevent brake release. Also, if you consider it takes constant power to provide a constant force with an electric motor, without a latch, would flatten your battery.

However my information was based on the early implementations which was just a pin at the bottom of the existing caliper. It appears more modern system have developed quite a bit.

Automatics can be towed in Neutral. If for some reason the manufacturer does not recommend that then most towing companies will lift the driven wheels onto the towing mechanism. In the case of a jammed handbrake they would need to also put trolleys under the rear wheels to and these are most likely rare. More likely is that they will simply trail it up onto the flat bed lorry with the rear wheels still locked. Brutal but cheaper than a lifter/crane.

Let's just settle it that I don't like them and I won't trust them.
 
PaulCa said:
Automatics can be towed in Neutral. If for some reason the manufacturer does not recommend that then most towing companies will lift the driven wheels onto the towing mechanism. In the case of a jammed handbrake they would need to also put trolleys under the rear wheels to and these are most likely rare
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My handbrake operates on the driven wheels. My gearbox will pop out of neutral and park into park if left idle for a period - it's being towed on a flatbed if its broken down irrespective of whether it has an electronic handbrake or not.

A manual handbrake would add zero benefits to my car and only disadvantages. There is nothing wrong with them!
 
Don't most autos have an "emergency brake", because you can't engage park while rolling so if you had a brake failure you can use it.

"Brake failure" BTW... Try this. With the engine off, pump the brake pedal to deplete the servo. Now roll down a slight hill and try and stop the car. Most car manuals specify that if the engine fails while driving to brake ONCE to a complete stop. This is why. Without the brake servo it can be very hard to stop the car without it.
 
PaulCa said:
When you take the battery out, the car rolls off.
Then the software crashes you can't engage or disengage the handbrake.
When you have an emergency problem such as brake failure the automatics might not let you use the handbrake.*
The automatic handbrake is "ON" "OFF" no variability.
The mechanism is poor and underpreforming. There are many, many more cases of electric handbrakes failing and cars rolling away than physical cables snapping.
Drum brakes are better suited to the task.
You can't do hand brake turns on a track day.


* try this as a test. Assume your battery is flat and a friend is pushing you down a hill. But the car still won't start. You apply the foot brake but as your brake servo is now completely empty the brakes don't work properly. So you engage the handbrake... but... oh... what's that? The automatics won't let you? Oh, what a shame. Even if they do let
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PaulCa said:
Don't most autos have an "emergency brake", because you can't engage park while rolling so if you had a brake failure you can use it.

"Brake failure" BTW... Try this. With the engine off, pump the brake pedal to deplete the servo. Now roll down a slight hill and try and stop the car. Most car manuals specify that if the engine fails while driving to brake ONCE to a complete stop. This is why. Without the brake servo it can be very hard to stop the car without it.
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Tried it 5mph stopped instantly. I can also steer with PAS.

Helps not being a limp-wrist.
 
The only car I had to do this in was a 2002 clio and I could not make it stop, evening pulling with my arms on the wheel while pushing the brake will all my force it wouldn't stop.
 
[TW]Fox said:
My handbrake operates on the driven wheels. My gearbox will pop out of neutral and park into park if left idle for a period - it's being towed on a flatbed if its broken down irrespective of whether it has an electronic handbrake or not.

A manual handbrake would add zero benefits to my car and only disadvantages. There is nothing wrong with them!
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I have no idea how these sorts of things work so I could be totally wrong, but when my Audi broke down I was able to remove the gear selector cover and press on a hidden button to force it into neutral. The electronic handbrake however did stay on and the car had to be moved on a flatbed. If it didn't have an electronic handbrake, I'd have thought that moving it into neutral which I was able to do would have allowed the car to be moved which would have been very helpful at the time as I was broken down in a dangerous place and the flatbed took a while to arrive.
 
Ooh, just thought of another pet hate, although it's more funny to watch than something I hate.

Lane swappers in crawling traffic on motorways. Having done a fair few miles on the M25 over the last months, there's always some 5-10mph traffic. I generally sit in lane 2 for the entirety, as you're not having to let traffic from slip roads in, are normally not behind an arctic, and don't need to constantly watch the mirrors for bikes filtering between the 2 outside lanes.

Guaranteed there'll be a few habitual lane swappers, and guaranteed 10 seconds after they swap to the 'faster' lane it'll stop completely :p:D I often find myself 30/40+ car lengths in from of them just sitting in lane 2 and relaxing. Makes me laugh!

And a proper pet hate - people who use a closed lane on the motorway (red X) for half a mile after it's showing as closed, then expect to push back into lane 2 30ft before the accident/broken down vehicle. It's closed for a reason you ****. :rolleyes:
 
TallPaul_S said:
And a proper pet hate - people who use a closed lane on the motorway (red X) for half a mile after it's showing as closed, then expect to push back into lane 2 30ft before the accident/broken down vehicle. It's closed for a reason you ****. :rolleyes:
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agree .... there's a dashcam 'vigilante' back down the thread condoning that .. someone bridges the two lanes to stop them 'filtering'

edit : re benefits of handbrake turns should watch
If you've seen Mission Impossible: Fallout, you probably noticed that BMWs ... Instead, the film's star car is a classic 1986 E28 BMW 5 Series
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I used to prefer the manual handbrake, as doing handbrake turns is great fun!

However, i've been nipping around in a Seat Arona for the last two weeks and I quite frankly miss the electronic handbrake. As posted above, it's just about getting used to it.
Also, for those who say "but OMG it will roll away111" LEAVE IT IN GEAR!

Disclaimer: I've done about 4 handbrake turns in this Arona, but overall, electronic handbrake is so much better. Especially if coupled with an auto 'box.
 
mjt said:
I used to prefer the manual handbrake, as doing handbrake turns is great fun!

However, i've been nipping around in a Seat Arona for the last two weeks and I quite frankly miss the electronic handbrake. As posted above, it's just about getting used to it.
Also, for those who say "but OMG it will roll away111" LEAVE IT IN GEAR!

Disclaimer: I've done about 4 handbrake turns in this Arona, but overall, electronic handbrake is so much better. Especially if coupled with an auto 'box.
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How do you leave an auto in gear?
 
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