BMW Electronic Handbrake

Catanonia

Catanonia

Catanonia

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Joined
15 Mar 2012
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My new ride has an autobox and one of those new BMW electronic handbrakes on a silly switch.

No I know I will forget to put it on at times as it is not natural for me at the moment.

The question is, with the car locked in Park on the shifter, and me forgetting to apply the handbrake, am I right in thinking it can't roll forwards or backwards.

Logically I would guess it is not good for the gearbox to be hanging on the transmission to stop it rolling, but it will be piece of mind if I "forget" the silly switch handbrake.

Thanks
 
As far as I know you don't need to press anything, it will apply the handbrake as soon as you turn the car off.
Also it should work automatically in uphill starts
 
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Not driven a BMW with it but on every car I've driven with one you never need to touch the button. Ignition off and the handbrake applies. Car in D and touch the accelerator and it disengages. I don't see why BMW would be any different but reading the owners manual would help too! They're anything but silly though, they're ace because you don't need to touch them!
 
It's weird how so many people get their heads really messed up just because the handbrake is a small switch instead of a great big lever as if the size of the handbrake makes all the difference.
 
Bear said:
It's weird how so many people get their heads really messed up just because the handbrake is a small switch instead of a great big lever as if the size of the handbrake makes all the difference.
Click to expand...

Not at all, it is the very fact I have spent 20 years with a big olde lever and that I may / will forget this little switch. Just wanting my logic checking the car will not roll if I forget it and walk off.

Thanks all, will read the manual more and test tomorrow.
 
There are some safety protocols, Audi generally won't autodisingage if you don't have your seatbelt on for example. If you do they will, great for hillstarts :) Holding on the clutch is a thing of the past.
 
I've worked on plenty of cars that don't auto disengage and I think it's utterly crap that it doesn't. Can't think of one in particular at the moment I must admit but quite often I've gone to reverse off the ramp and the back end of whatever has just risen up in the air in defiance. Grrr and then it's well do I push it or pull it? There seems to be no standardisation to any of it. Boils my proverbial, especially when you get out of it to push it into position on the two poster and you hear the whirr of the motors engage it..
ARGH! Just leave the damn thing in neutral FFS
 
The 2014 A5 Coupe doesn't disengage and bemoans you on the display to that effect. So clearly it's just a weird inconsistent Audi issue. I mean, it's not the 1st time VAG have messed up :p
 
My VW applies the electric handbrake when I release my seat belt, trouble is I moved the car across on the drive once and didn't put the seat belt on, I'm also used to having an auto for many years, the car rolled back, almost into my dads 1969 Daimler V8 250, I managed to jump in and stop it luckily.
 
I have to be honest it was a really tough job and massively time consuming and confusing in equal measure. I have asked BMW for a training course as frankly I am struggling with the complexity of the whole on/off decision having only had the car for nearly 4 years. This thing should be much simpler than on AND off.
 
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