BMW Electronic Handbrake

Catanonia said:
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.
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Auto boxes lock the transmission when in park, if I recall a pin moves and locks it which is why its best not to rely on it as your only means of preventing it from moving. For instance, if you park on a hill it will put unnecessary stress on the pin instead of your handbrake.

The fact you may forget is exactly what I meant in my original post. Nearly all drivers pull the handbrake up automatically without thinking when parking, its second nature. When you change that big old lever for a small switch, for many people IME it changes the whole ball game for some odd reason, its as if the size of the lever 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.
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It makes a huge difference, the two systems are very different to use. It's weird you didn't realise that.
 
Bear said:
Auto boxes lock the transmission when in park, if I recall a pin moves and locks it which is why its best not to rely on it as your only means of preventing it from moving. For instance, if you park on a hill it will put unnecessary stress on the pin instead of your handbrake.

The fact you may forget is exactly what I meant in my original post. Nearly all drivers pull the handbrake up automatically without thinking when parking, its second nature. When you change that big old lever for a small switch, for many people IME it changes the whole ball game for some odd reason, its as if the size of the lever makes all the difference.
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The post I was looking for and confirms my logic. It will not roll as "pin" locked in park, but always use the handbrake for safety. Must get it into my head, handbrake is that ickle switch :)

Doesn't help the switch is nowhere near where the handbrake lever would normally be but on the passenger side of the centre console :D:D

Thanks
 
Catanonia said:
The post I was looking for and confirms my logic. It will not roll as "pin" locked in park, but always use the handbrake for safety. Must get it into my head, handbrake is that ickle switch :)

Doesn't help the switch is nowhere near where the handbrake lever would normally be but on the passenger side of the centre console :D:D

Thanks
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I'm still pretty sure you wont ever have to use the switch :confused:
 
iaind said:
I'm still pretty sure you wont ever have to use the switch :confused:
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It is there for a reason otherwise they wouldn't have put it there is how I look at it. Handbrakes are safety measures to stop the car rolling on hills if the gearbox fails and lets the car roll. It also takes unnecessary stress off the gearbox.

Never had an electronic one with a auto box before, so wanted to check my logic for peace of mind for the 1st few weeks when I know (and have) forgotten about that ickle switch.

Thanks all.
 
Catanonia said:
It is there for a reason otherwise they wouldn't have put it there is how I look at it. Handbrakes are safety measures to stop the car rolling on hills if the gearbox fails and lets the car roll. It also takes unnecessary stress off the gearbox.

Never had an electronic one with a auto box before, so wanted to check my logic for peace of mind for the 1st few weeks when I know (and have) forgotten about that ickle switch.

Thanks all.
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Like I explained above, every car I've driven with one before, it applied automatically when you turned the ignition off and disengaged automatically. If Peugeot and Vauxhall can manage it, I'm sure BMW will have it sussed. That's why they bury the switch out of the way as you rarely need to touch it.
 
paradigm said:
Oh yeah, massively different :confused:
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The thing is, for someone who is so used to just pulling up a lever to prevent the car from rolling forwards or backwards, the fact that every manufacturer seems to implement a different method of operating the electronic "handbrake" (or at least it used to seem like the case, granted I haven't actually had a hire car with an electronic handbrake for a while now) *does* add another layer of confusion, particularly if this person drives a lot of different cars regularly for example. Will it activate on its own or do I need to push or pull the little lever, will it activate when I turn off the engine, will it deactivate when I drive off, does it have hill-hold assist, etc. These factors aren't always the same and they aren't usually obvious when you jump into a hire car.

Just my opinion, feel free to call me a luddite :p.
 
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iaind said:
Like I explained above, every car I've driven with one before, it applied automatically when you turned the ignition off and disengaged automatically. If Peugeot and Vauxhall can manage it, I'm sure BMW will have it sussed. That's why they bury the switch out of the way as you rarely need to touch it.
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The BMW system only engages itself automatically when you switch the engine off if you are using the Auto Hold mode. Otherwise it doesn't apply unless you apply it.
 
It isn't in the menu. There is a button below the shifter that says Auto H. If the button isn't there your car hasn't got that function.
 
I think the putting the handbrake on is more entrenched than the how you put it on. I'm sure you'll find yourself using it normally.
 
My 6 doesn't auto apply the hand brake if you just put it in park or turn it off, although it will put the gearbox in park automatically. If I use auto hold it will be applied as soon as I've come to a stand still. It does auto deactivate at drive off unless the seatbelt isn't plugged in.
 
I'm really struggling to see why people are struggling with this. It took me about an hour to get comfy with both auto hand brake and using a button for the hand brake. Are people really finding it that confusing? :confused:
 
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