You might be wrecking your transmission by not regularly engaging your car’s parking brake. That’s what a service tech at the John Hiester Automotive Group (@hiestercdjrlillington) said on TikTok in a viral post shared to the business’s page. The dealer employee begins his video by recording a mechanic standing in front of a vehicle that has its hood popped. Off-camera, the social media user asks the service tech about a safety precaution many drivers neglect. “Should you always be using your parking brake?” they ask the shop worker, who delineates why this is the case. According to the auto service rep, not engaging a car’s parking brake could result in long-term wear and tear. “Yes, because whenever you use the parking brake, it helps take strain off the transmission,” he explains. Furthermore, he says the added stopping power of switching on an emergency brake helps to slow down the degradation of a car’s parking mechanism. “[This] takes [the] strain off your parking pawl that’s in there,” he says. “Over time, if you don’t use the parking brake, it catches that pawl and can wear that pawl down and brake, which leads to a costly repair.” Commenters Were Divided Some folks who replied to Hiester’s post said that they believed parking brakes have been mislabeled. Consequently, leading to confusion among car owners. “Maybe it shouldn’t be called an emergency brake then,” one person commented. This assertion led to squabbles over the correct nomenclature of the mechanism—“emergency” brake versus “parking” brake. Auto parts manufacturer Napa wrote in this blog post that different auto manufacturers refer to the feature by different names. However, they ultimately serve the same purpose, regardless of what they’re called. Some folks stated that this bit of information was old news for them. “I always use my parking brake. Incline or not. Just a habit,” one wrote. Whereas another person shared their own method of putting their vehicle in park. Instead of directly placing their ride into park and switching on their e-brake, they go into neutral first. “Pull up to your parking spot, keep your foot on the brake, shift to Neutral. Then engage your e-brake, then shift to park & remove your foot from the brake. You won’t feel your car move as much vs not using your e-brake,” they penned. Another echoed comments from others who said that turning on the parking brake was only necessary on an incline. “No need on a level surface, definitely on an incline. always put the parking brake on while holding the brakes then put in park,” they remarked. Experts Weigh In There are plenty of resources online that concur with the mechanic in Hiester’s video as well. Only commuting resource Driver’s Ed Guru states unequivocally that drivers should “always set the parking brake.” In its write-up on the topic, the website says, “the parking brake is called the parking brake for a reason.” Additionally, it went on to dispel the notion that car owners should only switch it on when their vehicle is being left parked on an incline. “This is incorrect; whether your car is a manual or automatic, the terrain is hilly or flat, you should use your parking brake every time you park.” As for the correct methodology for parking, the site went on to corroborate the suggestions shared by TikTokers who replied to Hiester’s video. Namely, that one should first position their car where they want it to be parked. Next, while keeping their foot on the car’s brake, to engage the parking/emergency brake. Lastly, they should put the car into park. This sequence of events, Driver’s Ed Guru writes, “reduces … strain on the parking pawl.” And when you’re ready to drive again, don’t forget to disengage your parking brake. Otherwise, driving with it turned on could ultimately damage the mechanism and potentially result in a nasty smell, as comedian Mitch Hedberg once famously pointed out. Redditors in this r/AskMechanics sub also highlighted that utilizing a parking brake could keep a car’s transmission from breaking down. As one commenter put it, “You don’t want your transmission being the only thing keeping your car from moving.” The social media user added that this load can be too much for a parking pawl to endure over extended periods of time. Someone else on the app stated that they feel doing so on level surfaces is unnecessary, but they still turn on their parking brake simply out of habit. The Park+ mobile application also opined on this practice. According to the service, parking brake cables could corrode or snap if not used for extended periods of time. So, in addition to potentially shelling out for the repair or replacement of a parking pawl, drivers may have to fix their e-brake as well if they don’t use it. Motor1 has reached out to Hiester via email for further comment. This story will be updated if he responds. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team
+3 others
