![]() Of course, without an electronic parking brake, how would we expect today's drivers to be able to start off on hills, or even park safely? There are so many new drivers who have been taught to always park in neutral (so that their FWD car can be easily towed away!) and who are convinced that parking in gear - and changing down to use engine braking on long hills - will cause some unknown but definite gearbox problem. This looks like yet another case of the motorist being sold unneccessary junk, which is not even reliable junk! It makes one wonder how much testing was done before these toys were unleashed on the unsuspecting public - and how easily Type Approval was granted by the NHTSB, TuV etc. If you buy a new actuator, the best advice is that the problem will only recur, so you should always park the car in first gear, and get into the habit of using heel and toe operation of the throttle and brakes!Įven not using the EPB is not a guarantee of freedom from trouble, as some people (Americans, naturally!) who never use the handbrake, leaving the auto transmission selector in the Park position instead, have experienced failure due to the automatic test cycle which is periodically carried out by the actuator when parked and immobilised. YouTube has lots of videos showing repairs on actuators of various car manufacturers - most of which look to be the same. Naturally, BMW want to sell you (for your own safety, of course!) a complete new actuator, but there are a couple of places on Ebay where people are selling steel or bronze gears, which are the only real answer. ![]() This problem is commonplace on cars from Rolls-Royce (who use a BMW actuator) to Chevrolet etc etc. The answer in a few cases was to reload the software, but the usual problem is that the two nylon gears in the actuator unit (inside the boot) have developed radial cracks which have turned into splits. But as Jeff Goldblum so famously uttered in Jurassic Park, “life finds a way.” These three advanced driving techniques will get any car sideways, no yank of a handbrake required.There are plenty of cases on the internet where the Electronic Parking Brake has failed to operate, but none where there was no power on the E-Brake switch - are you sure that when you looked for power that it was supposed to be there? ![]() …įor the casual hoon, the proliferation of electronic parking brakes may seem to signal the end of sideways tomfoolery in front-wheel-drive cars – a particularly painful loss in the snowy winter months. Granted, it’s not too hard to pitch a Ferrari, Lambo, or 911 sideways without a handbrake. Even Porsche’s venerable 911 hasn’t come with a handbrake since the 2011 introduction of the 991 chassis. Ferrari now uses electronic parking brakes exclusively, as does Lamborghini. And they’re not exclusive to crossovers and minivans. To the delight of insurance companies and dehydrated crybabies with cold bums the world over, these damnable things are cheaper every day. Car manufacturers also utilise them to further idiot proof their cars by programming the electronic parking brake to set automatically when the car is parked. Electronic parking brakes save valuable real estate in a car’s interior, freeing up space for more cup holders, heated seat controls, automatic tissue dispensers and the like. I hate to say it, but the handbrake’s days are numbered. 3 Ways To Slide A FWD Car Without A HandbrakeĮlectronic e-brake getting you down? No worries, because these three advanced driving techniques will get any car sideways!
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