Have a 2000 Toyota Camty LE V6.
Page 99 of the Manual states to apply parking brake BEFORE shifting the selector level to Park.
Other technical advice suggestsd the reverse e.g. applying the parking brake AFTER shifting the selecter level to Park.
The latter practice I am told is especially helpful in preventing the ignition key being stuck in the lock postion when trying to start the car.
Which practice is recommended or doest it matter?
Thank you
The manual (as usual) is correct, and the person who suggested that you do it otherwise is incorrect.
By applying the parking brake/e-brake/handbrake first, you are reducing or eliminating strain on the “pawl” inside the transmission that holds the car in place when you put the transmission into “Park”.
When a car is parked on a even a slight grade, the car will roll a couple of inches if the parking brake is not applied first. This slight rolling of the vehicle places all of the vehicle’s weight on that pawl, and it can be VERY difficult in some cases to get the transmission out of Park when you want to drive away. Repeated episodes of this can damage the pawl and wind up resulting in internal transmission repairs.
I congratulate you on reading the Owner’s Manual. Since it was written by the people who designed, built, and warrantied your car, it is almost always a more credible source of information than well-meaning, but frequently incorrect “experts”, such as the person who gave you the bogus advice.
It should be noted that personnel at car dealerships frequently give out advice than runs counter to the information in the Owner’s Manual, and I would suggest that you ignore most things that are told to you by the people at the dealership–or at least double-check that advice with the manual and/or a site like this.
park brake then park