My dad and I have a disagreement. I drive an automatic. He says that when I park, I should put on the parking brake to save the transmission. I see no reason to put on the brake unless I’m parking on a slope. Does my dad have a point?
Develop the habbit of using the parking BRAKE so you won’t have to wonder when and if.
Then you won’t BREAK something because you ‘‘forgot’’.
Inside the transmission are just relaltively small parts that keep it in park.
Almost nowhere is perfectly level and the car/truck ( you never said which ) will always coast to the point of pushing the parts against each other.
It’s generally not an issue , like you said, unless on a particular slope,
BUT
the gradual wear from multiple little grabs will eventually wear something out.
— have you ever pulled it out of park and felt it ‘‘let loose’’ or give a bit, maybe clunk or snap slightly ? –
Your dad is mainly after getting you into the HABBIT of doing it…to guarantee that you will be doing it when needed most and not relying on one-at-a-time selective use , then being too late later to realize you should have after the fact.
Just like the habbit of always using the turn signal…
the habbit of always using the seat belt…
the habbit of always adjusting all three mirrors…
Get in the habbit.
Just realized I misspelled the stupid word. I apologize and blame my smart phone.
Thank you Ken for the fast response. It’s a Honda Accord and I do believe I feel a bit of a clunk when I change out of park. Guess the paternal unit is right yet again.
Dad’s right…Let the parking brake take the load. Also, exercising the brake keeps it working smoothly…
Sometimes there are unexpected loads, like when someone in a tight parking space pushes your car a little, or, God forbid, you park in a forbidden zone and a tow-truck drags your car up onto the flatbed. You don’t want your transmission absorbing that abuse…
I have a 2005 Accord and I always set the parking brake except when I’m in my garage. We had a parked car drift across the parking lot at work and hit another one. If the drifter had engaged the parking brake, this would never have happened. On the off chance you live in Maryland, you are required by law to set the parking brake when you park. Even if you live in another state, it might be the law. The practical ramification is that if you drift into someone when the parking brake is not engaged, you are automatically at fault and will even get a ticket if the police get involved.
Depending on the car, using the park brake may be what keeps the rear brakes adjusted properly. Another reason to use it periodically.
stop car
keep foot on brake pedal and put trans in neutral
engage parking brake fully
take foot off brake pedal
move trans into park
This is what I do with my car, but others may correct me if I’m wrong
bscar 2,sounds real good to me-my your parking prawl rest content.There used to be a real issue with Fords hanging in park,if you didnt do something similar to what you do(you also had to be sure park was fully engaged )-Kevin
In agreement…what you don’t use, you loose. Ken Green makes a good point. Frequent use lets you know that the parking brake, also the emergency brake, functions. In an emergency, we are creatures of habit. Frequent use of the parking brake makes you more incline to use it when needed. Bscar2 is right on the basic parking routine.
Ken must be raising those "b"s in hives, but I agree with his points.
Use the parking brake. Dad is right.
I’m not an expert, but I always use the parking brake on a hill - far cheaper to replace a parking brake than a transmission. On a flat area? I should, but don’t always remember… I don’t have that settling back feeling to remind me…