Are any of your Auto guys doing this? I started using my hand break few months ago everytime I park on even slight incline or decline, sometimes on even surfaces. It seems to take some strain off my tranny. Ever since I started doing it I have not had a problem with putting my car in D or R when parked. Before when I did not do that I would sometimes have to use force to put my car into ger.

I always use my hand brake. Like you, I started doing it on inclines but it shortly became a habit. Not a bad habit. Won't hurt a thing...

I think that it will make the tranny life a lil longer, its sure seems like.

Always use it bud, you never know what could happen!

I use it primarily for one reason, cause I used to drive stick and got into the habbit and now the main reason is so it makes the tow truck guy's life harder to tow it cause he has to then put the rears on dollys

Dixit

Always - stops the car from putting strain on the tranny on any kind of incline. Can't convince my wife to do it though...

always have always will

Women just dont seem to ever learn about cars, but what can you do.

I agree, use it all the time, make it a habit. Its the 1st vehicle I've really used it on. Think about it, would you rather put some more strain on the brakes that are easy to work on, or the transmission? Also, when going from foward to reverse, stop the car completely in between, don't let it lurch....

I started doin it cause i'd bang my knee on it while gettin in. Then I found that its a just plain good idea w/ a FWD car. Keeps the car from lurching and takes strain off the tranny.

Bang your knee??? How do u do that

darn it... i didn't know about that. not a bad idea. how often do you guys tighten your cables??

is this actually necessary?

I leave it on when I park too.

Just try parking on a steep hill and try putting your car into D before applying parking break and after u will see the difference. Make sure that you apply the parking break before letting the car roll, that means before letting your foot off the break pedal.

I got into the habit of using the handbrake when I used to drive manuals and I still do it with the Maxima, even though it's an autotragic. Our Grand Voyager- on the other hand- has a foot operated parking brake and it seldom gets used (it's a pain in the a**!) unless I park on an incline, then I use it to take the strain off the tranny (and lessen that big "clunk!) when shifting out of "park".

ok, cool. because when i park on a hill its a ***** to get it from park to drive. i feel like im gonna break the tranny i put so much effor into it. if this will solve it ill def. do it.

Yes it will just try it I promise u will never park without your hand break again

I used my hand brake religiously, period. But I have had some problems in some parking lots where I have to wait for an attendant. One time this bastard took off while the hand brake was still on and I could smell the brakes and the car pulling. Immediately, I screamed after him and made him stop. Not his fault though, he swore he didnt know autos had hand brakes. What a loser he was!

My mom moved my car couple of times in the morning and I know that she has no idea that hand break even exists. She later asks me if there is anything wrong with my car. I told her about the hand break and she still didnt know what I was talking about, I still can tell that she doesnt do it, because the car is moved and the parking break is on and I know for a fact that if she let it down she would not pull it back up.

I always use the parking brake before I put the car in Park on a hill. The sound and feel it makes when I put it back into Drive is gawdawful if I don't.

and now the Manual guys are gonna come in thinking they're better...
I can just hear them now.. Parking brake is ONLY FOR MANUALS, YOU SHOULDN'T MANUALLY SHIFT YOUR AUTOMATIC, WHY DIDN'T YOU GET A STICK IF YOU WANT TO USE YOUR PARKING BRAKE blah blah blah blah blah

This is a good thing to do, yes. It takes the stress off the parking pawl inside your tranny. When the weight of the car is pressing against that piece in the tranny, that's why it is so hard to pull out of park when you're stopped on an incline. Apply the hand brake before putting it in PARK and releasing the brake pedal. Pull it out of park then release the brake. Works great!

ARFF

I bang my knees to -- that is when the brake is applied ( lever raised )
Maybe my height ( 6ft+ ) ???
But the max is the only car that does it to me - on most cars the brake lever is on the center - in max its on the driver side (of the console )

BTW, when I apply the hand-brake, I do so before I put the car into "P".
So its car in "D", 'leg' brake applied, parking brake applied, car in "P".

When I take it off, I get the car in gear ( "R" or "D" ) - then release the parking brake and then start driving.

Read that this is better - been following it since - now its 2nd nature

I live in New Orleans and we have basically NO hills whatsoever. Never even get a chance to park on an incline, so I pretty much never even use it. Would applying the hand-brake on a flat surface have any effect on helping ease stress on the tranny? Thanks.

Prob not if the surface is really flat. I guess mine was just force of habit from learning how to drive and drove 5spd manual for a long time. Now, no matter where I park I pull the brake ON while in Neutral then shift to Park. Hence eliminating any slides.

Use the brake all the time....it's WAY easier on the tranny, and my wrist, to put the car in gear...

Yes, but minimally.

ARFF

always have use to drive a stick in Trinidad before i got my max. Its a great practice

every time all the time. even when i put it in N.

Yes! Yes! Use it!

on a hill, at least, definitely use it.

"Park" is not a parking brake. you can actually roll a car that's in park (not good for it tho!) and sometimes cars sitting on a hill in park just suddenly roll away (not good!).

defintely always pull that brake when you park at a slant. turn your wheels a bit, too, just in case. but at least the brake!

shouldn't take chances with that Max!

plus, it'll be easier to get it out of park when you get back.

in this order: foot on brake. put in park. pull ebrake. release brake pedal. -- so the ebrake holds your car, not the transmission

when you get back: start car, foot on brake, shift out of park, release ebrake, go!

save that tranny, maybe save your car!

not if you hold the button down then pull up, you wont hear a sound at all

if youre in park without the parking brake and someone bumps your car (or even worse hits it hard), what do you think will happen to your tranny?

Well, you may not notice the teeth are broken at first, until the first time you get on a hill... goodbye car and possibly some people or property.

Using the parking brake can protect your tranny from other idiots, even on flat ground.

ANYTIME you find it difficult to get it out of park, you should have used the parking brake. That binding and force needed to get out of park is not good for anything...

well if it makes you guys feel better about driving an auto then by all means use your e-brake.

ditto

All the time. Even in the garage.

I use mine whenever I park in my driveway that is slanted downward

Ha! Good one.

I bought my first new car aout 10 yrs ago. It was the first manual I had owned in years. It was two months old and I pulled into a convenient store in a hurry and forget to pull the hand brake and left the car in neutral unknowingly.

Needless to say I got out of the car went into the store and came back to find my car had rolled,with the sterring wheel locked and the wheels at a 45 degree angle, all the way back and dropped off an enbankment that was 4 feet high, into a car. The car it hit was pushed into the car next to it and pushed up onto it's trunk.

The result was that my car had over $5000 in damage. The body shop did a terrible job reapiring it and I complained. The took it back in and then it was stolen from their lot(how convenient!). I ended up getting a new car, but the headache and stress was enough to teach me to ALWAYS PULL THE HAND BRAKE!

so what did the guy say whos car yours rolled into??