Jump to content
Do Not Sell My Personal Information


The General Chat forum is ONLY for threads which DO NOT fit any other category. If your thread is anything do to with a specific model, it should go in the relevant model club section

Do you leave your car in gear when you park?


ToXIcG
 Share

Do you leave your car in gear when you park?  

42 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you leave your car in gear when you park?

    • Yes
      21
    • No
      21


Recommended Posts


I always leave my car in 1st gear when parked.

I only use the parking brake on steep hills (which are very rare where I live).

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I pull the handbrake up 2 notches and leave it in 1st gear. (2 notches because if it’s raining, if I pull it another notch, when I try to move off, the rear brakes stick and you hear them ‘crack’ off)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Handbrake only unless it's a steep hill for me.    

If someone bumps the car while parking it can turn the engine the wrong way and on some engines knock the timing off.  Plus, despite usually starting with the clutch down, I'm always worried I'd jump in and start with it in gear lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You don't really need to leave it in gear anymore, handbrakes are much less prone to failure nowadays.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


My driveway slopes towards the road, I reverse onto it and leave it in reverse with handbrake on most of the way up. I recall a neighbor,s handbrake freezing stuck in the bad weather a few years ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Always leave mine in gear since I saw someone at work car roll down the car park as the hand break slowly let go as the discs cooled down and contracted. It was pretty funny [emoji23] mind you and made me change what I do


Sent from my iPhone

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm actually surprised by the figures so far - I know its early days yet with only a few votes but I did think it would be much more towards a 'yes' vote. 

I always leave a car in gear after I've parked it. Much more fun when it's the car of someone who doesn't leave it in gear :lol: Get called for all sorts when they go lurching forward. 

I view it as a fail safe in some respect. A handbrake is only as good as the 2 or 3 cables that make up the system. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, when parked on the flat.

 

Yes, when parked on a slope. 1st if facing uphill, reverse when facing downhill. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, when parked on the flat.
 
Yes, when parked on a slope. 1st if facing uphill, reverse when facing downhill. 
Likewise.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, Stoney871 said:

Likewise.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 

That moment when you get a notification that a serving police officer has quoted you in a post regarding driving and you wonder if you're doing it right!!! :biggrin:

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tbh, it's a sensible precaution.
I've seen plenty of roll away incidents and prevention is definitely better than cure.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No

If in doubt get the handbrake adjusted. I do point the wheels toward the kerb though

Jamie

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, james_60 said:

No

If in doubt get the handbrake adjusted. I do point the wheels toward the kerb though

Jamie

Ok, handbrake correctly adjusted then. But one day centre cable snaps, what now? Lol.

It does happen. I'd rather put my car in gear than be caught with a red face if it were my motor that went for a roll down a hill lol. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to always leave mine in gear but my last car and the focus have much better handbrakes so not any more. But I may still leave it if I’m parked on a steep hill.

I sometimes leave it in gear with no handbrake if it’s getting icy. My vans rear brakes froze on when it was particularly cold down here. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


There are very few places I park that are completely flat,
I always put it in the opposite gear to the direction of slope.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

in san francisco where the residential streets are so mind bogglingly steep , its actually a traffic violation not to leave your steering on full lock with wheels pointing towards the kerb when you park up.

;-)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

How does it help leaving the car in gear when it's parked? Just curious. I always put the handbrake up whenever I park. With autos I think the gearbox can get damaged if someone bumps into the car whilst it's in park. With my dad's auto car I leave it in neutral. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doesn’t an automatic still have the P Gear For ‘park’? (Haven’t driven my dad’s in a while)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With the car in gear, the drivetrain is locked together, so it would try to turn the engine over against its compression to roll anywhere.  Out of gear you're just turning the diff and output shaft which are all on smooth bearings.

Problem is, turning the engine backwards can break it, lots of VAG timing chains jump a tooth like that if they get bumped while parking.  

Autos should be left in Park, this locks the gearbox...but if someone bumps the car, that can damage the gearbox as well.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes I do.

I am surprised at these results, I thought most would also be a 'yes'.

I got into the habit because my two previous cars both had the handbrake cable snap. Luckily my first car was on a dead level drive and didn't roll anywhere (plus it was only a Vauxhall). My old Focus rolled a couple of inches forward into the kerb in front of my parking space (thank god for bay parking!).

Its a good feature on almost all new cars nowadays that force you to press the clutch before the car will start. No more fender benders because you forgot to put the clutch down!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/17/2017 at 6:01 PM, Philf1 said:

Always leave mine in gear since I saw someone at work car roll down the car park as the hand break slowly let go as the discs cooled down and contracted. It was pretty funny emoji23.png mind you and made me change what I do

That's exactly what happened to my ST24 when my brother owned it before me. Now, I press the brake pedal and then pull the hand brake up and leave it in gear.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

People aren't applying the handbrake properly if it's letting off due to the pads contracting... :unsure:  It's purely mechanical, needs actual force put into it, unlike everything else that's power assisted these days lol.  

I've also never seen a cable snap on its own, how would it take the strain of application then just snap hours afterwards?  I've snapped several while applying the handbrake though, which is fine on a diesel, but hill starts on a cold petrol with no handbake is interesting without a 3rd foot! :laugh: 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

People aren't applying the handbrake properly if it's letting off due to the pads contracting... :unsure:  It's purely mechanical, needs actual force put into it, unlike everything else that's power assisted these days lol.  

I've also never seen a cable snap on its own, how would it take the strain of application then just snap hours afterwards?  I've snapped several while applying the handbrake though, which is fine on a diesel, but hill starts on a cold petrol with no handbake is interesting without a 3rd foot! :laugh: 

I think heel toe probably is the best way unless just getting to the bitting point and quickly releasing the brake and press the accelerator. I thought the only way breaking the handbrake cable is by doing handbrake turns or applying it whilst the car is moving. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, zain611 said:

I think heel toe probably is the best way unless just getting to the bitting point and quickly releasing the brake and press the accelerator. I thought the only way breaking the handbrake cable is by doing handbrake turns or applying it whilst the car is moving. 

I have been out to fix handbrake cables which have just snapped whilst the car was parked a couple of times.

applying the handbrake when the car is moving shouldn't make any odds, still applying the same force.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share




×
×
  • Create New...

Forums


News


Membership