Ford Focus 2020 Automatic Rotary Dial and Electric Handbrake- Am I doing something wrong?

[SkiDyve]

Hello

I have a Ford Focus ST-Line X Automatic (70 plate).   I'm not a petrol-head by any stretch, so bear with me if I'm being silly....

This car has the rotary dial to move between P-R-N-D.  If I've just parked, for example, am I supposed to quickly turn the dial from D to P, or go slowly through the motions - i.e. D to N to R to P?  Or does it not matter?  Also, is there an order that is best when putting the electric handbrake on? Is is Stop, then handbrake, then move dial to P? Or stop, move dial to P, then handbrake? Or again, does it not matter?

I've also noticed that moving from D to R and vice-versa results in a noticeable 'clunk'. Should this be the case or should the transition be smoother? 

One other thing that may not may not be related, when slowing down, as it drops through the gears - there's a bit of a jolt when it drops into what I presume is the lowest gear. It might just be that the car is taking getting used to - (it has replaced something that was almost 20 years old!).

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Guy Heaton]

For moving the dial it doesn't matter.  Theres no physical connection to the box so you are just making requests to the computer.  Just spin it straight to the setting you want.

For any auto I would set it to P and then do the handbrake.

[Alex.S]

Handbrake in any order,  when you press the button to turn the engine off it puts itself in park. For drive to reverse and vice versa give it a second, you’ll get used it. It’s just how it is , all owners notice the clunk pretty quick and how to avoid it. 
 

[unofix]

Unless you are parking at the top of a ski slope there is no real reason to use the electronic handbrake (parking brake), once the gearbox is in 'Park' you can't move the car.

The use of the handbrake (parking brake) is more for when the engine is running and you need to hold the car whilst it is in 'D'. However now that some cars are now fitted with 'Auto Hold' then that further reduces the need to apply the handbrake.

[Alex.S]

Yeah I only use the hand break when parking. Auto hold all the way apart from that. 

[TomsFocus]

In the manual, the handbrake automatically applies once you switch the engine off, no need to pull the button.  I would expect the same to happen in the auto, so select P, then switch the engine off - you should hear the EPB motors and see the handbrake light come on on the dash.

[StephenFord]

In my Merc (an auto) the handbrake was rarely used as once an auto box is in Park, the car is locked via the transmission and doesn't move. However, the side effect was that cars often failed MOT (including mine) as the handbrake with so little use, often seized!

[Alex.S]

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

In the manual, the handbrake automatically applies once you switch the engine off, no need to pull the button.  I would expect the same to happen in the auto, so select P, then switch the engine off - you should hear the EPB motors and see the handbrake light come on on the dash.

Switching the engine off it goes into P  itself. The hand(park)brake though doesn’t apply itself. (Or does it 🤔) only had the car 18 months! 

[TomsFocus]

1 hour ago, Alex.S said:

Switching the engine off it goes into P  itself. The hand(park)brake though doesn’t apply itself. (Or does it 🤔) only had the car 18 months! 

I'd be a bit surprised if it didn't.  Just remembered the DSG Leon I had also applied the EPB when switching off the engine.  That had a proper gear lever though so couldn't automatically select P.

[Alex.S]

Just tested it there. First time pressed button to turn engine off, put itself in P didn’t engage parkbrake . 
Thought , that’s that.

got home pressed ignition button....went into P ....automatically engaged the handbrake! 
There was a guy on here about a year ago posting about it , he was adamant it was a safety issue. 
For me it’s the drivers responsibility to check that red parkbrake light is on. Knowing ford there will be some reason for it only working half the time. It’s a mystery to me. 

[Guy Heaton]

I would rather have the car resting against the brakes than resting against the internal stops in the gearbox so I will always use the handbrake.

The electric brake will only automatically apply if you press the button for it to do that.

 

[StephenFord]

7 minutes ago, Guy Heaton said:

I would rather have the car resting against the brakes than resting against the internal stops in the gearbox so I will always use the handbrake.

 

In the USA their car culture is totally geared (!) towards auto transmission. They can easily last 300,000 miles and no one uses a handbrake. Use the handbrake if you wish, but don't use it just because you think you'll 'break' the gearbox - you won't...

[unofix]

In my 28 years of driving automatics I've never used the handbrake. Once the car is in  park "P" you can not move the car. It is actually more safe than holding the car on the handbrake as there is no chance of brakes sliping or with the traditional handbake the danger of the brake not being pulled on tight enough.

The handbrake still exsists because it is a legal requirment for vehicles to have them, but as we move and more towards fully electric cars handbrakes will become redundant and a thing of the past. Does anyone remember Chokes ?

[YOG]

14 minutes ago, unofix said:

Does anyone remember Chokes ?

Does anyone remember foot-operated headlight dip-switches?

[unofix]

Only just remember them, my Dad had an old Wolseley with one.

I used to have a 1968 Escort Mk1 with a foot operated, manual screen wash pump. It was a rubber thing that you squashed with your foot to make the water squirt 🤣

[TomsFocus]

There's a risk of damage to the box if the park lock snaps off inside.  It's possible if someone bumps the car hard while parking.  Also risks the cam chain slipping in the same scenario...was quite common in the DSG world a few years ago but haven't seen it mentioned recently.

In 'normal' use you should be fine leaving it in P...but I'd always go belt and braces with the handbrake as well myself.

[Tizer]

2 hours ago, unofix said:

 Does anyone remember Chokes ?

Yes, and I remember fitting a manual choke conversion kit to one of my cars that had an Automatic Choke.

 

2 hours ago, YOG said:

Does anyone remember foot-operated headlight dip-switches?

My fathers Taxi had one.

On the subject of Handbrakes, the best one I had was on a Hillman Hunter because it was on the right hand side, bolted to the inner sill, so you could use both hands to put it into gear and release the handbrake at the same time for quick getaways. It also had an Accelerator Pedal that was pivoted from the floor, which was a lot kinder to your right foot because there was something to rest your heel against.   

[TomsFocus]

On 5/15/2021 at 10:00 PM, Tizer said:

It also had an Accelerator Pedal that was pivoted from the floor, which was a lot kinder to your right foot because there was something to rest your heel against.   

My Mk6 Golf also has a floor pivot...was gutted to find out they dropped it for the Mk7 onwards.  

 

[DaveT70]

See my other post about re-setting the clutch learning procedure on torque converter autos, that'll stop the clunks.

You can move straight from "D" to "P" with no issues.

As you have auto-hold, when you pull up you should get the auto-hold green light in the cluster, as you shift to "P" and ignition off the handbrake should automatically engage.

If you aren't getting the green light on the cluster then either:

Auto-Hold is off (switch below handbrake)

You're taking your seatbelt off before you've stopped

You're taking your foot off the brake before you power down

[Alex.S]

D to P isn’t the issue. It’s D to R and back. 
 

[Alexis94040]

Thank God i have a manual gearbox on my Focus MK4!!!

Even if it burns some oil from new (irrelevant, very sad about it, thing i was not expecting)

6 gears to play with, any time with safety!!!

Long live the manual gearboxes!!!

[DaveT70]

17 hours ago, Alex.S said:

D to P isn’t the issue. It’s D to R and back. 
 

Are you talking about the clunk when drive engages?

You need to reset transmission adaptive learning settings, either by Forscan or by disconnecting the battery for 10 minutes.

See my other post on this in the Focus Forum

[Frowma]

My MK4 auto clunks going from D to R and R to D, I've got used to it but I'm not particularly enamoured by it. D to R is particularly painful, this is the first auto I've owned and I'm so used to bunging a manual into reverse and it just working instantly that I expected this to do the same but there is a definite delay, tiny fraction of a second but still.....🙄

I always apply the parking brake manually, even with the car in park I've noticed a tiny little roll w(when parked on a slope) until P engages so I just pop the brake on out of habit. 

[Guy Heaton]

I've driven a fair number of autos and the Mk4 8-speed is the most clunky going from D-R.  Most boxes are much better in this respect.  It is though nice and smooth in the gear changes.

[Frowma]

Oh yes, it's pretty much the smoothest drive I've had the pleasure of. I normally drive in eco mode and the gearchanges are almost imperceptible.