Goodbye to the handbrake

[thecaretaker]

Did anybody see on the news about saying goodbye to the old traditional handbrake? Apparently, only 6% of new cars come with a mechanical ratchet handbrake. Cars all have electronic parking brakes now and also Auto Hold which I assume is part of the same system.

Mechanics were saying how much more expensive they are to fix if something goes wrong.

It's also getting harder to find a car with one of those stick things that used to stick out between the seats from the floor. 50% seem to be hybrids. Even my wife's Kia Rio has a guess-o-meter instead of a fuel gauge.

I do remember being told off by my driving instructor for not pressing the button on the hand brake when putting it on. He said I'd wear the ratchet out and it makes a ghastly noise.

It's a bit like the days you had a manual choke. You know, the one women used to hang their handbags on. They disappeared many years ago. Along with crank handles. I'm showing my age up now.

[Vera]

There is also the issue with e brakes where the failsafe is on so if something goes horribly wrong on the car it cant be towed and instead needs lifting onto a flatbed. much more expensive to recover..

as for auto hold or hill start assist systems, they are just terrible particularly on a steep hill.

[Nigel]

Remind me why did I buy a Fiesta mild hybrid?, oh yeah proper gearstick and handbrake watching a program on TV and a woman was stuck on a dual carriageway in her land rover as the handbrake was stuck on and they couldn`t release it, it was literally dragged onto the back of a breakdown truck
co - workers Kia won`t let you move until the seatbelt is on, great if you just want to move the car a few feet off road

[ElGuapo]

We had a parent pull up in the car park to collect from after school club last week. After she had got out and walked off the car started rolling back. I ran to try and stop it but couldn't, had to just let it go. It smashed into the wall behind her. Luckily no one was around. When she came out she was shocked. "It has an automatic handbrake, it shouldn't do that!!"

[Vera]

We had a parent pull up in the car park to collect from after school club last week. After she had got out and walked off the car started rolling back. I ran to try and stop it but couldn't, had to just let it go. It smashed into the wall behind her. Luckily no one was around. When she came out she was shocked. "It has an automatic handbrake, it shouldn't do that!!"

That'll be like the automatic headlights as well then. Usually the cars driving around in fog with no lights on because it's daylight and they don't have the sense (or even the know how) to turn them on because they are "automatic"

[hendo91]

it's consumer's and user's in general they essential want to sit behind a wheel with as little to do as possible the amount of driver assists on modern cars is to blame for so many small accidents and almost all car park bumps because eye's and ears are on cameras and listening for beeps instead of being used to navigate the vehicle...We are looking at getting a Ineos Grenadier as our new daily and the big selling point for me is traditional parking brake

[Nigel]

That'll be like the automatic headlights as well then. Usually the cars driving around in fog with no lights on because it's daylight and they don't have the sense (or even the know how) to turn them on because they are "automatic"

Annoys me that daytime running lights on a car are generally only the front! on a bike the rear lights come on as well, in fact on start up headlights come on anyway.
Previous car had auto lights but only if you set as such, fiesta has auto lights on as default and if I put wipers on headlights come on, which saves me having to do it!
Rather annoying when I am cycling in fog with flashing lights on and I see a car with lights on the front but nothing on the rear, oh I forgot all cyclists don`t use lights

[Keyolder]

I enjoy all these newfangled driving aids but adapt to whatever I’m driving. The last two cars I’ve owned both had EPB, I never missed the manual handbrake. I remember being anti auto transmission for years until I tried one, I can’t see the point in manual transmissions now.

[inspector]

I`m still trying to apply or release the handbrake on this car I've just had last week, old habits die hard, and old dog new tricks come to mind.

[HarleyPete]

Guess that's why I love my Duster. Proper handbrake, manual transmission, diesel (which is ULEZ compliant and £35 a year tax). Okay mine happens to be a limited edition one with parking sensors, hill assist and a few other extras like colour coded bumpers. However, it's simple, front discs lasted 63K and the rear drums are the original ones at 74k. I drove my daughters car which has EPB and hated it. I have had the pleasure of driving an large and varied amount of cars over my working life from Audi to Porsche via Lamborghini, Saab, Mercedez, Aston Martin and others.
As has been mentioned, the EPB can be so much more expensive to repair or even to change pads sometimes. Plus when it sticks then moving it is impossible.