What happens...

[KillerBob]

...if you, whilst driving, by accident press the electric Parking switch - say a bag, or any other object, slips and lands on the Parking switch?

I was wondering, and do not dare try it out... I have triggered the switch before coming to a complete stop, and then the car most certainly locks the wheels, but is that true also if the speed is higher, say at highway speeds?

 

[maby]

We were discussing this here a week or two ago - and nobody has been brave enough to test it yet. As you say, there is some experience of engaging the parking brake early - I've done it myself - but at around 1mph only. The car certainly judders to a halt and it is not nice! If the same is true at higher speeds, the result could be expensive - the components that would break are deep in the power unit and the pictures seem to indicate that the repair would probably be an engine-out job and a significant strip down! Personally, I'm just going to be more careful.

On a related subject, I used to engage the parking brake while stopped at lights or road junctions, but I've now started shifting to neutral - if the car behind thumps you up the back while the parking brake is engaged, it looks like it could suffer similar damage.

 

[karl]

Chickens :twisted:

(edit: don't test this on tarmac, just in case )

It beeps and does nothing, just like the reverse.

I don't want to find out where it stops working though, maybe at the same speed as the reverse is disabled.

 

[jkh112]

Chickens :twisted:

(edit: don't test this on tarmac, just in case )

It beeps and does nothing, just like the reverse.

I don't want to find out where it stops working though, maybe at the same speed as the reverse is disabled.

I found the same.

 

[KillerBob]

Happy to hear that... I hope it will never happen, but just wanted to know. I once put my automatic Misubishi 3000GT into reverse by accident, and that wasn't a good experience. Luckily enough it was on snow/ice and I quickly took the shifter into neutral, but for a second it sounded like a new transmission.

It makes sense that they thought of this when installing an electrical Parking switch.