Eldest child is learning to drive, and in the absence of instructors returning to work I’ve been taking her out on quiet roads for some practice. She’s doing well.

However- there’s a domestic contretemps on the go re handbrake technique.

I was always taught the following: to lift the handbrake lever with the button unpressed.
This still makes sense to me, as:
a)I get an auditory confirmation that the h/b has engaged
b)I get to count the clicks needed for engagement, telling me if the h/b needs adjustment, or the rear brakes are faulty

Mrs CdB (ex-IAM) says:
a)press the button while lifting, as it needs less effort, and doesn’t wear the ratchet out…

What do you all tend to do?

A case in point on why I think its all about the clicks- I’ve pointed out to her that when I drove her car for the first time in months in Dec 2019, I spotted straight away that the h/b was engaging and disengaging with no ‘feel’ on the handbrake, and hence the rear brakes or handbrake were faulty. And sure enough, when I got the car home there was a sticking o/s caliper, which needed a new caliper, new yoke cable, new rear pads and discs. She hadn’t spotted that as she was getting no auditory feedback- even though fuel economy was down, etc.

Go me 🙂

😉

Press the button

when I drove her car for the first time in months in Dec 2019, I spotted straight away that the h/b was engaging and disengaging with no ‘feel’ on the handbrake, and hence the rear brakes or handbrake were faulty. And sure enough, when I got the car home there was a sticking o/s caliper, which needed a new caliper, new yoke cable, new rear pads and discs.

I’m so hot for you right now.

It’s a while ago so I may be mis-remembering, but I think I recall my cousin getting a mark against her on her driving test for not pressing the button in.

Click up, Button down. End of (the most interesting) thread (on STW).

I was told to imagine if you were a driving test examiner, hearing that clicking about 2000 times a day, how you’d feel about it…..

I was taught to press the button in when raising the handbrake.

Button in..

And I proper lol`d at IHN

It’s a ratchet. You don’t press the button whilst engaging it. What fool would do that?! 😂

Does the test still have to be done in a car with a mechanical hand brake?
Wonder what’s going to happen with electric hand brakes and auto hold becoming the norm.

Got to hear the clicks, y’know manual-ratchety stuff has to sound manual-ratchety.

Everybody loves a ratchet noise and if they don’t they’re wrong uns

I’m pretty sure the correct/instructed technique is to press the button in.

Non-clicker, not sure why, just always have.

What are you, an animal? Button in!

A mechanical lever? How quaint 😉 of course when I get back in a car with an analogue handbrake I will probably forget and have it roll into the sea…

I also picked up my dad’s habit of wrenching the thing on too hard and needing a new cable almost every service and leaving the car in gear, you know “just in case”…

I was taught to hold in the button to minimise wear on the ratchet, so that’s what I always did, but I can’t argue with the OPs logic either, an auditory confirmation of it working makes sense too.

I was taught to have button pressed, but like the OP the logic says don’t for the already agrered reasons, you also don’t know if it’s fully engaged as you could release the ratchet ontop of a tooth (OK unliklely, but i bet it has/does happen).

Twodogs
Subscriber
I was told to imagine if you were a driving test examiner, hearing that clicking about 2000 times a day, how you’d feel about it…..

then the examiner needs a new job – if you want to fudge an exame just beciause something that is probably the right thing to do, then you shouldn’t be an examiner and mark people down for doing the correct thing..

Its funny, ther are a lot of scenarios ive been involved with, where the manufacture of something tells you to do something, becuase that’s the way its designed, for then some “old sweat” comes alog and decides its wrong – just becuase… (i.e. Army and rubbing off anti-fouling coating of rifle parts becuase they like things shiny depsite what H&K say- grrrr)

I’m a none-clicker but I don’t believe the line about wearing out the ratchet. No car could live long enough for you to wear down those chunky steel teeth just through normal handbrake application.

The only time I count the clicks is before an MOT.

Was taught button in when engaging and disengaging as it was more mechanically sympathetic. Regardless of whether or not that’s the correct technique, I couldn’t change now!

I’m a clicker – for all the reasons the OP explained.

I’m also a professional Engineer involved in the design of automotive braking systems and can confirm that the handbrake lever is tested to withstand all that clicking malarkey :o)

No handbrake, leave it in gear. Chocks for slopes.

Well well, I have an auto with an electric handbrake. My son has just started to drive and I’ve never noticed what he does with the handbrake! His car is fairly modern, so I wonder if it has one… I’ll give him an hour to wake up and ask him.

Button in, cos it’s nice and quiet.

Anyone who thinks they are being mechanically sympathetic by non-clicking is going to have a brain explosion when they realise there’s a ratchet in the free hub on their bike which is clicking thousands of time per minute.
I remember thinking that non-clicking arguments where BS when I was learning (a long time ago) but went along with it in order to ensure passing my test. Then immediately became a clicker. I want to know if there’s any problem with the cable tension and if my handbrake can be relied upon. Ironically being mechanically sympathetic to the needs of my car.

I Push the button in, raise until I feel tension then release the button for on or two clicks.

Non-clicker out of habit now, from the days when a short car journey was a sure fire way to send child to sleep, didn’t want to wake them every time we stopped with the ratchet noise!

Shame our 10 year old CRV is cursed with the Honda squeaky clutch, great for annoying wife with when you’re in the driving seat, less great for not-waking-baby whilst manoeuvring in 1st…

I was taught button in.

But then I give it one click further, just to be sure

Clicker, here.

I can understand holding the button in because it’s quieter, but the wearing out the ratchet reasoning seems bonkers. Does anyone know of anyone who has had to replace a handbrake specifically because of ratchet wear?

No clicks.

My wife likes to leave the car in gear on the flat or anywhere, so annoying.

We have an auto handbrake and have done for years.

Button in. (makes handbrake turns easier)

I too follow the righteous path trod by seldom few above, button in then one or two just-to-be-sure clicks. Come, walk with us and follow the light.

Need to check but don’t believe ratcheting the handbrake is a points item in a driving test. I’ve met both button in and ratcheters and sadly discussed this in the past. I can tell you that many old cars, including old Minis and MGs the teeth do wear, so I’d encourage, expect people to be button pushing on these. On something more modern it wouldn’t matter as much but I’d see it as a bit lazy, though if you are on a steep hill and pull the handbrake lever, I bet most will pull it again (including me) to do a final tighten and that final pull will be ratcheting.
My only other observation is I’ve seen way more ratcheters not pull the lever on enough compared to button pushers.
In my experience this is one of the least significant issues in most people’s driving and there are are way more significant things to ‘get’.

Can we get back to bikes now…?

Button in as the noise irritates me. As someone with aspergers I get very irritated by noises that simply don’t even register with other people.

I Push the button in, raise until I feel tension then release the button for on or two clicks.

This, although currently we have one car with electronic handbrake (that auto-holds at stop, auto-engages when car is switched off, and disengages itself when you want to go), and one car with a foot-operated parking brake.

Both

Button in normally, no idea why.

When I’m feeling lackadaisical, let the clicks rip! So wreckless

Button in and you still get a feel on the handbrake (it gets harder to lift) so the only reason your daughter didn’t notice is probably the same reason my daughter didn’t notice the noise of her wheel bearing at speed over 30 mp/h (she doesn’t care till it doesn’t work)

Non clicker for sure. Why would I let go of the handbrake before knowing whether it’s going to stay there or not?

Definitely a clicker, the buttons for taking the HB off and handbrake turns 😎

Button in.

Hearing a specific number of clicks doesn’t give you an auditory feedback on whether the brake is applied, it just tells you the lever position. Shoes / pads wear down, cables stretch and snap, so you should be doing it by feel. And leave it in gear, in case the cable snaps.

I Push the button in, raise until I feel tension then release the button for on or two clicks.

Surely this is the only way 🤷🏻‍♂️

Not that I usually use the handbrake as my car and (until last week) van are auto. I need to get used to putting it on in the new van.
If someone puts the handbrake on in an auto I usually try to drive off without taking it off.

This is a point of contention in our house. I have always left car in gear, in addition to parking brake. It’s the logical thing to do, plus when I had crap cars years ago, the handbrakes really weren’t reliable!

Mrs always tells me off. She starts the car without depressing the clutch (I know, I know!).