Parking in gear with handbrake off

This may sound like a silly question to some, but will parking on a flat surface with the handbrake off, and the vehicle in gear damage the transmission? I was always taught to do this, but I've noticed that no one ever does it. Anyone?

The reason I don't do it is because I use the handbrake instead. But in theory, you can do it and it won't damage the transmission.

But especially in an older vehicle, don't you think continually using the handbrake increase the chance of the cable snapping?

I've always done this aswell and if I'm parked on a slope I use both, never caused any probs at all.

I always do it, handbrake is only a cable

better to use the handbrake....

Leaving in gear will work and not cause damage but if you do this instead of using the handbrake the handbrake will sieze up then it'll fail the MOT. You get a lot more siezed handbrakes than you get snapped cables. Lots of automatic cars fail on handbrake as folk just stick em in Park and dont bother using the handbrake.

I always park with handbrake on and in gear, but I chock the wheels and leave the handbrake off if it's going to be parked up for a while without use or if the temperature drops and it get's icy (to stop h/brake locking on).

Dewin said:

I always park with handbrake on and in gear, but I chock the wheels and leave the handbrake off if it's going to be parked up for a while without use or if the temperature drops and it get's icy (to stop h/brake locking on).

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it's taken me bloody ages to stop the doris from using her handbrake at home in this winter weather, don't think she believed me till we saw one of our neighbours with their brake stuck on in the morning.

I don't use my handbrake as it doesn't really work so just use park.

barmatt said:

it's taken me bloody ages to stop the doris from using her handbrake at home in this winter weather, don't think she believed me till we saw one of our neighbours with their brake stuck on in the morning.

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Join the club lol, my Mrs thought I was taking the P when I told her to leave the h/brake off, her 1st reaction was "but the car will roll away":doh: she felt a right fool when I pointed out the car was in gear and the chocks she needed to use

I just use the handbrake - don't have a cable to snap on a series and there's less chance of a transmission brake seizing or freezing. Anyway, I spent ages rebuilding the bugger so it works properly so I'm gonna use it!

cambolt said:

But especially in an older vehicle, don't you think continually using the handbrake increase the chance of the cable snapping?

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Yep and continually using your landy will wear the tyres and brakes out anorl :doh: if you don't use it it will sieze up and the drum will go rusty inside so when you do use it it probably wont work very well, leaving it in gear wont damage anything but remember you are relying on the engines compresion to hold it and it may decide to roll off on its own, personaly i use the hand brake and leave it in gear for added safety.

My disco rolls real easy and it has on one occassion rolled out of my workshop with my trailer and a car on the trailer cos i didn't apply the hand brake fully :doh: :doh: so now i always put in gear anorl saves all the :5bblush5::5bblush5:

spent my entire driving lifetime driving inferior vehicles and have always leaft them in second when parked up with the handbrake on slightly just to keep things running smoothe but not enough to stretch the cable or jam the shoes only on a steep hill it goes on fully and always check me handbrake system and clean all brake components a week before the mot

only ever once have i had a set of brakes fail the mot and that was just a siezed load sensing valve on an austin maestro van wich looked like it needed scrapping anyway

if i keep pressing the accelerater will it wear the cable out.as for handbrake if it works use it if it dont fix it

HOOK said:

if i keep pressing the accelerater will it wear the cable out.as for handbrake if it works use it if it dont fix it

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You don't want to be doing that it'll cost ya a fortune in new cables and that smelly liquid stuff you poor in the hole in the back will keep disapearing

I always do it with any vechile my misses never used to use both but she learned the hard way with her car ending up thru the garage wall, cables do fail and it was a 06 plate peugeot 3 years ago

i learnt to drive on 1960s tractors...handbrakes , well even footbrakes seldom seemed to actually do much so i got into the habit of parking in gear.... still do it ... one of the best ways ive found of annoying the mrs is to leave her car in gear when ive used it

When parking on a slope, I like to gently nudge into the bumper of the vehicle below me, and then apply my handbrake. This way the other vehicle takes most of my vehicles weight, but my handbrake suffers minimal wear. Oh, and I leave it in gear also

It was a common no-no with older italian cars NOT to leave in reverse gear if parked up pointing down hill...

mainly as the handbrakes were crap and gearboxes made of pasta


Both my RR I select 'park' and use the handbrake

gearboxes made of pasta thats very very true Fix It Again Tomorow