Pulling the handbrake after parking a car - a potentially risky habit that should be avoided

Brakes are a system that is very prone to problems, of which brake lock is one of the most difficult problems, especially when moving on the road. The cause sometimes comes from the car owner not knowing how to use and maintain it properly.

One of the bad habits of drivers is to pull the handbrake when parking to ensure that the car does not move when there is an external impact. However, a risk that can occur is that the brake is locked when parking for a long time, especially when parking after washing or driving in the rain.

The phenomenon of brake locking due to pulling the handbrake for a long time occurs with both disc brakes and drum brakes. When water, sand, dirt, and rust come into the brake system, the brake pads may not release from the disc.

According to many people's thinking, shifting the gear lever to position P or pulling the front brake is usually not important when ensuring all operations to park the car safely have been performed. However, when parking, especially in uneven locations, the driver shifting the gear lever to position P before pulling the handbrake will contribute to causing negative effects on the details in the gearbox mechanism.

In terms of function, both the car's handbrake and shifting the gear lever to the P position on the automatic transmission serve to keep the car stationary when the driver stops or parks the car. However, the mechanism to keep the car stationary of the handbrake and the P mode on the transmission are completely different. While the handbrake applies pressure to the brake shoes on the drum or disc brake to help the car stop, the P mode in the car's automatic transmission mostly uses a parking pawl locking mechanism, also known as a ratchet gear, to the jaws on the output shaft of the transmission to keep the car from moving.

Therefore, according to the experts, you should use a hammer wrapped in cloth and tap lightly on the rim, brake disc a few times. The vibration can help the rust fall off, separate the disc and pads. Then get in the car, put it in D gear and press the gas, put it in R gear and press the gas again, do it a few times to help the brake pads unstick. If you have done these steps but cannot handle it, you need to call a technician.

To avoid brake lock, after washing the car, the driver should drive a long distance, continuously checking and releasing the brakes to warm them up, combined with the wind to dry them faster. If driving in the rain, do not pull the handbrake when parking, putting the car in P is enough to keep the car from moving. With a manual transmission, put it in 1st gear. To be more careful, you can use wood or bricks to block the wheels.

After days of continuous rain, when the weather clears, drivers should wash their cars immediately, paying attention to parts that are easily clogged with sand, dust, and trash that are not visible from the outside. Clean these parts to keep the metal more durable and prevent rust from causing other harmful effects.

In addition, when parking, drivers should follow the steps of stepping on the foot brake until the car stops completely, pull the handbrake, then shift the gear lever from D to P before turning off the engine. This will help reduce wear and tear on the gearbox components.