Should You Engage the Handbrake or Neutral First When Parking?
1 Answers
The correct parking procedure for an automatic transmission vehicle should be: press the brake → shift into gear → engage the handbrake → turn off the engine → shift into parking gear. In other words, after stopping, engage the handbrake first before shifting into neutral. Below is relevant information: 1. Auxiliary Brake: The professional term for the handbrake is the auxiliary brake. Unlike the main braking system, it uses a steel cable connected to the rear brake shoes to apply braking force to the vehicle. Prolonged use of the handbrake can cause the steel cable to undergo plastic deformation. Since this deformation is irreversible, long-term use will reduce its effectiveness and increase the handbrake's travel distance. 2. Neutral Gear: Neutral gear typically refers to the state where the vehicle's gear lever is not engaged in any forward or reverse gear, completely disconnecting the transmission from the drive wheels. For manual transmissions, the neutral position is in the middle, while for automatic transmissions, it is marked with an "N".