Should You Shift Gears or Apply the Handbrake First When Parking?
4 Answers
When parking, you should first apply the handbrake and then shift into gear. The principle behind the handbrake stopping the vehicle is to clamp the rear brake discs, preventing the rear wheels from rotating. Mechanical cable-type handbrakes use a steel cable to pull the brake caliper, which then clamps the brake disc, while electronic handbrakes operate by controlling a servo motor on the brake caliper to clamp the disc. The P (Park) gear locks the front wheels, and the handbrake locks the rear wheels, ensuring the vehicle cannot move. However, if you try to push the car while only in P gear, you may notice the vehicle can move slightly. This is because the pawl and gear have a relatively large meshing gap. Additionally, the P gear's pawl gear has a self-protection mechanism—once the pushing force reaches a certain level, the pawl will disengage to avoid damaging the transmission. Therefore, the P gear is not as reliable as the handbrake.
After driving for over a decade, I've summarized a reliable procedure: After coming to a complete stop and firmly pressing the brake, don't rush to shift into P. First, engage the electronic parking brake or traditional handbrake. Wait until the parking brake light illuminates on the dashboard before shifting to P and turning off the engine. Think about it – on a slope, if you shift to P first, the entire car's weight rests on that tiny locking pawl in the transmission. How damaging to the car! Once I forgot this sequence in an underground mall parking lot, and the gearshift made an alarming clunk when I retrieved the car. Automatic transmission manuals all hide this tip – check yours. Engaging the parking brake before shifting protects the transmission parking pawl, especially crucial on inclined surfaces.
The operating sequence repeatedly emphasized by the driving instructor during the license test: come to a complete stop → shift to neutral → engage the handbrake → release the foot brake → shift to P gear. I understand that shifting to P gear is equivalent to locking the transmission, while the handbrake is the main force in securing the wheels. Now that I'm used to driving cars with electronic parking brakes, it's even more convenient. After coming to a complete stop, a firm press on the brake pedal activates the auto hold, making it particularly smooth to shift to P gear afterward. I remember once driving a friend's old Highlander and forgetting to engage the handbrake; half an hour later, it rolled half a meter and scraped against the curb. If it had hit the car behind, the trouble would have been much bigger. Developing a habit for these basic operations is crucial.
Just talked about this issue two days ago while helping my neighbor defog her new car. She always complains that the car shakes when shifting to P. I suggested she try this: step on the brake to stop completely, pull the handbrake to fully secure the car, release the footbrake to check if the car moves, and finally shift to P and turn off the engine. This "sandwich method" is especially suitable for places with slopes. A transmission repair technician told me that 30% of transmission damages in their shop are caused by the parking pawl deformation due to directly shifting to P under force. When I drove an old manual car, I didn’t pay much attention to this, but with an automatic transmission, you really have to be more careful.
