Electronic Parking Brake in Golf 7

[wai]

So, basically, it is NOT an emergency brake. It is a parking brake. Yes, it can be operated in an emergency under certain circumstances, but it is just a parking brake and should always be thought of as such.

[Snail Style]

No I it is an emergency brake. By definition an emergency brake is a secondary braking system that works independently of the primary system. Primary system is your hydraulic footbrake, emergency system is your motorised rear calipers.

You don't really need to be careful around the button as pushing it down doesn't activate it I believe. And if you don't think it's an emergency brake then go to an abandoned road in a private sealed testing compound, travel 100km/h, brace yourself and then pull the button and see what happens. It will not damage your vehicle.

[wai]

No I it is an emergency brake. By definition an emergency brake is a secondary braking system that works independently of the primary system. Primary system is your hydraulic footbrake, emergency system is your motorised rear calipers.

Well, you see, with dual circuit braking systems, each circuit is separate. The fact that both operate off the same foot pedal is coincidental. Either of the split circuits is the primary system. and the other is the secondary system. That is how the RMS see it. The handbrake is the parking brake, (in this case the electric parking brake).

By the way, there was a piece on the safest secondhand cars to buy in various categories in the Fifth Gear episode shown over the weekend. The Tiguan was the vehicle chosen in its category, however a particular comment was made about the electric parking brake which apparently has more than a few problems. They also questioned what VW were thinking when they introduced it.

[team_v]

Well, you see, with dual circuit braking systems, each circuit is separate. The fact that both operate off the same foot pedal is coincidental. Either of the split circuits is the primary system. and the other is the secondary system. That is how the RMS see it. The handbrake is the parking brake, (in this case the electric parking brake).

By the way, there was a piece on the safest secondhand cars to buy in various categories in the Fifth Gear episode shown over the weekend. The Tiguan was the vehicle chosen in its category, however a particular comment was made about the electric parking brake which apparently has more than a few problems. They also questioned what VW were thinking when they introduced it.

I would take any of those shows with a grain of salt to be honest.
They don't like anything that removes the driver from complete control of the car and love anything that lets you get sideways which is illegal here anyway.

I know the passat b6 version had some issues but i haven't had any problem and there is none i have read with the tiguan (released in 2008 )

[Snail Style]

Well, you see, with dual circuit braking systems, each circuit is separate. The fact that both operate off the same foot pedal is coincidental. Either of the split circuits is the primary system. and the other is the secondary system. That is how the RMS see it. The handbrake is the parking brake, (in this case the electric parking brake).

It's more of a split system than a dual system. Yes they are separate but you still braking capability due to effectively losing half of your brakes. And as pulling the parking brake switch in it's "emergency" mode doesn't make use of just the electric motors, but also the the ABS pump/valves also, it is much more of an emergency brake that a failed hydraulic system.

Your right that it is the parking brake, and effectively they don't need an emergency brake. But the germans love to double up on things

[DV52]

If that is truly the case, then be mindful of where you (and your passenger) rest your arms and hands!

As one would with any car, naturally.

Diesel_vert: Very true! Both passenger and driver hands should be no where near the e-brake when the car is moving.

As a safety issue, this could be a particular problem for families with young children. Hard enough to watch them when you're not driving, but it's especially difficult to see where thier hands are when the driver's eyes are on the road. To mitigate the heightened risk with small children, it suggests that kids of a certain age should refrain from using the front passenger seat. No one has emphasised this point but it's something for families with a mk7 Golf to be aware of.

Given the position of the e-brake and the ease with which it can be inadvertantly triggered, there should be a hood over the switch, or two seperate actions to turn it on - in an emergency. But there isn't - it's there in plain sight! Too late now I guess.

It is isn't mentioned in the manual, but I assume that using the e-brake as an emergency stop doesn't defeat the other safety features of the car (like ABS etc). Does anyone know if this is true?

[flight]

If that is truly the case, then be mindful of where you (and your passenger) rest your arms and hands!

As one would with any car, naturally.

Just for clarity, am I correct in believing that pushing the switch will turn OFF the parking/emergency brake and pulling the switch up will turn it ON - sort of a metaphor for pulling on or releasing a conventional handbrake lever?

If that is correct, resting an arm on the switch while the vehicle is in motion won't do anything, other than obstructing access to the switch.

[DV52]

Just for clarity, am I correct in believing that pushing the switch will turn OFF the parking/emergency brake and pulling the switch up will turn it ON - sort of a metaphor for pulling on or releasing a conventional handbrake lever?

If that is correct, resting an arm on the switch while the vehicle is in motion won't do anything, other than obstructing access to the switch.

Flight: How's your crusade going for a better map set for the mkVII Navsat (rhetorical question)? Your analogy is correct to a point. The difference seems to be that the action of turning on a mechanical brake has to be overt and deliberate. Whereas, notwithstanding that the on/off action on the e-brake is the same in the vertical direction, it doesn't take much effort to turn it on (a simple twist of the wrist will do it). Sure it still needs someone (either the driver or the passenger) to actually throw the switch, but this can be easily done in the case of of an e-brake with an absence of thought (in my opinion)

[Guest001]

If you are driving correctly both your hands should be on the steering wheel not playing with buttons on the centre console.

If the switch is on the drivers side of the console as it is in the Passat a passenger would have a hard job to interfere with it.

[flight]

Flight: How's your crusade going for a better map set for the mkVII Navsat (rhetorical question)? Your analogy is correct to a point. The difference seems to be that the action of turning on a mechanical brake has to be overt and deliberate. Whereas, notwithstanding that the on/off action on the e-brake is the same in the vertical direction, it doesn't take much effort to turn it on (a simple twist of the wrist will do it). Sure it still needs someone (either the driver or the passenger) to actually throw the switch, but this can be easily done in the case of of an e-brake with an absence of thought (in my opinion)

DV52 - I'm waiting to see what anybody has to say about map version and software when they experience their new 2014 Golf. That will include me at end of May - hopefully. Maybe it will come with version 7 maps and a sergeant Schultz accent.

As for the e-brake, I drove a manual TDI Golf around England for a couple of months last year and had absolutely no problems with the brake arrangements, even though my wife tends to take her share of the armrest and more. I much prefer the e-brake to a traditional lever.

[DV52]

If you are driving correctly both your hands should be on the steering wheel not playing with buttons on the centre console.

If the switch is on the drivers side of the console as it is in the Passat a passenger would have a hard job to interfere with it.

Hillbilly: The passat sounds like it has a better arrangement. The center console on the mk7 is (in my view) quite well arranged in terms of access. The e-brake swtch are on the passenger side albeit I wouldn't have thought that much would change if it were on the driver side

I much prefer the e-brake to a traditional lever.

Flight: I've been unclear in my view about the e-brake - my apology. I'm not saying that the e-brake is any worse, or better than the more traditional brake lever - it's just different! After about a year of owning a mk 7, I remain totally agnostic about the value or otherwise of this particular feature

I guess like all technological developments, the e-brake seems to have its advantages and disadvantages. The increased risk of inadvertant operation is just something that drivers need to be aware of (especially if the passenger is a child with a fidgetty personality - or the driver is the same ). On the other hand an advantage of the e-brake is the fact that it is electrically connected to the auto gearbox. This allows the e-brake to be automatically disengaged when the driver puts the car into the drive position (something I learnt from this thread).

The further disadvantage of the e-brake seems to be the added complexity of changing the brake pads. I'v watched a video on the Rosstech site about how to correctly do this task. What is a relatively simple task on a normal car requires a VCDS cable (or similar facilty) on a mk7 to open/close the calipers (because of the e-brake).

PS: The my13 version of the SatNav already has a Seargent Schultz personality. Whenever I try to punch-in a new route address the voice response is invariably "I KNOW NOTHING" !!

[Guest001]

Sounds like VW installed it for left hand drive and lazily did not produce a right hand drive version A bit poor isn't it as it would be the most used button on the centre console I would have thought.

As far as Sat navs go I have found that GIGO is king.

A few years ago I was going to Elizabeth St COBURG In my ignorance as I hadn't been to Melbourne before I entered Elizabeth St MELBOURNE.

Result was towing a 25ft van through the centre of Melbourne at 3 30pm on a Friday.

Not the most enjoyable experience with the trams etc ROFL.

[DV52]

Sounds like VW installed it for left hand drive and lazily did not produce a right hand drive version A bit poor isn't it as it would be the most used button on the centre console I would have thought.

As far as Sat navs go I have found that GIGO is king.

A few years ago I was going to Elizabeth St COBURG In my ignorance as I hadn't been to Melbourne before I entered Elizabeth St MELBOURNE.

Result was towing a 25ft van through the centre of Melbourne at 3 30pm on a Friday.

Not the most enjoyable experience with the trams etc ROFL.

Hillbilly: I spent a good many years when I was working in one of the offices above an Elizabeth St CBD intersection. An enjoyable, but sadly less productive activity (for my employer) was watching the chaos that constantly occurred in the street below. Most of the fun down at the intersection involved right hand turns from the LH side of the road and trams, but occasionally a caravan was a part of the action. You have my sympathy - traffic in the Melbourne CBD on a Friday afternoon was always very unforgiving.

[flight]

The further disadvantage of the e-brake seems to be the added complexity of changing the brake pads. I'v watched a video on the Rosstech site about how to correctly do this task. What is a relatively simple task on a normal car requires a VCDS cable (or similar facilty) on a mk7 to open/close the calipers (because of the e-brake).

PS: The my13 version of the SatNav already has a Seargent Schultz persinality. Whenever I try to punch-in a new route address the voice response is invariably "I KNOW NOTHING" !!

Nice one DV52. That's something else I have learned - don't try to change the brake pads.

[Mountainman]

Sounds like VW installed it for left hand drive and lazily did not produce a right hand drive version A bit poor isn't it as it would be the most used button on the centre console I would have thought.

My manual mk7 only has 3 switches on the console - the auto stop/start, the auto hold and the E brake - and I never touch any of them and have no need to. I leave them all on all of the time. My wife however accidently pulled the E brake lever up the other day when I was doing 100km/h on the highway and that's when we found an instant total lock-up of the rear wheels is not something any driver would want to happen. All she was doing was reaching to pull the centre slider lid shut and didn't look at what she was doing.

You are right though - if VW was really serious they would have moved all those controls to the driver's side of the console for right hand drive cars. It wouldn't stop passenger fiddling with or accidently using them though. The indicators and wiper controls should be swapped too.