What happens when your handbrake fails

[Stickyfinger]

BUGGER !....this is a problem !

[Hell Razor5543]

OOPS!

[Stickyfinger]

ahhh, the master of the understatement ....Opps indeed.

as I type I am waiting for the crane to arrive !

[benzema]

Ah man. Did you manage to get out yet?

[Stickyfinger]

Yeh She is out, used a 6 wheel long lift crane ....fun days

[Zelandeth]

In my case nothing...several years of Saabs means the car is always left in reverse.

...drives my father mad every time I take his 208 out!

[daviemck2006]

I was taught to always leave the car either in 1st or reverse. And if on a slope with the wheels turned to the kerb. I've never had a car roll away on me yet. There have been two c5's ended up in the harbour at Portsoy where I lived before here. It is a slope down to the harbour. I can recall any other car ending up in the drink. Both were parked up at the time.

[Hell Razor5543]

In their early days the Xantia had a handbrake issue, which meant that, after being parked up for half an hour or so, it could roll away. It even made "Watchdog". The problem with leaving a car in gear when parked is (until you get used to it) remembering to take it OUT of gear before starting the car! Crunch! (although I haven't, yet!).

[daviemck2006]

I was also taught to start the car with my the clutch down. This was by my dad who was taught to drive in the army in a truck. I also was taught block gear changes, up and down. I was taught that again many years later when I did my training and driving test for busses. In the c5 I tend to do 1,2,4,6. When approaching junctions, roundabouts, go right up to them in whatever gear you are in and dip the clutch as late as possible, select whatever gear you want to drive away. Even if that is straight from 6 to 1.

[CitroJim]

I was taught to always start with the clutch depressed. It relieves a bit of load on the starter in that it doesn't have to spin the gearbox over and in the days of hypoid 90 gear oil on a cold day that could be quite an additional load!

It's irrelevant now but old habits die hard...

I always pop a manual car in 1st. Another old habit. I think manual 'boxes should have a 'P' like autos...

[addo]

Good practice for anyone about to start on a long drive.