Parking on Hills

[dmitri]

aite i live in new jersey and alot of the residential areas liek west orange where friends live have lots of steep hills where i have to park. It sucks. Even if im in gear with the parking brake on, the vibe might still roll. The parking brake is really weak, and the car moves while in gear, even if in reverse a little. anyone elses like this?

[ragingfish]

My parking brake is rock solid. Make sure you pull it up as far as it will go. If it still doesn't hold at full engagement, have it adjusted or repaired!Make sure you press the brake pedal all the way down, engage the brake, then shift into park. When shifting out of park, press down the brake fully, shift into gear, then release the parking brake.I know you probably know that, but for those who may be unsure as to how to properly use the brake.As to rolling, sure, my car rolls on a steep hill a bit, I'm not concerned about it though...

[NovaResource]

quote:My parking brake is rock solid.Ditto.quote:Make sure you pull it up as far as it will go. If it still doesn't hold at full engagement, have it adjusted or repaired!I agree, have it checked.quote:Make sure you press the brake pedal all the way down, engage the brake, then shift into park. When shifting out of park, press down the brake fully, shift into gear, then release the parking brake.I know you probably know that, but for those who may be unsure as to how to properly use the brake.I know you probably know this, but for those who may be unsure dmitri has a GT with a manual transmission. There is no "PARK" in a manual.quote:Does the parking brake have a tensioner adjuster on it?Yes, that's why it should be taken back to the dealer for an adjustment.dmitri, do you turn your wheels when you park? If not you should. When facing downhill always turn the the wheels towards the curb. When facing uphill you should always turn the wheels away from the curb. This way if the car rolls, the front wheels will move towards the curb and then stop the car when they hit the curb.

[ragingfish]

quote:I know you probably know this, but for those who may be unsure dmitri has a GT with a manual transmission. There is no "PARK" in a manual.Actually, I didn't even think about that! I was thinking in my white bread world where everyone drives an auto. quote:dmitri, do you turn your wheels when you park? If not you should. When facing downhill always turn the the wheels towards the curb. When facing uphill you should always turn the wheels away from the curb. This way if the car rolls, the front wheels will move towards the curb and then stop the car when they hit the curb.Also a good point! I rarely park on hills, asnd when I do, I always forget about that whole turning wheel thing.

[Hot Vibe]

Go to home depot and buy a 4"X4"X8". Cut in half on a 45degree angle and stick under tires. End of problem. No dealership hassles and you are assured that when you come back to the Vibe it will still be there. Some smart (removed) may take the lumber though. LOLYou could even custom paint the blocks to match the Vibe. Always use your emergency brake on a manual. Even if you are at home in the driveway. The parking brake has two cables going to each of the rears. Both cables connect to what is called an Equalizer. That is near the middle of the vehicle under the lever inside the car. The cables may need to be tightened under that position. The lever has a single cable and it connects to the equalizer which splits off to the two cables.Part # 88971133 maybe causing you trouble.

[joatmon]

If your parking brake doesn't hold the vehicle on a hill, either it is not engaged enough or needs repair or adjustment. For repair/adjustment, I'd take it to a dealer (if still under warranty) unless I had so little confidence in the particular service department that I thought I could do a better job myself. it's a safety issue, so get it taken care of. When parking on a hill, turn your front wheels so that if the car rolls the front wheels will hit the curb. This uses the curb as a backup wheel chock. The exception to this is when parking up hill, if either the slope is so steep or the curb is so low that you don't think that it will be adequate to stop the car (the tires might jump the curb) then turn your wheels so that if the car does roll, it will turn away from traffic.

[Reynoma]

quote:Even if im in gear with the parking brake on, the vibe might still roll. The parking brake is really weak, and the car moves while in gear, even if in reverse a little. anyone elses like this?Yes. My Vibe GT has been the same way since I picked it up. It even rolled w/ the brake on at the dealer. I have to pull it ALL THE WAY up (making it difficult for my wife to release) (mental note: she cannot take my car if I put the brake on real tight). I'm waiting for the first service appointment to have them tighten it.

[NovaResource]

Something just occured to me: GT's have rear disc brakes and base models have drums. Because of the way drum brakes work, they hold better when using the parking brake. A parking brake that uses drums doesn't need to be pulled as tight as a parking brake that uses discs.

[dmitri]

Thanks for the info Reynoma is having the same problem with his GT. I think ill take mine in to have it adjusted. As for parking and turning my wheels, my dad said the same thing, but my vibe sometimes gets enough momentum to roll over it im guessing. Plus i hate coming close to curbs with my nice new wheels

[TrojanGT]

Thanks for this one! Why? My dealer service rep tried to convince me that a "certain amount of roll" was normal. He declined to do any "adjustments" under warranty, since on flatland all seemed well. My husband was no help on this one, thinking I was just not pulling up enough. NOT! I'm a mom, can haul anything, plenty o'right arm strength.He told me that the way the GT parking brake is constructed, you just have to accept that it doesn't "lock" where you put it, but at specific points (like notches?) around the wheel. He said he could do something, but they'd have to disassembled the whole rear wheel brake assembly and charge me a ton, just to "adjust" it.Seeing as how they had my car FOREVER that time, for the clutch replacement, maybe I should have had them do it, then pursue another refund So no, you're not alone. For now, I park carefully, curb wheels, leave in R or 1st (depending), and don't let anyone open doors until I'm sure the car isn't going to move any more. What a pain. I think I'll have my independent, Toyota-educated mechanic fix it right someday (when we finally do the brakes? At least they are holding up nicely... 36K miles and still going strong.) What a great car, but these niggly things will make me nuts!Mahalo,Dawn

[scherry2]

quote:Go to home depot and buy a 4"X4"X8". Cut in half on a 45degree angle and stick under tires. End of problem. No dealership hassles and you are assured that when you come back to the Vibe it will still be there. ROFL thats what i would do if I had a manual trans.

[MadBill]

quote:Thanks for this one! ...My dealer service rep tried to convince me that a "certain amount of roll" was normal. He declined to do any "adjustments" under warranty, since on flatland all seemed well..He told me that the way the GT parking brake is constructed, you just have to accept that it doesn't "lock" where you put it, but at specific points (like notches?) around the wheel. He said he could do something, but they'd have to disassembled the whole rear wheel brake assembly and charge me a ton, just to "adjust" it.36K miles and still going strong.)...Your service rep is a dangerous idiot! 1. "Roll" is not normal! Federal regulations require the park brake to hold on (I believe) a 30% grade with a certain reasonable pull on the lever. If I put my (drum rear brakes) Vibe park brake on firmly while moving, it will slide the tires!2. Disc parking brakes do not have "notches" -maybe he's thinking of automatic transmission park mechanisms. Some disc park systems use a mechanical linkage on the hydraulic piston, some have a separate tiny drum brake (not sure about Vibe), but they all have to meet the same regulations.You owe it to yourself and everyone else on the road to go further: Service Manager, Dealer Principal, GM District Service Manager, GM, etc. until they take you seriously!

[MrRich]

quote:If I put my (drum rear brakes) Vibe park brake on firmly while moving, it will slide the tires!Same here!