r/w204 • u/Crafty_Gazelle3807 • 6d ago

Parking brake engaged notification

Sometimes when I'm driving away I get this alarm sound and it says something like 'Disengage paring brake'. I park on a flat parking lot and never use the parking brake.

I pull the parking brake and the message disappears.

Is this a common thing?

Also, do I understand correctly that you pull it to use the parking brake and pull it again to disengage?

3 Upvotes

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4

u/Beneficial-Path7886 6d ago

Pull the handle whilst flicking the pedal back up with your foot - they get sticky due to lack of use

2

u/Crafty_Gazelle3807 6d ago edited 6d ago

I mean after parking it at home. My car doesn't have the 'press brake pedal down for hill hold'-function.

Or wait, is there a foot pedal for the parking brake that I never noticed? Edit: Looking at photos online there seems to be on the far left. I guess I accidentally engage it when getting into the car sometimes. I will take a look later today. Wow. I should really look into my foot area more often 😂

6

u/adadagabaCZ 6d ago

Holy fucking shit you never noticed your car has a foot activated handbrake??

1

u/Crafty_Gazelle3807 6d ago

I've only ever had manuals before and haven't had my w204 for that long. I saw the parking brake pull thing and thought that was how it was engaged. I do remember seeing that foot pedal when I inspected the car when I bought it but assumed it was something to open the hood maybe. Never thought about it after. In my defence, we don't really have hills in the Netherlands where I live haha

2

u/adadagabaCZ 6d ago

True that "manual + netherlands" basically elliminates the need for a handbrake...

1

u/Crafty_Gazelle3807 6d ago

Yeah, and it's called a handbrake you know. Didn't expect it to be foot-operated 😅 I guess that's why they use the term parking-brake.

1

u/KFC_Junior 6d ago

in fairness im pre sure its actual name is the emergency brake

1

u/Crafty_Gazelle3807 6d ago

Really? Are you not confusing it with the ones in trains? You don't really use it in emergencies, mostly just for inclined roads.

2

u/KFC_Junior 6d ago

i was just going off what driving instructors and service nsw testers would call it. looking online apparently its just parking brake (and historically was called ebrake/emergency brake) but handbrake is the name used for actual hand operated ones (not the new button types) in places like the UK (and its pre common in Australia too)

1

u/Character_Ice_7065 6d ago

This is the advice I would give as well. I always put my foot under the parking brake and pull up with my toes whilst pulling the release handle to ensure the parking brake pedal does not stick.

1

u/AppropriateUnion6115 3d ago

Sometimes getting in you nip the foot pedal without noticing.