Electric handbrake Passat

sadie9

We just got a used VW Passat with Electronic Parking Brake. When parking it (like at night or in a parking space), the manual says to make sure the Parking Brake switch is Off. Is that right? Surely you put it on when you park?
I know it says to put into gear as well.

John T Carroll

sadie9 wrote: »

We just got a used VW Passat with Electronic Parking Brake. When parking it (like at night or in a parking space), the manual says to make sure the Parking Brake switch is Off. Is that right? Surely you put it on when you park?
I know it says to put into gear as well.

When you have parked the car press the EPB Switch and it will illuminate as well as a symbol in the dahboard. The EPB Switch will stay illuminated for maybe 15 secs or so and is normally still illuminated when you exit the car but will then extinguish. It is a very good practice to leave the car in either 1st or reverse gear.

vectra

This is my first car with an electronig parking brake ( 2015 passat ) And love it.
put it on auto and forget about it.
Mine does move off with the seatbelt off as I often move it around when cleaning it.

sadie9

Thanks. The User Manual is confusing, maybe its a bad translation. It says to make sure and switch it off before leaving the vehicle. Then later it talks about putting it on to park normally.
Don't think the 2007 Passat has the Auto Hold button.

John T Carroll

sadie9 wrote: »

Thanks. The User Manual is confusing, maybe its a bad translation. It says to make sure and switch it off before leaving the vehicle. Then later it talks about putting it on to park normally.
Don't think the 2007 Passat has the Auto Hold button.

No, nor my daughter's 2008, it almost ran away with her two children inside it, probably due to misuse, I,ve always been amazed that it doesn't have an alarm to tell you that its not applied but no doubt there is some obscure safety reason for this as well but for over 30 years now they warn you if you walk off and leave the lights on!!, which wont injure/kill anyone. I think what can happen very easily is that you have applied it properly with the engine still running and then if you press the switch again with the foot brake depressed it will switch it off again. There is no fool proof way but I would suggest that you make it a habit of exiting the car while the EPB light is still illuminated and leave the car in gear, I think it stays illuminated for 30 secs and not 15 secs. I drive that car very regularly and have no problem with it.

07Lapierre

John T Carroll wrote: »

No, nor my daughter's 2008, it almost ran away with her two children inside it, probably due to misuse, I,ve always been amazed that it doesn't have an alarm to tell you that its not applied but no doubt there is some obscure safety reason for this as well but for over 30 years now they warn you if you walk off and leave the lights on!!, which wont injure/kill anyone. I think what can happen very easily is that you have applied it properly with the engine still running and then if you press the switch again with the foot brake depressed it will switch it off again. There is no fool proof way but I would suggest that you make it a habit of exiting the car while the EPB light is still illuminated and leave the car in gear, I think it stays illuminated for 30 secs and not 15 secs. I drive that car very regularly and have no problem with it.

Or Park, turn off ignition, press the clutch, put it into gear,,,exit car. I hate those EHB's I just ignore it.

mickdw

Just engage it when you park and forget about it. When you go to move the car again, it will disengage itself and allow you to drive away.

If you have the more advanced hill hold function, you only need to engage that once and then the whole thing looks after itself -
It stops rolling back on hills without doing anything
It engages the parking brake when you leave the car
It disengages when you move.