How do you park, in gear or with the parking brake?

So, today I'm giving a co-worker a ride to work, and when I parked and shut off the car...they kinda freaked.

"You leave the car in gear!?! You can't do that! Don't you know what kind of damage you're doing to the transmission? You only use the parking brake! THAT'S WHY IT'S CALLED THE PARKING BRAKE."

His explanation of the damage I was doing to the transmission was less than convincing.

I was taught to always park a car in gear when parking, and use the e-brake in tandem with it on steep hills. Plus, the fact that you're supposed to park the car in gear and with the e-brake off after a track session seems to reinforce my point. For the record, I park with the clutch in and on the brake, shut the car off, and then release the clutch.

Of course, I didn't spend that much time discussing it with him, just found it odd. Is this another one of those car myths that people believe?

Saab c900s have the ignition barrel down between the front seats, so no steering lock. Instead, there's a lock-out on reverse gear, meaning you're always leaving it parked in reverse.

I suspect your friend would also be mystified by 'bump' starting

Both

I do both.

I do both. If you have ever had your car roll out of the driveway you would too.

Both. First gear if I'm on level or pointed downhill, reverse if I'm pointed uphill. I know, first gear has enough holding power to hold the car even rolling backwards, but whatever. I'm paranoid.

I've never heard this one, I think your co-worker may have invented that one himself. I bet your owner's manual contains instructions on the proper procedure.

I have a friend who won't use cruise control because she used cruise control once in a clapped-out old '80's Dodge and then the car burnt to a crisp in a parking lot. Oddly, she continues to buy awful Mopars but is terrified of the cruise button.

Twin_Cam wrote: Both. First gear if I'm on level or pointed downhill, reverse if I'm pointed uphill. I know, first gear has enough holding power to hold the car even rolling backwards, but whatever. I'm paranoid.

I don't understand why this would make a difference. Aren't you just using compression in the combustion chambers to create resistance? Why would it matter if gravity and your gear selection would tend to push the motor the direction it turns when running or the opposite of the direction it turns when running?

Usually just in gear. maybe the brake if on a hill

Both. In first with parking brake. Once had to replace a parking brake that had died due to lack of use and never, ever want to do that again.

ShadowSix wrote:

Twin_Cam wrote: Both. First gear if I'm on level or pointed downhill, reverse if I'm pointed uphill. I know, first gear has enough holding power to hold the car even rolling backwards, but whatever. I'm paranoid.

I don't understand why this would make a difference. Aren't you just using compression in the combustion chambers to create resistance? Why would it matter if gravity and your gear selection would tend to push the motor the direction it turns when running or the opposite of the direction it turns when running?

I'm not convinced that it actually matters, but I don't like the idea of turning the engine the "wrong" direction, as I think about the slack side of the cam chain being pulled taut across the tensioner and having the slack yanked out of it when you go to start it next time...

To the original question, I usually just use the parking brake unless I'm on a hill, then will use first or reverse depending on downhill or uphill facing according to above paranoia.

Neutral with parking brake. That one time you reach through the window to turn a car "on" and accidentally bump "start" the car will start off that quarter crank and drive through your garage wall. I saw it happen far too many times in my short stint as a professional mechanic. I also had a car drive away with me hanging out the window once. Broke that park-in-gear habit real fast.

This assumes I'm driving a car that has a functioning parking brake. I'll usually stop the car to park with the parking brake just to make sure it works properly.

In reply to skruffy: I hate to admit it but I did it too. It was a Spitfire @ a Brit. car dealership I was working @. Pretty scary! I could have hurt another mechanic or someone else's car.

In a level parking lot, I don't put the car in gear for fear of getting hit and the impact possibly causing internal tranny damage. Otherwise, yes-always in gear with the parking brake on. Your co-worker is over reacting.

On level ground, I put it in reverse. If the grade of the hill bugs me at all, I pull the E-Brake and leave it in reverse.

Manual or automatic, I always use the parking brake and make sure it's holding the car without rolling with the transmission in Neutral. If what I'm driving is an automatic and the parking brake won't hole the car, I'll try to park somewhere flatter. If you need 'Park' to hold the car in place, that means when you leave you're going to have to put some effort on the shifter lever to get the transmission out of Park because the weight of the vehicle wants to hold the tranny in Park. This I'm sure is not going to harm the transmission, but the load of trying to shift out of Park can't be good for the shifter linkage in the long term.

It's my habit to leave manual-transmission cars in second gear when parked. Even if the tranny is helping to hold the car in place, that load is released when you depress the clutch pedal.

Look at the old driving manuals. They all tell you that neither the parking brake or transmission alone is sufficient for parking on a hill. You must engage both. They say use 1st gear.

In gear only....most of my hoopties never have a working parking brake.

Parking brake only (+park with an automatic) I dont think the timing belt/chain needs the extra stress.

In Park. If I'm on a steep hill, it's Park + Parking Brake with wheels turned. Can't be too careful.

Both. New cars cant be started without depressing the clutch. Automatics, Park only. Ohio cars (any car from rust belt) the e brake will usually not release, if its not always used or maintained.

skruffy wrote: Neutral with parking brake. That one time you reach through the window to turn a car "on" and accidentally bump "start" the car will start off that quarter crank and drive through your garage wall. I saw it happen far too many times in my short stint as a professional mechanic. I also had a car drive away with me hanging out the window once. Broke that park-in-gear habit real fast. This assumes I'm driving a car that has a functioning parking brake. I'll usually stop the car to park with the parking brake just to make sure it works properly.

Wouldn't this be solved by parking in 5th vs 1st or reverse?

Both. In 1st. I also never apply the parking brake as tight as it will go. Just enough friction to hold it. More on a hill of course but not too many around here. When I park my Opel GT in the garage, I leave it in neutral with parking brake off. Mainly so I can move it back and forth easily and when reaching in to hit the starter it won't jerk forward. My Miata and RX8 have clutch switch not allowing the starter to engage without the clutch depressed. On AT, I just use park, no E-brake unless necessary. My daughters do the park in neutral and pull the parking brake as hard as the can. Drives me crazy and they won't stop. Her mechanic boyfriend told her not to do what I say. What does daddy know I guess. I was taught not to pull the parking brake too hard when you first park because of the heat in the brakes causes uneven cooling when applied too tight.

I use both after I left my Rx-7 in gear and it ended up rolling down a hill into a cornfield.

my auto... in neutral, then parking brake on, then in park

my CRX ... at the track, in gear only... at home, in gear with a chock in place .... the parking brake tends to want to stay "on" if left sitting for a couple of weeks

my Integra ... the same... chock a wheel, leave it in gear, (I usually don't drive it more than once or twice a mo., though I may need to start driving it more often (35 mpg vs. 23 with the Impreza)