Dude, where's my car?

[sor]

The e-brake may very well have an issue, but relying ONLY on the e-brake to hold your car on an incline is pretty dangerous, working or not. That's why we have 'P' and why manuals should be kept in gear. I agree that the e-brake shouldn't allow the car to roll if engaged properly, but there's really not any way to ensure that it's engaged "enough" before walking away. It may hold for three minutes and then start creeping. So don't trust it, lots of room for error on it.

As for my e-brake, I have to yank it pretty good to ensure that the car won't go anywhere on a hill when running and in 'n'. Pretty much every e-brake I've operated (short of the pushbutton kind on some of the Audis) has been that way, though; the force it takes to pull the lever corresponds directly to the braking force being applied. Not a BMW issue.

[w00tw00t]

scary ... but sort of funny (sorry op!) - good lesson to never trust just the hand brake..

..reminds me of a long time ago when I was in college.. me and two other friends were pushing his old crappy car (engine won't start) down the road .. when the road suddenly dipped and the car started to roll on its own .. at first it just rolled gently and we were happy that we didn't have to push the car hard... and then... it picked up speed... and it literally rolled down the hill picking up speed... with the three of us running after it ... i must have got the door open but couldn't get in ... it must have rolled down at least one mile at speeds > 20 mph .. we couldn't keep up!! haha! .. luckily no one was hurt though a few pedestrians were laughing their heads off seeing three teens run after a car .. will never forget it ..

[Merked M3]

I'm wondering what you were picking up? Dime bag?

[speedfan]

hahaha I'm sure the neighbor would laugh if they saw that.

Good save OP.

[SenorFunkyPants]

I would have though that leaving your car unlocked, unattended with the engine running rather a foolish thing to do...anyone could have gotten in and driven off.
Did the car not warn you against exiting the car with it in neutral?

[spyderco10]

Originally Posted by Seattle S65B40

Definitely wasn't up high enough. Glad everything worked out OK but why leave the car running? you should have just shut it off and parked it normally. You have to be careful because a lot of bad things could happen over nothing. I don't know if I would have tried to jump in the car. I had a case where a 19 yo kid died trying to get into a car rolling away like that.

+1 he could have very easily gotten mangled, run over or killed trying to jump into a moving car. a bit surprised no one else realizes this.

[Canuckles]

+2

I've heard it happen before.... that being said glad things worked out. Reminds me of an instance last summer with a gentleman and his 599 GTB. We parked on an incline to switch seats, rather terrifying. His E-brake was totally loose upon inspection afterwards.

[FVM3]

maybe the ebrake wasnt all the way up?

[Franken///M]

Originally Posted by R A W L S

My ebrake has never completely locked up my wheel unless I pulled the handle up as tight as possible to the last ratchet. Anything less and the car can still role. It came like this from the factory.

Same here

[SUB-ZERO]

1. The handbrake light may have been on, but the lever may not have been raised all the way. Over time, as the handbrake is used more and more, the brake pads get worn out, thus requiring you to really pull of on the handbrake.

2. If you have ever mistakenly driven your car with the handbrake engaged, this is will also cause premature wear...see #1.

Glad you are safe and that you didn't hurt the ///M, yourself or a pedestrian.

-SZ

[mdosu]

Originally Posted by persian54

it shouldn't roll with the ebrake on....

you should ask your dealer to check it

depends on the steepness of the hill, it'll roll.

OP, you should always always always, put the car in gear when parked on a steep hill. This will happen as your rear brake pads will not hold the car's weight properly on a steep incline.


Lesson Learned!

[NYCMCBM3]

next time pull harder , I had the same problem in my driveway with a 1 ft incline

[sameh]

There was a thread not too long ago dedicated to ebrake. The conclusion was that it needs to be pulled FORCEFULLY to the end otherwise it's not dependable. Look it up

[mkoesel]

Yikes. Glad you, car, and bystanders are ok.

I've left mine in neutral with the engine on for a quick stop before. But after reading this - never again. Parking pawl in combo with the brake (even when its not fully engaged) would probably have kept the car in place. Too bad you can't put the DCT into park with the engine on.

[Jbook]

Like the others said, my car rolls if I don't pull the e-brake up as far as it will go

[persian54]

Originally Posted by Jaypod

Again, thanks for pointing out the obvious.

Also, it may not be damaged at all, may not have been completely engaged or need an adjustment.....

When the opened said in "up and locked position" I assumed he ahd pulled it all the way up, especially since the hill is steep.

"Sorry" for pointing out the obvious, but most of what is said and/or asked on this forum is 'obvious' to someone one way or another.

[James T. Kirk]

Scary story. An emergency brake is a progressive brake depending on how hard you crank it up in relationship to the weight demands of an incline.

Even when it's perfectly calibrated, you should ever trust it as your only way to hold your automobile up. It is only meant as supplemental support to a gear lock such as "P" or 1st gear.

The OP can cry all he wants to BMW, but at core the situation was his fault.

I am sincerely glad this was just a learning experience without any serious consequences.

[davem3fan]

C'mon fellows, I know you all know how to give it a good yank!

[Pointerman]

Do you have any idea how many cars are stolen while running with the keys in the ignition? It only takes a few seconds to steal a car this way. It is really that hard to push the start/stop button?

[SenorFunkyPants]

Originally Posted by Pointerman

Do you have any idea how many cars are stolen while running with the keys in the ignition? It only takes a few seconds to steal a car this way.

If you have your car stolen with the keys in the ignition in the UK your insurance won't pay you a dime.

[Pointerman]

Is that a "stupid tax"?

[persian54]

Originally Posted by SenorFunkyPants

If you have your car stolen with the keys in the ignition in the UK your insurance won't pay you a dime.

Well if you have CA, and the key is on you when you get it, someone can still drive the car away without the key..

Funny, today I had to run back inside to get something and pulled the ebrake up (engine on) but then decided to turn the car off too when i remembered this thread lol