How to properly park the car

[Biffy]

Hi all! I just got my European 300C 5.7 Hemi Touring. I am deeply in love with the car this far. I've only had it for a couple of days so i haven't figured everything out yet. This is also my first car with an automatic transmission.

1) Sometimes when i park the car and shift to the P-gear and release the brake the car rolls backwards about 4 inches. I've been doing some googling and apparently this is normal. Please let me know if it isn't.

2) This leads to my second question. When i park the car i always kick down the e-break before shifting to the P-gear. If the car wants to move a couple of inches, it does not feel good to have the e-break in. Sure, the car does not move but will the breaks be worn very fast?

According to my Swedish manual i should always kick down the e-brake before shifting to the P-gear. Is it safe to shift to P-gear, release the brake and then "kick down" the e-brake? This is how i do it now:

* Park the car.
* Brake while having the D-gear in, kick down the e-break.
* Move into P-gear
* Release the brake.
* Turn off the engine

[darkstarsinner]

I've never used the e brake to put a car in
Park. Kind of sounds like things are being way over complicated.


Sent from my DROID BIONIC using AutoGuide.Com Free App

[Biffy]

Originally Posted by darkstarsinner

I've never used the e brake to put a car in
Park. Kind of sounds like things are being way over complicated.


Sent from my DROID BIONIC using AutoGuide.Com Free App

Well, yeah that would be the best way to do this. I do this myself sometimes if i am sure that the road is plain. But let's say that you are parking in a slope, the weight of the car will "weigh" on the gearbox? Some people say that it will damage the gearbox and some people say that it wont hurt anything at all. I don't know anything about this, i just enjoy driving that big American V8.

[Northern Rider]

The Park postion will hold the car just fine on even the steepest of slopes without any harm to the transmission.

It is designed to work this way.

[ivanford]

I use the handbrake every time I park, it keeps it from getting siezed up, a common problem on these cars.

[Biffy]

Originally Posted by Northern Rider

The Park postion will hold the car just fine on even the steepest of slopes without any harm to the transmission.

It is designed to work this way.

Alright, thanks!

About the car sometimes moving some inches backwards when in park, is that something specific to the transmission in the 300C or does all automatic cars do this?

[ivanford]

Any automatic I have owned will move a little after you select park.

[JTSRT8]

I'm from mostly manuals too. So what I do is habit. Car in P while foot is on the brake, Parking brake on then foot off break, then key off & out. I always use the parking brake.

[MADDOG]

If I am parking on a hill, I follow that process just to make sure I am not putting extra pressure on the parking pawl in the transmission.

1. Stop
2. With brake pedal depressed, put in Park. Don't release brake pedal.
3. With brake pedal depressed, engage e-brake.
4. Release brake pedal.

The car should not move much, if any. If it does, the e-brake needs attention. This will NOT wear out your e-brake. You just have to remember to release it before you drive away.

[Biffy]

Originally Posted by MADDOG

If I am parking on a hill, I follow that process just to make sure I am not putting extra pressure on the parking pawl in the transmission.

1. Stop
2. With brake pedal depressed, put in Park. Don't release brake pedal.
3. With brake pedal depressed, engage e-brake.
4. Release brake pedal.

The car should not move much, if any. If it does, the e-brake needs attention. This will NOT wear out your e-brake. You just have to remember to release it before you drive away.

This is pretty much the way i do it, except i engage the e-brake while in Drive (with the brake pedal depressed of course) and shift to Park afterwards. The car does not move, but sometimes it wants to move those inches and i can hear the e-brake prohibiting that with a short "brake noise".