AIBU to feel a bit cross to see so many people damaging their cars on a daily basis?!!

[phoenixflower]

Maybe IABU but personally don't feel that I am!

Whenever I hear someone pulling up their hand brake without pressing the button in (and it makes that horrible sound) it makes me a bit cross as it is damaging their car. Surely they must know it is damaging it?? I remember my driving instructor telling me how damaging it was not to push the button in as it wears down all the little metal 'teeth' and can make the hand brake ineffective or even fail if it got worn down enough.

I mean, it's hardly an effort to push the button in and pull it up!! AIBU to feel a bit cross and want to tell them to do it properly so they don?t damage their car?!!

Why don't people push the button in? I can't understand it!! ( Sorry for the rant, think I am maybe a bit hormonal!)

aw are you ok, you sound a bit stressed

I think you are having a bad day

I don't know if this is true but I was told by a mechanic that it isn't damaging and driving instructors only say that because they don't like the noise.

Does anyone know for certain one way or the other?

I have the same issue with the hand brake. drives me NUTS! My mother still does it - really YANKS the hand brake up without pressing the button - ARGHHH!

Also get really irked with people who apparently are unaware that you should leave your car in gear when parked and not just rely on hand brake. Friend's car almost ran over her child on drive when loose hand brake (and yes she was a non button presser yanker of the hand brake!) slipped. I said 'But why was it not in gear?' she replied 'Well, i didnt know it should be!' I thought 'ARHGHHHH!!!'

And breathe

And AFAIK it damages the hand brake cable tension if you dont press the button when pulling it up.....but i could be misinformed?

I was never taught to leave the car in gear.

It used to drive me mad the first time I had to 'share' a car with DP as he would always leave it in gear and I wouldn't. I had a few lurches forwards on starting the engine I can tell you

..but I do press the handbrake button in you'll be pleased to know

do they still have buttons?

I do it all the time. Yes, it damages the car a teeny bit. It's habit.

I thought this was going to be from somebody who witnessed me drive over a kerb in Morrison's car park this afternoon.

Car was fine, btw.

I used to leave car in gear all the time until DH had a go about it, fast forward a couple of years i'm parked outside friends house on a hill and handbrake cable failed careered down the hill and into a wall was written off first and only accident. It was due to go for M.O.T where it would of been spotted and fixed.
I've never been told about pressing the button but do anyway.

I was never taught to leave it in gear with the one exception of when you're parked on a very steep hill leave it in the opposite gear. AFAIK no reason to leave it in gear on the flat.

Probably an outdated rule from when cars and their spindly handbrakes were shite

Handbrakes work in a ratchet - you shouldn't press the button when putting the hand brake on, but should press the button when taking it off. It should tell you in your car manual.

Lengthy discussion [http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=37678617 here]

Sorry here

I have no idea whether I do or I don't press the button!

The car is on the drive and not in the front room though, so I'm sure I do one or the other!

Thats where I was mistaken its when taking it off I do sometimes takes 2 hands as I've been known to put it on a bit tight since my accident.

We must have told each other, seeing as we're the only two that know

Watching with interest - DH is a yank-and-cranker, I'm a button in girl.

It's more divisive than you think, these are the issues that can cause the crack that leads to the rift that ends the whole marriage, it's almost as important as definitively confirming whether it's more fuel efficient to drive with a full tank (extra load) or partially full (more frequent top ups needed).

maclover You Are Right

is interesting to see different points of view... maybe different car manuals say different things. I am going to dig mine out and see what it says!

I do believe that the Sugababes wrote a song about this very subject! ('Push the button' for those that haven't heard it...)

I'm definitely a push-the-button in girl too!!

unless they are asking you to pay for repairs, try to calm down a bit, eh?

Says she who regularly gets enraged by things that don't affect her one little bit