Applying the handbrake

[replicant71]

Silly question time but how do you apply the handbrake?

From what I understand, if you have hold assist turned ON, then you don't have to manually apply the handbrake, it will do it automatically when turning the ignition off.

However, if you don't have hold assist on, then you have to manually apply the handbrake by flicking the switch up.

Is this correct? Or is there another way to apply the handbrake automatically without having to have hold assist turned on?

 

[JKP]

I think it always applies the handbrake automatically when you just turn the ignition off right away. But if you don't have the hold assist on and select the P gear before switching off, then it doesn't apply the handbrake, so that's the way how you switch the car off if you want to do that without applying the handbrake. Might have also been so that you can leave it to N and switch the car off for the situations when you have to leave it movable by hand.

But I have a feeling it might have been the way you described in my old MY21 car, and the way I described in the newer car. Have to test if I'm right.

 

[KXL]

I have a MY21 car with DSG. When I pull up, and press the round engine on/off button, it auto engages P and the parking brake (it lights up). If I press just the P button, the car goes into P mode, but the handbrake does not light up. So I assume that the car is in park, and it will hold itself with the engine. You can still of course still lift the P level and it will have the handbrake on. Where I normally park the car at home, I know it's flat (enough), so I don't bother with the handbrake. Everywhere else I go, I just turn the engine off so it engages the brake itself.

 

[JKP]

Tested it today. Indeed it works just like I thought and KXL wrote. Also if you have the auto hold on, turning the ignition off applies the handbrake every time, regardless of have you pressed the P button first or not.

I never bother to separately press the p button or lift the handbrake lever, I just always hit the on-off button.

 

[replicant71]

Cheers guys, I shall try it by just turning the ignition off without selecting P first.