canonicalman

A bit more about this 'high-tech' trinket.

Does the parking brake work when the battery is dead or disconnected?

What if the brake is set, the car sits for a few weeks, and the battery dies? Does the parking brake release?

Should all B8s carry chocks to put under the wheels?

snagitseven

The brake is designed to mechanically release immediately when it senses the car start to move.

markcincinnati

You mean when I put the car in gear and forget to release that the moment I move the brake lets go?

snagitseven

Yah. It's right there in the manual. Really, it is. I wouldn't fib.

markcincinnati

And I'm the advocate of reading the damn manual -- mea culpa

bunn

"Of course, it is a lot more fun to get answers here on AW, but my first choice would be to RTFM."

(i'm just messin with ya)

snagitseven

Yeah, shame on you. :-)

canonicalman

I want to know what happens to the parking brake when the battery fails?

Does the brake release on power loss? So, if I'm parked on a hill and the battery dies the car rolls away? Or, does the brake not release until the battery is recharged, ie the car can't be moved with a dead battery.

What was wrong with the mechanical brake? Just too ordinary for a contemporary car that needs every doo-dad gadget imaginable to compete with every other car that all ready has every doo-dad gadget?

markcincinnati

I tried it --- it works in D or R!

snagitseven

The brake is electronically activated but is still mechanical in operation. If the car is in gear and starts to be driven, the brake releases instantly. This would be the case if the battery were dead or alive - the battery plays no role if the car is moved from stop. It will not release on its own unless the car is driven away. I would expect that it needs to see some torque of movement or speed to unlock on its own - I doubt just parking on a hill would cause the brake to release.