gutted

[vanos]

Came in last night and parked the car on the drive and to my horror 45 minutes later i heard the car alarm going off looked out of the window and the car has rolled across the street into my neighbours car:aarg h:. Now i know the handbrake was on and this was confirmed when i got out to the car i made sure my neighbour witnessed that for me as no one will ever belive me.

My car came off best with bumber damage but my neighbours car has a dent in the wing and door which i have had to put though my insurance GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Now i know the stealer will just give me the old "well sir did you correctly apply the parking brake" and wash their hands of it.

So i have woken up to one strike on the protected no claims and damaged to my MCSC . Any ideas on a what to do on the handbrake and on the damage

Just going to break a match!!!!!!!

Look forward to your hearing your thoughts

[--Mike--]

Sorry to hear that it's happened to you car

I've heard of handbrakes not working after the brakes have cooled down and contracted making the pads lose contact with the discs.

I always leave my car in gear so if it does happen, then the gearbox/wheels are locked in position.

Hope you get it all sorted soon.

[NeuroBeaker]

Quote: Originally Posted by vanos (original)

Came in last night and parked the car on the drive and to my horror 45 minutes later i heard the car alarm going off looked out of the window and the car has rolled across the street into my neighbours car:aarg h:. Now i know the handbrake was on and this was confirmed when i got out to the car i made sure my neighbour witnessed that for me as no one will ever belive me.

Ouch! Sorry to hear that Vanos, hope you can figure out a way to cleanly resolve everything.

Quote: Originally Posted by --Mike-- (original)

I've heard of handbrakes not working after the brakes have cooled down and contracted making the pads lose contact with the discs.

I always leave my car in gear so if it does happen, then the gearbox/wheels are locked in position.

My house is on a hill actually, so I'm never leaving my car in neutral overnight again! Thanks for the tips on how to avoid something like this, Mike.

Sorry again Vanos.

Best of luck,
Andrew.

[--Mike--]

Quote: Originally Posted by ARCrawford (original)

Ouch! Sorry to hear that Vanos, hope you can figure out a way to cleanly resolve everything.



My house is on a hill actually, so I'm never leaving my car in neutral overnight again! Thanks for the tips on how to avoid something like this, Mike.

Sorry again Vanos.

Best of luck,
Andrew.

No problem, just remember to stick your foot on the clutch when starting or you'll end up in the car infront!!!!

[Paul]

Not the first or last time this has been reported on here, it's not that uncommon really. And it's not a MINI issue really, just the nature of hand/parking brakes that use the brake disks to lock on to.

The way to help prevent this is covered in the highway code:

226: Parking on hills. If you park on a hill you should

• park close to the kerb and apply the handbrake firmly
• select a forward gear and turn your steering wheel away from the kerb when facing uphill
• select reverse gear and turn your steering wheel towards the kerb when facing downhill
• use 'park' if your car has an automatic gearbox.

The Highway Code


It'll have to be insurance.

[minicabrio]

Unfortunately as others have said this does happen, and whenever you park on a hill it's best to leave your MINI in gear.

You'll need a new rear bumper, if you can find one on eBay, they're a simple DIY (PM me if you like as I've done my own before). If you're sourcing new parts though, the Aero rear bumper is usually cheaper than the standard one

[thebigyin]

Quote: Originally Posted by --Mike-- (original)

No problem, just remember to stick your foot on the clutch when starting or you'll end up in the car infront!!!!

I have two MINIs and neither of them will even turn the starter UNLESS you have the clutch fully depressed, so it should not be a problem.

[Root Ginger]

Quote: Originally Posted by thebigyin (original)

I have two MINIs and neither of them will even turn the starter UNLESS you have the clutch fully depressed, so it should not be a problem.

They only do this in the US. Everywhere else it's quite possible to crank the starter when in gear and the clutch engaged

[dsakko]

Yes, grunty little starter motors too. You sometimes wonder where the money goes in these cars until you look at the design and build quality of parts like the starter motor - tiny compared to other cars but heaps of torque.

Anyway, back on topic it's a problem that affects other cars (eg my girlfriend's Opel Corsa). She was parked on a slope closing a gate on her own when it rolled into a fence / gate across the road. Very lucky to get away with some minor scratches (on the car - she was unhurt).

A friend told me once never rely on a single point of failure. Applies to so many things. If you're parked, use the handbrake and something else (in gear / park or wheels turned to the kerb), when two people are working on a car get both to check the wheel nuts in case one forgets, when hanging a picture use two hooks, in racing you need two independent securing devices on the bonnet etc etc.

[vanos]

Thanks for your kind words, rest assured i will always leave the car in gear even on the flat and i recommend to anyone who only leaves their car on the handbrake on any slope DONT DO IT!!!! Minicabrio i will pm you if i decided to do this myself.

Kind Regards All