Parking brakes are important for all who live in a hilly area, especially if you have a manual transmission. Whether manual or automatic, though, the sense of security of having a working parking brake is one that all BMW owners want. Here we will discuss what to do if you have a parking brake failure in your BMW and what the signs are that you have a problem.
Dangers of Not Having a Working Parking Brake
While parking brakes are not intended to be used while driving, they are certainly necessary for parking, especially on inclines. The consequences of not having a working parking brake in your BMW are as follows:
- Rolling Vehicle can occur whenever you are parked on a steep incline, or even a slight incline, and your car is not fully in gear, or comes out of gear. Vehicles with non-working parking brakes have been known to roll into others’ property and cause damage.
- Injury can occur if your car rolls down a hill due to a non-working parking brake and hits someone.
- Cost is one of the biggest concerns outside of injuring someone. Property damage to other cars and property can be very expensive and could cost you much more than you think.
- Failing state inspections will take place in many areas when your parking brake is malfunctioning. In areas that require the parking brake to pass inspection, the parking brake will be tested to see if the car rolls with the brake on. Failing inspection is certainly going to be more expensive in the end than having the parking brake working to begin with.
Causes of Parking Brake Failure
There are a few reasons that your parking brake will not work on your BMW. Let’s take a look below to discuss these issues.
- Electrical Issues can be one scenario that leads to a parking brake failure. While older vehicles used a manual pull handle and cable to apply the brake, more modern cars use an electronic system that will sometimes automatically apply the parking brake within it senses an incline. The benefit is that your BMW will default to using the parking brake when it senses the need, regardless of whether you have forgotten or not.
One issue is that if you have an electrical signal loss to the parking brake system, or a different electrical problem, you may not realize your parking brake is not working until it is too late.
- A broken or out-of-adjustment parking brake cable can cause your brake to not function properly. Over time, all metal cables will lose some of the strength and stretch. When this happens, the cable that locks in the brakes when parked will not be enough to hold pressure or trigger the parking brake to fully hold.
- A brake warning light may appear in your BMW if the system is not working properly. This could be your only warning to make sure a problem is corrected prior to causing damage due to a failed parking brake.
- The parking brake not releasing is another sign that you have a problem with your BMW’s parking brake system. While this may not cause you to have an accident when parked, the brake not releasing will not allow you to drive your car without causing damage to the car itself. This can be costly just in terms of having to have your car towed to a service center for repair.
How to Address BMW Parking Brake Failure
The best way to avoid having an issue with your parking brake is to have your BMW maintained on a scheduled maintenance plan according to the manufacturer’s recommendation. At Dieter’s Porsche & BMW Service, our experienced staff of technicians are trained on how to properly care for your BMW’s brake system and any other preventative maintenance required to keep your car in top shape. For those who reside in the Chula Vista, Coronado, Mission Valley, Point Loma, or San Diego, CA areas, call us today to have your BMW repair or service requirement fulfilled.