What happens when...

[SDBolts]

You try to use the parking brake while in motion?

I know, silly question, but I wondered as my parking brake in my WRX saved me from an accident on I-5 once. I was driving from LA to San Diego at the time. As I came up on slower traffic near La Costa, I went to brake and was met by the pedal going almost straight to the floor. I was able to use a combination of downshifting and the parking brake to avoid an accident and get off the freeway to a gas station. There I discovered that the front left brake line had been left rubbing against the inside edge of the rim by the tire shop that had installed new tires a couple of days earlier. It ended up rubbing all the way through the stainless steel line and spewing brake fluid all over the wheel well. Was definitely an adrenaline pumping experience. Remembering it made me wonder what would happen in a similar situation with the S4?

[damnbiker]

try it rolling in a parking lot?

[whiped]

I don't think you can engage it with your foot off the brake.

You can disable this check with VCDS but I am not sure why you would.

You might be able to slam on the brakes and hit the parking brake simultaneously. Not sure what the car would do though.

Go find an empty parking lot and find out.

[Bruno_s4]

Weirdly enough I was wondering the same thing earlier this week....

[silverf0x]

Weirdly enough I was wondering the same thing earlier this week....

Haha me too!

I sometime engage it while not fully stopped, like maybe 1-2 miles per hour and it engages and brakes really hard! I don't know about higher speed tough..

[jimrobbington]

Interesting thought. Since old school E brakes were basically connected directly to the cable, you were able to modulate pressure. Would the ECU modulate it for you, or would it simply go full lock and kill you faster? Lol. I imagine they engineered around option 2. So what happens, and how is it done?

[switchedstance]

From my understanding, if you engage as normal while moving you will hear an audible warning and the mechanism will not engage. If you hold the switch up, however, the car will interpret this as an emergency and maximum braking force will be applied. I have never tried it though.

[Pyromatic177]

I tried it in my C5 A6 and it beeped and the dash went nuts but it still grabbed. Haven't tried it in my S4's though

[JustPlaneChris]

From the owner's manual, page 87:

[SilveR316]

As stated above, it acts like an emergency brake when you're traveling at speed.

Give it a try the next time you're driving around. Just make sure there's no one behind you!

[schirm]

I have tried it before, if you tap it nothing will happen. But if you hold it for longer then a second be prepared to stop.

[14S4GWM]

From the owner's manual, page 87:

Thank god for car manuals, now if we could just get everyone to read theirs then there would be twice as less posts on here.

[damnbiker]

So if you had brake failure like the op where a brake line has burst, does this still work?

[JustPlaneChris]

So if you had brake failure like the op where a brake line has burst, does this still work?

Nope, since (and I quote the manual again) "The vehicle is braked at all four wheels by activating the hydraulic brake system."

[14S4GWM]

Nope, since (and I quote the manual again) "The vehicle is braked at all four wheels by activating the hydraulic brake system."

Where can owners find their manual?

[evanb]

Nope, since (and I quote the manual again) "The vehicle is braked at all four wheels by activating the hydraulic brake system."

Doesn't the S4 have a dual diagonal split-service hydraulic brake system?

[JustPlaneChris]

Where can owners find their manual?

I can find mine in the glove box.

Oh, and also online (by providing the VIN) at http://ownersmanual.audiusa.com/

[SDBolts]

Thanks for the feedback. I must admit that while I've browsed the manual, I haven't read it cover to cover. Sounds like in the event of a brake line failure things would get exciting in an unpleasant way.

[JustPlaneChris]

Sounds like in the event of a brake line failure things would get exciting in an unpleasant way.

I think we can all agree on that, manual-reader or not!

[blackfunk]

I've done it. It's like throwing an anchor overboard. God bless loaners. LOL

[whiped]

I tested this on the way home. Tapping it at highway speed gives a beep. Holding it drops the anchor.

Tapping it at 25 gives a beep and light braking. Holding it again drops the anchor.

Good to know and not something I've thought about before.

[Acejam]

Always wondered this.

Ok - here's another one: If you open the door going pretty slow (less than 5 mph), the parking brake is engaged. What happens if you open the driver's door going 25mph?

[mrmomo313]

Always wondered this.

Ok - here's another one: If you open the door going pretty slow (less than 5 mph), the parking brake is engaged. What happens if you open the driver's door going 25mph?

I have opened my door at 50 and nothing happened. Wasn't fully open but a decent crack open and close

[Helmet165]

Ok - here's another one: If you open the door going pretty slow (less than 5 mph), the parking brake is engaged. What happens if you open the driver's door going 25mph?

Literally just learned this today. Rolling through a parking lot and saw a plastic bag, slowed down and opened my door to grab it off the pavement (drive by style) and the car abruptly stopped. I was like wtf just happened?!?!?

[Luna's S4]

I have opened my door at 50 and nothing happened. Wasn't fully open but a decent crack open and close

Why? Just wondering.

[DannyDeez]

Thank god for car manuals, now if we could just get everyone to read theirs then there would be twice as less posts on here.

I legit read the manual front to back on every car that I get. Some stuff gets repetitive over the years, and some things you learn.

[Johnnycash]

Thank god for car manuals, now if we could just get everyone to read theirs then there would be twice as less posts on here.

you do realize your curmudgeon posts are just as useless as the posts you continually complain about all of the time right? you need to learn to let shit go man its all small stuff...

[Johnnycash]

So if you had brake failure like the op where a brake line has burst, does this still work?

shoulkd have at the least a dual reservoir master cylinder setup, where as you would have to have leaks or punctures in both lines to lose full brake function, and even then on older vehicles the e-brake was mechanically linked as a fail safe, i would imagine audi has something similar but idk?

[14S4GWM]

you do realize your curmudgeon posts are just as useless as the posts you continually complain about all of the time right? you need to learn to let shit go man its all small stuff...

In the real world it is small stuff and I agree with that. In this AZ world its huge that the amount of people waste the time to post stupid questions when all they had to do was open their glove box or search for 5 minutes. I agree that I do need to let it go sometimes but it depends on my mood that day with when I give a response like this. People are lazy as shit and don't think about anything. We all are guilty of it, not just me. I know you might think it, you just don't say it. If you think my few complaining posts are useless then go check out that 60 page thread with APR.

[mrmomo313]

Why? Just wondering.

I was out testing/logging. Car misfired and disabled all cyls but one... Car becomes extremely slow when that happens. I popped it in N. Turned off the car, opened the door and closed it quickly to reset everything and turned it back on... Code was cleared and a had full power. Pulled over and then cleared all codes with vcds

This happened in my testing area so no one was around.. I just hate driving the car in limp mode longer than it needs to be.

[Quidproquo]

Literally just learned this today. Rolling through a parking lot and saw a plastic bag, slowed down and opened my door to grab it off the pavement (drive by style) and the car abruptly stopped. I was like wtf just happened?!?!?

I had the same thing happen when I opened the door to get a parking lot ticket out of the toll machine. I close the door and my e brake is on.

Then I realized I can just touch the gas to get it to release. However, if your seat belt is off, it will continue to detain you!


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[doughboy17]

Thank god for car manuals, now if we could just get everyone to read theirs then there would be twice as less posts on here.

You beat me to it. I was going to say something similar. ;)

[14S4GWM]

You beat me to it. I was going to say something similar. ;)

Thanks for the back up lol

[Brother Owl]

...when all they had to do was open their glove box or search for 5 minutes.

But it makes soooo much more sense to post a question online and wait 2 or 3 or 10x longer for an answer (or sarcastic remark)

[chet.rowles]

Thank god for car manuals, now if we could just get everyone to read theirs then there would be twice as less posts on here.

Half as many?

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[Luna's S4]

I was out testing/logging. Car misfired and disabled all cyls but one... Car becomes extremely slow when that happens. I popped it in N. Turned off the car, opened the door and closed it quickly to reset everything and turned it back on... Code was cleared and a had full power. Pulled over and then cleared all codes with vcds

This happened in my testing area so no one was around.. I just hate driving the car in limp mode longer than it needs to be.

Sounds reasonable to me! Wasn't trying to persecute you. Was legitimately interested in the door opening at 50 mph. Cheers!

[14S4GWM]

Half as many?

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Lol, I did second guess myself when typing that. Thanks for that.

[DBL R]

Lol, I did second guess myself when typing that. Thanks for that.

Math