Possible parking brake noise
 

Tonight I parked my car on the drive put in park, didn't engage parking brake, got out and locked. A few seconds after locking something sounded like the hand brake cycling a couple of times. Is this normal or an electrical problem, I'm hoping its the car doing a check of some sort. Thanks

Normal. If you select park and engage the steering lock it does a built in calibration where it winds out and then in. Nothing to worry about and should maybe be done once in a while anyway to re adjust and exercise the motors and screws etc. +++

Great news thanks one less thing to worry about

Completely normal and in my opinion quite bleeding annoying. When you arrive somewhere relatively quietly, park up and walk away, Mr Audi decides the whole occasion has been just that bit too quiet.

Next thing:

whirrrrrrr,.. whirrrrrrrrrrrr,.... ..... whirrrrrrrr,.. whirrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

:tuttut: Classy! :Confused:

Why are you parking up and walking away without putting your handbrake on?:Confused::tuttut:

Cos it's in P!

You should firstly use the EPB to secure the car no matter what the terrain is and then select the "Park" mode on the gearbox as extra security. Only using "Park" mode can cause wear to the locking pawl in your transmission (which, if it then shears, means your car will roll away) and, as you have noticed, cause frequent and unnecessary EPB calibrations, wearing out your EPB motors. Your hand has to pass over the EPB button twice when you stop, so what's the hardship in pulling the button up before you select "Park"? Better safe than sorry in my opinion but that's just me.... It's your car at the end of the day.

I take your point Lee. I use the EPB when at traffic lights etc and when parked not on level ground. However I'd always considered a pawl brake to be more than adequate on level ground.

Maybe I'll use it a bit more in future+++

I know you should and if not on level ground I always use the epb but my drive is perfectly level. I have always done this with Automatics and haven't broken a gearbox yet. I believe in America where nearly everyone drives an auto they actually call the hand brake an emergency brake and they hardly ever get used.

In the 5 years, I had a 2004 D3, I stopped using it unless I really needed to as it was the most unreliable set of components in the car. I had to replace the parking brake motors on both sides, the ecu and the switch in various stages over the first 3 years I had it.
One particular morning, the left hand motor had packed up in the on position on my driveway, much swearing and an hour later, I was mobile again.(There is a tool in the toolkit to manually unwind the caliper.)
Hence my reason for not using it.
The parts were revised a few times over the years and it may be more dependable on the later D3's but theres a lot to be said for a ratchet lever and a pair of steel cables.

On the B5 Passat forum I was on 6+ years ago, someone in the USA had someone bump their parked car in a carpark when it was is P but the handbrake was not on and it damaged the gearbox locking mechanism, they had a battle with the insurance company but I can't remember the eventual outcome.
I always use the EPB since then when in a level carpark, unless I want to the the EPB calibration and there is no chance of being hit.

I always use EPB.
Cost of broken EPB can't be compared to cost of broken gearbox.

Thats a fair point if the car got hit in a car park and should be considered.
Multi-storey Car Parks are best avoided anyway unless you want the sides of your car covered in dings and scratches.
Maybe I was unlucky but my EPB broke every couple of months until I had replaced everything other than the wiring. My gearbox was still perfect with 400,000kms on it but I did have the ATF changed a few times.
EPB's have also been an issue with B6 Passats and early Insignias to my knowledge.

I very rarely use my EPB having had a very expensive and time consuming experience with the EPB on a Jag XJ SuperV8 I once owned.

I agree the auto recalibration on the A8 EPB is very long, loud and embarrassing but having read this thread am thinking I should start to use it a bit more.

It's difficult to know if using it regularly may be better to keep the motors from sticking or such but you do run the risk of being stuck somewhere with the EPB stuck on. Theres never a good time for such an event.
I reckon both motors on mine failed due to water ingress more than anything physically worn from what I could see.
It might be a good idea to inspect/clean the motor housings sometime the car is on a ramp, there was a seal kit available for them for a few quid.

I use my EPB a minimum of 4 times a day up to maybe 30 or 40 times a day, every day and I have never had an issue in the 3 and a half years of ownership. I am of the opinion that a machine is designed to be used and not using it can be as bad, if not worse, than over-use or abuse. I think this is why some folk that have weekend cars, cars that do very little mileage or cars that only come out now and then, tend to have more issues than folk that use them every day. I never had any issues with AC as I leave it on permanently. I exercise all the windows and soft close every week, the boot gets opened most days. I move my suspension to lift every now and then. It keeps it all moving and operable. In short if something is used and maintained and cleaned it is rare for failures to occur. That's all my opinion anyway.

I'm also quite anal about the gearbox too and tend to apply the EPB so the car is secured, no matter what the incline or terrain. Then I select "N" to disengage the 'box and then quickly select "P". I have found that selecting "P" directly from "D" can sometimes produce an obvious "clunk" the next time the car is moved as the pawl was under tension when the car was left. This is all extra wear I'd rather not incur for the sake of a good, safe "parking up" regime that takes little to no extra time.

I very much agree with Lee's opinion, hence I run car almost everyday even if I don't need to drive it just to keep things moving/lubricating.
Even when A8 was off Road for 3months prior to sale sale I run both cars everyday costing a fair bit in petrol.
Not using EPB in scare of breaking it is a bit silly in my opinion but at the same time it's people choice. These cars were designed to be used not to sit on the shelf in the living room.
If it's going to break for one or the other reason it will, no matter if people like it or not. No need to worry yourself and limit because of that.

Started using mine a lot more today (when I remembered to do so!) now just have to get used to it. I note it doesn't auto release when pulling away, like other EPBs do, or is that a fault!!!?!

Mine auto releases most of the time but not always

EPB will only auto release if the driver has their seat-belt on. Otherwise you have to press the EPB button down. If it doesn't work with your seat-belt on, it must be faulty or need coding or something I guess.

I was never aware that D3s had this function.
It's only when I've seen it working on Del's S8, but then later on that day when he jumped into mine just for a quick spin around industrial estate when he pulled away "dynamically" the epb stayed engaged. Do not think the seat belt was on tho.
Will test it soon with the seatbelt on and off.

By the way, is there a away of coding in auto epb when stationary on the hill? I would not say I love it but definitely like this function on the A3, which has manual gearbox where this function is more appropriate, but can't see how it can harm D3 with auto box.

This forum is worth its weight in gold.

I'm afraid not. The control module for hill hold assist is part of the ABS-ESP. The D3 is just too old, and probably so is the D4.

Is it a Bosch ABS unit in the A3?

Seatbelt on - EPB releases automatically
Seatbelt off - EPB stays on and message appears on the dis "Please release parking brake"

Exactly as Lee said +++

Cheers Matty +++
Honestly, I'm still due to do a first scan. Apart locking for the fuel cap which sometimes works and sometimes not (needs to be open manually from the boot) car 18 months in runs well. Can't be bother to go to dealer even if it's under warranty as knowing them this could take too much of my precious time :D

Yes, works as described above, been doing it all day!! I need to get a life!

Not on the D3 AFAIK, the D4 does this though.

Oh the D4 does do it. Do you know which control module in the D4 is responsible for this function? The EPB module is flashable in the D3, just imagine if new firmware could be wrote with auto EPB on a hill :rolleyes:

Same here, how pathetic is our life sometimes :ROFL:

Cheers Paul +++ shame tho

Not sure which module but additional switch is used to turn this on and off, when on whenever you come to a stop the car gets held on the brakes until you accelerate - suspect it isn't EPB but purely ABS that does this as sometimes applying the EPB results in a very slight forward movement as the hold moves from the front axle to the rear!

http://images.a8parts.co.uk/parts/24709.jpg

Are you sure Paul??
I have A symbol but on the dash and it's for switching off Auto Stop Start.
There is no off button next to the handbreak.
You could possibly disable it via coding or adaptation.
See attached

Certain - I drive a D4 daily +++

Can't talk for an A3(?) but the button you have pictured is the stop-start function which is different, as indeed is the symbol on it.

On a D4 the auto-hold switch is located next to the EPB switch - as per the pic above. The stop-start disable is higher on the dash near the hazard warning switch.

I had an auto hold "hill hold assist" specified on my 2011 A7 and from memory it had a similar switch to yours Paul. It didn't cost much as an option, something like £120

£120 sounds about right as an option, the actual cost would be about £1 for the switch at most +++

Hmmm....15 plate A3s or just this one hasn't got the extra button for disabling auto hill epb, unless it's an extra option (more money) which wouldn't surprise me.

Edit.
Just seen you guys saying it an option which explains a blank next to the epb switch