kassy64 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 05, 2024 9:39 amStill not sure of the difference between applying 'autohold' and the 'parking brake' button is to be honest, to me they do the same thing.
It’s apparent to me from comments I have read in both this forum and the KIA forum I joined in 2016 and of which I remain a member today, that some drivers of cars equipped with Autohold and an EPB have never mastered the skills required to extract the best from the system. Some, indeed, actually choose not to use Autohold and physically apply the EPB at almost every stop situation. Some also select neutral in their automatic/DCT whenever they come to a stop in traffic.
With regard to your point about not understanding the difference, it’s actually very easy to grasp.......Autohold, once selected, is a function that permits the car to be held in any situation, utilising the
hydraulic brake circuit. It is the same as sitting at traffic lights or at any other stop situation with your foot on the brake.
The EPB operates on the rear brakes through a
physical electro-mechanical arrangement, entirely separate from the hydraulics. The little
switch permits, via a
gentle, one-finger pull, the EPB to be engaged. It may also be pressed
gently downwards to disengage the parking brake.
While driving the car, it is not necessary to physically disengage the EPB before setting off after a stop situation as the slightest application of the accelerator will automatically disengage the EPB. However, for the vast majority of stop situations, it is most practical to come to a halt with the footbrake and allow the car to remain exactly where it is, thanks to the Autohold feature.
There is the odd caveat which needs to be understood; For example, once the car is held stationary by Autohold, the brake lights will be on which isn’t much of a big deal during daylight hours but can be a nuisance in darkness to any following driver. If that is of concern to you, then a
gentle lift of the EPB switch will change the arrangement from hydraulic hold to the electro- mechanical parking brake, extinguishing the brake lights.
There are many other beneficial features in our modern cars that some, (mainly the elderly) cannot or will not come to terms with. By way of example, fully synthetic oils were a game-changer when the scientists and chemists developed them many years ago. Even in this 3rd decade of the 21st century, there are still people who imagine that 10,000 miles is far too long between oil changes. Not only are they wrong but they are wasting money as oils (and filters) today are far superior to those of the mid-20th century. Allied to the incredibly improved machining tolerances possible today, there is no need for an early first service to collect and remove swarf or other impurities. It’s probably wise for track cars to have more frequent oil changes but those machines are a world away from our family cars, even the sportiest.
Sadly, it is almost impossible to change the views of the ‘belt & braces’ contingent with their WW2 mentality handed down from fathers and uncles.
Make no mistake though; I don’t subscribe to every element of new tech in our cars. Steering is something I want to control all the time I’m driving so I don’t make use of LDW, LKA, LFA or any other artificial assistance. Fortunately, for the present, there exists the means by which I can disable those aids. I doubt very much that I will be around to see mostly driverless cars on our roads but I have no doubt that the technology is there already and we are being gently introduced to it by the addition of these ‘driver aids’ now so that we become accustomed to their use.
