Just got back from an oil change

[csquared]

I had a discussion one time with a Service Center on why they did not lock the car. They don't want the liability. Same thing with the parking brake.

As mentioned earlier, it is not always the same person that pull the car out that pulled it in. Was the car locked when they got it? Was the parking break set? If these are broken when you bring the car in, and now you can't unlock the car or release the brake, guess who gets to fix it?

Which is worse: Not calling you to say the car is ready or not sticking your head into the waiting room and telling you your car is ready? This was back before cell phones. The said it would be an hour. I said that I would be in the waiting room with my book. About an hour later, I got up and saw that the car was still on the lift. Went back to my book. Looked up from my book and saw that it was 45 minutes later. I went and asked when my car would be done. They said that they finished half an hour ago... I think I got a little sucky that day.

[protege]

The automatic transmission is not something I would rely on to hold a car in place. Not only have I heard all the horror stories about transmissions jumping out of Park and into Reverse, but I knew someone who bought a rather run-down car for restoration, and upon testing it, discovered that the footbrake and handbrake didn't work at all, and the transmission took roughly 10 seconds to change - including into and out of Park!

I wouldn't rely solely on the transmission either, especially on the steep hills...which Pittsburgh has a crapload of. Something about being held liable if my car chooses to make a bid for freedom (and hits someone or something ) is unsettling. That's why I always put the car into gear, set the handbrake...and turn the wheels towards the curb.

With the exception of my MG, every car I've had...has come with some sort of warning light if the handbrake has been left on. In the MG though, if you try to move the car with the brake set...you're not going anywhere.

Of course, there are always exceptions--the Tempo I once had, for example. The handbrake on that junk heap never worked. Dad never used it, which meant that it eventually seized. (How that piece of shit passed its last inspection, I'll never know...but that's another rant entirely ) If I had to park that thing on any sort of grade, I had to kick a brick under the wheel.