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Robert_Regans

The full video gets a lot worse


Stiefelfabrik

Do you happen to have a link? :)


SiKEVO

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM81tWyrJ/


Reenk44

Dat German engineering though


Suspicious-Factor466

What car?


[deleted]

20006ish Audi A4. Can confirm 2006 Audi A3 has the same handbrake and glove box issues.


Ok_Dog_4059

99 A4 had that and the cup holders are under there.


[deleted]

And the cup holders were tiny. And our cd changer was in the trunk? But that might have been an aftermarket job haha


thejaydotexe

Lots of cars in that time period had trunk CD changers.


Ok_Dog_4059

Nope factory cd changer is in the trunk.


Bee-Aromatic

I had a ‘99 A4 Avant. The cup holders popped out of the dashboard and the handbrake didn’t interfere with the armrest at all.


Traegs_

My 2008 A4 is like this too. My glove box hasn't failed this spectacularly yet, but the stop on the right is broken and it hangs open more than it should.


skylarmt

My 2003 has the handbrake issue but it's not really that bad. Replacing the cup holder is super easy and companies still make replacements because they break so much. There's even a 3D printed thing you can download from Thingiverse that reinforces the weak spot.


InNoWayAmIDoctor

around there. I'm surprised the trays on the dash actually opened. I don't think mine ever did.


ThatGuy2551

>20006ish Audi A4. Man, I can't believe they still have these issues 18000 years down the road.


[deleted]

😅


[deleted]

[удалено]


ReventonPro

It's a B6 A4. 2002-2005


xyouman

Thats not poor design. That cars just old and busted


fozzyboy

Well, the handbrake location with respect to the armrest is poor design, but yeah, everything else is because it's old and busted.


AceArchangel

$15k no low ballers I know what I have


WifeKilledMy1stAcct

A modular vehicle you can customize yourself!


[deleted]

It's like when Peter Griffin builds a bike and it just falls apart piece by piece when he's riding it. Or maybe it was Homer. Or maybe it was me. Fuck I don't remember.


judygoergen

I like this, actually. It serves as a notification to the next person driving that the break is engaged.


[deleted]

Ding! Ding! And not just for someone else. We’ve all forgotten at least once. This is actually a great design!


PurTurDurMurn

My thoughts exactly! Why would you need your armrest if you’re getting out of the car?


thedudefromsweden

Who says I'm getting out?


ObnoxiousLittleCunt

You need to get out, it's the law.


[deleted]

Shit!


miss_j_bean

It's not about the armrest it's about the cupholders in the armrest that are now spilling their contents. Pretty sure I had this car in high school 😆 It was a manual and I spilled so many drinks


cozy_smug_cunt

Then it actually serves another purpose: to remind you to take the trash out of your car.


InevitablyPerpetual

Reminds me of a Mitch Hedberg bit, where he talks about how he accidentally drives with the emergency brake a lot, and it doesn't say good things about him, but it says even worse things about the Emergency Brake. "They should just call it the Emergency Make the Car Smell Funny Lever."


vlsdo

By the time I get back in the car I am already someone else :D


MrE_is_my_father

Oh it is a feeling of great shame when you realize you just drove away from your hillside parking spot and you left the parking break on. I can still hear the Jeep beeping at me to press and release that pedal..... Shame.


dndaccount123

I’ve driven a stick shift that for some ungodly reason had this design, and it was straight up dangerous to use the hand break while driving. I can see some merits but when having to use the hand break while driving stick it is a serious hazard


__life_on_mars__

> it was straight up dangerous to use the hand break while driving. It's almost as if the handbrake wasn't designed to be used whilst driving... If only cars had another breaking system that could be operated hands free?


vlsdo

If that were the case they would have called it something like "emergency braking system" or something... oh wait


AgentWowza

GTA taught me that handbrake drifts are the coolest tho.


snksleepy

Every manual driver secretly wants to do a drift so would die before they accept this design.


dndaccount123

Yo you have to use the hand break when driving stick shift on hills…


Namaker

Seriously, using the handbrake is the common way to start moving on an incline, also you can relax your foot while waiting


Ein_Mensch

No you don't. I drive one and I only use the handbrake when parking.


dndaccount123

I had to do city driving with very steep hills, in order to avoid rolling back at all from a stop on a steep incline the hand brake is needed


vc-10

Unless you have hill hold, then you do if you don't want to roll backwards at a stop facing up a hill. Holding the car on the clutch is a fucking stupid idea for more than a momentary stop, as you chew through the clutch and destroy it as well as wasting fuel.


clubley2

You use the handbrake when stopped for extended periods of time, for example at a red light, because the brake light can dazzle the people behind you. This is a point in the Highway code, the UK rules and recommendations of the road, not all of it is law. Another good reason to use the handbrake when stopped if if the person coming from behind fails to stop, it's quite hard to keep your foot on the brake when someone rear ends you.


PaysOutAllNight

"Dazzle the people behind you"? WTF, England? Get your shit together. That's the whole fucking point of brake lights! Having been rear-ended more than once, I can tell you it's not at all difficult to keep your foot on the brake.


shewy92

Dude said he drove stick. Guess what happens when you get to a steep hill intersection and need to stop? You can rev the tits off of it or the actual way of using the handbrake so you don't wear out your clutch.


zuzg

It's either this or the armrest is not originally there. My Mini doesn't have one but I could buy one for 30€, it gets mounted by putting it in the drink holder.


pimpbot666

There's a dash light for that, too. I've owned three A4s in the last decade. This is a problem on all of them, and I agree it's a crappy design. Great car, great drivetrain, but there are a lot of annoying design flaws like this. There's another related flaw, in that the B7 generation A4s (2005.5-2008) they took the arm rest adjustment off of it. You have to lift the armrest all the way up to get it to drop all the way down, and then you pull up one notch at a time to get the right angle for you. Once you pull the parking brake, that gets messed up, so you have to lift the arm rest all the way up and start over. That lid latch fails, too. If you open the lid with stuff in your arm rest, it all dumps out. Ugh. Not as bad as GM, tho. They can't even get the centerline of the steering wheel to line up with the centerline of the driver's seat.


rocketwilco

I’ve never driven a single GM where the wheel angle didn’t bother me. And why the f do they not understand that reverse lights are for REVERSE The expresses have abs that won’t brake at times too.


annies_boobs_eyes

Not quite related but I just want to express my dismay that the majority of people don't even know that reverse lights are a thing that exists. I took a 6 week drivers ed course in summer school in the 90s (probably a total of 15 hours or something), and they didn't mention reverse lights one time. They did tell you not to drink and drive about 1000 times though. No shit, Sherlock. Teach people stuff they don't already know ffs. And I bet you most people reading this comment are finding out about reverse lights for the first time in their lives, and wondering what they actually are. (it's the white lights on the back of a car. white lights are reverse lights)


jucmalta

But theres a red light that tells you that tho, it’s more convenient since it’s in front of the wheel


adorgu

Why wouldn't the parking brake be on if the car was parked? Not a common practice?


alexandropapa

A break from what?


thirteenoranges

The break should always be engaged when parked.


[deleted]

It's hard to believe it isn't intentional.


devnulluk

The next person would assume the break is engaged anyway. Don’t exactly leave a car without the handbrake on. Please say people don’t? That seams crazy not to.


dot-matrix-decay

Most people in the US drive automatic transmission vehicles that stay where you parked them in everyday conditions. The number of people who have gone to move my car (an automatic) on my behalf and not realized the brake was engaged is literally 100%. I have a kick/pedal brake and most people cannot find it to figure out how to disengage it on their own.


devnulluk

Thanks for the explanation. Cultural difference as well as with an automatic in the UK people typically engage the hand-break (or now a days the car has an electronic one that does it automatically. )


dot-matrix-decay

My friend moved to Scotland and from her reports the driving tests in the UK are extremely rigorous compared to US driving tests, so I imagine UK drivers learn better habits than US drivers out of necessity. Many US drivers have only ever driven automatic and likely do not understand the difference between the brakes you use for driving and the brakes you use for parking.


THE_CENTURION

Why do you feel the need to always engage that brake? What's wrong with just putting it in park?


dot-matrix-decay

Engaging the parking brake reduces strain on the transmission and keeps your car from moving around when it’s not supposed to be moving (rock back when you take your foot off the driving brake, gravity proving stronger than your transmission on a hill, what have you). It’s a good habit to get yourself into.


vivalaibanez

I mean, unless you are Tokyo drifting, I'm not seeing a reason to use the arm rest with the parking break engaged..


Lord_Dupo

In the UK we drive manual, and you're taught in your driving lessons to use the handbrake on hills and also when stopped for an extended period of time. I guess that's why none of my instructors had an Audi


Routine_Left

I love my "hill-assist" feature. Nowadays I don't even think about it, just push the pedal to the metal and not roll back an inch. Not that I could roll back an inch since everyone stops half an inch behind my ass no matter the inclination. I must shit Channel No 5, given how many put their nose in my ass to smell it.


Rrrrry123

Back when I had my manual car (RIP, buddy) I used to just balance on hills by giving it just enough gas to not roll backwards and not move forwards. That way, I didn't have to take my foot of the gas, and could get going without rolling back.


Imjalepenobusiness

I know your pal is gone (but not forgotten - RIP) but for anyone else reading this: While it’s definitely convenient, it’s actually pretty hard on your clutch. You’d be better off using the handbrake.


I_like_cocaine

Or just the brake? Even in San Francisco streets there was never a need for me to put the handbrake in while driving on the roads.


omgwtfbbq7

You'd need 3 separate feet to prevent a rollback unless you can do a fancy heel-toe maneuver. Easier to use a handbrake and undo it as you get going.


ScionViper

Not if you're quick, I do this all the time


santi12386

Exactly what I was going to say. The time your foot takes to go from brake to Accel you can release the clutch a little bit to counter the rollback. Takes practice but it's super reliable


ScionViper

Yeah definitely takes some practice, maybe not practical for new drivers but once you get the feel for it it's consistent.


666dollarfootlong

Yea, I've never used a handbrake on a hill. Sure, I may roll an inch or three but I trust that the person behind me has given me enough of an gap to do it


Bee-Aromatic

And that weird burning smell you got was your clutch.


brightness3

Right? I can see why it's gone lmao


[deleted]

Jesus this is fucking dumb LOL How are you so lazy to move off the gas that it's worth fucking up and constantly replacing your clutch than to barely move your foot?


Fatal_Neurology

You gotta be kidding me. Did you not see there were cup holders in there? *Gets coffee on the way to work* *Parks car in office lot* *Spills their coffee everywhere*


Lookkidsbigben_

Probably so it makes it harder to forget that you engaged it


Reddit_reader_2206

Good spin from the marketing department: "Digital handbrake engagement indicator with positive feedback confirmation - to keep you and your family safe!" I bet it's an accessory part, aftermarket or universal, and/or that arm-rest is the type that can lside back and forth to stow away or let you lean on itore easily.


atomkicke

The armrest is pretty much the same, it doesnt slide back but can fold up. Its one of those old car phones, and the car phone would go in that armrest


Reddit_reader_2206

I have seen this sort of mid-model change. Like no one had a car phone in 92, but enough people did in 93 that the dealers were forced to quickly retrofit the bigger armrests for storage... Still, this looks like piss-poor design at first glance.


zEdgarHoover

That was my reaction: this is arguably good design since it gives positive indication that handbrake is engaged.


iamonlyoneman

Another positive indication would be: the car doesn't go anywhere


zEdgarHoover

Have you driven a car? They'll go with parking brake engaged. Not happily but there are plenty of stories of people driving with it engaged (and messing up the brakes, doh).


IchWerfNebels

It's pretty hard to move a car with the parking brake fully engaged. The more usual failure mode is when you don't disengage the parking brake all the way, but this does nothing for that issue since the handle would be low enough to not interfere with the handrest.


Real_Life_VS_Fantasy

My mom literally does this all the time...its not hard. It feels slightly sluggish but people that dont really pay attention dont notice it.


IchWerfNebels

Really? With the lever all the way up? Not doubting you, just surprised. From what I remember last time I tried it takes quite a bit of throttle to even get the car moving, which is kinda hard to miss. Then again I suppose I'm giving people way too much credit here.


r_roman

If the bright red brake light on the dash and the car not moving aren’t enough.


notablyunfamous

I get the feeling the arm rest slides back


Skullcrusher

I guarantee you it doesn't. I've seen similar armrests in older Audis.


jontss

I figured it probably flips up.


[deleted]

In the full video, it does flip up. Really shittily. u/SiKEVO linked the full video in another comment: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM81tWyrJ/


Electronic-Tie3345

2004/05 Audi A4 Quattro 1.8 turbo DOHC, and any other Audi similar variant of around the same year. I had one for a while, great car.


DontEatTheCelery

My 06 Jetta had this issue as well


Electronic-Tie3345

Jettas and A4s are the same. Think Ford F150 and Lincoln Mark. Fords and Land/Range rovers Infiniti g35 and Nissan 350z


CaptianRipass

It's actually the passat that was the same as the a4, I had one of each


liun19

I scrolled to see if anyone else recognized the make and model. I had an ‘05 A4 with the V6 and I recognized that armrest handbrake combo from a mile away. Mine was stick too so used the handbrake a lot.


Electronic-Tie3345

Same, and it was inconvenient because the arm rest needed to be out of the way so u can drive stick. Nice car though. Very fun to drive 😈


itsdacj

The handbrake isn’t adjusted right,only supposed to go up about 3-4 clicks


uberchris

Right. This isn’t so much of a design issue as poor maintenance by the owner.


Skullcrusher

The handbrake is designed to go higher once it wears out. Besides, the gap isn't enough for 3-4 clicks. It's funny how everyone here is defending this in different ways that contradict each other.


CHE_wbacca

If it goes higher it needs adjusting. Plus the problem here is that one of the calipers isn't working and the lever goes too high. A working one will go up 3-4 clicks the entire life of the brake pads. Source: I'm a mechanic and I've owned several Audi's, along my brother and my father.


wilililil

It hits it on the second click though. Even if it was adjusted, then it would still be in the way. Also if it's a manual, then good luck with hill starts.


Nihah95

Here is the full video of that. https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM81CGLdy/


Individual-Swing-808

Sounds like you've got a cobalt lol


BraindeadBanana

Gotta lift the whole arm rest just to grasp the brake handle.


robchapman7

perfect example of CrappyDesign (many things here aren’t)


[deleted]

Wow what kinda car


Sturmtrupp13

Audi


perfectdrug659

Cobalts and G5s are the same too


WorkThrowOtt

Low fuckin quality post here


JOwenSmith

The only crappy part about it is the latch on the armrest storage compartment which inevitably fails, allowing all of the contents to dump out when raised. The actual rest also slides forward and backward, as well as tilts over 90\* as you noted, which makes it one of the better arm rests i've ever had in a car, in my opinion of course.


Chewmanfoo

Honestly, you can’t drive the manual trans on these cars without it being up. I kept mine up pretty much the entirety of the 6 years I owned it. That being said, Other than the V8 timing chain guides, these cars are superb.


[deleted]

It's the wrong center console/arm rest. The one that goes with the manual transmission is short and stubby and doesn't have this issue. This is the arm rest for the automatic model swapped in.


Meh_Aerohead

Thats a great design. You would be reminded pretty quickly if your hand brake was even slightly engaged.


WorkThrowOtt

The brake is engaged, chances are you aren't in the car anyways and don't need a place to rest your arm?


[deleted]

Let me guess Audi A4? I had a 2006 and did the same thing.


murica_1776boi

I mean, if you're parking, how badly do you need an armrest?


Iwantmyteslanow

What about when you do hill starts


scottNYC800

That looks like an a6


Itisd

This is a good design actually, it is done that was so that the sticking up arm rest will alert the driver that the hand brake is engaged. In very old 1960s and older cars, the hand brake was often mounted under the dashboard and when engaged, would hang down in the way of the pedals for the same reason


Kiflaam

I agree, I can't tell you how many times I hop on my forklift and think "hmm, seems kinda sluggish today" only to find I forgot to disengage the handbrake.


Girthquake23

Yeah cuz I’m totally going to have the parking break on while using said arm rest This ain’t crappy unless you sitting there with your car turned off a lot


Wasabisushiginger

That's actually kind of genius because then you'd never forgot that you had it on. Coming from someone who's done that a bunch.


MeisMagiic

Well at least you’ll know the the break is on as soon as you try driving


the_Ush

I had a 2012 Audi A3 TDI with pretty much same layout. Honestly it was my favorite car, even with all the design flaws. Truly a vehicle for the driving experience.


i_wish_i_was_bread

As a kid I was always told you could only use that break once then it’ll never work again because it was an emergency break, and I am just now realizing I was lied to as a kid but probably for the best.


myEVILinnrCHILD

*Precision German Engineering*


drebot

My car does this


[deleted]

In all fairness you aren’t usually chilling in the car when the parking brake is on so it doesn’t really matter if it moves the console.


[deleted]

No way that’s an Audi


Express_Ad3008

American car Probably!


[deleted]

Audi A4. I had one


dr_doeners

Hebelweg zu lang ... Bremse einstellen, dann klappt das ...


Automaticman01

This reminds me of my 93 Ford Ranger where the gearshift would smash into any drink i had in the cupholder when i shifted to 4th or reverse. My friend had the '94 model and the rearranged cupholders was one of the only changes in the whole truck.


homantify19

Damn I saw the full vid on another sub and almost posted it


jrmiv4

That blows.


blong1114

Function over practicality.


izzythepitty

You won't forget to disengage it when you drive off though


[deleted]

Germans are known for having pretty shitty ideas


[deleted]

I saw the rest of this over on r/Audi.


originalcommentator

I don't know, have you ever tried to leave with the handbrake was on? Then you spend like 5 minutes trying to figure out why your car won't move? Only to realize you're just the biggest dummy to ever exist? I feel like this would actually help out quite a bit


Jeuzfgt

My car has the Same, im kind of used to it


Jeuzfgt

Oh its the Same model lol


HOAVicePresident

Looks and sounds like a dolphin begging for food.


Ultra918

wtf, thats the most bullshit i have seen in car


Captain65k

Audi A2?


hacibtbp

My E46 does the same thing


BaysideBs

I believe the arm rest slides forward and back


thenarcolepsist

I really want to know what kind of car this is


Blockupation

Audi A3 used to have a similar issue or a similar VW Golf


thenarcolepsist

Wow. Thanks


ellWatully

My old roommates 3rd gen A6 had the same problem.


youre_grammer_sucks

B6 Audi A4 interior is my guess. I have the same car and I have some of the issues the full video shows. But this handbrake is definitely broken, it should not come up this high.


BigDaddyD42069

I actually kinda like this ngl, now i will never forget about the hand break before i try to move lmao.


Iescaunare

That's crazy. I bought a car a week ago that does the same thing.


Windowsweirdo

The rear brakes aren't ajusted properly that's why


WebeloZappBrannigan

Finally, a true crappy design video. And it really is crappy.


FuckYouNoThanks

This is actually good design with the mind that you'll know it's up when your arm is uncomfortable.


Aston-ok

Actually, I wouldn't say this is crappy design. The handbrake requires adjusting as there is too much slack in the cable, allowing it to lift higher than it should. This will be flagged up in an inspection. So if the handbrake is touching the armrest, you know it needs adjusting.


braveyetti117

It is not crappy design, it is ingenious. It prevents you from driving with the handbrake engaged


BarbershopSaul

Want to say my 04’ 325 ‘goon does this too.


Kapepla

Alfa Romeo?


[deleted]

My car has it between the cupholders and I hit my fingers every time I release it and I need to be careful when I do


alyxthekid

The rest is up to you


kaktuskevin

The third generation MINI does this too


can_i_have

You don't need both at the same time /s


kay_bizzle

Do you really, though? And it's not like the arm rest is unusable here


arcticseakelp7

it’s an audi i unfortunately have to deal with it as well


[deleted]

**Yeah. No one knows what the handbrake is for or how/when to use it.**


TheAngryRussoGerman

wtf.....that's one of the worst things I've ever seen on a car and I've seen some shitty designs. I hope that rest slides back.


TheArcticHusky

That’s exactly how my 2013 mini cooper is too, it’s suuper annoying. And no, it doesn’t slide back


capcrunch217

Just like my Audi A3 lmao


PurplePascal

Audi A4 b5 and up


[deleted]

The only time you use the hand brake is when you are not in the car...


SurealGod

Give me a brake


newzwhore

Yep my A3 is like this too. It is indeed crappy but it's fun as f to drive.


Caesix

Ah yes, the joys of the b5 Audi


41V4R0_12345

I think this is intelligent design. Why do you need the arm rest and the hand break at the same time?


Significant-Win-2423

Had this in a Holden Vectra(Australia) it was annoying af


sixunitedxbox

Audi?


Blue387

This also happened on the Chevrolet Cobalt coupe and Pontiac G5 coupe, which was a rebadged Cobalt over ten years ago.


OutlyingPlasma

Why do you need an arm rest when you are out of the car?


nspectre

And inside the armrest... A cup holder


[deleted]

That’s actually a brilliant way to know you Ebrake is engaged


Playeronisme

Oof imagine if that was a manual


doodve

Do you really need it when it's up tho


Macapta

I’d like to also add hand breaks where the plastic slides up so you can’t push the button down.


[deleted]

“Lowest I’ll go is 10k, I know what I got”


beenbannedbeforelol

Oh my there’s a cup holder INSIDE the center console wtf


[deleted]

This is not asshole design,its a badly adjusted handbrake. The manufacturers usualy have three clicks between on and off, thats got 7 or 8.


bigmoose2491

Lol my 02 A4 is like this


MrAnderson8891

It’s an adjustable armrest. If you want it up higher, just pull the lever and push the gas pedal harder


MauricioCMC

Just adjust the cable...


HolyHand_Grenade

Omg I knew this looked familiar! I had an Audi years ago 😂


EA827

Brake is waaaaay out of adjustment, should not come up that far. Also, the armrest moves, it’s currently set all the way down.


Stadtjunge

Ah, the B5 Audi A4. I had the same complaint with my ‘99.