I always park my car in neutral with the parking brake on and well set?

Question

I have a 2005 Mercedes-Benz C230 kompressor it has a 6 speed stick-shift and i live on a small hill and every since my parents bought it for me (8 months ago)i have always parked it on the hill by my house and i always park in neutral and with the parking brake set. When we went to the dealership the man that sold us the car parked it the same way the parking brake on it is very tight (it only clicks 3 times when i push it with my foot till it is very firm) it is hard to set i have to push hard for it to click only 3 times and it is extremely hard to push any further. But my dad parks his jeep in gear with no parking brake and it stripped the gears and he had to pay over $2,000 to fix it and the mechanic said use your parking brake not your gears its $200 vs.$2,000.

So which should i do cuz im sure a Mercedes transmissioncost more to fix than a jeep transmission

Answer 1

You're doing it the right way, its in neutral which means its out of gear.

Answer 2

I don't think you're going to strip out the gears of a Mercedes by parking it in gear.  I have always parked manual shift cars in gear on a hill and I've never had a problem.  I don't think it really matters.

You should also curb your wheels. Towards the curb when facing downhill, away from the curb when facing uphill.  In San Francisco you can get a ticket if you don't have your wheels firmly into the curb.

Answer 3

I agree with Andy. When you take off in low gear you are putting a lot more strain on those gears than when it is parked with just the weight of the car on the gears. With a manual transmission I prefer to use both. Not all vehicles have a working e-brake. With an automatic I set the brake first then I put it in park so there is no strain on the parking paw when I go to put it in drive the next time I use the car.

Answer 4

i'd put it in first gear, and use your parking brake.  It'll put most of the pressure on the brake, but will keep your car parked on the hill if your brake fails.

Answer 5

   Just call their helpline..

             1-800-FOR-MERCEDES

  They should be able to answer all of your questions...

  Good Luck to you.....

Answer 6

With a manual transmission always park it in gear. When you start it do so in nuetral and the clutch in

Answer 7

Just use neutral and the pbrake, if you're parked uphill turn the tires away from the curb, if downhill turn them towards the curb. That way if your pbrake gives out for whatever reason the curb will stop your car.

Answer 8

On a hill you should use both.Set the parking brake and leave it in gear.That stripped gear thing sounds like bull to me.It should not hurt it a bit to leave it in gear.But on a hill never depend on either to hold your car.Your parking brake cable could break and away it would go if it wasn't in gear.