This actually happened 4 weeks ago, I was just too embarassed to post it.

At work, lunch break, I walk to my car but - pouf - it's not there. Gone. I had parked it in one of my regular spots.
Damn!

Then I look around and see, "wow.. over there someone else has a black RX-8 just like mine.. and he parks diagonally across 2 lots"

[pause, walking 40 foot distance over there]

"no wait, that is MY car!"

[pause]

"There's a ticket on the windshield. Damn those security guys. They TOWED my car w/o my keys???"

The parking brake was still engaged. The RX-8 had apparantly rolled from its spot until it hit another car. The other car was a brand-new SUV and luckily my RX-8 ran into the SUV's massive tire, so no damage.

The ticket was for "blocking someone else's vehicle" (work-internal ticket, means nothing)

So now look at the next 2 pics and tell me if you believe the car rolled forward or backward! Keep in mind that the parking brake was engaged (but I had left it in neutral, shame on me)

-Peter

 

Here's another pic of that parking spot.

I think if I'd put a basket ball on the ground, it would NOT roll away. My RX-8 did.

 

The kicker is still to come. Ok, I answer the question here. The car rolled forward. As I walk up to the car, it apparantly has stopped 1 inch away from the tire of the other vehicle.

Maybe it rolled into the tire and bounced off? Hard to believe. Anyway, there was no contact.

Sure enough, as I get into the car and release the parking brake to back off, the car rolls an inch forward and I dent it. My friend witnessed it. I'm 170 pounds by the way.

The damage is very minimal and I just ignore it for now.

ADVICE:
THE PARKING BRAKE IS WEAK! Always leave in gear.
For the lot photographed above, I'm not sure whether in 1st gear or in reverse :-) Anyway, here my last pic, of the damage.

 

My lord your car is shiny. May I ask what kind of wax you use? And thanks for the heads up on the parking brake...although mine seems pretty sturdy. Are you sure the problem isn't YOUR parking brake, and not the rx8's in general? Mine does not roll at all when I use the parking brake. Of course, I pull it all the way up, do you?

 

Yeah, my parking brake seems pretty strong actually. The only thing I notice with it is the that when it gets really hot in the car, the lower part of the handle gets REALLY bendy.

 

Nope, I don't pull it ALL the way up. I pull it up so that it stands in the same angle like a 11-o'clock hand of an analog clock.
I suppose I could pull it to 11:30. At 12:00 it'd be broken, or?

I park in that spot all the time and it never happened [shrug] - it was a very windy day that day, maybe that got it going LOL

Thanks for the comment on shinyness.. Zymol wax or whatever the store has. I've used Turtle Wax before.

 

that sux, unfortunately ive heard the other way around, putting it into gear while parked and it can still move (rotary doesnt have a very high moment of inertia i guess) so hopefully using both will keep the car stopped.

 

Same here bendy it goes.

 

If you push down hard the brake pedal while engaging parking brake, the parking brake will clamp down pretty tight.

So what gear do you guys use to hold the car while parked? For me it's 1st gear if the car would roll forward and reverse gear if it would roll back.

 

The car rolled forward? Why don't you check the back bumper very closely and see if anyone bumped your car while backing up. I find it hard to believe the wind pushed it.

 

The back bumper is fine. I guess that's better than having damage there as well and knowing it was a co-worker but not getting anything out of it.

 

i agree with you ptiemann, handbrake IS weak. in my driveway i can hear the metals grinding when i sit in. it stops only if i pull it very hard!
always engage a gear though...

 

The RX-8 rolls easy. I put mine in neutral in the garage the other day, and I could literally push it with two fingers. But by the same token, I've mistakenly tried to "go" with the parking brake still engaged, and I went nowhere finally remembering I had the brake on. So maybe there's an isolated problem with a few of the brakes that need adjusted or something.

 

Wait so I am suppose to put it in gear in the samd direction as the car would roll instead of opposite direction? I mean shouldn't I put the car in reverse gear if the car would roll forward?

 

I've parked the RX-8 on some fairly steep roads, maybe 8% grade. And, while I always engage both the parking brake and the transmission, I usually engage the PB first and release the foot brake to make sure it's holding. I haven't noticed any tendency to slip. Something is wrong if it is slipping in an ordinary parking lot with minimal slope.

 

My logic is I do no want the engine to be forced to spin in the wrong direction. So if there is going to be movement, let it be in the direction the engine wants to move.


I bet you have brake pedal down when you pull the parking brake lever correct?

 

I have used the parking brake plenty of times on the steep hills we have around here and never noticed any problem. I just give the handle a pull with medium lift until it stops. And yes, I am sure I have my foot on the brake at the time... to keep it from rolling while I am applying the parking brake.

One odd thing I have noticed... if the wheels are wet and I leave the parking brake on for a few hours, it sometimes sticks. I will release the handle, give it some gas and it will "pop" loose. Never had that with any other car.

 

You should always put it in gear when you park (regardless of the direction of the hill, I put it in 1st).

 

Wow, I had the same thing happen with mine last week. I parked it in my work spot which is not steep at all, and in 1st gear. A few minutes later a worker ran into my office and said my car is moving, another guy was standing behing it to stop it. He said it 'lurched' backwards. I got in and pushed it back and it did it again, I could feel the engine turning. Parking brake was up like normal but I gave it a hard pull and got one more click out of it. Now I am paranoid.

I did just have the cup holder insulation installed that morning, which required removal of the console. I did watch and nothing was done to the brake that could have caused it to come out of adjustment. It does seem fine now though.

 

WOW this is scary stuff.. I smell a recall.

 

Being bored I went over the owners manual and found:

I bet all the all the complaints about weak parking brake is because the brake pedal was not pushed down.

Just trying to keep the fud down...

 

Hm, I never thought I would have to read the manual in order to learn how to pull the parking brake.

Now I've got to find out what "DEpress" means. Does it mean "press" = "Push down" or "release" = "let go".

Anyway, this is something I didn't even think about until now. Interesting find in the manual.

Thanks

-Peter

 

There's obviously a right and a wrong way to engage the pb, but to be honest, unless I'm on a really steep incline, I seldom leave the car in gear and have never had a problem with the 8. Now my '94 RX7, on the other hand, with Brembo rotors and harder pads has given me a similar problem to Ptiemann's, but only twice. Always figured it had to do with thermal expansion of the hot brake parts leading to a loose-fit of the parking brake when the parts cooled. Subsequently, I pulled up really firmly on the brake handle and that seemed to solve it. Just a thought.

What's more curious is the pic of Ptie's starting point. If you put a ball down on that surface and it won't roll the direction your car did, something's wrong.

 

I park the car with 1st engaged and the PB on.
Haven't had any problems.

Must be something mal-adjusted with yours.

 

Heck...I put the car in 'park' and never have had any problems.

*scratches head*