Day two of ownership and we are returning home in the Freely after walking our dog. I asked if Mrs D if she wanted a drive and she said yes. I pulled off the road into a rough pot-holed lay-by and she started screaming "Watch out for those pot-holes"! "It's a 4X4" I told her. Anyway, we swapped seats and she drove off. Almost immediately I could feel a vibration coming through the whole car. It felt like a bent driveshaft. She pulled over and I looked all round for damage to the wheels etc thinking surely a little pot hole couldn't have damaged it, could it? Couldn't find anything amiss so told her to carry on. By now we had joined the A road and we were building up speed and had just got into the outside lane. The vibration was really becoming a concern by now - it felt like the whole car was going to shake to pieces. I shouted above the noise to slow down and pull over when she could. While I was looking over my shoulder to see that the coast was clear in the nearside lane, the juddering stopped suddenly. "What's happened" I asked her. "Handbrake was on" she said!!!! Women! I'd better check the handbrake shoes and discs when I check it over next week. Past: FL2 TD4 HSE Auto
Evoque SD4 Dynamic Lux Auto
Present: Audi A3 S Line.

My hand brake is rubbish and has virtually no effect (sailed through the MOT last month) so I am not surprised it was not immediately obvious apart from the vibration as you do not notice any loss of power. I will be refurbishing the handbrake mechanism in the spring. - 2007(57) XS Auto, Rimini Red, Alpaca Leather.
- GCS Hawke - Sports, BRG, Vulcan 2.1 inj'. My toy - built it myself in 2001.

..... although there is a big red warning thingy in the right hand dial

Yes! She said she noticed it. Eventually. Just got rid of our Golf and she said that used to 'bong' when she left the handbrake on.  Past: FL2 TD4 HSE Auto
Evoque SD4 Dynamic Lux Auto
Present: Audi A3 S Line.

Trouble is it bongs also for the seat belt not fastened, lights on, key in, ice alert, door open, parking sensors, maybe she was just a bit confused about the bings and bonkings.

Mine bongs with the handbrake on

Mona Geeza wrote:

Trouble is it bongs also for the seat belt not fastened, lights on, key in, ice alert, door open, parking sensors, maybe she was just a bit confused about the bings and bonkings.

Don't think mine does, just the dash warning light

Taz, it will if you haven't got your seat belt on

Mr D...I put on my belt and if I drive off with the handbrake still on it goes Bong Bong and displays Caution Handbrake Applied, it is a different noise too, you see, the seat belt warning is a higher pitched bing.....bing.....bing.....bing

Neither of my FL2's have had a handbrake chime. Just the warning light.
No bings, or bongs or anything in the message centre.

Just been out and checked, all I have, as thought is the Red Light on the clock, nothing othe message centre, no bings or bongs.


And it's cold out there.

Maybe, Steve D after pulling into a quiet deserted layby, followed by banging Missus D was distracted and didn't here the bong bong, Steve D, meanwhile, was experiencing a vibration through the car and was also distracted.

Tomorrow, I will try it

The seatbelt bong can be disabled through a sequence of ignition off, then ignition on (not engine started) driver's seatbelt engaged & disengaged rapidly and repeatedly until bong sounds once (you have either 10 or 20 seconds to complete, from memory), ignition off, then start & drive as normal. Only the light should stay on (no bong) to remind you of an unbuckeld seatbelt, as it should be if an aware driver is at the helm. Replaying the above procedure reinstates the bong if you are driving a car which doesn't bong but you would like to bong.

(Australian spec FL2, though).

Tried mine this morning but only the visual warning, no 'bings' or 'bongs' with the handbrake applied.