Parking Buttons

aardvark5 · Feb 1, 2025

On the car are two buttons - a big one with R N D and a smaller one to the right.
Since we've had the car, we park up, hit the big button on the left and walk away from the car.
When do we use the smaller button to the right with a P on it?
What is it for?

I've read the manual and still haven't got a clue.

Thanks

philip456 · Feb 1, 2025

I never use either of the parking buttons.

I just press the on/off button. The green light goes off and I exit the car. The parking braking seems to take care of itself.

DixieTGS · Feb 1, 2025

Hitting the big one puts the car in to Park mode: The electronic parking brake EPB is applied and the car won't move if you press the accelerator.

Pushing/pulling the button on the right just turns the EPB on and off. When on, using the accelerator will release it automatically.

So when stopping at lights you can use it to keep the car stationary instead of using your foot on the brake or Autohold or OPD (one pedal driving).

aardvark5 · Feb 1, 2025

philip456 said:
I never use either of the parking buttons.

I just press the on/off button. The green light goes off and I exit the car. The parking braking seems to take care of itself.

I may be thick but what on/off button?
Where is it?

DixieTGS · Feb 1, 2025

aardvark5 said:
I may be thick but what on/off button?
Where is it?

He doesn't say what car he has in his profile so it may not be an MG4

.

Pete M · Feb 1, 2025

DixieTGS said:
Hitting the big one puts the car in to Park mode: The electronic parking brake EPB is applied and the car won't move if you press the accelerator.

Pushing/pulling the button on the right just turns the EPB on and off. When on, using the accelerator will release it automatically.

So when stopping at lights you can use it to keep the car stationary instead of using your foot on the brake or Autohold or OPD (one pedal driving).

Very useful. Thanks.

siteguru · Feb 1, 2025

The lever to the right of the dial is the electronic hand brake ... it applies the pads to the discs but does not engage the parking brake* (as far as I know). If you're sat on auto-hold for ages (e.g. waiting at the die of the road) then after a while (a few minutes?) the car will automatically apply the handbrake. Similarly, if you know you're going to be parked up but sitting waiting in the car, then applying the handbrake means the car is held on the brakes but without the brake lights being on. (Auto-hold is the same as you sitting with your foot on the brake pedal).

* It is my understanding that the parking brake moves a lever inside the differential gearbox that physically moves a pin into the gear cog to stop the wheels from turning.

Rolfe · Feb 1, 2025

philip456 said:
I never use either of the parking buttons.

I just press the on/off button. The green light goes off and I exit the car. The parking braking seems to take care of itself.

aardvark5 said:
I may be thick but what on/off button?
Where is it?

The MG4 doesn't have an on/of button.

@philip456, this is the MG4 forum. If you are posting about your experience with a different car, please state which car you're talking about.

ReintjeWA · Feb 1, 2025

The little button is like the handbrake lever you would have had in older/other cars;

The dial with RND is like an automatic lever;

aardvark5 · Feb 1, 2025

ReintjeWA said:
The dial with RND is like an automatic lever;

However there is a great big button in the middle of it you can press to brake the car.

ReintjeWA · Feb 1, 2025

aardvark5 said:
However there is a great big button in the middle of it you can press to brake the car.

Yeah that’s equivalent to the P (park) position on the lever.

aardvark5 · Feb 1, 2025

ReintjeWA said:
Yeah that’s equivalent to the P (park) position on the lever.

So there are two buttons that do exactly the same next to each other?

MG Clive · Feb 1, 2025

DixieTGS said:
He doesn't say what car he has in his profile so it may not be an MG4 .

MG ZS EV Trophy Long Range.

siteguru · Feb 1, 2025

MG Clive said:
MG ZS EV Trophy Long Range.

That wasn't present earlier when such comments were made.

dsimpkins · Feb 1, 2025

Rolfe said:
The MG4 doesn't have an on/of button.

No it doesn't, but on the infotainment select the car menu (bottom right of screen) then the safety tab, and there is a red button on the screen "Power off". Not quite on/off, but if you select this while still in drive, the car goes into park, and then powers down.

aardvark5 · Feb 1, 2025

dsimpkins said:
No it doesn't, but on the infotainment select the car menu (bottom right of screen) then the safety tab, and there is a red button on the screen "Power off". Not quite on/off, but if you select this while still in drive, the car goes into park, and then powers down.

My lady uses this when she knows I may be out of the car for a few minutes to save electric

I certainly wouldn't use that when we both leave the car, seems a bit of a faff scrolling to it when you can just press a big button.

dsimpkins · Feb 1, 2025

I use it when I know I'm not going to be locking the car immediately (e.g, unloading shopping) It powers off the car, and shuts off the heater so saves a tiny bit of battery.

DixieTGS · Feb 1, 2025

siteguru said:
It is my understanding that the parking brake moves a lever inside the differential gearbox that physically moves a pin into the gear cog to stop the wheels from turning.

In the version of the manual that I have it only refers to the 'Electronic Parking Brake' (EPB) for the 'Electronic Handbrake' that you describe and is applied by the EPB switch, the Parking Mode button, and for other reasons as you describe.

The physical lever that you and others in earlier threads describe, presumably has a slightly different name / acronym. I'm guessing that it's not in the manual as it's operation is invisible to us.

ReintjeWA · Feb 1, 2025

aardvark5 said:
So there are two buttons that do exactly the same next to each other?

I think the P position on the gear selector is a mode for the gearbox, where the handbrake uses the brake pads to hold the car. So they do the same job but have a different way of doing it.

DixieTGS · Feb 2, 2025

From the manual:

Parking Brake System - Electronic Parking
Brake ( EPB ).
• Manual operation: Pull up the EPB switch to turn on the
EPB system after the vehicle is parked safely. When the
vehicle is powered on, press the brake pedal and press
the EPB switch to turn off the EPB system.
• Automatic operation: Shift into P gear to turn on the
EPB system after the vehicle is parked safely. Park the
vehicle safely on a flat road or a road with a small slope,
start the power system, and shift into N , D or R gear
from P gear to turn off the EPB system.
Note: An audible motor noise may be heard when
turning on or off the EPB system.

So it looks like the same EPB function is used via pulling the switch or pressing the button. You can also hear the little motor whir in both cases too (I think).

This doesn't mean there isn't a gearbox brake too. On the other hand, can we trust the manual

.

Parking Buttons

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