Creaking When Parked On Incline

[Will B.]

My car creaks when I have it parked on an incline and passengers get in or out. Any ideas? Some coworkers said it was the shocks, but it doesn't make any noise when driving or when on a level surface, so I thought it must be the brakes (I always park with the parking brake set). Car is a 2004 with less than 50k miles.

[eatingupblacktop]

Most likely you're not applying enough force when setting the PB. To test how well you've set the brake put it in neutral, apply the servikce brakes, then set the PB and release the service brakes. If you hear the brake creaking, then apply additional force until it stops creaking. In a 430, don't know if it still clicks on application? If so, the manual should tell you how many clicks you should apply for a secure lock. After setting the PB securely, put the tranny in Park. When starting up later, keep the service brake on, release the PB, put the car in gear, then release the service brake. This eliminates the tranny from clunking and reduces wear on the teeth.

[Will B.]

Most likely you're not applying enough force when setting the PB. To test how well you've set the brake put it in neutral, apply the servikce brakes, then set the PB and release the service brakes. If you hear the brake creaking, then apply additional force until it stops creaking. In a 430, don't know if it still clicks on application? If so, the manual should tell you how many clicks you should apply for a secure lock. After setting the PB securely, put the tranny in Park. When starting up later, keep the service brake on, release the PB, put the car in gear, then release the service brake. This eliminates the tranny from clunking and reduces wear on the teeth.

I've tried setting more force when using the PB and it seems that maybe it worked. I'm pushing it for a good 7 or 8 clicks though - I don't know if it's possible to push it too hard. At any rate, I'm not sure if that fixes it - I'll report back if it does. I'm pretty sure it's the brakes though - I briefly hear a similar sound occasionally when I release the service brakes.