Small problems

[LostBloke]

Hi.

When I returned to my car in a car park, some nice person had parked so close that I could not get into my seat ( I'm not the thinnest OAP in the world). After faffing about on the passenger side and with the use of a brolly to press on the brake pedal, I manged to start the car and edge it forward enough to get in. My question is, is there a way to release the brake and get the car in neutral  without putting on a grand display to passing crowds?

Second: I was north bound on the M5 yesterday, the normal 40 min trip took just over 3 hours. In that time I noticed that the handbrake lever was getting hotter and hotter, although later it cooled down. Was this just a by product of the starting and crawling and stopping of the trip or something to check on?

 

Regards

[Tomato]

Hopefully they did not damage you door too! Notice the gear knob gets hot after a more spirited drive, but never the gear lever?