Many motorists make this mistake with their gearbox, which can require a costly trip to the mechanic.
The gearbox is an essential element for the proper functioning of a vehicle. It allows the power of the engine to be transmitted by adapting the ratio between the rotational speed of said engine and that of the wheels. For the average driver, it is above all a lever that must be manipulated during car journeys, especially in town where you often have to change gears. But in recent years, the trend for gearboxes in the automotive industry has reversed. Almost exclusively for manual use at the beginning and before the 2000s, gearboxes switched to automatic on the majority of new models. The development of electric and hybrid vehicles is no stranger to this phenomenon, so much so that it is now common for young people to learn to drive “automatics”.
Driving without a clutch pedal – characteristic of manual gearboxes – is therefore gradually becoming the norm. But this does not mean that all drivers use their gear selector correctly, this small box often placed on the central console and flanked by the letters D for “Drive”, N for “Neutral”, R for “Reverse” and P for “Parking”. Mechanic Talleres Ebenezer, known for his numerous content on TikTok, recently shared a video viewed more than 2 million times in which he warns of a very widespread practice among motorists. A bad habit which can lead to premature wear of the transmission system or even break it.
For the Spanish Tik-Toker, too many motorists go directly from D (driving) to P (Parking) while their vehicle is still moving. The problem is that the P position engages a mechanism called a parking lock, a small metal piece then fits into a gear to prevent the wheels from turning. And if the car is not completely immobilized, by activating P the parking lock can be forced into the gear while it is still rotating. With the risk of breaking the lock.
To avoid this pitfall, keep in mind that it is essential that your vehicle is perfectly still before putting it in Parking mode. First selecting N, the equivalent of neutral, when the car stops is the best thing to do so as not to rush the mechanism by going directly from D to P. Replacing a gearbox is one of the most expensive repairs on a vehicle, especially an automatic transmission. The bill, including labor, almost always amounts to more than 5,000 euros and can be closer to 10,000 on certain models. It’s expensive to take the shortcut and the second saved by manipulating your gearbox…