Is it bad to stay in drive if I am at lights etc!

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chrisdean007, Nov 21, 11:43pm
auto's are for Grandma's

if your young and drive an auto you should be ashamed of yourself

gabbysnana, Nov 22, 12:21am
thats what hold or overdrive is for dude.

foxdonut, Nov 22, 12:28am
x1
Manuals are for people who live in the past and can't send attachments on their emails.

Modern automatics are superior to manuals in every way.

pdc1, Nov 22, 1:09am
there is no wear happening with engine idling at normal idle revs and transmission is in Drive. The fluid heats, but not enough to be of concern.
As for taking out of gear and applying handbrake because of being paranoid about be rear ended - I don't know. I'd rather be in drive so you have the ability to instantly move if you have to. In a panic situation, having to take the handbrake off and put into gear must delay your response. In Drive you will already have your foot on the brake, so I don't know how you are going to step on the gas.

craig04, Nov 22, 1:10am
Yes, if you leave it in drive, you will die.

bmwnz, Nov 22, 1:19am
Interesting reading about being bum-shunted at the lights. Is this really common! I've been driving for 47 years and never had it happen to me, or indeed to anyone I know.

richynuts, Nov 22, 1:36am
I agree ^^^ I think the drivers who are getting shunted are the automatic drivers who suit at the lights with their car in neutral, senario:light turns green. car behind toots because driver in front is daydreaming because he thinks hes got all under control and he's singing along to justin bieber,then car behind toots again and again, then mr automan gets all flustered and wacks the car into reverse and then floors it!

loonee-dial-111, Mar 30, 7:05am
I have successfully rebuilt a stuffed automatic transmission gearbox.
Automatic transmissions have gears like manual transmissions but instead of one clutch they have several. When the gearbox changes gear or you shift from neutral to drive, those clutches are engaged and disengaged. This causes wear, especially under heavy acceleration. Replacing a manual clutch is relatively simple and costs in the order of $500. Replacing automatic clutches is complicated and costs in the order of $5000 (not diy).

In answer to the original question, sitting in neutral instead of drive shouldn't increase wear by a large amount as long as you wait for up to 1 second for the clutches to fully engage before accelerating when shifting from neutral to drive. Personally I leave it in drive as it is not worth saving a few cents on fuel given the cost of overhauling a gearbox.