Yahoo News Motorists warned of 'gearstick mistake' that could end in £2,800 bill
Keeping a car on the road can be costly - whether its' insurance, tax or dreaded repair bill. There are parts of the car that a motorist prays won't go wrong and one of those is the transmission.
Now motorists are being warned over a potentially costly mistake - leaving their hand on the gearstick. Breakdown recovery professionals, RAC, say this common habit could result in an expensive repair bill.
A spokesperson said: "As a learner driver, your driving instructor probably told you to keep both hands on the wheel at all times, but many of us develop bad habits as soon as the 'L' plates are consigned to the bin. One of these might include resting your hand on the gearstick.
"But did you know this can be bad for the transmission? The gearstick is connected to a selector fork, which is designed to make contact with a rotating collar for a short amount of time. If you rest your hand on the gearstick, you risk applying pressure to the selector fork, causing premature wear."
It should be noted that replacing manual gearboxes is not cheap; prices found in 2024 range from £600 to a staggering £2800, reports Birmingham Live.
The RAC spokesman added: "Some owner's manuals specifically advise against resting your hand on the gearstick, it's worth checking yours to see if that's the case."
There's a broad spectrum in repair prices due to the variety of cars and their respective price points. A selector fork is designed to exert force on the rotating collar of the dog clutch, with small contacts at each end of the fork serving as contact areas between the two.
However, the selector fork is only intended to make contact with the rotating dog clutch for a brief period. If you rest your hand on the gearstick with a certain amount of force, you could inadvertently keep the selector fork against the rotating collar for an extended duration, leading to unnecessary wear.
