Dear Car Talk, I’m an old guy who has never owned a vehicle with an automatic transmission. Way back when I was told to never hold the clutch in at stoplights because of damage to clutch parts (throw-out bearing?) Was that true then, and is it true now in an age of modern mechanics? Thanks, John who still doesn’t know
Not true then, not true now. It is more a safety issue than a wear-out issue. Throwout bearings should be replaced every time the clutch come out anyway. The safety part is being able to move the car in a far shorter time if you have the car in gear and ready to go.
My state would have failed me on my driver’s test if I had popped it into neutral during the test.
Doesn’t matter so much anymore as there are very few manual trans cars sold in the US.
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When I first got my license, they stamped you license automatic only if you took your road test with an automatic.