# Will my husband save his transmission by shifting to neutral at stop lights? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [July 11, 2018, 7:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837 "2018-07-11T19:29:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mrs.B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58f4c7/32.png) [@Mrs.B](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mrs.B)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 7:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/1 "2018-07-11T19:29:45Z")
It’s the same question, but this is 2018. My husband insists that the car should be in neutral at stop lights to spare the transmission. I asked why I wasn’t taught that during Driver Ed and he said I had a bad instructor. I’m inclined to go with the wear and tear on the shift and other parts, rather than its affect on the transmission. Comments? ---
**Author:** ![pyrolord314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@pyrolord314](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pyrolord314)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/2 "2018-07-11T20:29:17Z")
Your husband is wrong. He’s not saving the transmission by putting it into neutral. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 9:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/3 "2018-07-11T21:47:23Z")
Agree, your husband is wrong! There are a ton of reasons not to put an automatic car into neutral at the stop lights. Tell him he is wrong and that you will not do that. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 10:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/4 "2018-07-11T22:24:18Z")
Let me add one more ’ your husband is wrong ’ to the list. Besides , if you have to move out of the way being out of gear is not good. Edit: It makes me wonder how many other ideas he might have that might be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![lion9car](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/59ef9b/32.png) [@lion9car](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lion9car)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/5 "2018-07-12T15:40:23Z")
I’ll pile on too. You’re right and he’s wrong. If he’s just doing this himself, I’d let it go. If he’s insisting that you do this also, then that’s where I’d draw the line. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 3:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/6 "2018-07-12T15:45:24Z")
Here’s one obvious reason: More wear and tear shifting in and out of neutral than not shifting. But I doubt he’ll listen… ---
**Author:** ![Waterbuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f07891/32.png) [@Waterbuff](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Waterbuff)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 4:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/7 "2018-07-12T16:07:18Z")
Presuming this is an automatic transmission, husband is wrong. Maybe he has wires crossed from a manual transmission being in neutral at stop lights. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 4:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/8 "2018-07-12T16:33:18Z")
Following normal maintenance on all the automatics we’ve owned…we’ve been able to get well over 300k miles without any issues what-so-ever. So tell me - how many miles does your husband expect to get out of his automatics? ---
**Author:** ![tom418](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/da6949/32.png) [@tom418](https://community.cartalk.com/u/tom418)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 5:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/9 "2018-07-12T17:10:42Z")
> [@VOLVO\_V70](#): > > Let me add one more ’ your husband is wrong ’ to the list. Besides , if you have to move out of the way being out of gear is not good. Exactly. A few years ago, I was stopped at a light in Massachusetts. Looking in the rear view mirror, I saw that the half-asleep driver behind me was not going to have room to stop. Being no. 1 in line, I moved forward a few feet and avoided being rear ended. My only reason why I don’t agree with red light cameras. ---
**Author:** ![eddo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/eddo/32/2594_2.png) [@eddo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/eddo)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 5:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/10 "2018-07-12T17:31:17Z")
in the immortal words of Yoda- “Husband wrong, yours is. hmmm.” ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 9:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/11 "2018-07-12T21:27:09Z")
> [@eddo](#): > > in the immortal words of Yoda- > “Husband wrong, yours is. hmmm.” Yeah, not only wrong but very very irritating. Husbands, don’t irritate your wives, it will not end well. My normal fee of $25 is waived due to my compassion for the wife. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 9:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/12 "2018-07-12T21:55:25Z")
> [@texases](#): > > More wear and tear shifting in and out of neutral than not shifting. But I doubt he’ll listen… +1 If this was the 1950s–when automatic transmissions were prone to cooling problems—then I would say that he was correct. However, unless you and he are driving _EXTREMELY_ old vehicles, he is wrong, wrong, wrong, and–in fact–he is causing **more** damage to the transmission by shifting to neutral and back by putting it into gear. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 10:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/13 "2018-07-12T22:05:20Z")
As stated previously if it is a manual transmission, yes neutral is preferred and suggested, auto I can’t say it will make any difference one way or another. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 1:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/14 "2018-07-13T01:36:14Z")
Can’t speak to the wear and tear on the transmission issue one way or the other, but in the interest of marital harmony, suggest to let him drive the vehicle using his method without comment or complaint, if that’s what he wants to do. You do it the way your way when you drive. End of discussion. ---
**Author:** ![B.L.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@B.L.E](https://community.cartalk.com/u/B.L.E)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 2:15am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/15 "2018-07-13T02:15:01Z")
He is mistaken about it preventing wear and tear on the transmission, but on the other hand, he probably is doing no real harm to the transmission either. The biggest problem is forgetting you are in neutral when the light turns green. I often wait for lights to turn green in neutral, but I also don’t drive an automatic. It gives my clutch foot and clutch throwout bearing a break. If I’m waiting for a train to go by, I’m usually in gear with the engine switched off. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 6:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/16 "2018-07-13T06:29:06Z")
Your husband is as dead wrong as dead wrong can be. If he’s so concerned with transmission longevity then he should have the transmission serviced every 30-35k miles… My gut feeling is that transmission servicing is probably something he never thinks of. ---
**Author:** ![BillRussell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/billrussell/32/3179_2.png) [@BillRussell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BillRussell)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 11:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/17 "2018-07-13T11:31:27Z")
Most of these replies assume an automatic transmission. Some assume a manual. We don’t know which it is. The OP seems to have left the building; ---
**Author:** ![chunkyazian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@chunkyazian](https://community.cartalk.com/u/chunkyazian)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 1:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/18 "2018-07-13T13:51:16Z")
Is it one of those dual dry clutch automatic? Shifting to neutral would save some wear on the throw out bearing ---
**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 2:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/19 "2018-07-13T14:44:48Z")
Doesn’t it hurt the clutch to keep it in while stopped? That’s what I was taught, why I always shift to neutral at stops. ---
**Author:** ![Joe-Guy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joe-guy/32/124_2.png) [@Joe-Guy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joe-Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 2:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837/20 "2018-07-14T02:49:30Z")
If the husband is driving a car with a manual transmission (which is what I assumed based on the question), he’s absolutely right. [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/will-my-husband-save-his-transmission-by-shifting-to-neutral-at-stop-lights/120837.md?page=2)