Myths You Should Not Believe About Manual Transmission

Myths are false beliefs or ideas widely held by a group of people. With the onset of the automatic transmissions for new cars, some beliefs have emerged regarding the manual transmissions which should not be taken as real experiences. The following are the myths one should not believe about manual transmissions:

1. Manual Transmissions are Less Expensive

When shopping for a new car, comparison of prices is necessary. In such a case, manual transmissions tend to be cheaper compared to the automatic transmissions. Is this true? Usually, this is not the case as sometimes both versions of a vehicle are offered nearly at identical prices.

2. Manual Transmissions Are Easier To Maintain?

This is a popular myth among car holders that these transmissions are easier to repair. This is not factual because a fully trained and qualified transmission repair shop will surely repair both manual and automatic transmissions with equal ease.

3. Manual Transmissions Are More Fuel Efficient

Most of car drivers believe that manual transmissions always achieve better fuel economy than their counterparts in automatic transmissions. For earlier automatic transmissions, this belief might have been true since they were less fuel efficient than manual transmissions. However, today’s automatic transmissions are just as fuel efficient as their manual counterparts. Therefore, when seeking greater gas mileage for a new car, it’s better to check out the MPG rather than the transmission itself.

4. Using the Clutch to Hold the Car in Place on Steep Hills?

If the car has stopped on a slight incline, one must use the brakes to keep the car from rolling backward. Using the clutch to hold the car in steep incline is hazardous since it can burn the imaginary red light on the dash –as well as really burn out the clutch itself.

5. Using the Clutch to Save the Brakes

The clutch can theoretically be used as a braking device when slowing down, but this is more risky. This requires one to have proper information about the clutch if the driver has to use them as braking devices. However, saving the brakes by using the clutch would be more expensive since replacing a clutch is more expensive than the brakes.

6. Manual Transmissions Are More Fun

This argument seems logical since many enjoy driving manual transmissions, but, for people living in cities, and have to creep along traffic every day, there may not be fun at all.