Viral video shows what you should NEVER do in an automatic car

Automatic car drivers are warned of a common mistake that could lead to a broken gearbox.

The video uploaded by “holycrapitsjean” on TikTok has already been viewed more than 16 million times.

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The video starts with a lady saying, “So I put it in park and then I put the handbrake on.

“Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do?”

The video then cuts to Holycrapitsjean, who says: “No, that’s really not what you’re supposed to be doing. Let me explain why.

“The simple way to explain it is that when you park your car and then put the handbrake on, all the weight of the car rests on the parking brake and not the handbrake.

“That means the entire weight of the car is on your gearbox.

“And that will ruin your gearbox!”

The TikTok star then goes on to tell us what we should do instead to save on costly gearbox repairs.

“Actually you should put the car in neutral and then put the handbrake on so that the weight of the car is on the handbrake and not on the gearbox.

“Then you slam it in park, then you get your keys out.”

There’s no harm in getting it wrong once or twice, but doing it repeatedly while parking will damage the transmission over time.

This is especially the case when parking on a slope where the weight of the car presses harder against the transmission.

The TikTok tipster also gives another hack.

“As a side note, a lot of people tend to sit at traffic lights in Drive with their foot on the brake.

“It’s not that big of a problem if you’re sitting at the light for a short time, but if the light has just turned red you’ll be sitting there for a while.

“Put your car in neutral so you don’t wear out your gearbox.

“Hope that helps!”