Driver warning – what you should always avoid doing in an automatic car, and how to save a FORTUNE in repairs

Owners of automatic cars have been warned about an everyday mistake that might end up leaving them with a damaged gearbox.

TikTok user @holycrapitsjean posted the handy video which has had more than 16 million views.

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In the opening part of the clip you can hear a woman say, "so I put it in park and then put the handbrake on.

"Is that not what I'm supposed to do?"

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Then we see @holycrapitsjean who says: "No that's really not what you are supposed to do. Let me explain why.

"So the easy way to explain it is when you put your car in Park and then put the handbrake on, the entire weight of the car is resting on the park brake rather than the handbrake.

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"Which means the entire weight of the car is resting on your gearbox.

"And that f***s your gearbox up!"

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

"What you're actually supposed to do is pop it in neutral, then put your handbrake on, that way the weight of the car is resting on the handbrake and not the gearbox.

"Then you pop it in Park, then you take your keys out."

Doing it the wrong way once or twice won't hurt, but repeatedly doing it time after time when parking up will damage the gearbox.

This is especially the case if you park on a slope where the weight of the car sits more forcefully against the gearbox.

The TikTok tipster goes on to give another hack, too.

"A little side note - a lot of people tend to sit at the lights in Drive and with their foot on the brake.

"This isn't as much of a problem if you're sat at the lights for short periods, but if the light has just gone red you're going to be sat there for a while.

"Put your car in Neutral, that way you aren't wearing out your gearbox.

"Hope this helps!"