You’ve been changing gear in your car all wrong – common mistake could damage your motor

MOTORING experts have revealed that you've been changing gear all wrong - and that the common mistake could damage your motor.

The RAC said that many drivers start making the mistake the day they get their licence.

Keeping your hand on the gear stick for too long risks causing wear and tear to an important part of your motor - with some manuals explicitly warning against it.

One of the : "As a learner driver, your driving instructor probably told you to keep both hands on the wheel at all times, but many of us develop bad habits as soon as the ‘L’ plates are consigned to the bin.

"One of these might include resting your hand on the gearstick.

"But did you know this can be bad for the transmission?"

They added: "The gearstick is connected to a selector fork, which is designed to make contact with a rotating collar for a short amount of time.

"If you rest your hand on the gearstick, you risk applying pressure to the selector fork, causing premature wear.

"Some owner’s manuals specifically advise against resting your hand on the gearstick, it's worth checking yours to see if that's the case."

A number of other common gear-change mistakes can also damage your car.

The RAC said that shifting between reverse and drive or vice versa with an automatic gearbox will wear down the transmission band - which cannot be easily serviced.

Crunching your gears in a manual car is also a bad idea, so whatever your make of motor it is best to stop completely before switching gear.

Shifting gears to slow down can ruin your drivetrain, shortening the lifespan of your engine.

At the opposite extreme, flooring the accelerator in a high gear makes your engine work harder than it needs to, especially when carrying weight or climbing hills.

Always lower your gear and allow the revs to rise before changing back up.

Finally, you should never ride the clutch by keeping your foot on the pedal while changing gear or doing a hill-start.

It comes after a motoring expert revealed how using your wing mirrors properly can actually make parking a breeze.