Automatic cars are increasingly present on Spanish roads. The data reveals that the sale of this type of vehicle exceeds 50%. This means that in recent years there has been a greater tendency to acquire these cars and models with manual gearboxes are gradually being left behind.
These models need to be well maintained. The problem is that some drivers who venture to buy them don’t really know how the gearbox works. In other words, they don’t know for sure some of the tricks that can be done. As the TikTok mechanic from Ebenezer Garages reminds us, the care you give to the gearbox can extend or delay the life of your vehicle. And remember: “Gearbox breakdowns are quite expensive”.
In this sense, the mechanic wanted to resolve one of the doubts that drivers of these vehicles usually have: Is it necessary to put the letter N on the gearbox when I am at a red traffic light?
Should the N be placed at a red traffic light?
He has answered this question in a video on the TikTok account of Talleres Ebenezer (@talleresebenezer). The mechanic says he has an automatic car and when he reaches a traffic light that has just turned red he puts the N. However, if it is the typical case in which it takes a little more than 15 seconds or it is amber because a pedestrian is crossing “I don’t drive the gearbox crazy”.
The expert explains that he usually does it when it is a “slightly longer” stop. He also reveals that today there are some more modern cars that “by pressing the brake a little more, the car stays in neutral”.
What do the letters on the automatic gearbox mean?
In the automatic gearbox we can see that each position of the lever is marked with a letter: P, R, N, D and L. The first of these refers to the English word Parking Gear. In Spanish it means parking, that is, it should be engaged when the car is stationary. In the case of R (Reverse) it refers to reverse gear.
On the other hand, the letter N means Neutral. This means that the gearbox is in neutral. The D refers to Drive mode and refers to driving, so it has to be used to move the vehicle forward.
The letter L corresponds to Low mode. This is a position that some manufacturers include in their models to increase engine power at low speeds.
