How to Shift Gears When Preparing to Park?
2 Answers
Methods for shifting gears when preparing to park: For manual transmission vehicles, shift to neutral when parking; for automatic transmission vehicles, first shift to N (Neutral), engage the handbrake, and then shift to P (Park). Detailed steps for parking a manual transmission vehicle: First, press the brake to slow down the car, then hold the brake to bring the vehicle to a complete stop, engage the handbrake, shift the gear back to neutral, and turn off the engine. Detailed steps for parking an automatic transmission vehicle: First, press the brake to slow down the car, then hold the brake to bring the vehicle to a complete stop, shift the gear back to neutral and engage the handbrake, and after the car is stationary, shift to P (Park) and turn off the engine. Manual transmission vehicles require manually moving the gearshift lever to change the gear engagement inside the transmission, altering the gear ratio to achieve speed changes.
Let me share my habitual approach to parking gear shifting. Every time I prepare to park, I first firmly press the brake pedal to ensure the vehicle comes to a complete stop. Then I shift to neutral to relieve pressure on the transmission, engage the parking brake to prevent rolling, and only then shift into Park before finally turning off the engine and removing the key. This procedure primarily protects the transmission, especially when parking on slopes – if you engage Park first, the entire vehicle's weight rests on that tiny parking pawl, which can cause grinding noises during next startup. I've followed this routine with automatic transmissions for ten years and genuinely notice smoother gear changes. Also, a friendly reminder: remember to lift your wiper blades when parking under scorching summer sun to prevent rubber deterioration and cracking.
