Is it dangerous to sit in the car for an extended period with the car in gear and your foot on the brake?

Question

Occasionally when I am in the car with a friend of mine we will pull into a parking spot or driveway and they will leave the car in drive with their foot on the break while we finish our conversation before exiting the car (sometimes several minutes).

Answer 1

imm 14 useing my mums acuont and i hav done that in our padic just cruzing and having fun and iv not done nothing bad by holding the break on and the motor is on idle beacoz my car is a auto thats fine the old manule it did die on me i lost gear 2,3 and i swape it for a auto and now its a dream so it realy depends what gear box you have got in your car

Answer 2

What to much trouble to use park.

Answer 3

Along with the wear and tear that you are putting on the car and the waste of gasoline you can get carbon dioxide poisoning as well.

Answer 4

It's not so dangerous as it is harmful to the transmission.  A tremendous amount of heat is built up in a transmission but when the car is moving, the fluid is recycling and the air is helping to keep it cool.  You could possibly burn out some gaskets or maybe even the modulator.  Very costly to repair.

Answer 5

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It can cause wear and tear build up over time and so subsequently mechanical repair may be required.

Putting the car in neutral and, if stopped for a few minutes, switching off the engine, is accepted general practice.

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Answer 6

no

Answer 7

Dangerous - no

Tiring - perhaps

Sensible - not exactly

... If you are going to stay in one spot for longer than a minute, go ahead and put the vehicle in park (assuming an automatic) or in neutral and engage the parking brake (for manuals) This will reduce driver fatigue, and in a very minor way, reduce wear on the drivetrain.