Drivers told common gearstick move could leave with 'empty bank accounts'

Petrol and diesel owners could damage their vehicles by making a common error while shifting up and down gears, according to leading experts. YouTube channel @EngineeringExplained stressed road users skipping gears on a downshift could lead to problems later down the line.

Although they stressed moving up gears quickly was not likely to damage vehicles, slipping on downshifts could lead to clutch wear. They even warned moving down gears quickly could even "empty bank accounts” in a major blow to road users. Skipping gears is generally considered more efficient as it allows road users to avoid unnecessary engine braking.

However, they stressed road users had to be sure they skipped gears in the correct way to avoid being caught out.

Speaking on YouTube, @EngineeringExplained said: “Is it okay to skip gears in a manual transmission? For example, could you shift from second gear to fourth or perhaps down from sixth gear to third.

“Well, there’s nothing physically stopping you from doing this in a manual. You’re in control.

"For upshifts, it’s no big concern, say you want to shift from second to fourth gear, you’d simply wait a little longer before letting the clutch out so the engine has time to drop to a lower RPM than it would be at if you had shifted to third.

“For downshifts, say going from sixth to third, there’s two things you want to keep in mind. First, never downshift to a gear so low that it would bring your engine revs over the red line. That’s called a money shift because it will empty your bank account.

“Second, you need to rev-match these shifts with a bit higher throttle blip than usual because you’re going to be significantly raising the engine RPM.

"If you don’t rev match you’ll have added clutch wear and could even lock up the driven wheels. So skip away, just do it right.”

According to breakdown experts at the RAC, motorists are likely to find that a clutch replacement is expensive.

They warn that a clutch replacement in the UK is likely to range anywhere from between £500 and £1,000.

However, they stress total bills can dramatically vary depending on the make and model of the car and whether other parts need replacing.

This could include the flywheel, clutch cable or hydraulic system which will add to the final costs.