No Dry Shifting! (dealer sign)

[vOil]

I once saw a sign inside a car on an exotic car dealer floor: “No Dry Shifting!”
If this were TRUE, how could a driver select a gear from a stop without doing it, ie shifting from a complete stop damages their gearboxes?
Is this a myth?
Are expensive foreign sports cars really built that cheap?
Or was it just a way to keep Kids & Lookie Lous away?

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I once saw a sign inside a car on an exotic car dealer floor: “No Dry Shifting!”
If this were TRUE, how could a driver select a gear from a stop without doing it, ie shifting from a complete stop damages their gearboxes?
Is this a myth?
Are expensive foreign sports cars really built that cheap?
Or was it just a way to keep Kids & Lookie Lous away?

Probably want to keep peoples grease hands off the leather wrapped shifter

 

[zrxkawboy]

Or was it just a way to keep Kids & Lookie Lous away?

Probably this.

 

[dnewton3]

I'm going to make a presumption here ...
I believe you probably saw the sign in the car as it sat on the dealer floor.

This policy is in place because most any traditional manual transmission needs the input shaft turning to splash/pump the lubrication around. Hence, without the engine running, those gears and synchros will be dry when someone sits in the car and shifts the transmission, as the vehicle sits on the dealer floor. That is very hard on the internal components of the trans.

Pretty much the same reason motorcycle dealers don't want people shifting gears sitting on a bike on their dealer floors.


Many years ago I watched a guy sit in a Mustang GT on the dealer floor, dry shift it several times, and then get out and complain about how hard it was to shift.
What an idiot ...

 

[Kira]

This made me think of something funny.

From 1971-1973, Buick sold the "Opel GT". The sporty car had headlight housings which flipped on the vertical axis (12 + 6).
The action was cable operated from a short lever on the console. The inertia to start the flip was great.
Once the headlights were moving, the feel changed.
I visited the dealership with a nearly completely deaf friend.

He sat in the GT and cycled the lever back and forth a dozen times; not hearing the harsh slamming.

They threw us out.

 

[wings&wheels]

Are expensive foreign sports cars really built that cheap?

I'd say this.

 

[joekingcorvette]

I would have to guess it's to keep the tire kickers from messing with the vehicle. Kind of like a motorcycle dealer sign stating they do not want customers to sit on the motorcycles. I think it prevents people from getting hurt too. No use putting wear and tear on a vehicle if you are not interested in buying it.

 

[RedSpider]

If that car has been driven even once in the last five years there isnt going to be a single "dry" surface anywhere inside the transmission. The sign is there to keep idiots from getting in acting like... idiots. Period.

 

[Exhaustgases]

When the shift splines are not aligned there is the extra stress on the linkages to cram them into engagement, and then of course an ever so slight amount of metal particles made as well. It is not a good idea to do that, just unnecessary wear and tear on stuff. I don't blame them for posting the signs. When the engine is running and say first or reverse doesn't want to engage a well seasoned manual transmission person or driver will momentary engage the clutch to rotate the gear set a bit so it will engage.