Keeping my hand on the stick ... does it ruin the transmission ??? Help !

My friend just bought a brand new 6 speed A4 and supposedly, the dealer kept telling him not to keep his hand on the stick because it wears out the transmission faster.

Does anyone know if this is actually true ? I drive a manual in the city, & rarely take me hand off the stick. Am I really wearing out my transmission more quickly ??

It most certianly can do. Depending on the design of the g.box it might not make a noticable differnce though.

However if your hand sitting on the stick moves it anywhere then it will be putting pressure on the slector, which wears the gear itself as well as the scynrho hub and cones.

On an older car with a very slopping shift it might not be to noticable, and the extra wear will be minimal, but on a newer car, or a car with a thight and precise shift then yes it could do some serious damage very quickly.
And the dealer could find away of showing the damage was casued by the driver and is not a manufactoring fault, and so get out of a warrenty claim. (but I have no idea on the warrenty laws in the US, or what sort of warranty the car came with)

100% true... like previously stated... resting your hand there is a bad thing, i do it all the time, but my car is old...

if you are just driving normal, don't do it, but if it is a spirited drive, you can't really not keep off of it... tell him to make it a habit of not doing it if at all possible...

you know when it needs to be there...

When you rest your hand on the stick, you put extra pressure on the synchronizers, thus wearing them out prematurely. Shifting problems can develop as the dogs become worn.