Am I hurting my VX transmission?

[WyrreJ]

No. compression braking was a good thing like 20 years ago. Modern brakes are a lot longer-lived than they used to be, so now compression braking does more harm than it does good.

As for sitting in 1st at a red light, that's where you ought to be anytime you are stopped unless you've got unusual conditions like a really icy road. If you leave it on automatic that's where the AT will go on its own.

The VX is my first and only automatic, but I really see no reason to manually shift during normal operation.

[thebear54]

I have always used 3rd and 2nd downshifts when I cruise down a steep hill in every imaginable vehicle and have never had any tranny problems. Like you said it saves on the brakes.
The clunking you are hearing when you shift from park could be weak U-joints. When was the last time you greased them? Grease them up and you might hear a big difference. There are three fittings on the VX drive line so it doesn't take very long.
John

[Lease-V-cross]

I'm not much of a mechanic....where are these "U joints" you speak of ? (sounding like a cave-man )

[Moncha]

Looking under your VX, the long tubular thing that runs the length of the vehicle is the drive shaft. The U-Joints are at the points like where the driveshaft meets the transmission, the rear axle and in the middle.

[MZ-N10]

well...if u look in the vx manual they acutally tell u to down shift down hill, i think it was called engine braking.

[transio]

I know for a fact that engine braking is not suggested in a high performance manual car (clutches are way more expensive than brake pads). Not sure about an automatic, though...

[SGT.BATGUANO]

Engine braking does just that, it reduces your speed by tranferring energy in reverse order through the driveline . It also causes extra wear on those components, especially the timing belt/chain. Use the brakes unless you're in exceptionally steep, hilly terrain.