I learned something worth remembering from my local, friendly mechanic today. 'Brake pads are cheaper than transmissions'. I was chastising myself for ruining my brake pads by driving around hilly places and not using the 'L' or 'S' settings on my car's stick which can invoke some engine breaking. But the mechanic said I'm better off just using the brakes most of the time. That's what they are designed for and they are cheaper than transmissions. I'll hold my hands up and say that I don't really know how engine breaking works anyway. I just rely on the knowledge of others.