I'm so paranoid that using the paddle shifter cause extra wear and tear on the transmission leading to shortening its lifespan.

I recently a Fit and love it. I'm going to start using the paddle shfiter. I'm used to manual transmission so when I go to down or up shift my natural reaction is to let go of the gas pedal. I've read the manual and it doesn't say that it's necessary. So when using the paddle shifter, no need to take the foot off the gas pedal?

 

It will be just fine. I use them all of the time in my 2g and 3g Fit's.

 

I owned a 2010 with a manual, but on all shiftable-autos I've driven you don't need to lift off the gas when you shift, doing so will make the shift "jerk-y" like a bad shift in a manual, at least in my experience. And it shouldn't do any damage to the trans as long as you're not doing something silly like downshifting at redline in 3rd to 2nd.

 

I've started to use it and LOVE it. I don't know why there seems to be a lot of negative criticism of paddle shifters. It's a great way to prolong the life of your breaks and for a car that lacks high end torque (let's face it, the HP is lacking) the ability to downshift on command and quickly is very useful when trying to merge onto highways or maneuver at high speeds.