if you are sitting at a stop with the clutch partway engaged you are slipping it , so you wont roll back, and that will overheat the friction disc leading to premature failure. it is easy to spot when the parts are out as the disc will be worn out and the other parts will be blue from overheating.

 

^^ Thanks for the clarification, Fit_to_be_tied. I've read a bit more about clutch use and understand that "clutch control" should be kept to a minimum, and am now trying to do so before it becomes a hard habit to break.

I spoke to my friend about this too, and he chuckled at my original description of "slowly" releasing the clutch. Apparently 1 second isn't slow at all, at least for a M/T newbie. He did suggest that disengaging the clutch during a shift shouldn't be a "smooth" or continuous motion, but done in two quick steps--briefly pause partway up so the parts sync, then completely off.

He also drove my Fit yesterday to check out my concerns and said it was one of the smoother transmissions he's driven, so I shouldn't worry about it. I still feel the slight bump or grind as it locks into 2nd, but I'll let it be for now and see if it goes away by itself.

 

the thing i dont like about the shifting is not a trans problem but a software issue with keeping the throttle open slightly , so when you lift to shift the rpm doesnt drop off. its a minor issue but it drives me crazy