Originally Posted by NorCal DC4
Use your brakes in daily driving, and compression (aka "engine") braking on long descents when there's a legitimate risk of brake fade due to heat build-up.
Exactly. It's not that using compression to slow your car damages your engine, it's when you do it WRONG you will wear things out. If you have any question about what is the RIGHT way to do it, as with anything else, don't do it.