When writing these stories, it’s sometimes hard not to preach or sell. The true purpose of these articles is to educate you, the driving public about the most technologically advanced industry in the world.
Yes, we can hurtle through space on jets and rockets and the social media platforms are evolving by the second, however few of these industries touch every person in the world as much as the automotive industry.
In 1969 we sent a trio of men to the moon. We strapped them into a rocket that was built by the lowest bidder and sent them and a return vehicle so that they could return home, and they did. It was wonderous and mind-blowing, what an accomplishment to set foot on another planet. But here is a very sobering fact, the mainframe computer system that was used on that trip could not and would not be able to start and run one of today’s cars.
Fast forward to 2020, cars are talking and taking over the controls that were once the job of the human brain. They vibrate when we are tired, warn us when there is an approaching vehicle, stop if there is an obstruction in its path, tell us when to put air in our tires and when to change the oil.
Humans, being habitually lazy, have allowed this progression to continue. How many owners out there don’t know how to check their own tire pressures or how to check the fluids in their vehicle? Many owners are not even aware that many of the cars out there today do not have a physical way to even check their oil. It is all done by computerization.
The current attitude when a vehicle breaks down is first disbelief as if how could this have happened, the car never told me it was sick. (AKA COVID).
Then shock at the cost of the repairs, (this isn’t your father’s Oldsmobile) to finally resignation, (Just fix the damn thing or time to buy another piece of junk.) Owners feel pressured, service personnel feels threatened, and it all boils down to this accountability.
There is no easy answer to this scenario, no one wants to put themselves in the eye of the hurricane. Owners just want to put gas in the tank and turn the key, they ignore or fail to recognize the many warning signs that are always present. The ticking noise on startup or the slight hesitation when turning the key, the slight pull while driving on a level road or the wop, wop sound when they are making turns. The added pressure is necessary when stopping with or without help. The burning sour smell that is evident after a long drive or the faint pulsation in the brake pedal when stopping hard from high speeds.
The car didn’t tell me that my radiator hoses are 15 years old and have surpassed the 90,000-mile marker when they should have been replaced. The metallurgy differences between dissimilar metals for 125,000 miles or more in a hostile environment. (Gee, I don’t know why those spark plugs won’t come out)
The fact of the matter is that owners are responsible for keeping some kind of record of there services and for listening to the message every car tells its owner. Every service provider has the responsibility to look for issues before they become problems and to educate their clients of the services that are due well in advance so that expenditures can be kept at a minimum instead of heart-stopping.
Ignore these tips then it will your turn to “PAY THE PIPER”
As always, LACK OF COMMON SENSE WILL ALWAYS COST YOU DOLLARS AND CENTS.
MAINTENANCE STARTS AT MILE000001
Be safe, Be smart, and God Bless.
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