BTW, seen any of those OBDII kits that let ya use a Palm to read the OBD and collate/interpret codes? Yeh, yeh: a reader and codebook is cheap and perfectly workable (who can live w/o it for post ’96 cars?), but using an old (OLD!) Palm m500 as an OBDII reader… I’m tempted. Maybe after I break down and buy my beer making kit (since it didn’t turn up Xmas or birthday. )

Oh, magnets can be useful even w/aluminum engines, since few are ALL aluminum. Obviously, the less ferrous material there is, the less useful they are, though.

Mobile 1? Love the stuff. Have used it for years in our family cars. And it works remarkably well. Wonder Woman LOST a water pump 25 miles from home once, one a long, windy, two-lane road with NO place to stop (well, the pump was still there… sorta, but NO coolant was in the car by the time she got somewhere she could call me–before cell phones). Had no time to do the work myself and had our fav (at that time) mechanic haul it off and install a new water pump and check for other issues. There were none. Drove the thing for a few more years, gave it to Lovely Daughter, who then got several more years solid use from it. Similar thing happened when a top hose blew on me–yeh, preventive maintenance would have… prevented that one–in my lil ole 1972 Datsun while in bumper-to-bumper freeway traffic. By the time I could get out of traffic, several miles later, and pull off: no coolant left at all, at all. Total damage: Head was slightly warped. Put another 150,000 mies on that car before the body practically fell off. *heh* It was still getting nearly 50mpg at the time. Never had any transmission work: used all synthetic lubes.

Rain-X: seriously heavy thunderstorm. Pregnant wife in car. #@$%&# Lucas electrics on the XJ-12 decided THAT was the time to have the wipers go belly up. Had a new coat of Rain-X on the glass (all around), so no problem. Nearly 30 years later, I still use the stuff almost religiously.

Oh, the rally “good for animals” antifreeze is the one treated with (I forget the chemical’s name) that’s reputed to be the bitterest substance known… to cause children and animals to avoid the stuff.

But the best way to protect children and animals from being poisoned by useful chemicals is for their use to be supervised by RESPONSIBLE adults (it’s the adjective that is the failure point… ).

1. Mobil-1 5w-30 is the only thing that goes into my racecar. 5 quarts every 30 miles.

3. Those are better for animals too. The regular “green” stuff is responsible for a lot of dog and cat deaths.

5. If tranny fluid tastes bitter or burnt it’s bad too… but I doubt people want to go that far. Tire pressure is a good one too. Your tires last longer at the correct pressure, and you get better gas mileage too.

6. Rain-X is a good idea if you apply it right. Most people don’t. You have to strip the wax and silicone from car washes off of the glass before you apply it, or it’s only good for a few hundred miles in the rain. For me, that’s about a week of driving in the winter.

9. No matter how good your hydraulic jack is, NEVER, NEVER work under your car while it’s supported on the hydraulic jack. Always use a quality pair of Jackstands. Hydraulic jack seals have been known to blow out for no apparent reason, collapsing the jack. I’m really glad to see number 10, make the same point following number 9.

12. Magnetic drain plugs are great, unless you are running an all-aluminum engine. There are also places that will cut open your filter and examine it for stuff that shouldn’t be there.

I really enjoy your lists David!!!

Mine’s up today at http://perrinelson.com/2007/6/28/842.aspx

I’m off to a meeting this morning, which should last most of the day, but in the interest of something more entertaining than “This Space Intentionally Left Blank” here are my:
Thursday 13: Excuses for Not Mowing the Lawn
1.  I might…