Cars.com

Dear Tom and Ray:

My dear father and I seek eternal truth from an indisputable source. Recently, my father tried to convince me that all of the repairs done on my car have been routine maintenance (it's a 1984 Chevy Camaro, so we KNOW that's not true!). I brought up the fact that my first clutch needed replacement at 30,000 miles. Dad INSISTS that clutches NORMALLY wear out between 20-30,000 miles. He swears clutches are not meant to go beyond 30,000 miles! I, being wiser and more rational, know that clutches, if used properly, have a minimum lifespan of 60,000 miles. The only reason it was replaced was that I was having a new transmission put in (another fine example of routine maintenance!). My father, being a father, believes that "kids don't know anything." For this reason, I need another source to support my premise. It would be unfortunate, and DANGEROUS for my father to continue to be misinformed. Please give us your opinion. As a last comment, be assured that no one adores you guys more than I do. But don't let THAT sway your opinion (in all fairness, Dad's a fan, too!). Ann

Ray: Gee, Ann, you're putting us in a really uncomfortable position. You're asking us to tell a fan of ours that he's wrong. And you know how few fans we have!

Tom: You're asking us to break a bond with a fellow male, and side with a younger female.

Ray: You're asking us to humiliate a decent, hard-working, caring father in front of his previously devoted daughter, despite all the emotional turmoil we know that's going to cause.

Tom: Ahhh, what the heck. You're old man's nuts, Ann. N.B. Sandy Klink....this is the one with the "Ray Ban" that we'd like to print backwards if possible.

It's amazing how many bad driving habits and wacko theories have been passed down from generation to generation! Tom and Ray set the record straight in their booklet "Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It!" To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1993 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Back to the April 1993 index