Pat wrote:
On May 8, 2:57 pm, Molly Brown wrote:
Joe wrote:

“Thank you, Captain Obvious.”

(snip)

Blown tires used to be much more common, too, but they aren't very
common now. And, again, you don't see many people next to the road
with a flat, either. Tires are SO much better.

Oh, yeah. I haven't had a blowout in 15 years, at least. The occasional
slow leak, due to aluminum wheels liking to lose their bead seal, but
that is about it.

I also thing that coatings, mud flaps and plastics have cut down on
rust and holes.

Not so much. What all that cladding garbage mainly does is HIDE the rust
holes. Up here in salt country, it also traps salt right against the
metal and holds it there. Seen many cars and pickups around here, all
shiny up top, but one of the lower rocker trim panels is missing, and
the metal behind is just GONE, like it was cut out with a saber saw.
Since I only buy used cars, I don't get much choice on the wheels or the
body gingerbread, but if I ever hit the lotto and buy a new car, I'll
pay extra to have them make me one without any of that crap on it.

“Lifestyle changes including more single women who do not have "a man
to fix the car.

After my parents split up and my father moved to a distant state, I was
one of the few adult males to spend time with my little sisters, on
visits back home. I made it a point to teach them car basics, like how
to change a flat, check oil and fluids, jump a battery, and know when a
garage was feeding them BS. They seemed to forget it all as they morphed
into the boy-crazy stage, but now that they are adults, it seems to have
floated back to the top. No helpless females allowed in our family.

--
aem sends...