There is an article today in the Los Angeles Times in the Car Care section.

The AAA Club ran a recent car inspection service and found what most professionals have long asserted: that most drivers ignore the most routine auto maintenance.

Of the 550 cars inspected:

1. 75% had some sort of vital fluid problem - from dirty or dangerously low engine oil to rancid transmission fluid and / or brake fluid.

2. at least 1/3 had worn-out drive belts on alternators, a/c pumps, and engine cooling fans.

Other common problems included inoperative headlights, brake lights, tail lights, dirty air filters, under inflated tires, etc.

The conclusion reached was that owners are just too lazy and / or cheap to do routine inspections and to carry out required maintenance chores.

Of course, I have known this all along. I have always been fanatical about maintaining my cars, and virtually everone around me doesn't. About half of the people I know only change their car's oil and nothing else. A smaller percentage ever get around to changing their radiator coolant, and an even smaller percentage ever replace their transmission fluid. I don't know anyone besides me who regularly changes their brake fluid.

Heck, you'd think that frequent participants of this site would at least cary out the most basic maintenance, but I just read recently an active member here (to remain nameless) who was bragging about the reliability of his car because the transmission fluid hadn't been changed in 120,000 miles and operated fine!

Oh sweet Jesus, where is the humanity...?

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".