Dear Tom and Ray: A buddy broke his left arm under moronic circumstances, which I won’t go into. Now, without any use of said left arm, he’s doing a lot of city driving (Chicago) in a Saab with a manual transmission. That he’s doing this also seems moronic to me, and I’ve told him so, but he says it’s really not that difficult to shift and steer all with the same hand, and I shouldn’t worry. Not only do I worry, but I’m also not sure it’s legal. Any advice on what I should tell him?
– Scott
Ray: The key phrase in your letter, Scott, is “under moronic circumstances.”
Tom: He broke his arm under moronic circumstances. And now he’s again endangering himself or others under what? Moronic circumstances.
Ray: If it’s not illegal to have “no hands” on the wheel for any period of time in Illinois, it certainly is dumb.
Tom: As your friend probably knows, you can get away with certain “dumb” things some of the time. As long as there are no surprises.
But when something actually requires your friend to react quickly, he’s going to crash. And if he hurts an innocent party, he’s probably going to get the bejeezus sued out of him – and rightfully so.
Ray: So, what should you do? Well, you can give him a copy of this column. But if he’s a true moron, he’ll think our warnings don’t apply to him. So then you’re left with two approaches: intervention or Darwinism.
Tom: If you think intervention is worth a try, and you have an automatic transmission, swap cars with him. Or persuade him to swap with a friend who has an automatic until his arm heals.
Ray: If you’d rather go the Darwinistic route, then just let natural selection take its course. And hope he doesn’t take anyone else with him.
…
Dear Tom and Ray: I was recently told that I should not use an underbody wash at automatic carwashes since cars are designed to deflect water away from brakes and bearings, etc., and that carwashes actually spray directly into those components, doing more harm than good. True?
– Curt
Ray: No. The underside of your car is constantly bombarded with water when it rains. And that’s fine. It’s designed to get wet.
Tom: The brakes get wet all the time, and are designed to shed water and keep on working. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to drive in the rain.
Ray: Anything close to the ground that’s really not supposed to get wet is sealed tightly and packed in grease so that no water ever gets in.
Tom: We do urge caution when it comes to power-washing the engine with a steam wand. Because that kind of intense pressure could possibly penetrate the less robust seals on some of the car’s electronic components.
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