How To Make Your Car Last Forever

One day in late 1990, I walked into a repair shop and saw the owner wringing his hands, upset because he had to make a call to a customer. He had given the customer a quote to replace a timing belt in her car. The car, a 1984 Ford Escort with a four-cylinder engine, was equipped with an interference engine. When the timing belt breaks with this type of engine, the valves collide with the pistons and cause major engine damage. This is exactly what had happened to her car. The technician was terribly distressed because he quoted the customer $225 to replace the belt when, in fact, the repair would cost the customer more than $2,000 because the engine had to be replaced...