Top 10 automotive myths

Throughout history all societies have embraced beliefs that eventually proved to be untrue, and the Internet has enabled the spread of myths of all kinds. Some of these “beliefs” involve the automobile; it’s time to separate the facts from fiction. Take a look at these popular myths, listed in no particular order. I’ve saved my favorite for last. Reality: There is no such law governing vehicle purchases. The 72-hour rule only pertains to consumer purchases, in-home sales contracts, etc. Lobbyists (chiefly the National Automobile Dealers Association) killed the automotive provision at the time the law was being written. Dealers are allowed to voluntarily offer cooling-off periods but these are very uncommon and usually filled with disclaimers. Reality: Premium fuel only produces more power when used in engines that have higher compression ratios or are turbocharged or supercharged, or are otherwise tweaked for high performance. It actually burns less easily than regular fuel, so using it in an engine designed for lower octane fuel produces less power and yields fewer miles per gallon. Premium fuel also generates greater profits for the oil companies and that’s why you never see them advertise regular or mid grades. Truth: Octane content is basically the same as it always was, but the numbers are lower. That’s because there are two methods of measuring octane level: Motor and Research. Gasoline used to be rated solely by the Research method, which yielded higher numbers than the Motor method. Today’s fuels use an average of the two and are therefore numerically lower. 100 Research (RON – Research Octane Number) is 94 octane in today’s rating system. Reality: The last time engines required oil changes as frequently as every 3000 miles was in the mid 1960s, except for turbocharged cars in the 80s. Unleaded fuels and clean-burning engines of today require fewer oil changes, typically on the order of 7000-10,000 miles. Consult your owners’ manual and trust the engineers who designed the engines, not the fast-lube industry marketing folks who advocate 3000-mile changes.

Reality: No, they don’t work well, and they’re not worth the money. TV and magazine ads demonstrating dramatic results fail to mention that the conditions shown in the ads don’t exist in every-day engine operation.

Muffler keeps going bad - Honda Odyssey Forum : Odyssey Minivan Forums

Anyone have any idea why my muffler keeps going bad? This will be the third time I replace it. I also notice a small water puddle under the tailpipe whenever I rev it in the driveway. even when the engine is at NOT. The muffler rattles on the inside like the baffles have broken or something. I also notice my van has no flexpipe. Is that normal?

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