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We were recently in Budapest, Hungary. At the first restaurant we visited we were charged several dollars (in local currency) for a jug of warm tap water. In addition to various taxes, a tip was added, and the bill was presented with a "would you like to add an extra tip" suggestion. A very...

An object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by some force. For the earth to be speeding up there would have to be some force causing the rotational speed to increase. And I don't know of any such force. The evidence is that the earth's rotation is very very very slightly slowing...

Looks like that shop doesn't want your business.

There is no point in operating and getting a surgical site infected. Clear up that infection first. Your doc is a very smart guy. Getting rid of problems can be a step by step process.

If traffic has been piling up behind you, it could be that other drivers see this as a chance to get in front of you. That's perfectly logical in my opinion.

One of my school friends failed his first driver's test at age 16 because he was too cautious and driving too slow. So it's not just the elderly. In British Columbia there are driver's tests starting at age 80. One of the reasons for failing the test is driving too slow. If you've lost the...

Even better, you should drive the same speed as the rest of the traffic. If lots of people are piling up behind you or passing you, you're driving too slow.

Assuming you aren't trolling us, my advice is to regularly drive at or very near the speed limit. Slow driving is irritating to many people and people having to pass someone who is holding up traffic actually causes some danger to themself and others. On "Canada's Worst Drivers" some years...

Our heir will primarily be our daughter. We have some very fine, very expensive furniture, some old and significant antique pieces, and some attractive modern junk. We also have a lot of "smalls", some of which have come down from our ancestors. These are things that should be passed on to...

My 2007 Honda Accord has 2 fully functioning key fobs. They both failed but using heavy duty tools I was able to loosen a tiny screw and open them up and replace the batteries. They're working just fine again. The original batteries lasted about 15 years so no complaints there. But the gorilla...

I don't know of any automatic read out system that can tell you the quality of motor oil. Some of us like to pull the dipstick to see how dark the oil is, to check for metallic bits, milky substances or excessive fuel odour. If you've paid someone to change your oil, with a dash read out you...

I thought of doing it once. The "change oil" light was on from the start. The rental was only a few days so I put up with the light. When I took it back I told the girl behind the counter. "No", she said, "it doesn't need an oil change. I checked the dip stick myself and it has plenty of oil."...

Remember when anything made in Japan was crap? Over the years my family has had a few decorative items "made in occupied Japan". Not great quality. When Japanese cars first arrived in Canada (Honda products, about 1968), Japanese stuff had come off its "going to be bad" reputation but still...

But new old stock (NOS) might be better.

My Volvo specialist in Winnipeg replaced the water pump on my Volvo with aftermarket parts at least twice (maybe 3 times) over a period of 6 years. When I got back to Edmonton and the water pump failed again, my Volvo specialist there said the problem was using aftermarket parts. He replaced it...

I keep a spread sheet on maintenance on every car I ever own, so closer to proactive. The spread sheet also states my best information on service intervals. Which is why I'm asking. In my younger days I was very proactive, but I've loosened up a bit. I suspect I wasted money and effort...

My Model 3 is coming up to 4 years old. Time for some preventive maintenance. Here is a good video on the required and recommended maintenance on Teslas. What do you think? He doesn't even recommend replacing the brake fluid periodically, which is probably okay in the short or even medium...

I'm convinced that my BMW saved my butt one day because it handled so well. I was driving about 70 - 80 km/hr in the outer of two lanes when I came up to a traffic light. My light was green. Just as I got there a car blundered into the intersection from the side and blocked my whole lane. I...

A small piece of information from the distant past. 25 or 30 years ago a man I worked with had lost his parents and his in-laws in separate car accidents. So he spent a lot of time looking at wrecked cars in bone yards. His conclusion was that Mercedes and Volvos stood up better than other cars...

If you're having to replace pads and rotors because of "warping" [which I suspect is really uneven brake pad deposits] then you'd be better off to stop being gentle and "use them brakes". It might actually cost less. The big take away is not sitting with the brakes engaged after a hard stop or...