Dear Tom and Ray:

My eleven year old son let his pet mouse escape in my Dodge Van. It took five days to catch him after he ran up my pant leg while I was going 55 mph and nearly caused me to have a heart attack. Meanwhile, that ugly little creature ate a wire that tells me if the engine is hot or cold. My husband says I "must get it fixed." I say "why waste the money, I don't see smoke yet." Your comments please. Beth

Tom: You may eventually see smoke, Beth. And it'll probably be coming from your husband's ears when you overheat the van some day and melt the cylinder head.

Ray: You do need to get the gauge fixed, Beth. It's important to know when the engine is in danger of overheating. By pulling over and shutting off the engine in time, you can save hundreds of dollars--if not more.

Tom: And while the mechanic is under the dashboard fixing the temperature gauge, I'd also ask him to take a good look around. Who knows what else that little mouse got into while he was out on safari?

Ray: And by the way, just like Eskimo mothers tell their kids not to eat yellow snow, tell your eleven year old not to eat any "raisinettes" he finds in the van for a while.

Spending a little money now on "preventive maintenance" can save you big bucks down the road. Find out how by ordering Tom and Ray's pamphlet "Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It!" To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1992 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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