Dear Tom and Ray:

Both of our cars have trip odometers which we always forget to reset when starting out on a trip -- or when we just want to measure the distance from point A to point B. My husband insists that we pull to the side of the road before pushing the reset button. He says if it's pushed while the car is in motion, it will screw up the speedometer, the odometer, the cable, etc., etc., blah, blah, blah. I say the hell with it -- just set it whenever you want. He's really pushing MY buttons by insisting on this. What do you say? -- Jeanne

Ray: Jeanne, I don't mean anything bad by this, but your husband is a complete wacko.

Tom: Yeah. Usually, we try to defend a) men, b) husbands and c) people with wacko theories -- all out of a sense of camaraderie. But we're at a loss with this guy, Jeanne.

Ray: You can hit the reset button on the odometer whenever you want. No damage at all will be done.

Tom: And by the way, if he tries to tell you that you have to pull over and shut off the car before changing radio stations, don't believe that one either.

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.

© 1996 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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