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Old 02-04-2003, 04:56 PM #1
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Advice:Beware of bad advice from unqualified journalists

Hey all,

Here is an article that i totally agree with from CanadianDriver.com:

Beware of bad advice from unqualified journalists
by Phil Bailey

A certain Canadian newspaper, whose automotive section is usually quite excellent, published a product report recently by a freelance self-described "automotive journalist". The newspaper actually describes him as a paralegal, whatever that means. Which leaves me in great doubt about the man's actual technical ability and his independence in reporting on products that were probably introduced to him over a sumptuous lunch.

His article advocated the use of Bosch platinum plugs for every application known to man. He also said that such plugs, once installed with anti-seize compound can remain in place for 100,000 miles (160,000 Km).

I believe anyone who has had to try and remove old spark plugs after that much distance, might agree with me that the results could be disastrous. They MIGHT come out, but then again, they may not. If even one of them strips the threads in the head, you are in for some very expensive repairs.

Additionally, most of the automotive technicians I know believe strongly in replacing spark plugs with those that are specified by the engine designer who wrote the maintenance instructions in the Owner's Manual. When a new engine is being designed, the engineer in charge calls in his spark plug expert and after debating various categories, a suitable plug is selected. That's why the plug catalogue is so voluminous. It's somewhat thicker then the Toronto phone directory. One plug does NOT fit all. Even one make of plug.

I use Bosch plugs in both my VW and my Porsche. I wouldn't dream of using AC Delco, unless I owned a Corvette.

Recently, a young man with a Mustang GT 5 litre consulted us. He was suffering from pre-ignition, more commonly known as "ping" and it was very loud. So bad, in fact, that he was in serious danger of burning a hole in a piston. After some conversation, it transpired that he put in a set of "Splitfire" spark plugs, which he had seen on an info-mercial. We installed a set of Motorcraft plugs, as specified by Ford and the whole problem disappeared.

The trouble is that the general public loves to play with their cars. Loves to second guess the engineers and chemists and buy all kinds of devices and additives that are supposed to "improve" their cars. This penchant for experimentation is driven along by a certain minority of "automotive writers", many of who have never seen the inside of journalism school. That includes me, but at least I trained as an engineer and get my hands dirty every working day.

These amateur product advocates are cannon fodder for the PR guys from the automotive add-on industry. They have a tendency to believe the PR guys, because they are usually very personable and generous. So when the poor consumer reads an article extolling the virtues of the latest and greatest product for their car, they're inclined to believe it. He's a journalist - it must be true, right?

Wrong, the fellow who wrote the article may not know any more about the product than you do, he is merely repeating what he has been told.

True story: many years ago, a company claimed they had a pill that could turn water into a combustible product that could be used by the internal combustion engine as fuel. They set up an elaborate test, before many illustrious members of the Press. They drained the fuel tank, filled it with water, dropped in the secret pill and started the engine. They then drove the car around for several hours and everyone was duly amazed.

What happened after the FTC investigated? The car had had its chassis rails welded shut and they were full of gasoline. The fuel tank was, of course, completely disconnected. These guys went to jail and so should a lot more of these rip off artists.

Newspaper editors need to question more carefully the technical advice that comes from unqualified writers who write these articles without a proper technical background and without properly investigating the subject or giving it sufficient thought.
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Old 02-05-2003, 10:04 AM #2
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Thanks Thai. I sometime fall into that general public category and go for these PR driven scams. Luckily I've yet to buy one. One of the funniest is that tornado device that whips up the air into the engine. So funny.
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