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I,ve noticed that drivers seem to care a lot less about others on the road than they used to. I hear a lot of screeching tires and squealing brakes when I make the left turn into my driveway. Guess they don't notice brake lights unless they're mounted in the window. Some ride so close behind that I can only see their winshield in the mirror and others show no consideration when they pull out. Especially the ones who peel out then go 10 under the limit. Most don't worry if the car they cut off can slow or stop without hitting them. You can leave plenty of distance between the car ahead of you but when someone cuts out all bets are off. I try to maintain all the cars' equipment properly and even avoid certain vehicles with reliability issues but that only goes so far.

" You could give similar cautions about lack of awareness of maintenance needs, like periodic brake fluid flush and refill, headlight aiming, etc."

What is "periodic" ????

I've not been able to find any specific official time or mileage interval stated anywhere for brake fluid flushing or head lite aiming.

Where are these periodic maintenance schedules stated and specifically what is the time or mileage intervals for brake flush and headlite aiming????

On changing brake fluid:

Should be done every 2 years. This is especially important on older cars because the brake system vents to the atmosphere and always picks up moisture. The brake fluid absorbs moisture out of the air. If the fluid gets saturated the moisture can boil in the wheel cylinders, under severe braking stress. This causes the pedal to drop to the floor and the brakes to stop working.

If the fluid has turned dark it is time to change. Bleed out the brakes while adding fresh fluid to the master cylinder. When fresh clean fluid starts coming out of the bleeder, you are done with that wheel. Time to go on to the next bleeder.

If you do this your brake cylinders will NEVER rust up or freeze up or leak and your bleeders will not freeze up.

On passing on a 2 lane hiway. You can whip around a slow moving car in an eye blink, even if you are driving a low powered car (not a Packard). Here is how.

When following along behind a slow car drop back 50 to 100 feet. When you see a good passing opportunity coming up, step on the gas andd accelerate up behind the other car. When you get close, you should be going 20 MPH faster than the other car. As you move out to pass you are still accelerating. If you time it just right you can pass a car in seconds and get right back in your own lane.

By doing this you can actually pass in less than half the time. On curvy or crowded roads this makes all the difference. You can pass safely with room to spare, in situations where the average driver cannot pass at all.

Every 2wo years. ok. Lets hang with that for a momment.

Some 35 years ago the auto companies began to install a rubber diaphragm under the MC cover. This rubber diaphragm seals the system from the vent but inhibits a vacuum build up in the reservoir. My 73 chev, 88 ranger, 89 Caprice among many many others i've worked on over the last 2 or 3 decades have this diaphragm.

**** WHY THEN has noone developed such a diaphragm for the BTV?????? Not exactly a major effort!!!!! NOT detectable for showing. CERTAINLY a safety consideration.

Packard service manual lube chart and maintenance schedule:
I found 10K miles for headlite aiming. NO mention of brake fluid draining. Only check brake fluid level.

I flush brakes and replace brake fluid once a year, lubricate as recommended as close to every 1000 miles as I can, especially if I've been driving in standing water, lubricate the torsion level, carefully, about once a year. I've added grease 'serts in the rear hubs so that axles do not need to be pulled to grease rear wheel bearings on the '55 (that's a 20,000 mile recommended service anyway but having done it, I thought the mod was justified), change oil and by-pass oil filter and check the differential about once every 2000 to 3000 miles, check power steering reservoir, T/U, brake fluid (I have a top-fill brake fluid reservoir) and engine oil levels at least every two weeks, check air pressure in tyres every time that I refuel and pay very close attention to the way that my car drives and "feels" when I drive it. As I use it all the time, this seems prudent to me. Usually, about once a week, I even check all exterior lighting to be sure that my brake lights, back-up lights, turn signals and license plate illumination are working. These are things that I was taught many years ago. Regularity of oil changes (I do not use synthetic oil in the Packard) had to be gotten used to again as did the necessity of lubricating front end and suspension points - something the modern driver has never had to do and is not used to.

I agree fully with PackardV8 that there is nothing any modern car will do better than my Patrician and many things that they won't do nearly as well. The room, ground clearance, torque applied to the road at the rear wheels when needed (even with the T/U), unconcern with which deep dips, road imperfections, railroad tracks, etc. can be negotiated all far surpass any cars of my experience for, at least, the past thirty years. Yes, repeated heavy use of the drum brakes will result in fade if they don't have time to cool but engine braking is good with the T/U and fade is easily compensated for when you're aware of the tendency. The body tilt/roll is a bit more conspicuous than in modern cars but the T/L keeps all four wheels firmly on the ground and makes the car remarkably stable and sure footed in nearly all normally encountered driving conditions and emergency manoeuvres that cannot be safely accomplished in many "big" cars of much more "modern" design are a piece of cake with the T/L suspension. Parking is a breeze because the car is "square" and you can see all four corners of it.

The car is comfortable, remarkably dependable, easy to drive, convenient, roomy and stable. I 'spect that if more people had the opportunity to really use one, daily, there'd be a LOT of converts - especially amongst those who have grown to adulthood never having experienced a vehicle designed with the user in mind.

The "extra" maintenance is worth the effort and part of the responsibility of driving (I also enjoy it).

In the aircraft business, pilots and the like have what they call a "walkaround". You walk around the aircraft inspecting it for anything that may cause problems while in flight. It's not a bad habit to get into with your vehicles, instead of just jumping in the car and driving off. There's so many things that I think should be taught in Driver's Ed. like this and I think ALL D's E cars should be manual transmission, and that the student needs to be taught basic repair skills, like changing a tire, the oil, belts, batteries, etc. Nothing major, but everyone needs to be taught these basic skills. Learn them, or you don't get a licence.

I agree Eric. My wife could change a tire, knew about checking oil and tranny fluids and also glancing at the gauges while driving. I taught the kids the same things and drummed into them my favorite phrase while driving - "Be aware of your environment".

Almost all cars I buy and plan on keeping get new brake lines (at the least new flex lines) and all cylinders either replaced or rebuilt. Then I flush the brake fluid every 3 years or so. I bought a power bleeder some time ago and it's a great tool to own. Vented systems get flushed more frequently if the fluid gets visibly dirty.
I agree that someone should come up with a diaphragm assembly for the early brake systems, manual or T/V.
From time to time I've been guilty of some driving no-no's, and who hasn't? But, I make an honest effort.

Excellent point, Eric!

It would be interesting to see a current curriculum of a high school Driver's Ed course. I'll bet that none of the important items you mentioned would be on it, such as tire changing, fluid checking, etc.

I can tell you that back in the early 1990s the Driver's Ed curriculum in San Diego was very wanting. The 16yo daughter of the woman I was dating took that course at the local HS, mostly to get the insurance discount. Before that, I taught her "old school" driving skills including being able to drive a manual transmission. During her HS tenure, since she was the only one who could manage a MT, she was not only a favorite to drive her friends around in such vehicles, but usually the only one who could even manage it.

I'll wager that most of the other skills we are discussing are missing from said course.

Craig