I remember this ad for the Toyota Corolla – I think it was a local dealer network ad – that had somebody welding the joint closed on the Corolla’s hood. It was to imply of course that the Corolla was so reliable that one needn’t ever open the hood to so much as maintain it. Poppycock, I know. Even Toyota’s most reliable transportation appliances require regular filter and fluid changes to keep them in the pink. Implying otherwise, while it does make a dramatic statement, probably did more harm that good with an easily pliable auto buying public. It used to be, back when your dad sported a crew cut and landing on the moon was something we did, that popping the hood open was de rigueur, and in fact checking the fluids was recommended at every fill-up in almost every owners manual. Cars burned oil back then – it was expected – and they also needed to have the levels of other vital fluids inspected on a regular basis lest they run dry. Today however things are different, and while I wouldn’t say we’ve reached the extreme where we could weld our hoods shut, we probably don’t need to fondle a dipstick at every gas station visit. What about you, do you have a routine of under hood activities, or, would you have to reference the owners manual just to figure out where its latch resides? Image: CarCareKiosk