Spark Plugs for Dummy Mechanics

Good luck finding those spark plugs, much less reaching them

If you ever want to weep in frustration, we suggest that you try to perform your own maintenance on a modern motor vehicle. If you ever get the chance to look at the engine compartment of, say, a '57 Chevy, take a look: you'll be amazed at how accessible everything was in those days! No wonder people changed their own oil and tuned up their own engines. Heck, our founder even changed water pumps and starters! No more, though... which is why we were a bit confused to see Kate Daily (sometimes known as wolfy) telling her AxleAddict.com readers "How to Replace Spark Plugs." Why? Because we were pretty sure she'd never done it herself...

Changing Spark Plugs for Dummies

Assorted spark plugs

Around here we love it when a money-hungry freelancer attempts to get people to leave the comfort of the couch and try a new skill; because about half the time, the writer doesn't have the skill him- or her-self to begin with. We especially like it when someone tries to get a woman to do "a man's job"; mainly because we like to give our DotD award to someone for insulting women. So without further ado, let's meet the freelancer (a woman herself) who raised our collective ire here at the Antisocial Network  today: she's Joanna Millar (formerly Msmillar, now Joanna at HubPages.com) whose condescending little article at "AxleAddict" is entitled "How to Change Your Spark Plugs!" – though we noticed by looking at the URL that the content was originally titled "Ladies, Change Your Spark Plugs"...

Check Engine Lights for Dummy Drivers (HubPages Week)

OBD-II Code reader

If you've ever heard the radio show "The Car Guys," it's a safe bet you've heard one Magliozzi or the other ask the caller, "How long has the check engine light been on?" That strange light on the dashboard is probably responsible for more online research and more calls to free service advice lines than any other automotive-related question, bar none. Well, Kate Daily (a.k.a. "wolfy") over at AxleAddict.com decided to help out all those concerned car-owners with a succinct bit of advice she called "How to Get Rid of the Check Engine Light." We'll ignore for the moment that you don't actually want to "get rid of" your CEL, since it performs a valuable function; you merely want to turn it off. Here's Kate's "advice":