"After having worked on driveline components for slightly over 50 years, I believe my personal opinions carry some weight, regardless of others' protests to the contrary."
Jerry, my amusement is at the AMATEUR opinions on technical subjects, not the experiences of experienced PROS like yourself.
There are some really bizarre suggestions that show up, like adding laquer thinner to non-laquer paint reducers. I first heard that one when I was getting ready to paint my '36 pickup and was gathering how-to information from manufacturers of paint products and air spray equipment. Those painting professionals told me that was a really weird thing to do back in 1974 because of the chemical incompatibility yet that same amateur "opinion" still crops up regularly on car forums.
Others I've seen and heard include adding ATF and/or Marvel Mystery Oil to motor oil for engine lubrication. The big daddy of snake oil was STP up until about 1970. Andy Granatelli cleverly got NASCAR teams to plaster on his stickers and the stuff was a fabuloulsy successful product. Then Consumer Reports tested it and found that THE ONLY thing STP does is increase oil viscosity. Immediately its sales volume and stock value plumeted.
Knowledgabe professionals have a huge contribution to make to the car hobby. For example, my '71 Dodge van constantly wore out U-joints once I started towing a travel trailer with it despite lubrication at the recommended 4,000 mile intervals. A call to Quaker State about 25 years ago put me in touch with a lubrication engineer who recommended that I try synthetic grease in the U-joints. He even sent me a free case as a "sample", explaining that no retailers carry the stuff because it costs a few pennies more then petroleum based grease. That instantly and totally solved the problem.
Here in your former home state of California, where I live, there is a booming market for totally unregulated and untested "herbal dietary supplements". No physician recommends the stuff and the FDA has no jurisdiction because it is classified as "food" not "medicine" yet it sells like hot cakes because some believers swear by it.
All I was doing in my comment was expressing amusement at at the "placibo effect" and at the credibility that amateur opinions seem to have. No offense intended, just amusement.
