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Towdometer

Not for pond stuidies
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I've seen adverts for used cars saying things like "100,000 miles, 30,000 towed behind RV". This seems like a good idea since the wear on the car would be unevenly distributed by the lack of engine use for so much of it's life. Car manufacturers could offer a towdometer as an optional extra. This would be an auxiliary odometer that only functions when the engine is inactive. This way the claims of the RV users could be verified upon sale of the car. It probably wouldn't be an especially popular addon but since it would require almost no special parts; just an odometer of existing type and the switch to disengage it, it shouldn't be prohibitively expensive to install. It needn't even require a space on the dash since it would only really be of interest when selling the car. A small, unused spot under the hood would suffice.
stilgar, Jul 15 2009

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       You're trading engine wear for drive train wear, and the nature of that wear depends on the year of the vehicle and the precautions taken. Useful gauge, though.
normzone, Jul 15 2009
  

       if you tow a vehicle 30K, get a freakin' flatbed for it: the wear-and-tear difference will pay for the trailer.
FlyingToaster, Jul 15 2009
  

       Oh dear god don't say that. Following an RV with a giant SUV dangling off the back is bad enough, don't convince them to add car haulers to the load. : )
stilgar, Jul 16 2009
  
      
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