Have to agree and disagree with ya both at the same time.  As a budding
aircraft mechanic (just preparing to take my test to get my A ticket) I know
the benefits of Preventative Maintenance all too well.  However there are
always those rocks or sticks that fly up into your perfectly good radiator or
fuel line or coolant pipe, etc and create a problem which could not have been
foreseen.  Or those screws that you picked up in Home Depot parking lot that
kill two of your rather new tires almost simultaneously.  Or that bad gas you
picked up at a gas station along the way that clogged your new fuel filter.
You have to not only do the PM, but you should always be prepared.  This could
mean buying a small and rather inexpensive tool kit and leaving it in the
vehicle or buying a can of fix a flat or just having a cell phone and a AAA
card so that your wife could get help if you are not around.  You see I am
preparing to be a missionary pilot.  For me PM and being prepared go hand in
hand.  And for me it could mean more than just being stuck by the side of the
road or walking a bit, it could mean being dead or alive.
Thats my take on this anyway.
Ken Wilford
Van-Again
John 3:16