As much as I love just complaining about stuff, loudly and whiningly, sometimes it's even better to actually do something. Which is exactly what we've done, regarding my screed about the need for something better than the "check engine" light.

It's pretty easy to dismiss the "check engine" light as just stupid, because, well, it is. I suppose if you thought that the cause of smoke coming from under your hood had something to do with the floor mats, then, sure, the "check engine" light is handy, but beyond that, it's useless. But that's not the real problem. The…