HELOISE Don't let jump-starting the car end with injury or damage

Dear Heloise: I am a Comedy Defensive Driving instructor, and I want to share an incident that happened to one of my students recently. The car was not turning over, so the student and another driver attempted to jump-start the car. They connected the batteries and cables incorrectly, and then they turned the keys.
There was, surprisingly, very little damage to the vehicles (they were very lucky, as exploding batteries are nothing to be trifled with). One of the cars was just fine, and the owner drove off. The other car just needed a fuse replaced -- we found this out after three hours of roadside diagnostics, trial and error, cursing, gas runs and finally calling someone with access to the owner's manual.
So, the lesson here is read your manual and keep it close. A., via e-mail
Jumping a battery is serious business! If you don't know exactly how, read the manual carefully, or ask for help from a professional. An exploding battery can cause serious injury, and you don't want to damage your eyes. Heloise
Fast facts
Other uses for dental floss:
UResew buttons on winter coats.
UUse to cut neat, even slices of cake or cheesecake.
USlide behind a stuck photo and carefully pull down to remove from a sticky surface.
UWhen cooking turkey or chicken, use to tie legs together.
UGreat for restringing a broken necklace.
Dear Heloise: I thought I would share with you and your readers two of my most helpful hints (based on my own experiences, of course):
UKeep a small pair of scissors in the glove compartment. I am comfortable doing this, as I do not have children or grandchildren, and rarely do other little children ride in my car. I can't think of how many times I've needed those scissors for an infinite number of reasons -- I've been able to cut off many a price tag or string, cut thread and paper, etc.
UMemorize your calling-card number. Many of us have cell phones and usually do not have to worry about using a pay phone. There have been times when that was all that was available -- but I didn't have any money! I have always been grateful that I had that calling-card number memorized so I could make a call and charge it to my home phone number. Helen Dadmehr, Sacramento, Calif.
Sound off
Dear Heloise: When I purchase gas, I use my credit card only for the convenience of not having to walk inside and wait in line to pay; however, probably close to half the time I do not get a receipt. When I go inside to request one, I am given all kinds of excuses -- machine out of paper, machine not working correctly, no time to attend to the machine, etc. I feel that if a gas station offers "pay at the pump," then the station owners should make every effort to maintain the equipment. Peeved in Conover, N.C.
XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate