Thought for the Dazed

I've had to give up that Distance Learning course as I was having trouble seeing the teacher.

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Wednesday
Aug032005

Bad for my Blood Pressure

Spent a huge chunk of yesterday evening and all of this morning sorting out the electric windows in the "big car". Wot fun. Turns out that the cable had rusted, jammed, and then destroyed itself winding round the pulley. I can imagine the design meeting in France around 10 years ago:

Engineer: "I 'ave used the stainless steel in the weendow regulatore to pull the weendows urp and down".
Accountant: "But eef you use the cheaper steel wire eet will save a couple of euros per auto and make us reecher."
Engineer: "Oui. But wire ordinare will rust after a while and jam up, causing the weendow to get sturk."
Accountant: "Eh bien. Then the customere (or suckere as nous can call him) will then be forced to spend boucoups de cash with us to purchase a replacement. I put it to you that thees is a good idea."
Engineer : (thinking about his femme, kids and le mortgage and what would happen to them if he loses his travail) "OK. Have it votre way."

There is no way I'm going to spend 220 smackers just because the people that made my car used cheap materials. Particularly as they are the ones that get my cash. So today number one son and I spent literally ages fighting with the stupid device to replace the broken wire inside with two nice shiny ones originally designed for bicycle brakes. Cost six pounds in all.

It took a lot of effort, lots of heartache, skimmed knuckles, swearing and numerous twangy failures. But now we are pretty sure we've fixed the window. We just daren't use it....

Reader Comments (2)

Hiya Rob!
I'm one of the "idiots" from HETA. I've only just posted cause my computer broke, and much like your car window, the computer caused a lot of swearing, bad tempers, arguments and a smashed monitor.
Your website's ace, really funny, n could you please send me the photo that was on your blog from HETA? the email addy is reikai_tenshi@hotmail.com
thank-you!
Rachel.
Ps. i'm not really an idiot, i'm just dense.
August 3, 2005 | Unregistered CommenterRachie
I can tell you had immense fun with the French stereotpying - gave me one of the two actual laughs I've had on the Internet (the other, of course, being the Orange for a Head joke).
August 4, 2005 | Unregistered CommenterWilleth

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