There are many scientific/mechanical processes that baffle me. For example, what conspiracy led to the proliferation of hot-air hand dryers in public bathrooms? I have never used such a device without finishing the process by wiping my hands on my jacket or pants or handkerchief. The one in the WaWa bathroom comes closest to actually eliminating all moisture. Of course, it has the force of a jet engine.
And, as a bonus, studies show that the dryers are very efficient at blowing bathroom-festered germs, “viral clumps”, into the breathable atmosphere. Wawa’s probably penetrate the walls.
Yep. That was a technological boon. But I’m sure it saves money on paper towel purchases.
Then there are micro-fiber dish towels. I have yet to completely dry a dish or pot with one of those things. Maybe a hot-air hand dryer would work better? Wawa’s would.
The latest head-scratcher involved the CHECK ENGINE light in my Honda Pilot. It came on the other day. I went right to the car manual to read up on the significance of the warning.
The news was menacing. My emissions control system could be failing, and if I kept driving I could cause serious damage, even if the car appears to be operating normally.
Or I could have a loose gas cap.
What to….?
What genius came up with the idea of the same warning light for a pull-over-now-or-pay hundreds-of-dollars-event and a loose gas cap?
The car manual did give me a choice. I could tighten the cap, but the light might not go off for several days. Another indicator that the gas cap is NOT the problem would be the car bursting into flames.
That’s like Web MD warning: the twinge in your chest may be a sign of an impending fatal heart attack OR a sore muscle from carrying the Christmas decorations to the attic. Wait a few days. If you die, you’ll know it wasn’t a strained pec.
Just to be safe, I could pay $58.75 to go to my mechanic so he could tell me my gas cap is loose.
Do you think the manual writer gets a good laugh every time he reads the check engine paragraph? Do you think he gets a kickback from dealers?
I decided to cover all bases. I re-tightened the cap. I called my mechanic for an appointment. And like the phenomenon of feeling better as soon as we walk into a doctor’s office, the very next time I started my car, the check engine light went off.
The Pilot should be bursting into flames any day now.
The Q-View 