"Americans believe their cars should always work"
 

I paraphrased that from a thirty-page article that I just read for my global health class. I do not have any idea what I was supposed to learn from it or even their point, but they mentioned cars.

I know what cars are.

Does it sound like the author suggested that people in other countries are less worried about whether or not their cars happen to work that day?

No, it sounds like people in other countries understand that their cars won't work if they don't get proper maintenance. We believe they "should always work" even if we don't maintain them.

We seem to believe that in almost all areas despite our massive consumption of Chinese junk.

I sold a $600, 20+ year old car to a lady once. It was a decent beater, I had driven it for a few months with no issues. A couple days later something stupid went, like the contacts in the starter or something. I even fixed it for her, I think it was $12 in parts that I just paid for. She was still mad. "Look lady, it's a $600 car, I fixed it for you, what do you expect for a 20 year old vehicle that cost less than your (in this case fake) designer handbag?"

"Well, I paid $600, it should just work."

That car could have been $600, $6000, or $60000 - she would have had the same attitude. People here think just because they bought something and paid for it that it must be perfect and expect perfection from it, regardless of any effort or sense of reality on their behalf. After all, it couldn't be that they made a poor choice, or that they were expecting entirely too much for the amount they were willing to spend - it has to be the fault of the inanimate object, or the person they got it from, right?

The first trip (town to town) by car by Bertha Benz required her to fix her husbands creation, therfore the first mechanic was a woman.

I like cars that never break, Bertha ain't around to fix it!

regards
Mech

I would definitely believe this story, there are a lot of people that have this mentality and it amazes me that they think a vehicle doesn't need maintenance.

I moved a car for one of my co-workers on my break and she drives a 2008-ish Mercedes c-class. I get in the car and the car has the display on the speedometer that tells the driver pretty much everything you need to know about the car. When I started the car the display starts beeping like crazy! and I start going through the options and come to find out she is 20,000 miles overdue for an oil change!!!!!!!! :eek::eek::eek:

I confronted her about it minutes later and she says "ohh THAT'S what the beeping was??? I never knew..." I feel bad for that car.

Hopefully somebody just forgot to reset the oil change interval in the computer.

Can you say APPLIANCE?

The key point is not about cars, it is about our reliance on technology - the technological trap we are in, as explained by Jams Burke 30 years ago...

From 22:35 - the trap... "whoever looks that close ?" :thumbup: But watch the whole thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN7Z95cqZx0

If a key technology fails then what do you do ?

Not much to go on here... context is everything.

Reminds me, though, waaay back in the day when Judge Wapner ruled People's Court, a ligament (I know, litigant) bought an OLD VW van from a private party and something went wrong on it; the guy sued and via Wapner HE WON! That was how long ago and I'm still furious about that bone-headed decision. :mad:

No, me neither.

Maybe you misread the article and you were suppose to read something into it or read between the line or what the article didnt talk about? Was this a 300, 400, etc level course? :eek:

When I worked at a chrysler dealer in 95 I got a lot of people bring junk in and expecting a tune up to fix rod or bearing knock, smoke, etc.

What is your opinion on this ?

This is for my Introduction to Global Health class, ASB 100, but I spend a lot of time on it. Some of the readings are very difficult for me. I read the same portion of the first page of the shorter articles several times and then had my dad read one. He said "I understand. I just don't care." Homer said it better: "Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand!"

I omitted the context of the quote, trying to avoid the fiery chaos of another political argument. It was not about Ecomodding, though! :)

Bizarre. I feel like I lost so much extra time reading that I did not have the time to watch most of the lectures and the one video, I had two hours of those left, but I received 11/10 on the quiz, with one question being extra credit.

Last week I achieved 3/10. Thank goodness for that extra credit problem!

Somehow it showed up in the gradebook as 25/50. So, thanks to extra credit and magic, my two-week score is 70%.

I did that with Bacon. The alarm went off the other day. I planned on messing with it the next day and I did, but my girlfriend changed the oil first, hoping that it would make the alarm stop.

Went to Best Buy to pick up a battery for my new (to me) camera. I should have parked closer. When I got out, the car was moved- I thought they left, but when I pulled out the right way, to the left down the way I saw a white Grand Prix, and of course I am not going to waste fuel to check.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-S..._185840087.jpg

Nice parking...

Wrong thread...

;)



>

Thats the best way to boost your hybrid mpg by 15, block the grillz. :thumbup:

Lol, my mistake! My internet is being ridiculously slow, and my attention wandered.

I used to drive a Mercedes 300D. It was in mint condition. People used to ask me if the hood was welded shut from the factory...lol

The nice thing about owning a silver car is that you can use regular duct tape and it matches the paint for sealing the grill, body lines and damage.

Yeah, some 100 level courses are easy to put too much though into them. Sometimes I let my eyes go cross eye like trying to see one of those 3d posters to better make sense of the material. Sometimes those books are written for people with ADD and the sidebars contain articles not related tothe subject just to keep the reader interested in flipping pages.

"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.”
"A house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff."
"If it’s true that our species is alone in the universe, then I’d have to say that the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little."
The very existence of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, “You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I’m just not close enough to get the job done.”
― George Carlin

101 Greatest George Carlin Quotes

I'll post pics like these on facebook...

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...62FCFDCCA0.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...FE147CC424.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...psac20ed78.jpg

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/...r/IMG_1102.jpg

90% of the time someone will comment "Why do you have it apart?" "Did you break it?" "Don't you let the dealer do that stuff?" "Your transfer case fluid needs changing? Doesn't that last forever?" "Studded winter tires? You have 4wd." "How much did you spend on transmission fluid? But that truck is new." "Motorcycle tires wear out after how many kms?" :rolleyes:

Well the engine, transmission, transfer case, and both differentials have different oils that need changing at regular intervals... simple maintenance!

My truck and bikes will run... Because I do the necessary work to keep them in tip top running condition!

And yes, that's what the inside of a GM 8.6" rear diff with G80 looks like... Had they provided a drain plug on the diff cover I wouldn't have had to take it off to change the oil!

People on facebook are stupid. I cancel my membership after some meme I saw that took the cake for stupidness.

I work with a guy who stopped me one day and said I dont understand cars, but hearing you talk about them makes me feel smarter. :thumbup: