This evening I had the pleasure of observing Argentine Roadside Assistance. The equivalent of our state motoring bodies (RACQ, NRMA, RACV etc) the objective is the same - to coax reluctant cars to start.
I am as familiar with the workings of the combustion engine as I am with advanced quantum mechanics, that is, I can pronounce the words. Hand me a ring spanner and I would be as likely to assemble a carburetor as I would to build the Large Hadron Collider.
I am told there is a certain satisfaction in ‘doing it yourself’. Some would even go so far as to say that you are less a man if you have to call for help.
It is not that I think the concepts are beyond me, it is more a question of probability. The time I would invest in understanding a car and the likelihood I would have the right tools or parts should a breakdown occur are significant. The fact I have owned or driven some real clunkers in my time still has not been enough of an incentive.
This is not isolated to vehicle maintenance. I am not proactive. I would prefer to be confronted with a problem than prepare for something that may not occur.
This explains why travel appeals to me. You are confronted with unfamiliar situations daily, if not hourly, for which there is no manual.
When the guy from the automobile club started the car he proceeded to explain what was wrong and how he fixed it. I could tell that the nodding heads of the two guys peering into the engine bay were not in recognition but satisfaction that the car started and they could be on their way.
I nodded in agreement.
I am as familiar with the workings of the combustion engine as I am with advanced quantum mechanics, that is, I can pronounce the words. Hand me a ring spanner and I would be as likely to assemble a carburetor as I would to build the Large Hadron Collider.
I am told there is a certain satisfaction in ‘doing it yourself’. Some would even go so far as to say that you are less a man if you have to call for help.
It is not that I think the concepts are beyond me, it is more a question of probability. The time I would invest in understanding a car and the likelihood I would have the right tools or parts should a breakdown occur are significant. The fact I have owned or driven some real clunkers in my time still has not been enough of an incentive.
This is not isolated to vehicle maintenance. I am not proactive. I would prefer to be confronted with a problem than prepare for something that may not occur.
This explains why travel appeals to me. You are confronted with unfamiliar situations daily, if not hourly, for which there is no manual.
When the guy from the automobile club started the car he proceeded to explain what was wrong and how he fixed it. I could tell that the nodding heads of the two guys peering into the engine bay were not in recognition but satisfaction that the car started and they could be on their way.
I nodded in agreement.
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