A customer comes into the shop the
other day with a handful of papers about his car. Each page was full of
information and diagrams pertaining to a repair. He was extremely proud of
himself, and proceeded to tell me how he found this wealth of knowledge on the
Internet.
Needless to say, this guy was
insistent that I take a look at this information, and read up on what I was to
do. As it turns out, what he was looking at was some sort of way to correct a
faulty dash circuit in a Lexus. All the pages were very detailed in the
descriptions about how the repair was to be accomplished. From the few quick
looks I took of the information, it appeared to be a bypass to the dash circuit
by soldering a wire from one part to another.
The one thing I thought was a
little quirky was the solder gun the demonstrator was holding in the photos. It
was an old Weller soldering gun, the kind with the little light bulb sticking
out below the soldering tip. I haven’t used one of those in years. Those old
Wellers were great for putting together your electric “erector set” motor
leads, but I certainly wouldn’t use one on a tiny solder joint on a modern
circuit board.
I pointed it out to my all-so-proud
and all-knowing customer, but he didn’t see it as a problem. He was more
interested in the results. I, on the other hand, wanted to know what
information other than these few pieces of paper he had could back up his claim
that this was going to fix his problem.
“Sir, I really think I should test your car before I take the
dash out,” I told him.
“No, I’ve already had it checked
out at the dealership. They want to sell me a new dash, and I’m not doing that.
It’s way too expensive. That’s why my friend and I found this on the Internet.
I’m absolutely sure this will fix it.”
I read the material he brought a
little more carefully and, I’ll have to admit, it did sound convincing, but I
still had my doubts.
“I’ll even take the dash out and
bring it to you,” my proud customer went on to tell me.
He’s going to help me out? The one
thing that is probably the “most likely not” to get screwed up in this whole
ordeal is the one part he wants to help me with.
“Sir, if you’ve got the dash out,
and you have these drawings and directions, why don’t you get a soldering gun
and make the repair yourself?”
“No, I’d rather have a
professional do it,” he said.
I guess that means me. I can’t
imagine what “professional” would take on a project based on the information I
had in front of me.
Let’s think about this for a
minute. He wants the “professional” to solder the wires onto his expensive
dash. Really? I think I can guess the eventual outcome of all this. I’ll bet he
wants the “professional” to take the blame and responsibility if it doesn’t
work.
“Sorry sir, that’s not going to
happen. I would rather diagnose it, repair it or replace the dash according to
the information I have. I can’t take the word of some website that this is
going to work. You’re just assuming this information you found on the Internet
is correct. I can’t take the chance, even if you tell me that you wouldn’t hold
me responsible if it didn’t work.”
With that, my proud customer gave
me the stare of shame. You know the stare, that glare from across the room, the
mumbling under their breath and snarling Elvis lip quiver.
After the customary stare and
glare were over, he gathered up his paperwork and headed out to his car without
another word. I don’t know what he ever did, for all I know he found somebody
else to do it. At least it wasn’t me. Maybe if I do some checking myself, I
might find out this guy was right and it really did work.
At least then I could say…“I found
it on the Internet.”
About the Author
Scott “Gonzo” Weaver
Gonzosae@aol.com
Scott “Gonzo” Weaver is the owner of Superior Auto Electric in Tulsa, Okla. and has owned the shop for 27 years. He was given his trademark nickname “Gonzo” while serving in the USMC. He is the author of the book “Hey Look! I Found the Loose Nut”, that can be purchased online at Amazon.com or at www.gonzostoolbox.com.