Roadshow Bob

Last week was the expo roadshow Show Your Ability 2007. The trade show travels during 2 weeks to different cities in NZ, but we only exposed here in Auckland, or better said in Waitakere. We had our stand between the largest company and segway, so it was a good spot. It also was a good opportunity to introduce ourselves to the local market, most of our visitors were curious because we were the "newbies" on the show. Here also some pictures.

I was worried about the car, I had to pick up the displays, and then drive all the way to Waitakere with all the stuff, on a rush hour congested motorway... Here's the story:

3 weeks ago, I took the car to the factory-dealer workshop, because it was overheating. It was also making a rattling noise so I told them to look after that too. They told me that it was the water pump making that noise (800NZD to repair) and the radiator leaking (900NZD + to replace). I asked about the leak, and they told me that they couldn't show me where it was, first they had just silly excuses and then they said it was too small to see. So I told them to replace only the water pump. But they had to get the pump from Australia. I took them more than a week to get it, which is terrible considering that they could get it the next day via courier. But that's not all... after they got the pump, they put me on a waiting list to have that done until yet another week.

After they replaced the water pump... the car was still overheating! But I discovered that until the weekend so there was nothing I could do until next monday. So, I brought the car once again to the workshop, and told them to check and replace the thermostat, because the fan was not working and it was overheating specially on city traffic. They argued that it was the radiator, but I told them that it makes no sense when the radiator is completely full! So, they changed one thermostat (not the one that I had in mind) ... and of course it was still overheating and the fan not working. So, I decided to look by myself... I opened the bonnet, checked everything... and there it was: just a burned fuse! Which by the way, only costs 80 cents or so... and It should be the first thing to check when something electrical is not working. Even SAAB recommends on their service bulletin 03/92-0191 entitled High Temperature Gauge Readings to check the fans relay!

Like I've been saying: if this world depended on mechanics and technicians to work, we would be doomed! (or broke: paying for unnecessary repairs... or repairs to repair what the mechanics messed with). I guess that is a challenge for designers: how to make things "repairmen free".

ciao