[200q20v] Re: oil-change-oholics

[stevequattro at aol.com]

An engineer getting philosophical. 

There, you've been warned. 
Read on if you dare. :)


I knew a guy once whose father would drive a brand new Supra turbo (very hard 
I might add) until the warranty was about to expire, then trade it in on a 
new one. I mean drive, he NEVER opened the hood. 

Oh sure he had a turbo or 2 go out on him, but he always managed to get 
everything done under warranty.  It hurt me a little to hear that story, even 
if it was a Japanese car. 

This guy was kinda smart though. Flirting with disaster if you ask me (if the 
dealer told him to cough up $2k for the turbo + RnR) but smart none the less. 
You see, this guy needed no warm fuzzys from an inanimate object. It was 
purely an appliance to him.  Use it up and get a new one. Spend as little as 
possible to get what you need out of it and move on.

I think that sort of illustrates that the more objective one can be about 
their car/operating costs/desired lifespan etc, the more value one can 
extract from an automotive dollar.

The problem is for me and many others afflicted with the disease, is that 
somehow there is sort of an emotional attachment to the inanimate object 
called our car. 


I find that a good German car is like a good dog (German dog IME).  

A pain in the rear sometimes:
The dog-    a walk outside in the cold in the middle of the night, 

A couple hundred dollar Vet bill to remedy some unexpected 
mischief related injury.

The German car- replacing a part in the winter, in the driveway, on your 
back, skinned knuckles. Cold hands and feet.

A couple hundred dollars to repair something that is common to that 
particular car type. Chalked up to the character of that particular car. 
Seems all German cars have something like that.

But so darn comforting and rewarding other times:
The dog-    knowing that your kids wont get carted/harmed out of your own 
yard/house because the dog would sacrifice his life before he would let that 
happen. 

Unselfish attention any time you need it.

A long obedient life that seems to draw reflection and appreciation as it 
nears its end.

The German car- The solid engineering, chassis and responsive predictable 
handling and brakes that make me feel safe and in control.

All the Hp and torque it can muster up, anytime I ask for it.

A long obedient life that seems to draw reflection and appreciation as it 
nears the end of its prime (then its delagated to secondary transportation 
and/or track use or... gulp...sold).
    
Was I not loved enough as a child?  Was I not hugged often enough?   :)
    
I think that whoever on the list said that there is a warm fuzzy motivation 
behind oil changing is right. 

IMO there is a spectrum that all car owners fall into:
  
Appliances users    <------|------|------|------|------|------>   Oil 
change-oholics  
(objective)                                          (Emotionally attached)


I guess w/ my <5000 mile synthetic oil/filter change intervals, coupled with 
yearly coolant changes-bi-annual brake/clutch fluid replacement, caliper 
maintenance, fuel filter change- and frequent high quality polish/waxing 
bonding sessions with a half dozen or so leather conditioning episodes a year 
thrown in,   I fall a little :) to the right.

Hey as long as we are all comfortable and happy in our world on the spectrum, 
life is good.


You were warned. :)


Steve Hauptmann
South Carolina
91 200 20v
87 GTI
89 911