dashboard whacky-ness

[Brett Dikeman <brett@pdikeman.ne.mediaone.net>]

Drove up to NY this weekend to take care of some stuff...3.5-4 hour drive
or so.  We're between Glens Falls and Lake George when all of the sudden,
with no prompting..."What the F@#@$!?!?"
The "inner" areas(closest to the center display) of the tach+speedo, the
trip computer, and autocheck display go dark/  Highbeam indicator comes on
dim along with _both_ turn signals.

Smart aleck comments from the peanut gallery(male parental unit) came
forth("Well, that's what you get for buying a 7 year old car with 2 owners
and 100k on the odometer.")

So, we hit warrensburg and stop for groceries, and while the parental unit
was doing his duty(buying food) I sat there and fiddled.  With the lights
off, the trip computer lights back up(like it should) and the autocheck
display goes to white lighting.  Turn on the lights, everything goes to
hell.  Everything still works, inc. headlights, turn signals, defogger,
trip computer, radio, etc. etc. it's just that the dash has gone nuts.

Then, I recall my experiences with "bulb-dropout" on the 5k.  I positioned
my fists on the slanted part of the console, and gave a nice, solid, whack.

Worked like a charm :)

I hate NY highways.  Babump.....babump....babump.....babump......babump.
etc.  That and the damn rustbuckets(missing seats, headlights, taillights,
license plates, body panels and god knows what else, probably brakes too)
taking up the right lane doing 30mph, so everyone's crowded in the right
lane doing 55, argh!

One interesting thing...going up Friday night about 9pm-ish, I'm up near
Albany, doing a calm+collected 80 in pretty light traffic, about the same
as everyone else.  NY has taken to putting up those electric signboards,
with them alternating between "EXPECT SPEED PATROLS" "DON'T SPEED".  All of
the sudden, I see a set of lights coming up REAL quick on me(in the passing
lane, doing what I should be, passing.)  I clear the lane just in time to
hear a V8 at high RPMs go screaming past me at around 95-100.  Just before
he shot out of sight, I saw a set of huge cop lights on top and the words
"STATE POLICE" in huge letters on the front+sides of the cop lights(with
the biggest damn siren I've ever seen, either that or a new integrated
radar unit) and the same lettering on the sides of one brand new chevy
camero.

Kinda pissed me off.  He cut it real close to me, and I saw him doing the
same to someone about 2000ft ahead of me(there was a cluster of cars, and
the people in the left lane barely cleared it out in time for him to get
through.  He also had to brake _very_ hard.)  Didn't have his lights
flashing or anything, just a set of really, really bright
headlights...must've been twice legal(100W'ers.)

I don't care if cops speed past me for good reason; I'm usually the first
to notice+get out of the way of police, fire, ambulance, etc., but it
pisses me off when they're just speeding because they can(which apparently
this guy was; looked like it was "hey, let's take the new camaro out, guys!
duh huh huh...")

Brett

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Brett Dikeman
brett@pdikeman.ne.mediaone.net
~)-|
Hostes alienigeni me abduxerunt.  Qui annus est?
Te audire non possum.  Musa sapientum fixa est in aure.
Ita, scio hunc 'sig file' veterem fieri.
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