Re: Cartalk: key stuck in my audi...

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

At 1:53 PM -0500 3/7/99, Mike Arman wrote:

> I heard this the other day - Seems someone in or near Silicon Valley has a
> 92 or so 100, and the key is stuck in the ignition and won't come out.
> Clank and Clunk's advice to her was to see a locksmith. Duhhhh.

Well, she did take it to the dealer first.  I wouldn't take my car to 
a generic locksmith either.  They'd probably screw up taking the dash 
apart to get to the cylinder or something stupid non-lock related. 
The key point is that the dealer didn't fix it, or even suggest how 
to; replacing a lock cylinder is something more along the lines that 
they're better qualified(or perhaps better equipped) to handle. 
Obviously, the dealer didn't give a shit, and that's where the fault 
lies(partially with the owner; she should have pestered them further 
on the issue.)

> I don't listen to them often, and I am NOT a fan of theirs. YMMV, and if
> you think they are the slickest thing since beer in cans, that's fine too.

Sorry, I disagree with you partially.  Yes, frequently the advice 
leaves much to be desired, and occasionally it's just downright 
stupid, but they do several things:
a)provide common sense stuff for people who don't have car-common-sense
b)do it for free(and this is the biggie)
c)do it in front of hundreds or thousands of listeners and do it with 
great humor

You also have to keep in mind that they're given very, very little 
information, only from the owner of the car or a 3rd party, and these 
people are notorious for misreporting, exaggerating, or leaving out 
little details they feel aren't important; that is the key. 
Considering the advice is free, and the details unreliable at best, 
they do a pretty good job of getting people headed in the right 
direction.


They're also not Audi-haters by far.  There was one very memorable 
session I heard driving back from Vermont after a company ski party. 
A woman called up, wanted advice on for buying an AWD sedan.  They 
started with the "worst" cars they could think of, and worked their 
way up....Subaru was in there somewhere in the middle.  Then, they 
said something along the lines of:

"And last, but certainly not least, is an Owdie A6 QUA-ttro[the 
accent here was hilarious].  A VERY nice car.  Best you can get. 
Second to none.  Sticks like glue."
She says:"A6 Quattro?  Great!  I'll stop by the Audi dealer tomorrow!"
Them:"Tell 'em Click and Clack the tappet brothers sent you!"
Her:"Ummmmmm...yhea...that'll get me in real good with the sales 
people...thanks...<click>"

:)

Also, if you note, they exclaim about the car not having been stolen 
yet.  This indicates that they think they're valuable...

I think there are some great moments on the show, and I especially 
love the ending credits.  My favorite line is:
"Hospital care by Peekaboo, from the Peekaboo-ICU"

Brett
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Brett Dikeman
brett@pdikeman.ne.mediaone.net
~)-|
"Diplomacy is the art of telling someone to go to hell and making 
them happy to be on their way." - Mark Twain

"Oh no.  Not again." - The bowl of Petunias

"... it is important to realize that any lock can be picked with a 
big enough hammer." -- Sun System & Network Admin manual

Statler: "Hey, this one sounds cute."
Waldorf: "You old fool, that's not the personals, it's the obituaries!"
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