On Automotive Engineering

Entertainment courtesy of the MGOC newsletter:

If a component requires four fasteners to hold it together:

*The English will use four that are made out of a dissimilar material to the unit and through electrolytic action will corrode to the point that they can’t be removed without using a drill.

*The Italians and French will use three spring clip thingies that once removed can not be reused and have not been generally available in the United States for at least fourteen years.

*The Germans will use six stainless steel, fine-threaded metric pieces that are protected by a high grade, semi-transparent, clip over (eight clips) vinyl cover.

*The Americans will make it of ground-up recycled plastic soft drink containers in Mexico and install it in Canada and ask for US tax credits. The part will never fail but at 30,000 mile intervals, it will send a signal to activate a flashing dashboard warning light that has to be reset by a factory trained mechanic with a special tool at the local dealership for about sixty bucks.

*The Japanese will make it out of plastic and it will work fine.