Beautiful wfe asked me to drive her across town to see a friend last night. I hadn’t driven a car in months until we came to Japan, but I figured that we’d be okay: the roads are pretty empty when it isn’t a rush hour, we have low speed limits locally and the car is a small compact. Even better, it’s an automatic: what could possibly go wrong?
Well, for example, I could get in and discover that I left the lights on last time I used it so the battery is dead as a doornail and the car won’t start.
It turns out petrol prices aren’t the only thing you forget to check when you use a bike all the time.
If it was a manual I’d have tried push starting the thing, but how do you get a dead automatic car to start?*
*I appreciate that this marks me as a helpless twerp in car culture, but there we go.
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August 31, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Zweiradler
Oh, I see you still have much to learn about cars.
Or forget about it and just continue riding bikes – my bike switches its lights off automatically (I guess this technology is far too advanced to be used in cars already).
August 31, 2011 at 8:32 pm
northmark
Finally a chance to give car-related advice. Either using a スターターをジャンプ, or calling the automobile association, I guess. I have thought about this,when stranded with a broken gear hanger on some benighted road three hundred k from the closest bike shop: “How come a car would come and pick me up if I was stranded in a SUV, but there’s nobody to call if you’re on a bicycle?” Maybe bicyclists CAN become members? I mean, a fee is a fee, right? They wouldn’t care if it was a fifty year old Beetle or a brand new Porsche. Why draw the line at engines?
Car driving is a way to learn about another country. Go for it. That said, rather you than me.
September 1, 2011 at 6:27 am
Andy in Germany
@Northmark: Fortunately I won’t have to call anyone: it turns out the battery was a known issue in this vehicle, and the car is part of a small fleet belonging to the inlaws healthcare business, so they have a maintenance contract with the local garage: one call and the battery was replaced the next morning.
I see the point re: callouts for repair problems. My boss at the shop tries to do this but you end up driving a van ten kilometres to fix a puncture, which seems a bit ridiculous if we’re pushing bikes as solutions to pollution.
September 1, 2011 at 6:24 am
Andy in Germany
@Zweiradler: The Bakfiets has automatic lights as well, but I figure having the lights on 100% of the time give me that extra bit of visibility in traffic.
And cars are soooo last century. I think I’ll stick to bikes in future, they’re much more convenient…
September 1, 2011 at 8:32 am
Zweiradler
I see that my comment was a bit ambiguous. My lights are always on, I wanted to say that they go off when I park the bike somewhere.
I agree that bikes have the more promising future.
Nico
September 1, 2011 at 12:56 pm
Kim
Did you get the e-mail sent you about this, when the comment form wasn’t working?
September 1, 2011 at 2:23 pm
Andy in Germany
Yes, And thanks for letting me know (about the car and comments form) I think it’s just that the comments form has been shunted to the bottom of the page and you have to scroll down. This is less than ideal, it has to be said, so I may have to change template if it stays that way.
September 2, 2011 at 11:07 pm
Andy in Germany
@zweiradler: Aha, now I understand.