No problem for screwdrivers
10/09/2025
This small addition to any technical defect in a used car comes just behind "It's in a better place now" on my personal list of the most useless reassurances. Because the question that inevitably arises is the same in both cases: "How do you know that?"
There are only two possibilities: Either you can't judge it - in which case you shouldn't just claim it. Or you can judge it - and then you certainly shouldn't just say so. Are you a screwdriver? No? Then you don't know what you're talking about. Oh, you're a mechanic. Then why don't you fix it yourself if it's not a problem? Is it perhaps not quite that simple after all?
Of course, in the vast majority of cases it's only meant nicely - but in exactly the same number of cases it's not helpful at all. Because the crucial information is written in front of it: battery in the Opel Corsa flat, floor panel in the Ford Granada rusted through, timing belt replacement due on the Ferrari 512 BB. Whether this is a cramp or a cinch should be decided by those who are affected. Heart transplant? Certainly no problem for surgeons...
