Test Drive

After every repair project or modification there must be a test drive. That is the way it has been done for generations and will be done until the family line dies out.

The test drive is the moment of truth, the moment where it is discerned if the repair will hold or if hours of work have been for not. An ill-fated test drive can ruin your day and be a portent for further days or weeks of under-hood tragedy. That’s why I always bring my six-year-old daughter with me. She is an expert at pointing out vehicular ills, a sort of auto canary if you will. Her method is pure logic.

“Ok, daddy,” she’ll say, “Let’s use our five senses, well, except for taste. That could be gross.”

“I’m ready, what first?”

“Sight, but that’s kind of hard from inside the car.”

“Don’t worry, I looked everything over before we started.”

“Good, so let’s go to sound.”

“Ok, I’ll drive down to the industrial park and run over the train tracks. I think we’ll hear it if there’s anything loose.”

“And feel it too.”

“True, but what about smell?”

“I’m working on that now. So far, I don’t smell anything burning so the car probably won’t explode.”

“Good to know.”