Originally Posted by BuckeyeChuck

That's very kind of you and I appreciate the offer.



Please pardon my forward nature, but this is absurd and as ridiculous as saying to a farmer "I have a belief that if you can grow it you should be able to cook it."

This absurdity is amply illustrated simply by turning the statement around:

"I have a belief that if you can fix it you should be able to design it."

There's a reason why (most) mechanics don't have degrees in engineering: math.



The idea that because you are skilled in one area you should also be skilled in another is at least unrealistic, and in reality, it's just plain wrong. The reason is simple: for your expectation to be true, you must believe that the skills for design and repair are exactly the same. Of course, they are significantly different, both qualitatively and in terms of rigor. (Read: engineering is intellectually more difficult than wrenching.) And since the skills for each are different, then people with different talents and desires can easily excel in one and not the other. Any expectation that they should excel in both is a bit inhuman, in my opinion. What is needed is a cooperative relationship in which they work together to build a better product. More on why that doesn't happen in the next post.

Personally, I'm glad for the extreme division of labor that contributes to our prosperity. This division of labor includes the parts counter workers on whom I rely to identify and fetch the parts needed for me to complete my repair. What I *don't* need is unsolicited error dispensed as sales advice, which is the crux of my gripe. Don't tell me that semi-metallic pads damage my car. I know it's not true, and I know that you're trying to buffalo me.