Go, Johnny, Go Go Go!

Well, OK, Joan, not Johnny.  But, she does not like to be called Joanie.

We started our morning off getting a repair done on the CR-V.  Well, not anything automotive, but the electrical connection on the back (for hauling the cargo trailer or boat) broke.  Months ago.  I was plugging in the electrical connector for the cargo trailer (double towing), and the connection on the car came apart in two pieces.  It was made of plastic... and, apparently, not great plastic.

RV Master Tech is the place that did the install for our tow-bar and all the electrical.  They were great to deal with last year when we had the work done.  The service write said we could make an appointment, bring in the car, and wait for it... "Shouldn't take more than 45 minutes."

Yeah, we've heard that before.  We borrowed a car from Steph and Dan, dropped off the CR-V, and went out for a relaxing breakfast... instead of me waiting around the service place (they said I could wait in their break room).

We came back in two hours.  Nope, it wasn't done; but they did explain why: the replacement connection was also plastic.  They got a metal one, but it wasn't black.  They painted it so it would blend in with the black lower portion on the back of the CR-V... they had to wait for it to dry.

Joan had some more errands to run, so I stayed, she left.  When the paint was dry, it really did only take about a half hour to put in the new connection.  I went to the office to pay... the service writer said, "We're going to cover that for you under warranty.  It shouldn't have failed, so even though we are beyond the warranty time (something they set), no charge."

I was pretty impressed.  I gave the tech who worked on it a gratuity.  Took longer than they said, but they made sure it was right.

What about the "Go Joan!" part?  Thanks for asking.  We have been helping in Steph's class for a science project they are working on, building Gravity Cruisers.  Teaching them some physics, some design, and teamwork.  Joan has been working with a couple specific teams, I have been "floating," giving advice to each team as needed.  Seems that Joan got into the spirit of the project, and built her own Gravity Cruiser... in about an hour!

Dan made some flames for the car.  Yes, they are allowed to decorate the car after they get it moving.  The car uses a container of pennies for weight on a lever; the lever is connected to the axle by string, which turns the axle as the weight on the lever drops.  She built the car on her own, I did give her a couple physics tips for positioning.

The competition will be for distance.  On a partial first (and only) test of the car (lever not all the way loaded), it went just over 14 feet (4.27 meters).  Her car will be competitive, based on what we have seen.  No, she will not be competing with the kids... that wouldn't be fair.

Maybe sell the car to the highest bidder?  ;-)