AVC
Active Member
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2012
- Posts
- 744
We've all seen it in the movies right?
After some brief gun battle, or airplane getaway, our hero is on the flight deck, relishing his getaway.
Then, there's the ominous beeping. It's the fuel gauge Usually combined with a flashing LED, and the needle on zero. What does our hero do? Why, he taps the gauge of course. Naturally, it's a pointless action. He's out of fuel. Sometimes confirmed by looking out the window and seeing the wings or fuel tanks full of bullet holes. What follows is some crazy stunt involving parachutes, or inflatable life rafts. Or both.
Fast forward to reality. Here I am driving down the road in my father in law's POS Commodore. It's old. My wife has our nice shiny Landrover at home. In the Landy, everything works. This car has all sorts of problems. The aircon is busted for a start. You could cook an egg on the dashboard. For that matter, you could cook one on my head. With steak and tomatoes. It creaks. It leaks all sorts of strange liquids. There's no power windows!
So here I am. Motoring down Victoria Rd. It's hot. I'm not happy. I scan the instruments. Fuel? Empty. Maybe even less than empty. The needle is below empty. Like a vacuum. I had been wondering why the gauge hadn't moved for a few days. Damn. Where's the nearest servo? Will it be a WW? How many points will I get filling this up?
Then it dawns on me. Tap the gauge. Surely not. That never works. So tap it I did. BOING! Half a tank.
Wow, sometimes it does work. Just never in the movies...
After some brief gun battle, or airplane getaway, our hero is on the flight deck, relishing his getaway.
Then, there's the ominous beeping. It's the fuel gauge Usually combined with a flashing LED, and the needle on zero. What does our hero do? Why, he taps the gauge of course. Naturally, it's a pointless action. He's out of fuel. Sometimes confirmed by looking out the window and seeing the wings or fuel tanks full of bullet holes. What follows is some crazy stunt involving parachutes, or inflatable life rafts. Or both.
Fast forward to reality. Here I am driving down the road in my father in law's POS Commodore. It's old. My wife has our nice shiny Landrover at home. In the Landy, everything works. This car has all sorts of problems. The aircon is busted for a start. You could cook an egg on the dashboard. For that matter, you could cook one on my head. With steak and tomatoes. It creaks. It leaks all sorts of strange liquids. There's no power windows!
So here I am. Motoring down Victoria Rd. It's hot. I'm not happy. I scan the instruments. Fuel? Empty. Maybe even less than empty. The needle is below empty. Like a vacuum. I had been wondering why the gauge hadn't moved for a few days. Damn. Where's the nearest servo? Will it be a WW? How many points will I get filling this up?
Then it dawns on me. Tap the gauge. Surely not. That never works. So tap it I did. BOING! Half a tank.
Wow, sometimes it does work. Just never in the movies...
