TechShop Magazine’s Eric Garbe is a stickler for vehicle lighting. “I think they should all work correctly all the time, especially the exterior lights, so I always check them with every vehicle service, he says. “During a recent inspection, I noted ‘“’high-mount brake light not working’”’ on the repair order of a late-model sedan and, based on the age of the car, assumed it just needed a bulb. Even though I’m cautious of assumptions, I was comfortable making this one and it turns out I was correct.
However making an accurate diagnosis and performing a completed repair are not necessarily the same level of difficulty.
In this commentary, first published in TechShop Magazine, Eric recounts his struggles to replace a simple light bulb. We can all relate.
I once worked with a Romanian technician named Alex. He was a tiny guy who chain-smoked. His greatest fear was not a totalitarian dictator. It was fire and falling cars.
Back in those days, we used drop lights with incandescent bulbs. This was long before LEDs and rechargeable batteries. The bulbs would typically stop working when they were lightly jostled. If they were dropped, the glass bulb would shatter.