Susan asked:

What would you say if you were asked in an interview, 'What is your philosophy of automobile
repairs?'

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The philosophy of automobile repairs is really a methodology. It firstly involves ignoring the ethical
virtues of sincerity and honesty. At the very beginning you must adopt a Socratic approach to
automobile repairs and declare to as many people as possible that you know nothing about such
things, whether this is true or not. But then you must switch to a non-Socratic stance and accept that
there is someone who does know about them. You make friends with this person whether or not you
like them and shift the responsibility for looking after your car on to them.

This is utilitarian. The person who comes to bear responsibility for the repair and maintenance of your
car has a new friend and admirer, which will make him happy. You will never need to take your car
garage because your friend will do it, and while this isn't really sufficient for happiness, it minimizes
aggravation.

Rachel Browne

You know, at first this seemed a rather trivial question. But in fact, Neville Shute wrote a novel about,
basically, this very subject, called Round the Bend.It's very good; I highlyrecommend it.

Steven Ravett Brown