Just Stop

As an avid viewer of Jeopardy, I have become all too familiar with their sponsors. Fortunately, I watch most the shows via a DVR and can zip through the commercials, which I realize is heresy for someone who makes a living making this crap.

Of course, I like to believe what I do is in a different league, but in reality it's not.

It's nearly impossible to miss the Meineke spots, as they come on just before the Final Jeopardy question --only the most important aspect of the show. Not only do I take issue with the commercials, I'm having a little trouble with the marketing premise.

If I go to a car wash, I like being able to choose whether I want a basic wash or whether I want the super-duper protective wax. Occasionally, I'll go the whole ten yards and have the car detailed. You know just  to get the smell of my wet swimming towels and swimsuits out of the car. My wife will tell you I need to do that twice a week.

But when it comes to time to having my brakes serviced, I'm not so keen on spinning the wheel of pricing options.

What is Basic brake service? Do they replace the brake shoes with some old pads they pulled off a '92 Chevy? Or is it more like, "Oh you want us to put the tires back on the car? That's the Preferred Option."

No, when it comes to the brakes on my car, I want you to get the mechanic who trains the other mechanics to take his time, a week if he has to, and to use the finest state of the art equipment. When I pull away from the shop I want enough braking power to stop a 747.

Perhaps it's an excess of caution, but that caution is borne from experience. During the course of my life -- and this may be hard to believe but it's 100% true -- I have been behind the wheel on TWO separate occasions where the brakes have had a cataclysmic breakdown.

I'd like to go my grave without a third.