Ask Pete

[#1]

On my way to the office the other morning, I was traveling behind a driver who was obviously a morning person—much more so than me. The driver was bopping and swaying to a tune on the radio (at least I hope that was it), and she appeared to be really enjoying her moment. When we approached a traffic light, I noticed her vehicle slowing down, but the brake lights weren’t lighting up. I found myself no longer relying on my vertical peripheral vision, as I instead focused on the body of the vehicle, looking for any sudden changes in speed, pitch…anything.

The driver made some of the same turns that I did as we traveled the same path, so I had the opportunity to follow the car for a couple of miles. Finally, she turned into a business area and parked. I carefully rolled up to the woman with my window down and my arm out—in order to not startle her—and I politely informed her of the faulty brake lights. After she gave me a "Really...my car?" look and mumbled something about her son playing around under the dash, I drove off, wishing her a good day.

You never know how this type of situation can go. It would have been very easy for me to have just continued on my way to work and let someone else worry about it. Instead, I took action. I proudly registered the incident as my random act of kindness for the day, and hopefully I saved the driver from getting a citation—or even worse, a rear end collision.

And it only took me a minute!

[#2]

Hi Pete:  In 1950 I graduated from Lane Tech High School in Chicago with a guy named Pete Candela.  I knowyou are probably not the same Pete Candela but perhaps my classmate was your father or grandfather.  If so, please say Hi from me, Walt Tyszko (I was Wally in those days) and from my brother-in-law, Cliff Johnson.

Thanks!

[#3]

during the past few years you cannot buy only wiper blade refills anymore.  Now you have to buy the whole set.  Why is that?  Why can't we just buy refills?

Rich Calderale

[#4]

 waltgrayce

Sorry Walt! No relation!

[#5]

Rich, now a days most vehicles have two different size wipers on them and the blades are more of a modular unit and the insert is not servicable. Back in the day when refills went into metal blades, they lasted a while. Now with weight reduction efforts for increased fuel economy and more and more plastic on vehicles, the plastic blade can become brittle and discolored over time.