Some assembly required...

[Evan]

Recently I bought a new gas barbeque. It has been a long time since I have put one together. What a chore. I can't believe how something that looks so simple can be such a pita to put together. It didn't help that the instructions were like Egytian heiroglyphics.

I also recall an occasion years ago when a friend and myself were attempting to put together a riding toy for my daughter on Christmas Eve. After more than a few beers it was well beyond our capability. My wife still snickers when she remembers it.

What have you been baffled by lately?

[J Tiers]

A wall cabinet from Horrible Fright. I thought I was safe with something like that, not much to go wrong.........eventually I was.

Put it up three times before I got through the chinglish and figured out what they meant.

AND figured out which parts of the instructions were wrong.

AND figured out which part was left out.

AND realized that their hanging system was AFU, one has to ignore it and just mount as if it were kitchen cabinets.

AND figured out how I had to change the assembly because I wanted the two doors to open on the opposite end of the cabinet from how they had it in the "instructions"

AND figured out where to add fasteners to make it solid enough to actually hold something up....the fasteners were there, but not all the holes were.....

I only bought it from them because it was the only one I found that was the right size.

Prying their logo off of it was the easy part.......

[This message has been edited by J Tiers (edited 11-12-2004).]

[Techtchr]

Fixed my Maytag neptune washer...After a bit of direction from a repairman, I plugged in some words into google, and there it was! The fix was right there on the web. 3.9K resistor, triac, 3904 trans and 3906 transistor later. IT WORKS!! Now the mound of laundry is only knee high instead of eye high.
Matt

[torker]

Evan...You too huh? I bought one for my son and put it together...What an ugly job! Then my daughter picked one for her housewarming present. Had to start all over again! Next one I need...keep an eye on the paper for "Moving...Must Sell"!

[Guero]

The best time I had was back when I was a teenager and had a Honda CL90. I had, with my dad's help, given the engine a top-end overhaul, complete with honing the cylinder, grinding the valves, new oversize piston, new rings, new cam chain, etc. I had a Honda shop manual - straight from Japan - and got my lips beat trying to figure out what they meant by "to increase the lack of tension".

[jstinem]

About instructions: They are written by tecnical writer who knows nothing about the product. He has ask the production shop foreman for help.
What he get is the person that will have the least impact on production while off working on the instructions. These two do their best, (or not - one one there cares), and then the result is then translated in to English by a local translator who couldn't get a better job. Then the instructions are badly printed.

[Hot&CoaledForge]

An entertainment center for my mother & step-father. I tried to go by the instructions, but quickly found you'd connect pieces only to have to unconnect them in order to put another piece in...so I tossed 'em and just went by the picture on the box.
As a thank you, I was given a metal garden center type cart... which had to be assembled... I learned the thing was fairly tough because I beat the heck out of it in frustration while putting it together. I had to toss the written instructions on it, too.
- Jim

[bluebeard]

When we were in high school, my brother and I would laugh at the other if we got caught reading the directions for anything. It was some mark of viture to toss the directions as soon as the box was opened. I don't recall ever missing them. Now that I'm in my late forties, I find myself depending upon those accompanying directions more and more. Several possibilites come to mind. We were f#*@ing up a lot more than we realized in our youth? Directions have actually become much better presented? Assemblies have become more complicated? I have become less self-sufficient (losing it)? I'm hoping it's mostly the first three.

[bluebeard]

...incidentally, I made the coolest grill this summer out of a 30gal terra-cotta flower pot and a discarded basketball hoop. It mounted right to one of my 4X4 deck posts and a standard weber round grille fit the top perfectly. Used it dozens of times now and it works perfectly.

[Michael Az]

Can you imagine what the people do that aren't mechanicaly inclined?
Michael

[bobodu]

We had a pants press at work from Japan...the instructions said "if steam pipes burst,try reliefing pressure".Yokay...
I love to watch people overlook the line "DO NOT TIGHTEN FULLY AT THIS TIME" then try to get bracket A into slot C.
The joke of the day today was from real tech support people.One fella reported that a customer called in to complain the a floppy was stuck in the drive.The guy had tried using pliers,then poured melted butter into the drive!! The tech asked him if he had read in the directions about the little eject button but the guy was too busy threatening a lawsuit to answer...


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If I got it right first time,everytime....I'd have a real job!

[John Garner]

Michael Az --

I'm reasonably mechanical, but I still think that the money it takes to pay a "window covering" installer to hang fancy blinds is WELL spent.

John

[PHiers]

Well it wasn't lately but many years ago I bought our little daughter one of those refridgerator, stove combo made out of heavy cardboard. The box said "simple to assemble", should have been a clue right there. It was one of those "put tab a into slot c while maintaining a grip on tab z". Of course in the meantime tab d was coming out of slot p! Took all night christmas eve to put it together, got about a hours sleep before the little feet hit the floor. And you what? That was before everything came from overseas, that sucker was made in america! And to think, we call them the "good old days". (I think they were though)



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Paul in NE Ohio

[Steve Stube]

"Can you imagine what the people do that aren't mechanicaly inclined?"

That's who we are hearing from now, right:-)

J Tiers, was that a 3 door black wrinkle finish wall hanging cabinet?

[wierdscience]

Changed a brake booster on a 95' Lincoln towncar,I can't repeat every word I said,but put simply,next time I'm gonna take a plasma cutter and get direct access to the bastich