Thought I'd share a recent couper 'moment' with the Gruppe after telling it to another:
Coming home one night a couple days before Xmas I was pulled over in the coupe....DOH!.
I saw the cruiser in time and wasn't speeding at all. I watched the cruiser get on the empty rural hwy after I passed by him and I keep my eye on the speedo. (It is times like this I wish I had the MPH speedo installed (have one in my stash) instead of the uber cool Euro KPH version for my euro car so I know how fast I am going and don't have to calc/guess the conversion quickly.. ;-)
As I watched him grow closer in the mirror, I didn't feel lucky and knew he was going to pull me over for a stupid finnicky tail light issue (I have a complete new modern wiring harness with those pesky 40yr old bulb sockets/tail light assemblies... doh!)
Then the rollers lit up......crap..
"Do you know why I pulled you over?"
I knew it was my nagging tail light issue.
"Did you know you have a tail light out?"
"Yes, sir... I know, it is...."
I proceeded to tell the County Sheriff that the tail light issue was on my to-do list over winter/xmas break (truthfully it was!) which started the following day and that I lived a mile or so up the EMPTY rural country hwy. He laughed and mentioned that he just changed the tail light on his wife's car yesterday and complimented my car. (What is it he asked?) He then asked for my DL and reg not worrying at all, I waited patiently until he came back.
After a few minutes, I wondered what was going on. .... I wasn't speeding, got a perfect & spotless record, but wondered what took so long.....
Officer came back and said: 'Did you know your driver's license is expired?"
I replied astonished: "What?! You're kidding...?!"
He said, 'No, unfortunately I am not, it expired on your Bday in Sept. I am sorry but I can't let you drive the car. "
"What?! You are kidding!, but, I live just up the road....c'mon?! really" I pleaded in dumbfounded amazement.
I went thru my brain to think where my notification was/went, but could only guess it got lost in the mail/relocation crap and the expiration alert went eslewhere....who knows.... I haven't really looked at my DL in ages....
So, the officer proceeds to inform me that I CAN'T drive the car and that I need to get a ride home, and that the car can't be left by the side of the country hwy, he HAS to tow it.....
My jaw dropped in disbelief. I asked him where it would be towed and he didn't know exactly. My holiday vacation was turning into a nightmare. I offered to tow with it my AAA and the officer said I could not, it had to be one of THEIR tow operators......(major expletives raced through my stressed brain) Visions of my fun mobile in the tow yard jacked on blocks, raped and gutted went thru my mind. "Oh (insert major expletive here)!!'" I thought to myself. I rifled my brain as I politely pleaded with the officer. He went back to his cruiser and came back a few minutes later.
He came back and said: " Ok, since it is Xmas, I am going to work with you on this, I am NOT going to tow the car, BUT you have to find somebody to pick you up and someone to drive it home, you cannot leave it here and come back for it later and you cannot use your AAA. Thank goodness I thought and expressed my deep appreciation.
But then I had to find some 'true' friends....FAST! Being relativley new to the area and out in the country, the few new 'good' friends I could think of would be driving at least 20 miles to my rescue. A family option solved my personal taxi issue but not getting the coupe home and safe.
So after a few panicked phone calls exploring options, my pannick forgotten local car club buddies came to the rescue. I forgot that one lived just down the road. He and his family rallied and shuttled me and the coupe home safely. Thankfully my 'Bat Distress Signal' was heard when it was, an hour later my friends would have been a none option because of their holiday festivities taking affect.
So the officer let me off with a fix-it ticket, renewed license online the next morning, and had ALL the coupes blinker/tailight issues resolved in 48hrs. Front blinkers/side marker dual filament leads were reversed and I modified the tailight section by adding a dedicated ground wire to the chassis on the blinker/running lights sections for both R&L taillight sections. Those 40yr old bulb sockets and grounding straps can drive a couper mad!
Moral of the story: Take a look at your driver's license closely every once in a while to make sure its in order and deal with those stupid light issues you have been putting off forever because you been using hands signals until ya get to it and/or you don't drive the coupe at night much!
Happy New Year and keep Coupin!
Ok....back to work now everyone.
;-)
Coming home one night a couple days before Xmas I was pulled over in the coupe....DOH!.
I saw the cruiser in time and wasn't speeding at all. I watched the cruiser get on the empty rural hwy after I passed by him and I keep my eye on the speedo. (It is times like this I wish I had the MPH speedo installed (have one in my stash) instead of the uber cool Euro KPH version for my euro car so I know how fast I am going and don't have to calc/guess the conversion quickly.. ;-)
As I watched him grow closer in the mirror, I didn't feel lucky and knew he was going to pull me over for a stupid finnicky tail light issue (I have a complete new modern wiring harness with those pesky 40yr old bulb sockets/tail light assemblies... doh!)
Then the rollers lit up......crap..
"Do you know why I pulled you over?"
I knew it was my nagging tail light issue.
"Did you know you have a tail light out?"
"Yes, sir... I know, it is...."
I proceeded to tell the County Sheriff that the tail light issue was on my to-do list over winter/xmas break (truthfully it was!) which started the following day and that I lived a mile or so up the EMPTY rural country hwy. He laughed and mentioned that he just changed the tail light on his wife's car yesterday and complimented my car. (What is it he asked?) He then asked for my DL and reg not worrying at all, I waited patiently until he came back.
After a few minutes, I wondered what was going on. .... I wasn't speeding, got a perfect & spotless record, but wondered what took so long.....
Officer came back and said: 'Did you know your driver's license is expired?"
I replied astonished: "What?! You're kidding...?!"
He said, 'No, unfortunately I am not, it expired on your Bday in Sept. I am sorry but I can't let you drive the car. "
"What?! You are kidding!, but, I live just up the road....c'mon?! really" I pleaded in dumbfounded amazement.
I went thru my brain to think where my notification was/went, but could only guess it got lost in the mail/relocation crap and the expiration alert went eslewhere....who knows.... I haven't really looked at my DL in ages....
So, the officer proceeds to inform me that I CAN'T drive the car and that I need to get a ride home, and that the car can't be left by the side of the country hwy, he HAS to tow it.....
My jaw dropped in disbelief. I asked him where it would be towed and he didn't know exactly. My holiday vacation was turning into a nightmare. I offered to tow with it my AAA and the officer said I could not, it had to be one of THEIR tow operators......(major expletives raced through my stressed brain) Visions of my fun mobile in the tow yard jacked on blocks, raped and gutted went thru my mind. "Oh (insert major expletive here)!!'" I thought to myself. I rifled my brain as I politely pleaded with the officer. He went back to his cruiser and came back a few minutes later.
He came back and said: " Ok, since it is Xmas, I am going to work with you on this, I am NOT going to tow the car, BUT you have to find somebody to pick you up and someone to drive it home, you cannot leave it here and come back for it later and you cannot use your AAA. Thank goodness I thought and expressed my deep appreciation.
But then I had to find some 'true' friends....FAST! Being relativley new to the area and out in the country, the few new 'good' friends I could think of would be driving at least 20 miles to my rescue. A family option solved my personal taxi issue but not getting the coupe home and safe.
So after a few panicked phone calls exploring options, my pannick forgotten local car club buddies came to the rescue. I forgot that one lived just down the road. He and his family rallied and shuttled me and the coupe home safely. Thankfully my 'Bat Distress Signal' was heard when it was, an hour later my friends would have been a none option because of their holiday festivities taking affect.
So the officer let me off with a fix-it ticket, renewed license online the next morning, and had ALL the coupes blinker/tailight issues resolved in 48hrs. Front blinkers/side marker dual filament leads were reversed and I modified the tailight section by adding a dedicated ground wire to the chassis on the blinker/running lights sections for both R&L taillight sections. Those 40yr old bulb sockets and grounding straps can drive a couper mad!
Moral of the story: Take a look at your driver's license closely every once in a while to make sure its in order and deal with those stupid light issues you have been putting off forever because you been using hands signals until ya get to it and/or you don't drive the coupe at night much!
Happy New Year and keep Coupin!
Ok....back to work now everyone.
;-)
