>ummm....   It is a "design feature" that you
>cannot repair them!  I claim that the goal of
>automotive design these days is the following:
>You go to the Parts counter for new wiper
>blades, and are pointed to the Sales area for
>a new vehicle.  ;-)

A couple of years ago I attended a lecture by the then head of research at 
VW, Prof. Schuffert, or something. When asked if he was concerned about the 
trend toward sealed, throw-away components and cars that couldn't be 
serviced by the owner he said, 'In an ideal world we would weld the hood shut'. 
BTW, I also got to ride in a Chico and blagged a load of beetle pen-holders 
made from recycled plastic bumpers, and even a VW pen made from recylced 
cardboard :-)

Andy E.

A.C.Erskine@lut.ac.uk