Ok we are just three days, yes three days into the new year and I think we already have a winner in the, "Call Randy at work with the most bizarre true story about why you need his help with your car" contest.

This is a contest that is open to all customers that are actually planning to have their vehicle repaired or buy parts from me. This young lady that owns a later model Volkswagen called and said, "I was in the ladies room and when I stood up my keyless entry/key fell into the toilet. And if that is not bad enough it was an automatic flush toilet and I watched as my day and keys went right into the sewer..."

I think she wins.... the trophy will not be awarded until December but I think she should start cleaning off a place on the mantel.

While I was trying to solve her problem I though to myself that I remember reading or hearing about a way to reset her vehicle so that the valet key would stop setting off the alarm. So off I went into automotive Internet Forum hell....

There are probably fifty or more technical forums for each brand of vehicle manufactured and then twice that many that are general forums. I looked and looked through my different bookmarks... but came up empty handed. Then I did a search that included about ten different terms that would be in the post I was remembering.

After about twenty minutes, low and behold there it was.... the exact post that I had remembered. It was for a different model of Volkswagen but the same repair principals would apply.

I was so proud of myself. I would be able to help this young lady and I actually remembered something. There it was right there on the page, an original post and a comment by another member and then a follow-up post by the original poster indicating that he had figured it out and went on to explain to the others in the group how to work around the problem.

Like I said I was extremely proud of my ability to search the Internet.

It would have meant more if the original and follow-up posters name wasn't Randy Warren. I remembered seeing it but I had absolutely no memory that it was me that asked the question and then supplied the solution.

As my self esteem went down the toilet it banged into a set of keys.

I HATE getting old.....