This was due month for the annual safety | emissions inspection and I was successful in starting out early, and got the drop on everyone else with the same intent. I was congratulating myself when the tech approached me in the customer lounge with the unwelcome news that my vehicle had failed 🙁 He was unable to complete the emissions test because my OBD II connector was dangling loose underdash when it should have been secured in its bracket. (tisk tisk – picky, ain’t he?). I knew about the mounting. It disintegrated the last time I plugged in my laptop cable to download a pesky intermittent airbag fault code that I’m tracking. Cheap plastic. “They [factory] need to make the bracket more [robust]. You cannot be the first with this problem…”, he told me. I knew it would be fruitless to argue that my connector link was still serviceable regardless. He was only following guidelines from some thick manual no doubt and wouldn’t bend without a 2×4. So, I collected my rejection slip and departed with the realization that what could have been a 50 minute chore could now easily burn the better part of the day what with chasing down the part at the dealership cross town (assuming that they even had it in $tock and could $pare a man to install it). I drove back to my shade tree garage hopeful to discover remedy. The first object that I laid eyes on was an old paint tray(!) with an 90 degree angled metal foot that would do nicely as a bracket. With a saw, drill, and some assorted screws, washers and nuts, I robbed the piece and fashioned two new brackets that would mate up with the original in place of the broken plastic tabs. In the end I don’t know if I really saved any. I pondered as I measured and fabricated ‘that if my twin had raced for the parts department at about the same time would he handily return with a new bolt-in-part before I had finished’. I suppose there is some personal satisfaction however in my spit ‘n bailing wire fix. Finally, I made my way back for the re-test and it was over and done with in time for a late lunch. Until next year then!