Obvious in hindsight...
I was given the family's old Escort as an 18th birthday present, and one of the things I did to "improve" it was to replace the steering wheel.
An easy job - remove the cover of the old one, remove the nut, and prise the old steering wheel off.

The lessons I learned that day were as follows:
(a) if an object is stuck fast, don't just pull harder
(b) if you do continue to apply more pressure, it will eventually either break or come loose in a hurry
(c) if you're sitting directly in line with said object, you can be sure that it's going to smack you square in the face, and this will hurt.

I'm sure that the watching parents had smirked to each other with a knowing "I can guess what's going to happen here" look in their eyes, and judging by the laughter involved, it must have been the funniest slapstick moment of their entire life. Strangely enough though, I don't think I was laughing much.
(Chunder, Sun 24 Jan 2010, 20:52, 2 replies)

The most dangerous part of a car -
the nut behind the steering wheel!
(Juan Quar is clinging to her front teeth on, Sun 24 Jan 2010, 21:02, closed)

Obvious in hidsight
Don't take the boss nut off till the wheel is loose.

Learnt this on a Landrover not an Escort.....
(Sir Tainley Barking Ezekiel 23:20, Sun 24 Jan 2010, 23:28, closed)