European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 19, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                California drought hits Home no clean cars or Long showers by Katherine Bishop new York times boats Are nearly marooned on Lake Shasta in Northern California a Reservoir hard hit by drought. When guests at a recent dinner party in san Francisco raised their glasses of Chateauneuf Dupape to Toast their hosts it was not for the Mesquite grilled Chicken lentil and Goat cheese salad and Almond torte with raspberries. It was rather for having the extraordinary courage to risk exceeding their water ration by having to Wash All the extra dishes. 1 after five years of drought abated Only by Brief spattering of rain in March residents Here no longer take such generosity for granted As they have developed All sorts of new social and personal habits designed to stay within fhe monthly water limit imposed on each household in the  that just a few years ago might have seemed eccentric has become common. Washing the car Windshield with the liquid created by melted ice cubes that chilled last nights chardonnay is simply entry level drought busting. A More advanced skill is found in those who feel they simply must Wash the entire car. These people can be found bailing the water from the rinse Cycle in the washing machine and hauling it outside in buckets. And a whole new set of questions has Arisen. Is it for example socially responsible to use a gallon or two of water to boil up a big pot of pasta the answer is yes providing that the water is saved cooled and poured on a tree. Thus is the City s drought parched greenery being saved one pot of water at a time by the craze for italian food. But recent surveys show that people Here Are becoming increasingly hostile about the Basic inequity built into the rationing system which mandates that each household consume 25 percent less water than its average monthly use in 1987. Thus savers before the drought Are penalized while the most profligate users receive the highest allotments. Exceeding the allotment for More than one month can subject residents to fines of up to 10 times their water Bill and restrictions in their water flow. Those who truly conserved in 1987 have been stuck with the minimum ration of 50 Gallons per person per Day just about enough for one Good Shower and a couple of toilet flushes. Not that anyone can remember the last time they took what the rest of the country would think of As a Long hot Shower. The three minute version practice Here allows enough leftover ration to do something really wild like allowing your child to have a lemonade stand or filling the plastic kiddie Pool on a warm Day. Flushing toilets is strongly discouraged leading to a delicate new question of etiquette when visiting at someone else a Home do you know them Well enough not to flush appeals of assigned rations Are allowed and Gregg Tom Deputy general manager of the san Francisco water department said about half of them have resulted in the household being Given a higher allotment. Given the stakes residents have risen to the Challenge of devising creative excuses for a higher ration. One Appellant argued that he needed More because he was providing drinking water for his cats Tom said. At the same time residents with higher allotments than they need have suggested they should be Able to sell the unused portion of their monthly ration. Tom said the idea was rejected both As anti egalitarian and Quot an administrative  while hearings were held this week to devise a More equitable system if the drought continues next year Many people Are discovering unexpected benefits in rationing. Biceps Are being developed by the hauling about of All the heavy buckets. And at least one russian Hill resident has found that his roses thrive on the flotsam and jetsam found in the water drained when he cleans his aquarium. Still residents Are pinning their Hopes on climatologists predictions that the volcanic Clouds caused by the eruption of mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in june will shift global climate patterns and bring rain to California. Until something does the protagonist in Anne Tyler s novel the accidental tourist who took his dirty laundry with him into the Showe and stomped it clean while he washed his body is in danger of becoming a role  action line Chevy customer gets the runaround it n february i purchased a 1990 Chevrolet Corsica from cafes military sales group. The car was delivered to me with 27 Miles on the odometer. I also purchased a three year/50,000 Miles warranty. On aug. 19,1 put my car in an authorized pm garage for a defective alternator. They ordered the alternator from a general motors company in the states and were told it was no longer in Stock. I contacted customer service at the overseas military sales regional office Europe. After 24 Days the alternator finally arrived. As i was driving the car Home from the garage it cutoff and would not Start. It was towed Back to the garage. I was then told the computer regulator was defective. The regulator was ordered from a pm company in the states but the garage was told the computer for my car was no longer manufactured. Therefore they could not get the regulator nor Tell me when the car would be ready. I once again contacted the regional office. I was told that the pm company where the parts were ordered had closed Down without informing any overseas dealers. They also said i would just have to wait and be patient. They then quoted me a paragraph in my warranty Quot this warranty does not cover any economic loss including without limitation payment for the loss of time or pay inconvenience loss of vehicle use vehicle rental expense lodging Bills meals other travel costs storage charges and other incidental or consequential loss or  in a sure All this is based on Normal circumstances. But is the ordeal i m going through Normal i be followed All the owner assistance Steps in my warranty Book. What else can i do whatever happened to customer satisfaction Preston Sellers Worms Germany be sgt. Maj. Michel j. Bolduc he cafes Europe replies we re extremely sorry for the inconvenience and frustration you suffered trying to get your new Chevrolet Corsica in working condition. I understand that your car is completely repaired and that you took it for a test drive and found everything to your satisfaction. There is no excuse for the runaround you received and the Long delay in getting your car repaired. We be also expressed this concern to the new car sales organizations. We sincerely appreciate your business and Hope you will give us another Chance to do better in the future. To write us readers action line is the readers Quot court of last resort striving to answer some of the questions about life overseas in a military environment or quest bus about policies and guidelines when other avenues for answers Are not readily available. If you have a question and Don t know where to turn for the answer write to readers action line co the stars and stripes Apo a 09211. All letters must be signed and preference will be Given to those seeking information of general interest to our readers. Page 16 a the stars and stripes tuesday november 19, 1991