History Main / PercussiveMaintenance

* [[Portal2 Wheatley]] seems to take this method of hacking. For example, he attempts a "manual override" on a "docking gate," which is actually a ''wall'', by slamming Chell's relaxation chamber into it.

** Subverted in the Movie, where Tai hits a computer ([[FridgeLogic the monitor, not the main system]]) causing it to BSOD.

* In ''{{Ratchet and Clank}}: Up Your Arsenal'', BigBad robot MadScientist Dr. Nefarious has a habit of having screaming outbursts that make his circuitry overload causing him to freeze in place and broadcast [[AllMyCircuits a random soap opera]]. The problem is easily solved by someone (usually Lawrence) whacking Nefarious in the head (an act that Lawrence calls "the best part of (his) day"), after which Nefarious proceeds as if nothing had happened.

* ''TeamFortress2''
* In the Team FPS, the engineer fixes and upgrades his machines by hitting them with his wrench. Just as good: If you hit an enemy or enemy machine with this wrench? Head trauma or a damaged building respectively.

* Done in ''{{Armageddon}}'', when the crew was stranded on an asteroid: The Russian cosmonaut fixed the ship by banging the engines with a wrench, possibly in a ShoutOut to ''StarWars''

* The Fonz himself is featured in ''The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang'', employing his trademarked fix in order to, among other things, repair a time-traveling flying saucer, vehicle of choice of the gang in the cartoon. In several chapters the Percussive Maintenance (usually in the form of a finger snap) is even seen stopping and reversing inertial momentum (!).

* ''HudsonHawk''. While Eddie is climbing on top of the Vatican he jostles a television aerial causing the Pope's TV set to have wavy lines. The Pope tries to fet the set working by hitting it with his staff.

In other words, DontTryThisAtHome. Repeatedly whacking your DVD player is highly unlikely to make the picture any clearer, although [[PercussiveTherapy it may still make you feel better]]. [[hottip:* : Though a tight squeeze or press could help, because the contacts in some electronics might come loose, or for whatever reason fail to connect properly.]]

->"...and then you ''hit it with a hammer!''
--> -- '''EddieIzzard'''

Also known as "Technical Tap", "Ape Mechanics," "Fonzarelli Fix", "[[CowboyBebop Spike Spiegel]] School Of Repair, or "Emergency Repair procedure #1." This is a case of TruthInTelevision, as many people will often do this with malfunctioning machinery - with mixed results. In real life, it works best (where it works at all) when dealing with machines with moving parts capable of being physically jammed or temporarily impeded (gears or switches), hydraulic systems suffering particular kinds of plugs or clogs (fuel lines or sump pumps), or internal components whose function depends on precise alignment and which have become misaligned somehow (vacuum tubes, early transistors, and connection interfaces) -- all hallmarks of pulp-era storytelling where technology was still a hands-on art. Realistically, it is almost impossible to work with modern delicate electronics or futuristic solid-state circuitry/machinery (cf. Drake's camera-bash from ''Aliens'', below), but the appeal of a highly emotive and easy-to-show repair technique often [[RuleOfFunny wins out over boring technical accuracy]].

It could be argued that this might be a rare example of both TruthInTelevision ''and'' RealityIsUnrealistic. Might be justified if the character uses MachineEmpathy to determine ''where'' to strike.

A common variation involves a character, having tried every method they can think of to get something to work and after working for hours with no success, hits the malfunctioning device solely for the purpose of PercussiveTherapy, only for the device to respond to the PercussiveMaintenance and start working again.

Compare PercussiveTherapy where a character does this solely for their own emotional benefit, rather than the proper functioning of whatever they're hitting. For use on life forms, see the DopeSlap, GetAHoldOfYourselfMan, SpankTheCutie or DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff.

There's also [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percussive_maintenance an odd article]] on the subject at TheOtherWiki.

* [[http://adsoftheworld.com/media/tv/spdr_state_street_global_advisors_clock_tower This]] advertisement features a man running through a delightfully old-fashioned area (Kastelruth/Castelrotto, Italy) in order to fix a delightful old-fashioned mechanical clock as the townspeople wait. Unable to find fault with the machine, he attempts PercussiveMaintenance in desperation (perhaps by accident), and the clock strikes three, allowing everyone to perform their scheduled activities on time.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* In {{Jojos Bizarre Adventure}}, Jotaro kicks a scooter to start it up.

* In ''ZoneOfTheEnders: Dolores, i'', the titular character, a HumongousMecha RobotGirl, [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan applies this to herself]] when she inexplicably throws a jealous fit after James recovers a female enemy pilot.

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

--->'''"Once, my TV didn't work, so I kicked it. And it started working again."'''
* ''{{Elfquest}}'' - The Rebels #3 [[http://www.elfquest.com/gallery/OnlineComics/RB/RB03/DisplayRB03.html?page=19 page 19]] and 20
--->'''"All those years of school to learn ''where'' to hit it with a hammer."'''

* In a {{Marvel}} ''TransformersGeneration1'' comic, a two-bit crook finds Megatron, whose cyboneural circuits have been knocked loose in an earlier issue. The result is that Megatron has no free will, and will simply do whatever anyone else tells him. The crook embarks on a crime spree, but when he goes to confront his old boss, he drops Megatron - conveniently reconnecting his circuits, allowing him to {{take over the world}} once again.

[[folder: Film ]]

-->'''Capt. Colin Maud:''' [walking up to a stalled vehicle] My old grandmother used to say anything mechanical, give it a good bashing.\\
[Hits hood with his swagger stick]\\

[vehicle cranks]\\

* [[StarWars Han Solo]] used this method to fix a sputtering ''Millennium Falcon,'' in ''TheEmpireStrikesBack''. Given the general state of the ship and Han's personality, it's a minor miracle that he only does this ''once''. In the [[StarWarsExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]], he does it often enough that he and Lando (the Falcon's previous owner and one of Han's best friends) refer to it as "Emergency Repair Procedure Number One".
* Used in ''[[{{Film/Alien}} Aliens]]'' by head-smacking: "Drake, check your camera... [bash] that's better".

---> Drake: Only works if you bash the right side.\\
Hudson: What happens if you bash the left side?\\
Drake: Your head implodes.\\
Cue at least one marine trying to bash Hudson's helmet on the left side.

--->"This is how we fix problem in the Russian space station!"
--->"Components. American components, Russian Components, ALL [[MadeInCountryX MADE IN TAIWAN]]!"

* At the climax of ''BackToTheFuture'', Marty can't get the [[CoolCar DeLorean]] started until he despairingly hits his head against the steering wheel, at which point [[YouWereTryingTooHard the car and its equipment spontaneously roar to life]].

* ''[=~Atlantis: The Lost Empire~=]'': Milo uses this method, in the form of an elaborate series of blows, to fix both the boiler at the Smithsonian and Mole's digging machine.

* DoubleSubverted in ''GoldenEye.'' After the car of the CIA agent transporting JamesBond breaks, said agent tinkers with it, finally asking Bond for a hammer ("No, [not that one,] the sledge.") He leans over and lightly taps the engine with the gigantic hammer, then steps back and swings it full strength, making it run again. Joe Don Baker doesn't ''do'' subtlety.

* At one point in ''FastTimesAtRidgemontHigh'' a locker is opened by hitting it just right.

** "''Haaaardeh''"
* At the beginning of ''{{Up}}'', Carl is going downstairs on his Stair Lift, when it stops halfway down. One fistbump later, it's going again.
* At one point in ''[[{{Film/FlightOfTheIntruder}} Flight Of The Intruder]]'', the navigation computer in the protagonists' [[CoolPlane A-6 Intruder]] attack jet flakes out. Tiger Cole claims that the [[AllThereInTheManual manual says]] to "kick the damn thing" to get it to start again. {{Justified}} in that the likely cause for that computer to fail is for the internal gyroscopes to get stuck, with the kick knocking them loose again.

* In AGoofyMovie, Max and Goofy are visiting an incredibly lame opossum-centered ThemePark. The Chuck-e-Cheese-ish animatronic band gets stuck at one point (repeating the same phrase over and over like a stuck record), until an employee whacks the base with an elbow. All better.
* Towards the end of TronLegacy, [[spoiler:Kevin Flynn and Sam Flynn are sneaking around in Clu's "Rectifier" [[hottip:*:giant ship that brainwashes programs into being a mindless army]]. [[ActionGirl Quorra's]] been captured, so Sam goes to rescue her while Kevin steals a [[CoolPlane Light Fighter]]. There's a {{Brainwashed}} program standing guard, so Kevin sneaks up behind it and fiddles with its Identity Disc so it would allow him access. It doesn't work. Frustrated, he bops the program on the head. [[CrowningMomentOfFunny It works]].]]
* Arguably happens in [[ToyStory Toy Story 3]]: Apparently the best way to get your Buzz Lightyear back to normal after [[BrainwashedAndCrazy a hard]] [[BadassSpaniard reset]] is to [[spoiler: drop a TV on his head.]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* In Tom Holt's ''Odds And Gods'', Thor managed to get a flying engine to work again merely by ''threatening'' to hit it with a hammer, which shows that even non-sentient machines know when to stop mucking about.
* Virgil Cole, a U.S. Navy bombardier in Stephen Coonts' ''Flight Of The Intruder'', uses the Fix to keep his A6 bomber's balky primitive computer in line.

** And again in the {{Discworld}} novel ''Discworld/{{Hogfather}}'', where Archchancellor Ridcully asks if the term "Reboot" means to kick the computer. Ridcully also gets surprisingly good results by ''threatening'' to hit HEX if it doesn't start doing what it's told.

** In "The Cat Who Walks Through walls, the protagonists manage to rent a car from a very, ''very'' low cost rental agency and proceed to fly to the moon (they were already in space and the car's a spaceship). Being a budget rental, everything goes wrong as they try to land. At one point the computer (which controls the rockets) fails. The husband hits it. No go. He hits it again. No go. His wife hits it hard enough to crack the casing. It comes back on.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* The Fonz (pictured) on ''HappyDays'', using this trope to get the jukebox to play free songs and as a way to fix some cars. This was, of course, to show how The Fonz could channel RuleOfCool like magic.

* ''HogansHeroes'': "It's a German machine - all it understands is force!"
* In the pilot episode of ''StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', O'Brien, trying to transport Odo back after a bit of sabotage on the Cardassian ship, is frustrated with the transporter not working. He kicks it - and Odo promptly materializes on the pad.
** The novelization of the episode takes it a little further - his foot actually ''hit the control'' he was missing on the unfamilliar control panel. One wonders why Starfleet didn't replace the control consoles when they took over the station.
*** It was the pilot and the Cardassians had left the station in a MESS, they were lucky that the transporteer was even working.

-->'''Troy''': I'm kinda tired of this song. ''[smacks the jukebox, but nothing happens]'' I would have expected sex, had that worked.\\
'''Veronica''': Had that worked, you would've gotten it.

* On ''{{Scrubs}}'', Elliott's sorority sister hits a Jukebox and after it turn on, she says [[IPulledAWeirdAl "Hey, I'm the Fonz!"]]
** There was also an ImagineSpot in which J.D. fantasized about being the Fonz, and performing PercussiveMaintenance on ''a patient in a coma''.

* The ''{{Eureka}}'' episode "Best in Faux", when Stark tells Carter the computer is malfunctioning:
-->'''Carter''': Smack it.\\
'''Stark''': ''Seriously?'' [[hottip:* :It works.]]

* This is how Al fixes Ziggy's hand link in ''QuantumLeap'', so often it's practically a CharacterTic. Although it sometimes does more bad than good. In the third-season episode "The Great Spontini," he actually manages to break the handlink, and is seen with a different model from that point forward.
* In ''{{Bottom}}'' "Contest", Richie tries to fix some dodgy TV reception by waving his palm above the set and giving it a sharp smack, causing it to go off completely. Eddie quickly gets up and successfully fixes it with another smack. Richie, impressed, smacks it again causing the television to explode, throwing him to the floor.

* Referenced on ''FreaksAndGeeks'': Mr. Rosso catches Daniel Desario trying to set off the school fire alarm in the hallway:
-->'''Rosso:''' You think you're pretty cool, don't you, Daniel?
-->'''Desario:''' No, I don't think I'm cool.
-->'''Rosso:''' You don't think you're the Fonz or something? If a jukebox was broken, do you think you could hit it and it would start playing?
* In the ''{{Lost}}'' episode "Namaste," Miles uses PercussiveMaintenance on the Dharma security monitors.

* Played straight in {{The Sarah Connor Chronicles}} - a car bomb resets Cameron back to killer mode. After chasing John and Sarah across the city, she winds up slammed between two trucks and pleads with John not to deactivate her because she's "fixed now". Of course, it's slightly more complicated than that...

* This is [[{{NCIS}} Gibbs']] favorite method of fixing technology. Subverted in that he has broken a truly alarming number of computers and cell phones. Lampshaded when he gives his phone to Kate to fix and she merely drops it in the trash and replaces it with an identical phone from the stash she keeps in a desk drawer.
** [[DopeSlap This is also his favored method of fixing subordinates.]]

* Jeremy Clarkson's general attitude to car maintenance on TopGear

* One episode of ''{{Farscape}}'' features a particularly dodgy ship that only really works when the engines are thumped with a stick.

** If a Luxan is bleeding and the colour is inky-black, PercussiveMaintenance must be performed on the wound until the blood turns to a clear colour. Yes, an entire species whose first aid procedure consists of PercussiveMaintenance. It's ''that'' kind of show.
* An episode of the Disney sitcom {{Hannah Montana}} has one of the characters, Oliver, have the nickname "Locker Man" because he is gifted with the talent of being able to open a stuck locker with a series of blows.

* Claudia uses this method, and mentiones by name, in an episode of {{Warehouse 13}} in order to get the holographic display projector to work properly.

* [[LampshadeHanging Referenced directly by name]] on {{Space Cases}} - Thelma kicks the engine, which has been making odd noises, and it resumes its more usual hum.
--> '''Thelma:''' Percussive maintenance. Works every time!
* Referenced again by name by Chloe on the eight season of ''[[TwentyFour 24]]''.
* MrBean attempted to use PercussiveMaintenance in the episode "Mind The Baby, Mr. Bean" to cheat at one of those token pusher machines. [[LaserGuidedKarma It didn't end well]]: [[spoiler: As soon as he managed to get the machine to drop all the tokens, a kid comes along and nabs all the coins. Never mind that [[DidNotDoTheResearch token pusher machines do not work that way]]]]
* In the second episode of PowerRangersRPM Dillon and Ziggy notice a bunch of Grinders setting up a weapon to attack the Yellow Ranger's zord. Dillon tries to start his car, but can't because it's out of fuel. A hard whack on the steering wheel later and he gets it going again, running on the fumes.

* On ''SavedByTheBell'', AC Slater could use this to make lockers open.

[[folder: Tabletop RP Gs ]]

* In the Old ''WorldOfDarkness'' game ''Changeling: The Dreaming'', Nockers had the ability to fix machines by smacking and/or threatening them.
* ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'' gave us the (in)famous ''Ritual Slap on the Left''.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* In the Team FPS ''TeamFortress2'', the engineer fixes and upgrades his machines by hitting them with his wrench.
** Just as good: If you it an enemy or enemy machine with this wrench? Head trauma or a damaged building respectively.
** The game's (fanmade) 'manual' (as accessed online) is actually a manual on the Sentry, an automatic gun. The directions included for upgrading and setting up a sentry are all [[ExpospeakGag elaborate cover-ups]] of 'hit it with your wrench'.

* The BattlefieldSeries toys with this trope somewhat. The Engineer in each game in the series is usually equipped with some kind of tool or device that allows them to repair vehicles as long as said tool is in contact with said vehicle.
** [[BattlefieldSeries Battlefield: Bad Company]] has a ''Drill.'' Yes, you '''''drill''''' health into tanks and jeeps. As long as you know the drill.
* ''DevilMayCry 3'' features PercussiveMaintenance in its most basic form, with Dante punching a jukebox to get it to play (''"This party is gettin' crazy!"''). Destroying a jukebox in Mission 3 will inexplicably incite it to play a few notes (a remix of the combat theme from [=DMC1=]). Similarly, in Devil May Cry 4, Nero finds that the controls for lowering a drawbridge refuse to operate. He walks away in frustration...and then whirls around and ''shoots'' the uncooperative console. It [[ExplosiveInstrumentation sparks and then explodes,]] after which the red light turns to green and the drawbridge lowers (It should probably be noted that he looked pretty surprised when this happened, suggesting that the shooting of the controls wasn't deliberate PercussiveMaintenance so much as him venting the aformentioned frustration). Dante once gets into trouble hitting the jukebox; he hit it a little ''too'' hard, as he punched it with enough force that the metal on the jukebox bent inwards from the impact, leaving his fist in a crater that he just made.
* Inverted in ''[[WingCommander Wing Commander IV]]'', during the cutscene where Pliers (ship's mechanic) has found a disc of unknown purpose in a captured Dragon (to the characters, that is - the players know it as a Flash-pak, a bomb capable of burning out a entire capital ship if it hits ANYWHERE on the hull). He doesn't know what it is, so he drops it on the deck, while everyone around him dives for cover - when it doesn't explode, he then picks it up and resigns himself to some actual work.

* In one scene in ''ArmyOfTwo'', either Salem or Rios is trying to get into a room containing a circuit breaker needed to activate a monorail. When trying to flick the switch to open the breaker room, it doesn't work, even with a few hammer blows from the contractor's fist. It isn't until he ''headbutts'' the switchbox that the door opens.

* In ''ShadowTheHedgehog'', Shadow manages to not only bypass Eggman's security systems, but to ''bodily enter cyberspace'' by karate chopping a computer terminal.

* MakaiKingdom gives us the Wrench weapon, which can repair vehicles with the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Tech Bash]] skill.

* In ''RatchetAndClank: Up Your Arsenal'', BigBad robot MadScientist Dr. Nefarious has a habit of having screaming outbursts that make his circuitry overload causing him to freeze in place and broadcast [[AllMyCircuits a random soap opera]]. The problem is easily solved by someone (usually Lawrence) whacking Nefarious in the head (an act that Lawrence calls "the best part of (his) day"), after which Nefarious proceeds as if nothing had happened.

--> '''Maintenance Droid:''' I always say, there's no repair quite like hitting something.
* You can play Savage: The Battle For Newerth entirely with melee if you want to. It's problably done to keep things simple. Building, repairing structures, mining and claiming spawn flags are all done with melee. The people at newerth.com at some point said they were thinking about adding different animations for the different actions depending on what you're aiming at but i dont know or they got around to adding it.

* In the {{Commodore64}} game SuperPipeline and its sequel, your helpers fix leaky pipes by ''hitting the pipes with their hammers''.
* In the introductory cutscene for [[DonkeyKong64 Donkey Kong 64]], [[BigBad King K. Rool]]'s shiny new gun is being readied by his idiot mook Kremlings. It starts to power down for no discernable reason, so one of the Kremlings gives it a nice head-butt, which causes it to power back up again.

* The iPhone app [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYsRN2x0p68 Vending Machine Champ.]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* How do you get ''DominicDeegan'' out of a trance? [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-12-15 While it didn't work, Dominic's mother's trick was worth a try.]] The next attempt will probably work better.
* [[http://www.sexdrugsandjunecleaver.com/2009/03/02/fixing-broken-things/ Percussive maintenance]] applied to [[DeadBabyComedy a baby]].
* ''SchlockMercenary'' had Tagon asking a medical computer whether it ''couldn't'' do illegal biomodifications or ''wouldn't''. The computer asked the difference, and Tagon explained that hardware that ''can't'' do something gets replaced. Hardware that ''won't'' do something gets abused until it will, or until it can't. It then agrees to perform illegal biomodifications.

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* ''[[http://johnsu.deviantart.com/art/Active-Desktop-Recovery-34157759 Active Desktop Recovery]]'' flash animation by [=JohnSu=] demonstrates how this works.

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* Same thing happened to [[TheSimpsons Homer Simpson]].
* Subverted in ''{{Futurama}}'': the TV signal goes out because of interference from Bender. Fry hits the TV just as Bender leaves the room, and does Fonz's thumbs-up "Hey!" when the signal returns.
** Played for laughs in Bender's Game where the Hal Institute for Criminally Insane Robots uses hammer therapy on it's patients.
* The Fonz himself is featured in ''The Fonz And The Happy Days Gang'' employing his trademarked fix in order to, among other things, repair a time-traveling flying saucer, vehicle of choice of the gang in the cartoon. In several chapters the PercussiveMaintenance (usually in the form of a finger snap) is even seen stopping and reversing inertial momentum (!).
* ''{{Daria}}'' does this with Trent's van, "The Tank." After it makes a certain, strange noise, there's a ten count, followed by a punch to the dashboard, and suddenly everything's right as rain.

-->'''Piggy''': Kermit, step on it!
-->'''Kermit''': (turning the key) Gee, uh... the motor won't start, Piggy.
-->'''Piggy''': '''''WHAT?!'''''
-->(he keeps turning the key to no avail as the trains get closer)
-->'''Piggy''': (reaches forward and karate chops the hood) HI-YAH!
-->(motor starts)
-->'''Kermit''': Thanks, Piggy.
-->'''Piggy''': You're welcome. ''Now get us outta here!''

* Averted on ''BeavisAndButthead'' when the titular duo try to get their TV working again with numerous kicks. Pieces fly off, but that's all that happens. Due in part to a citywide power outage they don't notice.
* In ''ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'', Skipper tries to smack a malfunctioning flashlight. It works...for all of about three seconds, and then fizzles out again.

* In ''TurtlesForever'' [[TMNT2003 Donatello]] initially ridicules [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 his interdimensional counterpart]] when he tries to apply this philosophy to their transdimensional portal stick. Guess what Donny eventually has to do to eventually save their shells.
* An episode of TheFairlyOddparents parodies the concept... by jamming an axe into the TV. [[RuleOfFunny And it works]]. ''Twice''.

* In the ''{{Gorillaz}}'' universe, the mechanic Murdoc hired to work on Plasic Beach insists on repairing the malfunctioning devices with a frying pan. Unlike most examples, he doesn't want to get the things to work in the first place - he's just a lazy guy who's hoping to get more cash out of it, as he eagerly explains in the Plastic Beach adventure game on the official site.
* ''FredFlintstone'' was a master TV repair man, providing he had his club.

-->Kairo: With my radio, sometimes this makes it work.
* Lampshaded in the ''PhineasAndFerb'' episode, "Hide and Seek" when Dr. Doof tries gets his IncrediblyObviousBug working by after repeatedly hitting his monitor.
--> '''Dr. Doof''': Oh hey, random pounding works.

[[folder: Real Life ]]

** Apollo 12: [[http://www.earthtothemoon.com/apollo_12.html Alan Bean was instructed to try and fix the camera by tapping it with his hammer]]. He radioed, "I hit it on the top with my hammer. I figured we didn't have a thing to lose. I just pounded it on the top with this hammer that I've got." The capsule communicator in Houston joked, "Skillful fix, Al." Bean agreed, "Yes, that's skilled craftsmanship."

*** Alan Bean [[http://www.alanbean.com/lunar_tools.cfm still has that hammer to this day]], and uses it to add textures to his paintings.
** Apollo 14: While running through the pre-PDI checklist, Al Shepard and Ed Mitchell noticed that the abort light had come on, indicating that the computer had gone straight into abort mode. If this happened during the actual burn the computer would abort the descent and that would be mission over as there'd no longer be enough fuel for another attempt at landing. They got the light to go out by tapping on the console with a pen. Of course this was only a temporary fix, and a more elegant solution requires some in-flight reprogramming of the guidance computer (By tricking it into thinking it was already in abort mode it would not monitor the status of the abort button). The moment is recreated in the Apollo 14 episode of ''From The Earth To The Moon''.

* In the Church of the [=SubGenius=], the laying of hands on malfunctioning equipment, done swiftly and sharply, is called 'Appliance Healing'.

* If you scream loud enough when you hit the bloody thing, someone might come over who knows how to fix it.

* This troper has often had to thump the rear of his computer to get the transformer fan to stop whining. 9 times out of 10 it works.

** Or on your helmet
** This is more part of a general 'weapon does not fire' drill. You don't 'smack' the magazine - rather, you check to make sure it is properly engaged. Then you check the breach for an obstructing round. And if any of my instructors saw you tap your magazine on anything other than your palm prior to loading, you'd be subjected to a lecture, and then probably a quick jog... just to make it sink in.

* Recorded Books Incorporated used to put on their cassette tapes that if you ever ran into any problems with tape, you should "place it in the palm of your hand and [[PercussiveMaintenance slap it smartly against a hard, flat surface.]]" If that didn't work, and you could not "otherwise free the reels," then you could send it in for a free replacement.

* Old joke: A man can't get his car working, so he gets it into a repair shop. The repairmen turns over the engine a few times, then goes to his tool rack and grabs a hammer. He comes back, pops the hood, gives the engine one quick rap with the hammer, then turns the key and -- presto! Engine works. The repairman then hands the owner his bill for $220, to which the owner responds "What!? $220 for hitting it once with a hammer?" The repairman responds, "Nope, hitting with the hammer is only $20. The other $200 is for knowing where to hit it."

See also [[TroperTales/PercussiveMaintenance Tropers' Tales]].

<<|AppliedPhlebotinum|>>
<<|TruthInTelevision|>>
<<|UsefulNotes|>>

* SchlockMercenary had Tagon asking a medical computer whether it ''couldn't'' do illegal biomodifications or ''wouldn't''. The computer asked the difference, and Tagon explained that hardware that ''can't'' do something gets replaced. Hardware that ''won't'' do something gets abused until it will, or until it can't. It then agrees to perform illegal biomodifications.

* A 1990s guide to console gaming:

* in the SuperNintendo beat-em-up game ''The Peace Keepers'', in one level your hero finds that the bad guys have rigged the plane you're on to crash. The only way to prevent it from crashing is to ''[[FridgeLogic completely destroy all the control consoles]]'' so the autopilot kicks in.

* Arguably happens in [[ToyStory Toy Story 3]]: Apparently the best way to get your Buzz Lightyear back to normal after [[BrainwashedAndCrazy a hard reset]] is to [[spoiler: drop a TV on his head.]]

* Very few [[MadScientist "sparks"]] are subtle, especially when they're in a hurry. Thus, Agatha and her friends regularly practice PercussiveMaintenance in ''GirlGenius''.

* In the made-for-TV film ''[[BabylonFive Babylon 5]]: Legend of the Rangers]]'', the crew is trying to get an old Minbari ship ready for launch. TheCaptain (a human) suggests his NumberTwo and best friend (a Minbari) smack the console to get it working. The Minbari replies that this is barbaric and not a way to work with sensitive technology. Later, frustrated at being unable to get a screen working, he hits the console, and it immediately starts.