For mechanics, excuses heard

[ditchtiger]

No disrespect to Crohnos01. I've had parts breakage also, with Dillon's. I beleave him.

"I swear I wasn't reefing on the handle, just mild pressure."

Just brought to mind all the excuses I've heard being a mechanic and know they were full of s**t. One of the better ones was a gal brought her car in with front end noise that just started that morning. I pulled the wheel off and found the disc brake pad gone and the caliper piston had worn through the rotor in to the cooling fins and the wheel bearings were shot. The only thing holding the tire/rim on was the caliper casting.
Let's hear some good stories. Like the guy that bought a battery back as it did not work. Turned out he was using it to jump his car with no jumper cables. He just turned it upside down onto his battery to make the jump. Have no idea why it did not explode.

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[Member 5605]

I'm not sure what's better, the ones I heard as a mechanic or the ones I heard during the 6 years as a cable guy...

 

[ditchtiger]

Well?

 

[clearconscience]

I worked for AAA doing road service and while not a mechanic, I saw some pretty amazing things while doing that job, and while doing car stereo installation.

But I went to a call for a dead battery and the GHETTO people wanted me to give them a jump.
They had an old van and the battery had duct tape on it.
Feeling it there was a hole in it. I asked them about it and they just said they hit a curb and the battery flooped around and broke open. It wasn't secured.
So they tapped it so it would stop leaking.
I said you know that's acid right?

I told them there's no way I'm jumping that battery. And they aruged with me that it was safe. Naw!

Had a college girl with a Lexus SUV that had a flat. Got there and the tire is just shreds on the rim, and the poor rim was just beat all to shet.
I looked at them crazy and asked how far they drove after it was flat?
Then they asked if it was still usable. I just laughed, hard.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

o man, youve opened a can of worms here... ive heard a LOT of excuses and BS stories its UNREAL. its almost every day i hear something new. i work at a GM dealership in salem. i can honestly say we do really good quality repair work in our shop. its expensive but, its right and we stand behind it.

when a customer comes in with some beater car and says they have a brand new engine in it but yet it had a ton of yellow marker from the junk yard all over it.

"im a mechanic"

"my mechanic said its the (insert wrong component they think is bad) that went bad and what you say is bad isnt"

customer:
"no i didnt use starting fluid in my duramax"

me: "ok, i believe you. the reciept dated today two hours ago on the passenger seat for ether must have been for your lawn mower then"


"YES, i change the oil every 3k miles."

Warranty customer: "one time on the way home from arizona, there was a slight cross wind on the highway and my car made a rattle noise. hasnt done it since. i want it fixed.NOW!"

"ever since you replaced my headlight bulb my speedometer needle sticks"

"ever since you serviced my transmission my brakes squeal"

"ever since you did my alignment my check engine light came on"

"ever since you topped off my PS fluid my tire pressure light is on"

"ever since you serviced my differential my steering wheel is crooked"

"ever since you replaced my power window motor my wiper washers dont spray"

im not even kidding.

 

[Crohnos01]

No offense taken; I really wasn't pulling on the handle that hard, but the thing is between the mechanical advantage of the piston pivot and the moment created by the lever arm, it obviously doesn't take much to put enough pressure on the pawl to sheer them off... must be why they ship a spare with the press

The best one I ever saw was when I was in a NAPA store buying some parts and this guy comes in because his car was stranded along side the road. I was standing near the counter as he tells the guy behind the counter this story.... His car had an automatic transmission and started shifting funny. The guy pulled pulled over and saw a large puddle of red fluid under the car. So (and this is where my lower jaw hit the floor), he got back in the car and kept driving for a few more miles until the car wouldn't move at all... He then caught a ride into the NAPA store to see if he could by a treatment or additive of so e ki d to get it going again . To his credit, the guy behind the counter didn't just look at him and say "nope, nothing to do but drag it to the tranny shop dumbass" Instead, he just told the guy he didn't have anything that would help his situation and recommended he call a mechanic.... After the guy left, I told the guy behind counter I was impressed he didn't call the guy a dumbass. He said that idiots like that walk through the door all the time and he was immune any more. I don't tolerate stupidity well.... not the job for me

 

[Jamie6.5]

Guy comes in one day and wants a carb kit. He gets it $21.00.
Comes back later and wants a fuel filter. He gets it, $3.50.
Comes in again after a half hour and wants a fuel pump. He gets it $30.00.
Comes back a little later sniveling because his car will start but when he steps on the gas it sputters and dies, so he thinks the fuel pump he just bought must be bad.

So, remembering a few things I saw in dad's shop, I go get him a condenser.
He says, nope, it's a fuel problem. I tell him it's only gonna cost him $1.65 to find out!
Guy shrugs, buys the condenser and leaves.

Guy comes back 90 minutes later carrying opened carb kit, fuel filter and fuel pump he bought and wants a refund.
After he'd installed and run them. They're dirty, greasy and reek of gasoline, and the seal is broken on the carb kit.
Nope, sorry bud, no refunds on installed parts.
But But!! They didn't fix my car! It was the condenser, you were right. I could have saved $55 Bucks!
Hey, (dummy) you didn't ask what WE thought was wrong until you bought, and installed, and ran all this stuff.

So now you own a few really good spare parts! Have a nice day!
(and next time, don't walk in here thinkin' you're some kind of expert)

Like Pops used to say:
"Some people just shouldn't own tools!"

 

[Provincial]

I was eating lunch at a closed service station that had been converted into a restaurant. It was in Sheridan, OR about a mile off Highway 18. A young lady came in looking to have some oil added to her 66 Mustang. Since there was none there, I offered to help.

As we went out to the car and I asked how she knew she needed oil. "The add oil light came on" was the reply. I checked the dipstick, and there was no oil on it. I asked her to start the engine, and the rod knock was so loud I knew the engine was toast.

She never left town, and ended up marrying a local.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

Guy comes in one day and wants a carb kit. He gets it $21.00.
Comes back later and wants a fuel filter. He gets it, $3.50.
Comes in again after a half hour and wants a fuel pump. He gets it $30.00.
Comes back a little later sniveling because his car will start but when he steps on the gas it sputters and dies, so he thinks the fuel pump he just bought must be bad.

So, remembering a few things I saw in dad's shop, I go get him a condenser.
He says, nope, it's a fuel problem. I tell him it's only gonna cost him $1.65 to find out!
Guy shrugs, buys the condenser and leaves.

Guy comes back 90 minutes later carrying opened carb kit, fuel filter and fuel pump he bought and wants a refund.
After he'd installed and run them. They're dirty, greasy and reek of gasoline, and the seal is broken on the carb kit.
Nope, sorry bud, no refunds on installed parts.
But But!! They didn't fix my car! It was the condenser, you were right. I could have saved $55 Bucks!
Hey, (dummy) you didn't ask what WE thought was wrong until you bought, and installed, and ran all this stuff.

So now you own a few really good spare parts! Have a nice day!
(and next time, don't walk in here thinkin' you're some kind of expert)

Like Pops used to say:
"Some people just shouldn't own tools!"

on the other hand, they get upset when the parts guy is wrong too.too ignorant realize that it takes effort to properly diagnose a car. i see that all the time too. people take no personal responsibility anymore.i feel bad for parts guys!

 

[Jamie6.5]

on the other hand, they get upset when the parts guy is wrong too.too ignorant realize that it takes effort to properly diagnose a car. i see that all the time too. people take no personal responsibility anymore.i feel bad for parts guys!

The first thing I ALWAYS taught my trainees is this:
Don't be afraid to say "I don't know." Your job is to get people the parts they ask for. Leave the diagnostics to people with experience.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

"cant you just hook up the scanner and it will tell you EXACTLY what to fix?!"

no, if it were that easy my job wouldnt exist. scan tools only point you in a direction to start diagnosis.

for example, they dont say" P0171,P0174 fuel trim lean bank 1 and 2 CHANGE YOUR FUEL PUMP TO FIX LEAN CONDITION!!!"

when actually it COULD be a fuel pump, dirty MAF, vacuum leak post MAF sensor, fuel filter, a lean injector, dog food in the air filter box(yes, ive seen this), a dead mouse(mice) obstructing the throttle body (yes, ive seen this), and so on amongst a TON of other things.

or P0300 cylinder misfire
MUST BE A SPARK PLUG RIGHT?

 

[Jamie6.5]

Like the guy that came in one day and told us liquid was squirting out of the dipstick tube on his slant 6 Dodge Dart, and it smelled like gasoline. WTF???

An old guy I worked with walked up and asked him if he plugged that funny shaped hole on the side of the top of his fuel pump?
"Yes, there was gas leaking out of it so I plugged it with a piece of stick."
Well buddy, that's called a weep hole, and when fuel leaks out of it, that means your fuel pump is shot.
"Wanna buy a new one?"

Customer: "Uhhh, yeah I guess I better"
Tom (the old guy): Good, because your crankcase is now full of gasoline and you need to have it towed somewhere you can drain the gas/oil mix out of it and change the oil & filter.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

I was eating lunch at a closed service station that had been converted into a restaurant. It was in Sheridan, OR about a mile off Highway 18. A young lady came in looking to have some oil added to her 66 Mustang. Since there was none there, I offered to help.

As we went out to the car and I asked how she knew she needed oil. "The add oil light came on" was the reply. I checked the dipstick, and there was no oil on it. I asked her to start the engine, and the rod knock was so loud I knew the engine was toast.

She never left town, and ended up marrying a local.

sounds like one of them good ol sheridan boys saw her, liked her then sabotaged it to get her to stay!

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

Like the guy that came in one day and told us liquid was squirting out of the dipstick tube on his slant 6 Dodge Dart, and it smelled like gasoline. WTF???

An old guy I worked with walked up and asked him if he plugged that funny shaped hole on the side of the top of his fuel pump?
"Yes, there was gas leaking out of it so I plugged it with a piece of stick."
Well buddy, that's called a weep hole, and when fuel leaks out of it, that means your fuel pump is shot.
"Wanna buy a new one?"

Customer: "Uhhh, yeah I guess I better"

i bet that engine would have been super clean inside had someone had to overhaul it with all the fuel in the crankcase

 

[Lilhigbee]

My best story from 6 1/2 years in a NAPA store;
Guy comes in wanting a thermostat for his Datsun Pickup. (Datsun, not Nissan, am I dating myself??)
While I'm looking up the thermostat and gasket he tells me the reason he needs it is because his truck overheated. Further into the conversation, he was TOWING the truck behind his MOTORHOME!! He had driven up to the back of the motorhome to hook it up and left the truck in first gear. A few miles down the road he noticed the truck steaming. I suggested that the thermostat probably wouldn't help, but I would sell it to him if he wanted.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

My best story from 6 1/2 years in a NAPA store;
Guy comes in wanting a thermostat for his Datsun Pickup. (Datsun, not Nissan, am I dating myself??)
While I'm looking up the thermostat and gasket he tells me the reason he needs it is because his truck overheated. Further into the conversation, he was TOWING the truck behind his MOTORHOME!! He had driven up to the back of the motorhome to hook it up and left the truck in first gear. A few miles down the road he noticed the truck steaming. I suggested that the thermostat probably wouldn't help, but I would sell it to him if he wanted.

sell him some stop leak tabs... that'll do'r up.

 

[Jamie6.5]

i bet that engine would have been super clean inside had someone had to overhaul it with all the fuel in the crankcase

I would have liked to be around when they drained it, just to see exactly how much gas the crankcase of a 1969 Slant 6 will hold!

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

and 48 years later cars fuel pumps still leak into the crank case. i see it every once in a while on a direct injection engine. fuel pump runs off the cam and leaks thru the plunger that drives the pump

 

[Jamie6.5]

and 48 years later cars fuel pumps still leak into the crank case. i see it every once in a while on a direct injection engine. fuel pump runs off the cam and leaks thru the plunger that drives the pump

The Ford/IHC 7.2L diesels are famous for it. The lift pump sits under the intake manifold in the valley, and when the diaphragm springs a leak, it leaks diesel into the crankcase and the owner thinks their truck makes oil.
I used to laugh when a Ford diesel owner would tell me the 12 qt oil drain pans we sold didn't hold 12 qts, because theirs overflowed when they tried to change their oil.
Never realizing until I told them, that their old "oil" was 30-50% diesel fuel.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

yep d-max does the same thing too. it can leak externally also which is usually the case.