For mechanics, excuses heard

[Unka-Boo]

The one question that has stuck in my head for 20 some years....

" Do you have stop leak for brakes? "





I do not miss retail automotive.....of course, the same people drive trucks, only difference is the parts are more expensive...

 

[Member 5605]

Days as a mechanic:
"Rebuilt engine..." - Engine is caked in oil, dirty and I don't see any fresh marks on bolt heads.

"New transmission" - yellow or blue writing on it.

Days as a cable TV installer
"The last guy ran that line.." - it's a walmart RG-59 line from one window out to the next.

"They gave me that splitter when they did the installation." - It's a radio shack splitter. $26.50 + $14.99 outlet installation.

"The guys at Radio shack said I need this surge protector with coax hookup." - Turns out their lowband is being demolished/attenuated by the surge protector. Bypass it and tell customer their house system is grounded better than their electrical outlets. $26.50.

Go to house I disconnected three days ago: "I'm here for the hookup, and looking for Joe Smith?"
Customer: Yeah I'm he.
Me: I need to see ID please.
Customer: Oh, we just moved in let me see where I put that...
Noticing the same yard crap is there, same car in driveway etc.
Customer comes back and says they can't find anything. I ask for rental agreement etc, but nothing is available by that name. Call dispatch, tell them that any new installs require ID verification. Hear the parent in a back room yell at their kid named... you guessed it... Joe.

My favorite was pulling the plug while the TV was still on from across the street on non-pay shut offs. Especially when they are watching an intense show and suddenly it goes to black or static. I climb down, put ladder on van/truck and leave faster than a gut shot cat.

"I don't know why the remote won't work" - Local office spent 45 minutes on the line trouble shooting the remote, asked subscriber to verify batteries are in remote correctly. Trouble call rollout and I find batteries installed backwards. That's $26.50.

"Every time I leave the room the guide and menu goes back to "To Be Announced"." - Turns out they plugged their cable box into the switched outlet controlled by the light switch. $26.50.

"yeah the computer is right over there..... " Customer points to a Pentium 1, 166Mhz computer with a 14" CRT monitor. Sir, your computer doesn't even have an ethernet connection. Didn't customer service talk to you about minimum requirements? Now if it was an older person who was using the internet to stay in touch with their grandkids I would do everything I could to get that modem connected to their computer.

Me: I'm here about your cable installation.
Customer: uhh, yeah hold on I'll be right back.
Customer was at door with bathrobe on, sweaty forehead and slightly flushed face. Guess I interrupted their afternoon quickie.

My stories are endless.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

well... just got to work. i'll see what good ones i hear today

 

[Mikej]

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

And the two of you lived happily ever after?!

Anyway....I worked in a couple of Honda motor cycle shops wrenching for about 8 years shortly after I got out of high school in '73. There's only one special thing that comes to mind. Some folks bring in a CB 450 they couldn't get started. That was an early double overhead cam twin. They said they had tried every thing, starter, kick start even tried to push start it. When we stepped on the kick starter it made a clunking sound. "Well, were going to need to pull the jugs and see what you've got there". The 450s had to come out of the frame to pull the heads. So I get it out and up on the bench and pull the head. Two cylinders and only one piston is what I saw. The wrist pin was still in the rod, frozen and tweeked by about 15-20 degrees. The biggest piece of piston in the engine was about the size of a filbert nut. We figured they didn't PUSH the bike to start it, they must have pulled it....At about 40mph, for a good ways!

 

[DuneHopper]

I was about 20 took my 64 impala in for a oil and grease at Sears, this is back before they had pits.
They put it up on the rack and I went shopping this back when Sears had guns in California, I came back paid and they handed me the keys. I went out started the car and sounded like a Sherman Tank. I turned it off went poking around and one side of my duel exhaust was missing from head-pipe down.
I went in after calming down so I didn't drop the guy, and said hey wheres my exhaust pipe and he without pausing said are you sure I came in with it ? I said did you hear a plane landing in your shop ? I said no, well then when I pulled in it had to be there.
Then this guys actually was thinking of arguing this point, this was back when I was not tolerant at all to most people.
I recall making some minor threat ( I wont repeat here) and he left came back and said it had caught on the lift and tore off, they paid for Midas down the street to fix it I had them put two new glass packs at their expense on it.
There have been others.

My Uncle went to a oil change shop in the 90's . They checked fluid, lubricated and changed the filter. He then drove about 40 miles
the engine seized, they forgot the oil. This was back I am guessing when idiots lights didn't ever help and came on a few seconds before the car would be destroyed.

 

[Mosix]

So, Mikej, I worked the same time at a few M/C shops in the 70'. Medford Honda 71-73, Vancouver Honda 74-76, Beaverton Honda 76-80, Oregon City Honda then went to cars and made 3 times the money and way less hassle. Did we ever work together?
I have been writing a book for 30 plus years with stories of mechanics, customers, service writers and owners and their mistakes and lies.
Quick one.
Car comes in on a tow chain, u-pull-it style, helper all stressed out from no power steering or brakes. Customer blames his brother in law for the failed repair and leaves the car. Water pump, front cover leak, broken bolts, nice mess.
We get the ok to repair from the wife and complete the car. Wife and her brother come to pickup car, he is in a handicapped van and wheelchair. Wife goes off when she is told her hubby blamed her brother, phone call to hubby much cursing yelling. Turns out brother brought the beer and hubby got plastered, broke stuff then lied.

 

[308]

New Chiller sitting in the parking lot to be installed the next day. Not enough chilled water to cool the air anymore. Discharge air temp off the coil needs to be about 50 degrees but won't go below 65 degrees. Lot's of money sitting in that parking lot...to 'fix the problem'

I'm there for a pre-demo survey to prove water flow before the new chiller goes in. Flow should be 120gpm to the chiller...it is about 60 gpm. Looks like a new chilled water pump over there. Hey when did you guys install the new pump? Last year. You been having problems since then...right? Yes. Well, your pump in running backwards...let's fix that...mmkay?

Flow is now 125gpm, and chilled water coil discharge air temp drops to 50 degrees and the hospital starts cooling.

Enjoy your new chiller

 

[RicInOR]

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"

I heard that one. I had a job for 2 months working for a contractor to GM for Customer Service.
You know it is $10K to put back together a GM diesel after the dealer determines it is not a warrantee repair.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

I heard that one. I had a job for 2 months working for a contractor to GM for Customer Service.
You know it is $10K to put back together a GM diesel after the dealer determines it is not a warrantee repair.

yep. its about 10-13k to replace the engine that the customer blew up. this is why if we suspect customer induced damage, abuse we have the customer authorize tear down and inspect which is on the customer if we find that it is not a warranty able repair. of they refuse tear down and inspect then the vehicle gets pushed out the shop.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

on the other hand, i do have some very loyal customers who have spent 1000s here over the yeara and keep coming back that, at times, i have turned a blind eye and fixed it for'm

 

[notazombie]

Volcom, I've probably heard most of the same "ever sinces" you have over the years. I think the only thing that gets old faster for me is, "I'd fix it myself but..." from half of the Intel geniuses that come in to my shop. While I understand that they really need me to know just how smart they are, the truth is they just couldn't find a YouTube clip that pinpointed their exact problem. Google-fu is no match for experience.

 

[Member 5605]

Another from the cable installer days:


"My dad works at HP so he can install this stuff."

3 days later I'm back to install it because dad didn't know what he was doing. Turns out when you work at the INKJET facility it doesn't mean you know computers by osmosis.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

Another from the cable installer days:


"My dad works at HP so he can install this stuff."

3 days later I'm back to install it because dad didn't know what he was doing. Turns out when you work at the INKJET facility it doesn't mean you know computers by osmosis.

LOL well my dad WORKS at HP but not for HP he works for EC Co. out of tangent and they do maintenance for HP.

lots of abbreviations there.

i used to work for EC Co. 10 years ago too. ha ha

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

And the two of you lived happily ever after?!

Anyway....I worked in a couple of Honda motor cycle shops wrenching for about 8 years shortly after I got out of high school in '73. There's only one special thing that comes to mind. Some folks bring in a CB 450 they couldn't get started. That was an early double overhead cam twin. They said they had tried every thing, starter, kick start even tried to push start it. When we stepped on the kick starter it made a clunking sound. "Well, were going to need to pull the jugs and see what you've got there". The 450s had to come out of the frame to pull the heads. So I get it out and up on the bench and pull the head. Two cylinders and only one piston is what I saw. The wrist pin was still in the rod, frozen and tweeked by about 15-20 degrees. The biggest piece of piston in the engine was about the size of a filbert nut. We figured they didn't PUSH the bike to start it, they must have pulled it....At about 40mph, for a good ways!

A good friend of mine had one he bought new. A good bike but I don't know if I would want to ride it to Reno and back with another friend with a 750 like he did.