Your worst Automotive day (General)
#1
08-12-2004, 05:06 PM
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Atlanta, Ga
Posts: 1,797
What ever happened to you on your bad automotive day?
I've had a quite a few when I was younger. For instance:
1. Minnesota summer in a '70 Corolla wagon I hit a pole, causing a bolt to puncure the battery case. Didn't have money for a new battery so I sealed it with bondo.
Worked fine and in October decided to replace the battery for the coming winter.
Bought a new battery that wouldn't hold a charge overnight but the store wouldn't exchange.
I drove to another store for 2nd opinion. They said the battery tested bad and it's on a charger. An hour later I went to get the car and a 13 year old (I guess) kid removed a HUGE charger from my battery. Now my car had its charging light on and several accessories didn't work. I was pushed out of the store for complaining and only told to call the main store in Chicago. Now go away.
I ended up replacing the battery again, and because the charger was connected backwards I had to replace fuse links, fuses, alternator, radio, volt regulator.
Chicago's reply was "Tough luck for you!"
2. Driving a '71 Grand Torino wagon, February in Minnesota I ran over a bump then my car quit. Looking under the hood I saw some wires pulled off of something...but what? :o
Looking behind the car in the road was the eletronic spark unit, being swerved & run over by other cars because it rusted loose off the fender. It likely fell infront of the tire, ran over ripping the wires out. That was the bump I felt.
I got the rest of the wire from the car and waked home with the unit about 10 miles.
(~ 20 below zero)
Dug the wire studs out from the box's epoxy block and soldered the wires back on.
Walked back to the car that night, plugged it in and drove home.
I have a ton more of these but this wil have to do for now.
What happened to YOU?
I've had a quite a few when I was younger. For instance:
1. Minnesota summer in a '70 Corolla wagon I hit a pole, causing a bolt to puncure the battery case. Didn't have money for a new battery so I sealed it with bondo.
Worked fine and in October decided to replace the battery for the coming winter.
Bought a new battery that wouldn't hold a charge overnight but the store wouldn't exchange.
I drove to another store for 2nd opinion. They said the battery tested bad and it's on a charger. An hour later I went to get the car and a 13 year old (I guess) kid removed a HUGE charger from my battery. Now my car had its charging light on and several accessories didn't work. I was pushed out of the store for complaining and only told to call the main store in Chicago. Now go away.
I ended up replacing the battery again, and because the charger was connected backwards I had to replace fuse links, fuses, alternator, radio, volt regulator.
Chicago's reply was "Tough luck for you!"
2. Driving a '71 Grand Torino wagon, February in Minnesota I ran over a bump then my car quit. Looking under the hood I saw some wires pulled off of something...but what? :o
Looking behind the car in the road was the eletronic spark unit, being swerved & run over by other cars because it rusted loose off the fender. It likely fell infront of the tire, ran over ripping the wires out. That was the bump I felt.
I got the rest of the wire from the car and waked home with the unit about 10 miles.
(~ 20 below zero)
Dug the wire studs out from the box's epoxy block and soldered the wires back on.
Walked back to the car that night, plugged it in and drove home.
I have a ton more of these but this wil have to do for now.
What happened to YOU?
#3
08-13-2004, 02:58 PM
Went to fill up in Cornwall which is 120 km one way from Montreal.
I always fill up when my tank is really empty so I pass the exit in order to get more distance out of this tank.
I come back, ready to exit, but it was closed: an accident involving multiple cars (including a Porsche GT2).
So I go to the next exit and try to come by the back roads to go to my favourite station (which dispenses one of the best diesel in Canada).
Police blocks the avenue leading to the station and "can't go can't pass type" of thing.
I park in the lot of the Toyota dealership and wait an hour.
Police is still there and nothing changed.
So I remember there's a truck stop 2 exits away.
I go there.
It's a full service (man I hate full serve) and I'm in between 2 rigs.
The 10 wheeler's driver behind me seems impatient and the attendant tells me that I better not look at the guy in the rig because "he's bigger than me" (talking about the size of my baby and the 10 wheeler
)
I reply to the attendent:"If I climb in that rig, we'll see who's bigger."
I cannot be outside of my own **** car, so I sit and wait till the gun clicks (it was raining that day).
When the gun clicks, I get the rear passenger window down and tell the guy to press the little button and put 25 litres more.
He's able to put 92 litres in.
I park on the side of the booth and check what the guy did (he was seeing me open the fuel door).
He spilled diesel all over the side of the car!!!
To boot the tank wasn't even full.
I go pay and my credit card is refused...
I pay with another credit card... <_<
I get to the local Flying J (near Montreal) and fill the car up properly.
Get back on the highway and hear this loud whining...
The right rear wheel bearing thought it was a good time take some vacation...
I drive to our weekly get together 35 km away.
The bearing melted on the spindle...
Got it fixed with another diesel head (we are very supportive of each other
).
Worst day of my life... :unsure:
I always fill up when my tank is really empty so I pass the exit in order to get more distance out of this tank.
I come back, ready to exit, but it was closed: an accident involving multiple cars (including a Porsche GT2).
So I go to the next exit and try to come by the back roads to go to my favourite station (which dispenses one of the best diesel in Canada).
Police blocks the avenue leading to the station and "can't go can't pass type" of thing.
I park in the lot of the Toyota dealership and wait an hour.
Police is still there and nothing changed.
So I remember there's a truck stop 2 exits away.
I go there.
It's a full service (man I hate full serve) and I'm in between 2 rigs.
The 10 wheeler's driver behind me seems impatient and the attendant tells me that I better not look at the guy in the rig because "he's bigger than me" (talking about the size of my baby and the 10 wheeler
) I reply to the attendent:"If I climb in that rig, we'll see who's bigger."
I cannot be outside of my own **** car, so I sit and wait till the gun clicks (it was raining that day).
When the gun clicks, I get the rear passenger window down and tell the guy to press the little button and put 25 litres more.
He's able to put 92 litres in.
I park on the side of the booth and check what the guy did (he was seeing me open the fuel door).
He spilled diesel all over the side of the car!!!
To boot the tank wasn't even full.
I go pay and my credit card is refused...
I pay with another credit card...
<_< I get to the local Flying J (near Montreal) and fill the car up properly.
Get back on the highway and hear this loud whining...
The right rear wheel bearing thought it was a good time take some vacation...
I drive to our weekly get together 35 km away.
The bearing melted on the spindle...
Got it fixed with another diesel head (we are very supportive of each other
).Worst day of my life... :unsure:
#4
08-13-2004, 03:49 PM
My worst automotive day happened because a girl (crazy) that I was dating. Actually my favorite car was wrecked 3 times by 3 different women but those were not the "worst". The worst happened after the girl we called "lead" took the truck to move a few things. I'm playing darts at a bar when she comes in talking nonsense. She was giving me the 3rd degree, asking where I'd been the night before and acusing me of being drunk (which I wasn't). I had no idea where all this was coming from until she said something about me being so drunk the night before that I didn't even notice that I had wrecked the truck. Whoa time out! I say: "Are you telling me my truck is wrecked!?!?" She just kept on badgering me about what a drunk I was and how she can't belive how I could crash a truck and not even notice and how I'm a no good POS for giving her a wrecked truck to drive and how I'm a SOB for thinking she did it. I've said nothing at this point other than asking if the truck is wrecked. I go outside and sure enough the side of the truck is all mangled. She will not shut up and is calling me every name in the book and even made up a few extras. I can't take it so I run away, literally. She eventually gets tired of chasing me but I keep walking for a way cause I'm upset and walking is good therapy. I walked far enough that I didn't want to walk back, nor was I ready to deal with her or a wrecked truck so I called a friend to pick me up. He and I hung out for a few hours talking and shooting a bow and arrow in my back yard. In the mean time she has called 100 times to cuss me and tell me how worthless I am. The funny part is that she is upset because I'm blaming her for something she didn't do. Keep in mind I've not accused her of anything ....yet. Some of her calls are frantic (I'm letting the machine get them all), and she decides to break up. She shows up while we are shooting and moves her stuff out, the whole time cussing me and telling her friends what an SOB I am and telling them all this stuff about how I will not stop blaming her for wrecking a truck that I clearly wrecked while drunk. I still have not said a word to her!
After she moves of my house out the calls continue and she starts threatning to kill herself. During one call she claims to have taken a bunch of pills. The funny part here is she expects that I will not believe her so she adds that if I don't believe her I can ask her mother and her mother will verify that she took the pills.
I've been ingnoring her and the machine for hours so that I can calm down and actually do not know the contents of the messages(suicide) till later. After I calm down and start thinking clearly, we go to take a closer look at the truck and figure out what need to be done to get it home, what needs to be fixed and how it might have been wrecked. The bumper is plastic coated and it had wood imbeded in it. The truck was driveable but had $1700 in body damage. When I got home I listened to the messages, getting madder by the minute. I finally called her back and told her about finding wood in the bumper and accused her of hitting a telephone pole.
Her response: " Oh you think you are so smart! Mr Sherlock F-ing Holmes! It was a tree not a telephone pole"
After she moves of my house out the calls continue and she starts threatning to kill herself. During one call she claims to have taken a bunch of pills. The funny part here is she expects that I will not believe her so she adds that if I don't believe her I can ask her mother and her mother will verify that she took the pills.
I've been ingnoring her and the machine for hours so that I can calm down and actually do not know the contents of the messages(suicide) till later. After I calm down and start thinking clearly, we go to take a closer look at the truck and figure out what need to be done to get it home, what needs to be fixed and how it might have been wrecked. The bumper is plastic coated and it had wood imbeded in it. The truck was driveable but had $1700 in body damage. When I got home I listened to the messages, getting madder by the minute. I finally called her back and told her about finding wood in the bumper and accused her of hitting a telephone pole.
Her response: " Oh you think you are so smart! Mr Sherlock F-ing Holmes! It was a tree not a telephone pole"
#7
08-14-2004, 07:03 AM
Hi Lakedude:
___I was hanging on to that story all the way until the punch line
I hope she is still with us of course but doesn’t it figure after all the screaming and carrying on that it was her in the first place.
___Great story by the way! If I didn’t know any better, you could almost make it into a Country Western song. Except you didn’t mention anything about the dog
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net
___I was hanging on to that story all the way until the punch line
I hope she is still with us of course but doesn’t it figure after all the screaming and carrying on that it was her in the first place. ___Great story by the way! If I didn’t know any better, you could almost make it into a Country Western song. Except you didn’t mention anything about the dog
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net
#8
08-14-2004, 07:37 AM
Haha, LakeDude. That was great
My worst? Hm... I've only had 3 years of driving experience. I had a couple irritating experiences... I scraped the hubcaps of my Prius on two separate occasions! Erg... the first I was trying to make a U-turn in a 2-lane road (both ways). The other I was backing into a parking space from an odd angle. Crrrrrunch!
Probably my worst, though, was simple psychology. I was headed to temple in a suit and tie on a 90-degree day less than a week after I started driving. I stop the car, try to turn the key to get it out (this is my old car) and it won't come out! "Odd," I think... So I try again. Turn.... pull. Nothing!
I call my mom up on my cellphone. "Hey, mom! What's wrong with this car? I can't get the key out!"
"Hm," she says. "Did you put it in Park?"
My worst? Hm... I've only had 3 years of driving experience. I had a couple irritating experiences... I scraped the hubcaps of my Prius on two separate occasions! Erg... the first I was trying to make a U-turn in a 2-lane road (both ways). The other I was backing into a parking space from an odd angle. Crrrrrunch!
Probably my worst, though, was simple psychology. I was headed to temple in a suit and tie on a 90-degree day less than a week after I started driving. I stop the car, try to turn the key to get it out (this is my old car) and it won't come out! "Odd," I think... So I try again. Turn.... pull. Nothing!
I call my mom up on my cellphone. "Hey, mom! What's wrong with this car? I can't get the key out!"
"Hm," she says. "Did you put it in Park?"
#9
08-14-2004, 08:42 AM
Originally posted by Jason@Aug 14th 2004 @ 9:37 AM
Haha, LakeDude. That was great
My worst? Hm... I've only had 3 years of driving experience. I had a couple irritating experiences... I scraped the hubcaps of my Prius on two separate occasions! Erg... the first I was trying to make a U-turn in a 2-lane road (both ways). The other I was backing into a parking space from an odd angle. Crrrrrunch!
Probably my worst, though, was simple psychology. I was headed to temple in a suit and tie on a 90-degree day less than a week after I started driving. I stop the car, try to turn the key to get it out (this is my old car) and it won't come out! "Odd," I think... So I try again. Turn.... pull. Nothing!
I call my mom up on my cellphone. "Hey, mom! What's wrong with this car? I can't get the key out!"
"Hm," she says. "Did you put it in Park?"
Haha, LakeDude. That was great
My worst? Hm... I've only had 3 years of driving experience. I had a couple irritating experiences... I scraped the hubcaps of my Prius on two separate occasions! Erg... the first I was trying to make a U-turn in a 2-lane road (both ways). The other I was backing into a parking space from an odd angle. Crrrrrunch!
Probably my worst, though, was simple psychology. I was headed to temple in a suit and tie on a 90-degree day less than a week after I started driving. I stop the car, try to turn the key to get it out (this is my old car) and it won't come out! "Odd," I think... So I try again. Turn.... pull. Nothing!
I call my mom up on my cellphone. "Hey, mom! What's wrong with this car? I can't get the key out!"
"Hm," she says. "Did you put it in Park?"
I wouldn't go back to automatic anytime soon, love manual trannies too much now.
Except if you would give me a Touareg V10 TDI...
#10
08-14-2004, 08:53 AM
Jason,
LOL...oh man, i so have done that too. (except i figured it out after a few minutes) I've also had trouble starting the car.....it took me a minute to figure out it had to be in neutral or park.
Cheers,
Steven
LOL...oh man, i so have done that too. (except i figured it out after a few minutes) I've also had trouble starting the car.....it took me a minute to figure out it had to be in neutral or park.
Cheers,
Steven
