Idiots still out there

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Schmoe

Schmoe

Joined
May 12, 2003
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Location
Oklahoma
After reading about others' mis-adventures with quickie lubes, I thought I was rather lucky as it hasn't happened to me, but I ran across one Saturday. I had ordered some new tires from tirerack.com and went to the local tire shop here in Chickasha. They pulled off all the tires and had the car on up about eye level. They aren't as picky about customers getting into the shop as other places so I took advantage of that to check out the brake pads, bushings, fuel lines, oil leaks, etc. etc. This is a 02 Accord. When I got to the front passenger side, I never really noticed just how close the oil filter was to the tire. I've changed the oil many times, but it never dawned on me just how close that filter is to the tire inside the well. Filter pretty much sits inside the double wishbone suspension. Well, I had mentioned that to the tire tech guy while he was working and he said, I quote now, that those "bars" (referring to the double wishbone suspension) were there to protect the oil filter from getting damaged should the tire blow up or something.
rolleyes.gif
From that point on, I watched them like a hawk as they were remounting my new tires and balancing them.
 
Did you ask him his expert opinion about any other design features on your automobile? You could have learned more than you could probably stand if you would've only taken the initiative to ask questions!
lol.gif
 
Ya, like playing up on the "all mechanics are dirty, smelly and dumb" speech. That's the kind of impression hinted by some relatives of mine when I pondered the idea of such work, being that I found myself getting dirty in my spare time.

It's unfortunate that such people are looked at in such a way as though sub-par, but when they're able to accomplish the work, **** how grateful one is then.

I remember the stigma noted in the article on a guy from India I believe, where even family shuns those who take up work as a mechanic - supposibly because it's not forward enough in thought/self investment. I really don't know.

To those who do the job and do it effectively, from mechanics to farmers,... I thank you.

Just something I had to get of my back.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Curious Kid:
Ya, like playing up on the "all mechanics are dirty, smelly and dumb" speech. That's the kind of impression hinted by some relatives of mine when I pondered the idea of such work, being that I found myself getting dirty in my spare time.

It's unfortunate that such people are looked at in such a way as though sub-par, but when they're able to accomplish the work, **** how grateful one is then.

I remember the stigma noted in the article on a guy from India I believe, where even family shuns those who take up work as a mechanic - supposibly because it's not forward enough in thought/self investment. I really don't know.

To those who do the job and do it effectively, from mechanics to farmers,... I thank you.

Just something I had to get of my back.
Click to expand...
Well, it's great if he knows about tires, but when someone opens their mouth, speaking as if they know about something, when in reality, they are just making it up like our tire tech in this story, it is reasonable for Schmoe to be suspect of what is going on with his car.

If the tech is making up BS about the suspension components, what other BS could he apply to the job at hand?
 
Kid....don't know if that comment was designed to be sarcastic or supportive. Whichever. Point was that it don't matter what a person does, if he don't know what the #ell he's talking about, should keep his mouth shut. Just shows ignorance and also makes the company look bad. Put it this way, any of my cars won't be going there for other than tire work and while I'm watching them. A good or even honest mechanic is worth his weight in platinum.
I didn't even tell you what the other tech said as I was unloading the tires..."wow, these side walls are so thin, I don't think it will hold up. Oh, got to put air in them first."
 
On thinking some more about this, is there any chance the technician wanted to see how much of a line he could feed a nosey customer?
 
Trust me, the look on his face was dead serious. I was the one that brought up the subject of oil filter damage during a blow out topic, and he went on about the other stuff. Plus, this town I live in is full, full I tell you, of idiots. If you took this town off of the map, the State would ask where did the local idiot go????
 
..."Plus, this town I live in is full, full I tell you, of idiots. If you took this town off of the map, the State would ask where did the local idiot go????"...


So why are YOU living there?
 
Was wondering when someone was going to ask that question.
It's like this, I work at point A, wife works at point C, 150 miles in between, so we picked point B, right in the middle, to ease the driving burden off of one person. Believe me, I'd MUCH rather be in OKC.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Schmoe:
Trust me, the look on his face was dead serious.
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I've been told that I have the ability to deadpan (feed someone a line with a dead serious look on my face).

The guy who told me this said, "Someone could ask you how to fix their computer and you could tell them to modulate the warp engines and they'd try to do it".

I suppose that if I were working in a tire shop, I might be tempted to try this out on a nosy customer..
 
Hmmm.....I sure didn't expect to get dogged by my fellow BITOG members. I was just telling all about a funny situation that happen to me last weekend and now I'm accused of being a "nosey" customer. A customer that was just looking under his car and taking advantage of a vehicle lift that he doesn't normally have access to. That makes me a _ucking nosey @ss customer? Boy, has this board changed over the years.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Schmoe:
Hmmm.....I sure didn't expect to get dogged by my fellow BITOG members. I was just telling all about a funny situation that happen to me last weekend and now I'm accused of being a "nosey" customer. A customer that was just looking under his car and taking advantage of a vehicle lift that he doesn't normally have access to. That makes me a _ucking nosey @ss customer? Boy, has this board changed over the years.
Click to expand...
_______________________________________________

Schmoe,

I guess you are not the only nosey customer here. Everytime I take the car or truck in to get the tires rotated I go out and take a look under the vehicle just to look at the brakes, shocks, check for leaks and so on and I am not the only one there that does that.

The very first time I went to that shop I asked if I could go out and take a look and they said sure no problem. I guess I could ask next time if I am being a nosey customer.

I don't blame you at all for wanting to take a look under your vehicle, like you said how often do get a look like that other than on a dolly.
 
Schmoe, rock on baby. Your not nosy if it’s YOUR CAR. Now if it’s someone elses car that nosy. You have every right in the world to be concerned about that which you bought and paid for. Anybody that thinks any different can go fly a kite.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Schmoe:
Hmmm.....I sure didn't expect to get dogged by my fellow BITOG members. I was just telling all about a funny situation that happen to me last weekend and now I'm accused of being a "nosey" customer. A customer that was just looking under his car and taking advantage of a vehicle lift that he doesn't normally have access to. That makes me a _ucking nosey @ss customer? Boy, has this board changed over the years.
Click to expand...
I am sorry I offended you. I don't see you as nosy, but thought the tire guy may have.

Some times it does pay to be able to keep a straight face. I remember the time I had a shirt with my name on it. A Lincoln owner was giving me a hard time about the price of a new caliper piston. I think I showed him where the chrome plating was flaked off his old one. He asked if it could have been replated. I explained yes, but since we could buy a new one for only $20, we didn't go through stripping it, replating, and machining. I hope he didn't realize how it was not to ROFL.

Note, of all the customers at the brake shop the Lincoln owners were the worst cheapskates except for the one example of a Mercedes Benz owner. The one Rolls owner was a nice guy, joking about Lucas being the prince of darkness when I asked what kind of electricals it had.
 
Q: Why do the British drink warm beer?
A: Because the have Lucas refrigerators.

Was the guy changing the tire a young dude? Maybe he was just trying to show off a little? As long as he did everything right on the tire change....

No it's not nosey looking under your own car.
 
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