Post your unusual maintenance story.

[Ducked]

Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: Ducked
My father started driving fairly late, in middle age. Having absolutely no vehicle familiarity (This will, I'd guess, be hard for an American to relate to) he subscribed to a monthly magazine which built up into an automotive encyclopedia, to educate himself.

I read the magazine. I'm not sure he did.

First oil change on first car (Fiat 124) took him a long time. He was filling through the dipstick hole.

He got better at it though.


Now that is an unusual way, although to be fair it's how automatic transmissions used to be filled.


Encyclopedia aside, I doubt my father had much knowledge of, or interest, in automatics

Those were for rich lazy people who didn't know how to drive.

And Americans, of course.

 

[Kira]

blkstanger's truck buying story was a good one.

An old man in town had the same car my uncle had except 2 years older. Its springs were long gone. I approached the old fellow and chatted him up. He smiled when he heard about the "other" Oldsmobile.
When I mentioned the sagging springs he assumed a stupid, horrified look. It disappointed me.

Sister-in-law's Saturn (a '95 S1) was down 3 quarts of oil. They take 4.

 

[Kira]

To ducked: Is that photo site of yours OK? I tried to expand a photo and a big "Claim Your Prize" square came up.
Then my computer got real weird. Kira

 

[Ducked]

Originally Posted By: Kira
To ducked: Is that photo site of yours OK? I tried to expand a photo and a big "Claim Your Prize" square came up.
Then my computer got real weird. Kira


Sorry to hear that.

Dunno. I ignore any irrelevent popups on that and other sites where I encounter them, and so far havn't had any serious trouble, but sometimes an add site opens another browser and I close it. That's been happening more often lately on there.

Trying to close (or interact in any other way) with a popup window is nearly always a mistake.

That's the second complaint I've had though, so maybe I'd better stop using them, annoying because I like the basic functionality.

I no longer use Flikr because I can't be bothered trying to decode their user-interface.

Any suggestions for alternatives?

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
I used to work at a Goodyear auto repair shop. We had a guy with a Chevy luv.he would bring it in for a lof ever 3k and would bring a can of wd40.

We were to spray the outsides of the ujoints with the WD 40 while the truck was on the rack.


My camry has a creaky U-joint in the steering column and Toyota actually condones hitting it with spray lube from the outside. Net wisdom is to use something with teflon particles.

 

[Jetronic]

Originally Posted By: Brybo86
Originally Posted By: rickmeseke
He literally asked me if his truck was diesel cuz hes been using gasoline since he got it (about 3 months prior).
Then he asked me if I could teach his wife to drive a manual cuz everytime he tries he gets yelled atLOL
'

I LOVE IT

Originally Posted By: xfactor9

I know people who drive on 15psi tires and they knew the tires were underinflated because the TPMS light was on for weeks. But they ignored it, even after I warn them it's a major safety hazard. You can't beat that level of incompetence & apathy.


maybe the automaker should cut power and limit speed if the TPMS light is on? i would hate that but at least it would force that chick to fill her tire



they'll massively overfill it in that case...

 

[Jetronic]

Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
Originally Posted By: dan_erickson
I have never changed the oil in my lawn mower, ever.


Sadly, on a lot of new lawnmowers, the oil outlasts the engine.


Maybe that's why?

 

[JustinH]

My dad always had death trap cars, that us kids would ride around in growing up.

We had no money so such is life.

Anyways. He had a 79 Cougar, the exhaust fell off the car and was dragging on the road.

He decided to take out the speakers inside the car, and use the speaker wire to hold the exhaust up instead of taking it somewhere.

Never had speakers in that car again.

Second car was a dodge omni. Every one of the door handles broke on the car, except the hatch. He would throw one of us kids into the hatch to go and release the doors from the inside every day.

Third was another door problem. 88 Subaru GL wagon. Car had rust cancer up to the door handles. Door latch would not close one day. Instead of fixing the latch dad decided to take a screw gun, and screw a piece of wood into the sheetmetal with drywall screws. Door never flapped in the wind after that (nor opened).

Also one time we had to take baths as kids for like 18 months, because dad determined that the shower plumbing was "shot" in the bathroom.

Uncle came over 18 months later and spun of the shower head, to reveal that it was clogged with minerals. One 99 cent shower head later, we were ready to have showers in the house again.

Love my dad, but I have about 10-15 other stories just like these. Starting his Minivan with a hammer and screwdriver every day, etc etc.