Weird things people do with their cars

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FCD

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Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
a neighbor of mine that is about 60-70 has a a small Diesel Citroen van, every 2 or 3 days he goes and starts it up and just sits at 1500-2000 rpm for 10 minutes, without going anywhere, he told me it's to keep the oil circulating and not letting it sit, i am good friends with him and have known him forever and i tied to tell him that what he is doing is unneccessary and all he is doing is probably clogging up the DPF and wasting fuel and creating pollution and that it would only really need to be started up every 2 or 3 weeks to keep everything going, a few weeks ago he told me it didn't pass emission and i said no wonder! i told him to go drive it aggressively on the motorway/highway for an hour or so and voilà it passed, but he still does it, he's sold the van though and is only waiting for the guy to come pick it up.
Share your stories
 
I knew a woman once complaining that the windows wouldn't roll up in her F150. I asked what she did when it rained, and she said "Oh I always leave my windows down when it rains anyway." Well, DUH, that's why won't roll up!
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John
 
No air filter because it " breathes the same air I do", cloths pins on fuel lines to stop vapor lock, 6
Cans of freon in a 2 can system" and it's still not cold". 20w50 in a 5.9 diesel.20w50 in a Honda that recommend 5w20
 
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Originally Posted By: Donald
I know people who add a 50 yr old snake oil (MMO) to their engine thinking it will provide positive results. The only mystery is why people still use MMO!


It's a good fuel system cleaner or sludge cleaner if you have that problem. As for people who use it at every oil change or fill up for no apparent reason, seems unnecessary & it thins down your oil & dilutes the additive package. But to each their own.
 
People who use premium gas because they always have and their dad and grandfather always did.


Back in my days working at AZ, I had a kid purchase 6 quarts of oil for an oil change on his 4cyl Accord. I asked why he was getting so much oil because his car only took 4.5 quarts (I think?). He said he was going to use the extra quart to flush the old oil out of the engine before refilling with new oil. I told him running an engine on 1 quart of oil could cause irreparable damage. He looked at me and shrugged like I didn't know what I was talking about.
 
When I was just a kid back in the early sixties, the wife of our next-door neighbor drove a 1954 V8 Ford. I'd watch her start the car and drive off with clouds of black smoke pouring out of the tailpipe. When she returned, black smoke was still visible from the tailpipe.

I decided I should tell her about what I was observing every time she drove her car. So, next time I noticed her leaving the house, I ran over to talk with her. She was already in the car, and after she rolled down the window to talk, I saw her pull out the manual choke knob and hang her handbag on the protruding shaft.

I tried to explain why using the choke as a handbag holder wasn't a good idea, but I don't think she understood. After all, I was just a kid.
 
Originally Posted By: maximus
People who use premium gas because they always have and their dad and grandfather always did.


Back in my days working at AZ, I had a kid purchase 6 quarts of oil for an oil change on his 4cyl Accord. I asked why he was getting so much oil because his car only took 4.5 quarts (I think?). He said he was going to use the extra quart to flush the old oil out of the engine before refilling with new oil. I told him running an engine on 1 quart of oil could cause irreparable damage. He looked at me and shrugged like I didn't know what I was talking about.


I use premium gas because i drive a carbureted classic car, and here in Spain 95 RON can contain up to 10% Ethanol , meanwhile 98 RON by law contains 0% ethanol
 
Growing up in the 60's, my Uncle had a cabin.
My Parents would take their 4 Sons to 'the cabin' all the time.

At one time, my Uncle had an older car that he took the body off of.
It was fun being a little kid and sitting in the back seat as my Uncle drove us all around the dirt roads.
No body, no windows = really back to Nature.
 
Originally Posted By: maximus
People who use premium gas because they always have and their dad and grandfather always did.


Back in my days working at AZ, I had a kid purchase 6 quarts of oil for an oil change on his 4cyl Accord. I asked why he was getting so much oil because his car only took 4.5 quarts (I think?). He said he was going to use the extra quart to flush the old oil out of the engine before refilling with new oil. I told him running an engine on 1 quart of oil could cause irreparable damage. He looked at me and shrugged like I didn't know what I was talking about.
You don't
 
I share an office with a guy who occasionally drives a severely rusted 1966 Chrysler to work. No radiator cap, because he doesnt want to "stress the old cooling system with all that pressure". Drives around in winter with a big piece of cardboard covering the radiator because otherwise the engine never gets warm and "I dont get any heat". I offered to install a working thermostat for him....says the one in there "works fine, it doesnt need a new one". If he's going less than 10 mph, you can forget using the brakes, he has drive, park, and reverse, dont need no stinking brake pedal. Starts it up, immediately yanks it into reverse, backs out of the parking spot and while still rolling 6-7 mph in reverse pulls it into drive and nails the gas. When parking he'll get near a spot, while still rolling yank it into reverse and back into a spot, gets halfway into the spot and slams it into park. Poor car rattles and grinds and BOOM comes to a stop. Never touched the brake pedal.

He's had it for 30+ years, drives it like he stole it and is running for his life, but the poor car has over 200,000 miles and just takes it and takes it, its hard to tell him what he is doing is wrong.
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
Originally Posted By: maximus
People who use premium gas because they always have and their dad and grandfather always did.


Back in my days working at AZ, I had a kid purchase 6 quarts of oil for an oil change on his 4cyl Accord. I asked why he was getting so much oil because his car only took 4.5 quarts (I think?). He said he was going to use the extra quart to flush the old oil out of the engine before refilling with new oil. I told him running an engine on 1 quart of oil could cause irreparable damage. He looked at me and shrugged like I didn't know what I was talking about.
You don't


Care to elaborate?
 
When changing the oil, my dad drains the oil and then starts the engine dry for a bit to "get all of it out" before refilling with new oil.
 
Originally Posted By: maximus
Originally Posted By: CT8
Originally Posted By: maximus
People who use premium gas because they always have and their dad and grandfather always did.


Back in my days working at AZ, I had a kid purchase 6 quarts of oil for an oil change on his 4cyl Accord. I asked why he was getting so much oil because his car only took 4.5 quarts (I think?). He said he was going to use the extra quart to flush the old oil out of the engine before refilling with new oil. I told him running an engine on 1 quart of oil could cause irreparable damage. He looked at me and shrugged like I didn't know what I was talking about.
You don't


Care to elaborate?


This is only a guess but maybe the kid planned to drain all the oil and while the cap and drain plug were both off, pour a quart of new oil straight through. Wouldn't exactly get all the old oil out but that might be the idea.
 
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I know a guy who runs premium in his Lincoln Town Car 'because it's a Lincoln'. With the same 4.6L that went into the Crown Vic and Grand Marquis of the same year.
 
Originally Posted By: Ifixyawata
Originally Posted By: maximus
Originally Posted By: CT8
Originally Posted By: maximus
People who use premium gas because they always have and their dad and grandfather always did.


Back in my days working at AZ, I had a kid purchase 6 quarts of oil for an oil change on his 4cyl Accord. I asked why he was getting so much oil because his car only took 4.5 quarts (I think?). He said he was going to use the extra quart to flush the old oil out of the engine before refilling with new oil. I told him running an engine on 1 quart of oil could cause irreparable damage. He looked at me and shrugged like I didn't know what I was talking about.
You don't


Care to elaborate?


This is only a guess but maybe the kid planned to drain all the oil and while the cap and drain plug were both off, pour a quart of new oil straight through. Wouldn't exactly get all the old oil out but that might be the idea.


Perhaps, but he didnt give any indication that he was only going pour through.

Everyone likes to criticize AZ. CT8 probaby thinks I'm a complete idiot because I worked there.
 
Originally Posted By: quint
He's had it for 30+ years, drives it like he stole it and is running for his life, but the poor car has over 200,000 miles and just takes it and takes it, its hard to tell him what he is doing is wrong.


That right there is what I find weird. Treating an inanimate object as if it were a person. Giving them names or calling "their babies". Freaky if you ask me.
There is no right or wrong way to treat things, they are just cold, lifeless, emotionless objects.
 
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Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Originally Posted By: quint
He's had it for 30+ years, drives it like he stole it and is running for his life, but the poor car has over 200,000 miles and just takes it and takes it, its hard to tell him what he is doing is wrong.


That right there is what I find weird. Treating an inanimate object as if it were a person. Giving them names or calling "their babies". Freaky if you ask me.
There is no right or wrong way to treat things, they are just cold, lifeless, emotionless objects.


With classics it's different,they are more than just lifeless objects specially for me since my car has been in my family from new, lots of my family members who have sat in those seats are gone now
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
That right there is what I find weird. Treating an inanimate object as if it were a person. Giving them names or calling "their babies". Freaky if you ask me.
There is no right or wrong way to treat things, they are just cold, lifeless, emotionless objects.

In the low-rider culture, some of these creations receive a blessing from the priest, much like christening a boat before its launch.
 
A guy I knew had a lower tire pressure light on, he said he had an apt at a dealer like a week from that time to get an oil change, and so they could add air to the tire. He knew what the light meant, what the fix was, he was just far to lazy to do it.
 
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