PROFANITY in the garage/driveway while wrenching

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I just realized that I curse extremely PROFANELY and loudly when I am working on certain difficult, rusty vehicles under my care. Not even exclusively for cuts, scrapes, smashed appendages or burns - but even just for things like a dropped fastener, or when some fluids get spilled. I see it as natural as grunting in the gym while lifting weights. Anybody else with me? Or would you take the side of neighbors, a wife, or passersby who take umbrage at these shenanigans?

Thread inspiration: just finished installing one of four supremely cheap Chinese struts on a 90s Toyota that was worth $600 before the job, and will be worth $600 by the time I've spent $1500 on parts and $3000 on labor equivalent time value of money.
 
No, I find if I start swearing while working on something its time to go do something else... Like splitting wood, a few good swings and blowing apart some rounds lets you blow off some steam without breaking something expensive.
 
Nothing extraordinary till something major, like a gob of slag rolling to the bottom of my boot or the spike coming up through the top. The old man releasing the parking brake while I was working underneath was an epic moment.
 
I think it just adds frustration and helps nothing in the end.
As a passerby I might get the idea that guy doesn't know what he is doing as he keeps screwing up. Of course I'm not saying that to you. But people interpret things quite differently.

In the end, you are you and that is just the way it is
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I swear in normal conversation since I learned to speak. When I think I am going overboard, i reach for a beer. If it doesn't calm me down, at least my mouth is corked for a few moments.

Really though, a garage is sacred to the owner, and swearing coming out of it should be respected as a religious practice.
 
Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
I just realized that I curse extremely PROFANELY and loudly when I am working on certain difficult, rusty vehicles under my care. Not even exclusively for cuts, scrapes, smashed appendages or burns - but even just for things like a dropped fastener, or when some fluids get spilled. I see it as natural as grunting in the gym while lifting weights. Anybody else with me? Or would you take the side of neighbors, a wife, or passersby who take umbrage at these shenanigans?

Thread inspiration: just finished installing one of four supremely cheap Chinese struts on a 90s Toyota that was worth $600 before the job, and will be worth $600 by the time I've spent $1500 on parts and $3000 on labor equivalent time value of money.
It's still transportation, and thought ought to be worth the investment.
 
I know I've strung together some impressive profanity combos. I try not to, but it happens.
 
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It has been proven that swearing/cursing after hurting yourself reduces the pain. I have found that MF'er works the best.
 
I often swear when working on my cars. I don't yell and I'm not overly profane though. I often just grumble a swear word or two under my breath as I'm working. It doesn't necessarily mean I'm angry or frustrated either; it's just what happens to come out of my mouth without me really realizing it. Fasteners seem to come loose easier after a couple of swear words. It apparently intimidates them into cooperation.
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It also works well when installing drum brake springs.
Occasionally I lose my cool and scream something loud (like the day before yesterday...
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) , but that's rare.
 
Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
I just realized that I curse extremely PROFANELY and loudly when I am working on certain difficult, rusty vehicles under my care. Not even exclusively for cuts, scrapes, smashed appendages or burns - but even just for things like a dropped fastener, or when some fluids get spilled. I see it as natural as grunting in the gym while lifting weights. Anybody else with me? Or would you take the side of neighbors, a wife, or passersby who take umbrage at these shenanigans?

Thread inspiration: just finished installing one of four supremely cheap Chinese struts on a 90s Toyota that was worth $600 before the job, and will be worth $600 by the time I've spent $1500 on parts and $3000 on labor equivalent time value of money.


I am totally with you. I don't know why, but I swear while working on my car far more than any other time.
 
Oh yeah, I swear as often as possible. Especially around the office. Management finds it disruptive and rude, while I find it amusing getting written up by HR. I'm on my 8th job this year!

Seriously tho, there's no need for swearing while working on your car nor grunting like an ape at the gym. If you feel the need to cuss a blue streak, then clearly your a) doing it wrong, or b) taking on far too much for your capabilities.

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I had a bad experience with this when I was just learning to do some of my own work. I was just out of high school, didn't have the right tools for anything, and I really had no idea what I was doing. I was changing front shocks on my '93 Toyota truck-an extremely easy job for me now. It was rusted up pretty bad and I didn't have a breaker bar, impact, or long-enough ratchet to break loose the rusted up nuts. I let out quite a loud string of naughtiness while pulling with everything in me with my little ratchet. (BTW, I did get the job done) Anyway, the next day my grandmother, who lives just 100 yards up the road from where I was working, said she heard everything I said and said, "her heart was broken." Needless to say, that about did me in with cussing while working. I still do it occasionally, but I've learned to keep it under my breath.

I was helping my grandpa change the thermostat in his '99 CR-V (not the easiest thing to reach) this weekend and I had to really try to hold it in while cutting up my hands and dropping sockets over and over.
 
I don't see this as profanity. It's cleansing the soul.

BTW, a recent research study showed that people who swear a lot are much more sincere human beings.
 
You don't know what profanity is until you come to my house. My parents are horrible, and my brother and I get it honestly. It makes us more expressive. Lol.
 
Originally Posted By: Alfred_B
BTW, a recent research study showed that people who swear a lot are much more sincere human beings.

link?
 
Originally Posted By: Lolvoguy
Oh yeah, I swear as often as possible. Especially around the office. Management finds it disruptive and rude, while I find it amusing getting written up by HR. I'm on my 8th job this year!

Seriously tho, there's no need for swearing while working on your car nor grunting like an ape at the gym. If you feel the need to cuss a blue streak, then clearly your a) doing it wrong, or b) taking on far too much for your capabilities.

coffee2.gif

i guess you have never taken a wrench to that BMW. You should have heard me doing the rear brakes on my 87 325iC. Oh, that car hasn't been driven regularly for maybe the last ten years. I'm talking about bolts breaking off with every other turn of the wrench. That's led me to get a Bosch 1/4 impact driver and the new Harbor Freight Earthquake 1200lb-ft cordless impact as well. Life is too short to chase threads mangled by bolt extraction.
 
I'm not too profane that much in normal life, just some here and there. Rarely in the office as I find it unprofessional, even though you hear it all day long, sometimes quite loudly.

In the garage.... all bets are off. I'm sure I've irritated neighbors 1/4 mile away with some of my expletive-laden rants while working on the 240sx. I've let a few strings fly rather loudly only to look out and see some very wide eyed joggers looking my way. Whoopsie.

I blame it on the wife. That girl didnt think twice to drop a few bombs when she messed up our wedding vows, even have it on tape. The look on that poor priest's face....pretty funny, looking back at it years later.

So in regular life, not much. Working in the garage, yup I can let it fly, quite badly sometimes.
 
You'd fit right in at a Teamsters union meeting. In fact, you might learn some new swear words you've never heard before
 
I curse the engineers that designed some things on cars. spent 7 hrs installing a motor mount on a 2000 blazer yesterday. Next time I think I will remove the front differential instead of the exhaust like the Manufacturer recommends.

Fortunately rust is not a problem here. We have 50 yr old cars with bare metal and no rust.
 
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