Dumb things you've done working on a car?

[xlr8_87]

was whacking a spare on for a chick as she'd gotten a flat, did the usual up until the point when the wheel's on, did the usual hand tightening of the nuts when the wheels off the ground. whacked the car down and we drove off... wondered why it was rattling a bit, got out... hadn't tightened the nuts properly when I'd taken the jack out!!! felt like such an idiot

[stockies]

Found my good shifting spanner on top of my right hand headlight the other day... Don't know how long it's been there. But i had been looking for it for weeks.

[JD]

^^^ reminded me of another thing, noticed one of my tyres was going flat on my old VP, so at work i took it off and found the punture was a screwdriver head ( the detachable ones ) so i took it out and put it in the tool drawer, my old work still uses it!

[Scooter79]

I've got a good one I haven't thought about in quite some time. About 9 years ago I did an oil change on my first VS. I had an expensive pair or prescription Rayban sunglasses and after I finished with the car I could find my glasses. Then next day I did a trip to Sydney and back (1200km round trip). A week went by and I still hadn't found them. Then one day I opened the bonnet and there they were. Sitting on top of the ecotec engine cover. Couldn't believe my luck.

[96VS]

Remebered another classic when i was replacing the gas struts for the boot. i was awkwardly holding up the boot while trying to remove the first strut. But my impatient dad saw what i was doing, and decided he could do it better. He basically nudged me out the way and yanked the strut out from its bottom mount. The boot lid whacked him on the head. All i could see was his ass crack hanging out of the boot with the lid on top, listening to him swear his head off. I would of helped but, you know... he knew what he was doing...

[Farlig]

Haven't yous heard of safety glasses? lol

not always the best.
a member of this forum, not me, was working on their fuel tank, and the fuel hose droped and instead of spilling fuel all over the place the hose was caught under the safety glasses and fuel went in the eyes, up the nose, all over face. was funny to look at until, screams were heard than i had to help get the eye shower gear etc lol

[eurekamad94]

a few weeks ago i was helping my dad put ssl's in a vs as we had the spring compressors on i said hold up this ones going to come off but he continued it come flying off and just scrapped by my hand i couldnt beleive it it was going so fast i didnt even see it im looking at the wound now its heeld quite nicly still a bit shiney though!!!!!!!!!!!!

[UNKNOWN]

I've got a good one I haven't thought about in quite some time. About 9 years ago I did an oil change on my first VS. I had an expensive pair or prescription Rayban sunglasses and after I finished with the car I could find my glasses. Then next day I did a trip to Sydney and back (1200km round trip). A week went by and I still hadn't found them. Then one day I opened the bonnet and there they were. Sitting on top of the ecotec engine cover. Couldn't believe my luck.

Did a similar thing with my VN, took my hat off so I didnt get it too dirty, lost it for days. Opened the bonnet to find it on the strut tower!!!

[NORTI]

a few weeks ago i was helping my dad put ssl's in a vs as we had the spring compressors on i said hold up this ones going to come off but he continued it come flying off and just scrapped by my hand i couldnt beleive it it was going so fast i didnt even see it im looking at the wound now its heeld quite nicly still a bit shiney though!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did that last weekend too! Ouch in the shoulder!

[Cheap6]

a few weeks ago i was helping my dad put ssl's in a vs as we had the spring compressors on i said hold up this ones going to come off but he continued it come flying off and just scrapped by my hand i couldnt beleive it it was going so fast i didnt even see it im looking at the wound now its heeld quite nicly still a bit shiney though!!!!!!!!!!!!

Close call (for both you and NORTI). People do get killed by springs slipping out from spring compressors and I guess that you are lucky to still have all your fingers.

[KiWi1]

Getting absolutely muntedly munted on Xmas Eve with the boys, and painting my ute black with spray cans LOL.

So paying for it now, rubbing it back finally, and prepping it, to paint it this week.

Simon

[Commydoor]

I remember many many years ago we had a new apprentice start with us. As a joke we told him to top up the radiator on the vw beetle in the carpark. About 10 mins later he comes back in and says 'geez she took some'. What he thought was the radiator cap was actually the oil filler cap and had topped up the engine with water. Some jokes just dont have a happy ending lol.

[vp_kid]

i got a good 1, changing the springs on thye bak of the car, had the hydraulic jack underneath, wen to lower it and where the bolt goes into the handle so it'll turn was stripped, so i got underneath the car and started turning the bolt on the jack with ratchet. well i turned it too quick, dropped the car on myself, the pressure split my finger open and to top it all off i dented my petrol tank. very dumb.

[DANVSUTE]

haha mine isnt as bad as half these, but its still preaty funny...
one day i was flushing the radiator in my vc. (as i had done many times before.) i had let it run for about 10 mins, because i had used a radiator flush..
and i was in a hurry to get it done, so instead of removing the bottom hose first, and let it all run out... without thinking, i pulled the cap off...
the cap blew off and went about 20m up the street, leaving me, and most of the engine bay coverd in a mix of hot water, coolant, and engine flush.
luckily i wasnt burned badly... it was just a big mess...
i think i spent about 4 or 5 hours the next day having scrub the chalky coolant marks off the entire engine bay....

[Morton]

i got a good 1, changing the springs on thye bak of the car, had the hydraulic jack underneath, wen to lower it and where the bolt goes into the handle so it'll turn was stripped, so i got underneath the car and started turning the bolt on the jack with ratchet. well i turned it too quick, dropped the car on myself, the pressure split my finger open and to top it all off i dented my petrol tank. very dumb.

HOLY ****

Good thing you weren't lying under the fuel tank! Good god!

[Sabbath']

a few weeks ago i was helping my dad put ssl's in a vs as we had the spring compressors on i said hold up this ones going to come off but he continued it come flying off and just scrapped by my hand i couldnt beleive it it was going so fast i didnt even see it im looking at the wound now its heeld quite nicly still a bit shiney though!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pffft, who puts lowering springs in the front.

Just get an angle grinder, stick it up under the guard and start chopping. The cut coils will have nowhere to go, then just cut the loose coils in half and remove them.

[CM99VT]

ive done a couple at work.
done the old oil filter seal and as i work on trucks 11 litres on floor as i started reversing out the shed n it was still sayin it had good oil pressure
nearly knocked myself out tryin to un seize a slack adjuster my breaker bar got hurled lol
do have a couple more but cant really think of any at the moment

[jas98]

well today i replaced the rear wheel bearings on me vn and stupid me for got to put the axle shaft retaining plate on before pressing the bearing and retainer on.....new bearing and retainer later.. all fixed ...stupid mistakes lol. Car feels alot better however for some reason one said has a fair bit of end float.....didnt have it beofore (that bad) meh time will tell

[TVR-190]

not while working on it, but one day i thouht i had a flat battery for about 30 mins then i realized the car was in gear

[Gudgeon]

A mate i work with was fitting a truck engine and lined up the engine mounts with his finger and the endless chain gave way and he lost his middle finger.. now he has a butt plug

[XeKToReX]

I usually have a qualified mechanic with me when I do big jobs, as hes a good mate of mine, so I dont have heaps of problems, I did leave the petrol cap on the pump at the servo twice when topping my VK up with flashlube, stupid old cars.. although I still probly like it more than the VR

[Static89]

best i have done was puyt a head deck in my old Hyundai, ended up with no interier lights at all >.> still dont know wtf i did wrong lol


dumbest thing i have done outside of car work would have been the time i was moving, put everything on the trailor got it all loaded went to take off, the talest iteam on the trailer hit the roof, couldent get the trailer out, we had a few options, re load everything ( took us a good 3 hours to get it all in) cut the roof, or break the tall stuff on the trailer>.> i got angry and tok a hamemr to my stuff on the trailor, my tv unit dosent look the same anymore >.>

[The Darkness]

welded up trailer mudguard on backwards. ****ed myself laughin when i realised, ahh locked my self inside a luggage trailer checking for light holes in the sides. seals where too tight and couldnt open the damn door.

[LightningVP]

best i have done was puyt a head deck in my old Hyundai, ended up with no interier lights at all >.> still dont know wtf i did wrong lol


dumbest thing i have done outside of car work would have been the time i was moving, put everything on the trailor got it all loaded went to take off, the talest iteam on the trailer hit the roof, couldent get the trailer out, we had a few options, re load everything ( took us a good 3 hours to get it all in) cut the roof, or break the tall stuff on the trailer>.> i got angry and tok a hamemr to my stuff on the trailor, my tv unit dosent look the same anymore >.>

When I moved out of my dads, was using my mums car and trailor, half my stuff was going to the place I was staying at, the other half in storage, Took the main stuff to the place I was staying, drove off, got about 2 houses down the road and the car wouldn't drive too well...Yelled at my mum to stop the car, jumped out to find she had left a box sitting on the trailer which had fallen off and got stuck under the wheel...And it just happened to be a box with all my model cars luckily only about $100 damage

[sixshooter]

I made up a tool the other day to hold the crank balancer with while undoing the crank balancer bolt.

I used an old motorbike clutch basket holding tool modified to suit. It had a 10mm round handle so I thought ok it should be strong enough. Then I proceeded to bend the handle like a piece of licorice while trying to undo the nut. So I looked up the workshop manual to see what the torque settings were.... *270-325 Nm... Hahah !!! then I gave up cause my torque wrench only goes up to 200Nm so it was pointless trying to take it off when I cant torque it up agian. The car is booked into a mechanic for next week to get the crank seal changed... :P !