Dumb things you've done working on a car?

[Philthy]

lmao...the wreckers here will get the cops onto you if they see you pick up a washer and not say u have it.......neither know they have about 500+ vb-vz commodores. (hoden wreckers)

It's like going into those lolly shops where you fill up your own bag. If you just buy one lolly it comes to 1 or 2c and rounds down to 0.00 anyway. Probably the same for grapes in the supermarket as well.

[LightningVP]

It's like going into those lolly shops where you fill up your own bag. If you just buy one lolly it comes to 1 or 2c and rounds down to 0.00 anyway. Probably the same for grapes in the supermarket as well.

lol yeah...always wanted to try that...walk back in 5 mins later and get ONE other lollie

[jas98]

lol...the GUYS at Pick-A-Part (Cambelfield) let you take take something if its under like $5...anything not "car" parts they will give for free (ie. Anything left in car that not to do with car, as well as thing like car seat covers and "novilty" stuff...) but the chick that works there is a tight ***...will make p her own price for something not car related...could be a shoe...and she wold still make you pay for it...

hahah lol well they doi let me have some small stuf for free

[LightningVP]

hahah lol well they doi let me have some small stuf for free

lol...maybe you forgot to tell them maybe take a look here and you might learn something

[pow3rslave]

just put in a new battery without thinking, the new one was a century and the old one was ac delco, the posts were reversed, but i bolted it in before i realised.
good thing i noticed before i put the terminal clamps on.

this is why you don't work on cars before 9.00 kids :P

[jas98]

relive an old thread:P

well i was installing new lower control arm pivot bush on te front of me VS the other day and was pressing them in using a press....me being me didn't use a suitable spacer to press it in and when it was in it turned out the bush was split from me not supporting it properly.....30 bucks later and i got another bush and a suitable press plate:P

needless to say i carefully pressed them in after that:P

[jas98]

lol...maybe you forgot to tell them maybe take a look here and you might learn something

maybe ...shhhh lol well it was only things like old bolts on te ground going rusty..or about to go rusty:P

to be honest the guy who works there said i could have it but not to show people at teh counter:P

[Goon]

in a rush, snapped my 4th spark plug trying to get it out... what a *** to get out.. i wont rush changing my spark plugs again.. haha

[Maiku]

Here is a couple things I have done that were dumb.


1982 Mitsubishi Sigma GJ
Replace the front struts with struts that had King Springs. Didn't tighten the tie rod end nuts properly. Driving home and the steering would start shaking real bad, like one of the wheels was about to fall off.

Replaced the exhaust manifold, and didn't tighten up the bolts between the manifold and the exhaust properly. Went cruising with mates and they were telling me afterwards that when down shifting, it was causing small flames to come out from the exhaust. Next day I check out the car and it blew holes in the resonator and the muffler.


1991 Holden Commodore VN S2
Was checking out the car while it was running, and can't remember exactly what I was doing, but the alternator fan hit my thumb nail. Got out of it with just a scratch, and a little pain, but scared the shit out of me.

Was undoing the fuel line to replace it. I forgot to de-pressurise it. It ended up squirting petrol in my eye. Lucky I wear glasses.

Latest (a couple days ago) was the car's battery went flat again. This was 6am in the morning, I was tired, running late for work. I have a new '87 Sigma in the garage at the moment, but my jumper leads have gone missing. Decided to just take the battery out of the Sigma, and pop it into the Commodore. I completely forgot that the terminals are the opposite on the Sigma battery. Now the car wont start. Thought it was a fried computer, replaced that, and still no starting. Next step is I am going to just replace the entire loom.


Something else I witnessed that was dumb. I was helping someone service their VN S1. They decided to jack up the front of the car, without asking first where to jack it up from. They ended up jacking up the car with the jack under the sump. It ended up making a dent in the sump, but the car still ran.

[CANYONERO]

Here is a couple things I have done that were dumb.


1982 Mitsubishi Sigma GJ
Replace the front struts with struts that had King Springs. Didn't tighten the tie rod end nuts properly. Driving home and the steering would start shaking real bad, like one of the wheels was about to fall off.

Replaced the exhaust manifold, and didn't tighten up the bolts between the manifold and the exhaust properly. Went cruising with mates and they were telling me afterwards that when down shifting, it was causing small flames to come out from the exhaust. Next day I check out the car and it blew holes in the resonator and the muffler.


1991 Holden Commodore VN S2
Was checking out the car while it was running, and can't remember exactly what I was doing, but the alternator fan hit my thumb nail. Got out of it with just a scratch, and a little pain, but scared the shit out of me.

Was undoing the fuel line to replace it. I forgot to de-pressurise it. It ended up squirting petrol in my eye. Lucky I wear glasses.

Latest (a couple days ago) was the car's battery went flat again. This was 6am in the morning, I was tired, running late for work. I have a new '87 Sigma in the garage at the moment, but my jumper leads have gone missing. Decided to just take the battery out of the Sigma, and pop it into the Commodore. I completely forgot that the terminals are the opposite on the Sigma battery. Now the car wont start. Thought it was a fried computer, replaced that, and still no starting. Next step is I am going to just replace the entire loom.


Something else I witnessed that was dumb. I was helping someone service their VN S1. They decided to jack up the front of the car, without asking first where to jack it up from. They ended up jacking up the car with the jack under the sump. It ended up making a dent in the sump, but the car still ran.

man, you've had a bad run. maybe you need a mechanic to do your work lol. ive probably done just as much silly stuff if not more

[Zeussy]

Ahh dunno about a mechanic being any better LOL..

When I was an apprentice I was in the Light Vehical workshop - cars and stuff.. Im a plant mechanic / diesel
Did a service on a pretty much brand new VT Commodore, up on the hoist, sump plug tight, oil filter tight, sweet.. drop it down, write in the book, put a sticker on the windscreen.. park it up, 5 mins before the guy comes to pick it up ohhhh F*** forgot to put oil in it!! Told one of the senior mechanics he said fill it up with oil, if it still runs, no misfires or anything, dont tell anyone and your set..

Haha hate to get that car second hand!!!

Other than leaving the odd spanner under the bonnet thats about it I think??!! I might think of something later though!

[Sabbath']

Ahh dunno about a mechanic being any better LOL..

When I was an apprentice I was in the Light Vehical workshop - cars and stuff.. Im a plant mechanic / diesel
Did a service on a pretty much brand new VT Commodore, up on the hoist, sump plug tight, oil filter tight, sweet.. drop it down, write in the book, put a sticker on the windscreen.. park it up, 5 mins before the guy comes to pick it up ohhhh F*** forgot to put oil in it!! Told one of the senior mechanics he said fill it up with oil, if it still runs, no misfires or anything, dont tell anyone and your set..

Haha hate to get that car second hand!!!

Other than leaving the odd spanner under the bonnet thats about it I think??!! I might think of something later though!

That's why you always put the oil cap where the striker goes, so if you wander off and come back to the car thinking you've put oil in it, the oilcap will hopefully remind you

[Zeussy]

Yep for sure!!

I even go one step further, and have a HUGE red funnel in the filler hole.. hard to miss!

I only did it once lol..

[OzJD]

My worst thing is leaving caps off, it got so bad at one stage my wife went looking for caps with T plugs (so you cant remove it completely, just push it aside) lol.

I've burnt my leg on the exhaust tip twice this year already - Leaves a nice mark on the leg for quiet a while (still got a purplish mark on it)

And the leaving CD in CD player, I've done that countless times (on computers though)

[goat]

finally replaced my head gaskets..was real excited and was up to tightening the plenum chamber bolts, mate drops a bolt down one of the holes...i was errrr! finally got it out, and after me lecturing him about being an idiot, i decided to drop a socket down there too..well done me! 1 hour later got it back out..

[FstStig]

ok my turn my turn...

A few years back i got drunk one night, had sex with a parrot... Saw a really weird looking kid with different coloured spiked hair, i kept staring at him thinking he was my son

Ok onto the serious stuff.

Was cleaning out the top of inlet manifold and managed to drop a bolt down one of the valves. Yep u guessed it, had to take the whole inlet manifold out to find the bolt sitting on one of the Piston Rods. Glad i did it now, because i was in some serious need of new Inlet manifold gaskets. Got everything back on, notice the return fuel line was spraying out fuel, went to the wreckers thinking all of the fuel would of been depressurised. Took the Fuel Rail end off... You guessed it, got fuel right in my eyes, Ripped my shirt off and got some water to clean my eyes out. Not bad for a $10 return fuel line!

Have NEVER forgotten to tighten anything up or forgotten to put a sump plug back in after doing an Oil Change.

[StockoVRWagz]

I was working on my old Mk1 Escort whilst paro and snapped 2 out of 3 of the water pump bolts. Nothing silicon wont fix lol then I sold it.

[Mick1988]

Left a crescent sitting on the panel that runs above the grille covering the radiator while doing an oil change. Found it the next time I opened the bonnet to give the engine a wipe over.

[VS_Pete_1]

Did a coolant change last week and put my mobile on the grill.
Knocked it down into the dirt which was mud by now and stood on it.
It is still going.

[I drive a VL Commodore]

I have a fiberglass bodykit on my Skyline.... run it into a railroad sleeper retaining wall a while ago. Took it off to fix the damage.... I decided to cut out the frayed parts and cover the hole with fiberglass reinforced filler.

Don't cut up fiberglass without gloves on.

[nemesis_adrasteia]

first time i tried to change my brake pads went to take out the two bolts yep done that sweet oh wait theres this other one on the caliper*undoes bolt* it starts pissing out brake fluid **** put bolt back on ask the bloke whos meant to be helping who was bust taping my hubcap to my steering wheel hes like oh shit **** not you have to bleed the brakes ok whatever get it all back together go to loosen the bleeder tight as **** ended up unding it with vice grips after i rounded off the bolt with a ring spanner had to get the ****ing car put on a trailer and taken 100ks back to my parents place XD

[jakbob]

Set fire to my crappy old corolla bush basher. The fuel pump diaphragm was stuffed, so I had the fuel line between the pump and carby disconnected. I was just messing around starting the motor by pouring a little fuel down its throat. Then I got the bright idea of seeing if it would start on 3 cylinders. So I disconnected the number 1 spark plug and just let the lead hang. Unfortunately, unbeknown to me, the stuffed fuel pump managed to draw whatever fuel was left in the fuel line(the tank was empty) and spray it over the side of the motor. Right where the disconnected spark plug lead was. So I crank the motor over and whoosh, flames over the engine. Wasn't too bad. By the time I finished panicking and running around like a chook with its head cut off, trying to find something to put it out the fire burnt itself out. I poured some water over it just to be sure.
But now I always carry an extinguisher.

[Jake_vn]

haha well i took apart pretty much my whole front interior of my car trying to get this bastard of a head unit out that includes glove box, all the dials, centre part everything haha turns out once i took all that out that someone had done a dodgy job putting it in and screwed it in so yeh still stupid tho and relli frustrating

[Hunter SS]

i can relate one stupid thing i did a few years back..... i was going to be best man at my mates wedding...... the week before his wedding i was helping him change his brake shoes on the back of his HG wagon I was using a pair of side cutters to pull the rataining spring back into place, and the cutters slipped off and i punched them through my bottom lip hurt like a b@st@rd

[LTHL-VP]

over tighten the bolt for my alternator and it broke off
and still to the day well only happend 5 days ago
but still cant get the bolt out