How? Hopeless drivers
 

Roommate gets a new job as a valet at the Mercedes/Lexus dealership. The first week he hits a wall with the $90,000 Lexus LX. The only one in the state apparently thanks to the tsunami. The next week (last week) he backs a ML350 into another wall. Tonight he calls me because he's backed a GL450 into another car. I finally ask him what he does when he's backing up, and he never turns around to look. Only uses mirrors. He was mad because the GL450 proximity sensors didn't detect the plastic fantastic car he hit. :eek:

He also helps me move cars to and from places for my dealership, and last week he nearly caused a multi-car pileup on the highway after not checking his blind spot while driving the '95 E320 wagon. This theme continues with anything he drives that is not a coupe or sedan.

Am I the only one that only uses my mirrors as a secondary tool?

A side note: he didn't notice the 2 foot puddle of oil his Cadillac leaves every night on my driveway either, and he wants to be a mechanic someday. When we were taking apart the 300TD for paint, it took him almost an hour to take off the front bumper and trim because he kept tightening things instead of loosening them.

How does he keep his job??

That's what I'm wondering, but...

The General manager has told him he's the best valet they've ever had. Even gave him a dollar raise 2 weeks in. Works his butt off, great attitude, gets the lot looking great, cars in rows laser straight, but he's hopeless with wagons/suvs/hatchbacks.

The first two times they said no big deal, but be more careful. If it were one of my cars he would have been flogged. Tonight he was covering for a airport valet service the dealership offers. The supervisor said the same thing... no big deal, don't worry about it. We'll talk on Monday. :eek:

eep.

Nicest guy you'll ever meet, and will work his butt off for you. Just quite hopeless with some common sense stuff. Perhaps it will come with age? I wasn't backing into cars every week at his age though... Come to think of it I've never backed into anything. *knock on wood. Been backed into enough times though.

I know from driving my dad's GL550 that it does have horrific rear visibility. Without the backup camera and sensors helping you, reversing would be quite a chore.

I mostly just use my mirrors too for reversing, unless im in a crowded parking lot or what have you.. never had issues but most people don't have their mirrors adjusted properly.

I only use "just mirrors" when I am backing a car I know... and I've put wide angle mirrors on my cars to help me with this. If I'm in a car I don't know I'll always turn my head.

I've only backed into one thing... a 1' high retaining wall on the edge of a parking lot. I hope to keep that count at 1 :eek:

Some people are just slow learners....

-J

I use mirrors more than I should due to chronic neck pain and stiffness, but I'm REAL careful and back up slow like an old geezer. One thing I really don't like about the PS mirror being an "option" on the 240D. What in the world were they thinking?:eek:

That's sad in a way. Personally I wouldn't be tolerant of bumps like that. What was the damage to the vehicles? Has he had any on the road accidents before?

Tell him to concentrate on the Stupid Useless Vehicles. He's doing the world a service by wrecking the trucklets before the soccer mommies do more damage with them.

No company can have that issue on a continuious basis. Unless it is a cars parked at owners risk. Plus any damage while on the lot is not reported to the cars owners.

Sounds like your friend is just not cut out to do things in this area. I have known people that really cannot have a drivers licence nor should they. Even you having him move dealership cars from auctions etc for you sounds more risky than I would want.

Tell him to forget auto mechanics. Auto body is where he should want to be.

He's your roommate now?

He just needs to get his hands dirty when it comes to the mechanic aspect of things.

You should tape over the mirrors and teach him how to back in to an empty parking spot in that church parking lot, then go from there.

I back up just using mirrors and don't have any issues, I got the habit from backing up and moving the big trucks around where you have to use them.

lol, i dont use mirrors or turn my head.

i park like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaomhtQxks8


then again, this is how i make u turns...:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06BF44qYDtE

I watch young drivers as a precautionary measure ,they general leap before they look.Two weeks ago I was driving down the feeder rd to work when a AT&T utility truck pulled out in front of me from a side street ,I slowed and was about to change lanes when I noticed the car behind him just followed him right out behind him ,it had to be 40 ft or less ,I hate predicting in these cases what the driver is going to do so I made my move.I braked hard a verd missing the young lady by ft.Looking over at her I noticed she was paying no attention because she was texting while driving.I pulled in front of her and tossed my cup of coffee behind me to open up and splash her car ,she got a good wake me up.