Dumbest Thing You've Seen a Mechanic Do - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

John Doe · #31 02-07-2007, 02:06 PM

Haha. I was focused on the cars thing, but the alltime dumbest thing I ever saw a mechanic do was accidentally discharge his 9mm Glock which went through the counter of his office and into a guest chair in the waiting room!

#32 02-07-2007, 02:31 PM

This weekend, I changed the oil on my dad's 1946 Farmall tractor(model A).
When I went to add the new oil, I removed what I thought was the oil filler cap because pops kept adding more things for me to fiddle with. I took a gallon of Rotella and started pouring it in. After about three quarts, I noticed oil dripping on my shoe, and I looked down and saw oil coming out of the carburetor. I had removed the air filter cap instead, and had poured the oil into the air cleaner. To my credit, the oil filler and air filter caps are both above the hood and look similer when you are in a hurry.

I had to remove the air cleaner and carb to get all of the oil out, and it still smoked for a while when we started it. At least I "changed" the oil in the oil bath air cleaner.

The enviro-nazi's would die if they knew it had no dipstick, just two valves that you open to see if oil drips out. One for high level, and one for low.

Shawn D. · #33 02-07-2007, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackE55

When I had Nokians mounted on the BMW, my old mechanic (also a friend) was stoned and installed the 18.5" rims on front and the 18"-ers on the rear.

The thing had terrible understeer.

There are such things as 18.5" diameter wheels?

16.5" wheels, yes...

If you meant that larger tires were up front, you probably experienced oversteer.

Carleton Hughes · #34 02-07-2007, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dynalow

hoople.....

...now there's something I haven't heard since high school in NYC.
(40 years ago!)
Funny.

Thanks for the compliment!Now I really feel validated!

truckinik · #35 02-07-2007, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete Geither

Took my bike, a ZX11 at the time, in for front brakes. When I left , the brakes didn't seem quite right but I took it home thinking they just needed broken in. When I got home I looked and the installer had put the brake pads in backwards, with the backings against the rotors.

A female friend of mine spent $23k on a brand new Harley Road-Glide w/all kinds of additional accessories.
The bike came through from the factory w/the brake pads installed backwards like that. She was a little upset, to say the least. The dealer replaced the pads, calipers, and rotors just to make her happy.

#36 02-07-2007, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by truckinik

A female friend of mine spent $23k on a brand new Harley Road-Glide w/all kinds of additional accessories.
The bike came through from the factory w/the brake pads installed backwards like that. She was a little upset, to say the least. The dealer replaced the pads, calipers, and rotors just to make her happy.

That was some digruntled assembly line worker, now I hear the union is on stirke at the York plant.

Bill Ladd · #37 02-07-2007, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carleton Hughes

The same hoople who showed me the water trick used to pour a mixture of kerosene,Comet cleanser and rottenstone down the carb of a running engine to "reseat" the rings,called it his "liqui-hone"procedure,said old-time truckdrivers swore by it.

That very thing (supposedly) was a factory-to-dealer recommended repair for first generation 1955 Chevy V-8s. Apparently there were ring seating issues leading to massive oil consumption in brand-new early V-8s. Chevy told the dealers to put Bon-Ami down the carb while it was running.

I'll see if I can find any info. I've heard it many times and know I've read it somewhere.

Dubyagee · #38 02-07-2007, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lux

That very thing (supposedly) was a factory-to-dealer recommended repair for first generation 1955 Chevy V-8s. Apparently there were ring seating issues leading to massive oil consumption in brand-new early V-8s. Chevy told the dealers to put Bon-Ami down the carb while it was running.

I'll see if I can find any info. I've heard it many times and know I've read it somewhere.

I have heard the same.

http://www.hastingsmfg.com/ServiceTips/gas_vs_gaseous_fuels_oil_economy.htm

http://www.digest.net/bmw/archive/v7/msg04799.html

t walgamuth · #39 02-07-2007, 07:43 PM

my SIL had a porsche 911 with different size tires and rims front and rear. when he bought it he negotiated new tires in the deal. one day he noticed that they had one 8.5 wide rim on the left rear and the other on the left front. there was a 7.5 on each of the right side wheels. the smaller tires were on the front and the bigger on the rear.

he reported that the handling was interesting.

oh yeah, the dealer he bought the porsche from was the local (lafayette) mercedes dealer!

actually this would be pretty easy to do if you didnt realize the wheels were different widths.

tom w

t walgamuth · #40 02-07-2007, 07:53 PM

this was done at the local benz dealer.

tom w

Carleton Hughes · #41 02-07-2007, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lux

That very thing (supposedly) was a factory-to-dealer recommended repair for first generation 1955 Chevy V-8s. Apparently there were ring seating issues leading to massive oil consumption in brand-new early V-8s. Chevy told the dealers to put Bon-Ami down the carb while it was running.

I'll see if I can find any info. I've heard it many times and know I've read it somewhere.

Exactly,was wondering when someone would pick up on it.

My '57 Plymouth wagon smoked like crazy and had massive blowby.

Just for the hell of it I tried it several times as per "Pops Nass's"recommendations and wouldn't you know....Still smoked on startup for 5 minutes but the blowby was reduced and I had more power,It was also advised to use 20 weight oil when doing it and to flush the crankcase 500 miles twice,then switch to a regular viscosity.

Jim B. · #42 02-07-2007, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerry edwards

In the late 60's I lived on a college campus in Upstate NY. The college had a station wagon used to run errands. Someone took it downtown, filled it up with gas and the rusty straps holding the tank broke and the tank dropped to the ground. When the mechanic was told of this, he grabbed some bailing twine, went dowtown, tied up the tank and drove it back into the shop which was in the basement of an apartment building. As he drove it in, the slight lurch coming up the ramp spilled about a cup of gas on the garage floor. His helper pulled up the car they had driven downtown to pick up the station wagon right behind the wagon, outside the shop.
About this time, the gas hot water heater in the adjacent boiler room whose door was inadvertently left open, turned on. The fumes from the spilled gas ignited in a flash. This by itself may not have been so bad, apart from scaring the bejesus out of the mechanics. However, it also ignited the liquid gas on the floor directly under the bailing twine. The flames licked up, burning the twine, which let go, dropping the full gas tank onto the garage floor spilling its contents into a raging inferno. The mechanics immediately tried to push the car outside, but the car parked behind it thwarted their attempt. They finally made a flying dash out the door as the whole building went up in flames.
Lots of lessons to be learned there.

That one takes the cake

86560SEL · #43 02-07-2007, 11:27 PM

Uh, I seen a Toyota tech drive a brand new Toyota truck over a huge speed bump at about 40 mph.

Good thing it was not mine, or they would have been giving me a new truck.

cmac2012 · #44 02-08-2007, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerry edwards

In the late 60's I lived on a college campus in Upstate NY. The college had a station wagon used to run errands. Someone took it downtown, filled it up with gas and the rusty straps holding the tank broke and the tank dropped to the ground. When the mechanic was told of this, he grabbed some bailing twine, went dowtown, tied up the tank and drove it back into the shop which was in the basement of an apartment building.....

A buddy of mine who did bang up work on vintage VWs -- buses and bugs -- had a nice little shop in Seattle and somehow a bit of gas spilled and caught fire. Never did catch the full story but one thing he mentioned is that he didn't even have a fire extinguisher on the premises. He said he couldn't believe how stupid he'd been.

The place didn't burn to ashes completely but he lost several clients' cars and went out of business for a while, not really sure how long he stayed out of business, maybe still.

#45 02-08-2007, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lux

That very thing (supposedly) was a factory-to-dealer recommended repair for first generation 1955 Chevy V-8s. Apparently there were ring seating issues leading to massive oil consumption in brand-new early V-8s. Chevy told the dealers to put Bon-Ami down the carb while it was running.

I'll see if I can find any info. I've heard it many times and know I've read it somewhere.

That brings back some memories.

I have heard that story from a bunch of GM techs that worked during the '70s. I knew a Porsche mechanic who sweared by it, and did it all the time on 356 and 912 models.

I turned wrenches many years ago, and we also had a fellow that nobody liked, plus he was sort of a moron. He was assigned to the stall next to mine, and one day he got a relativly new VW Rabbit diesel in for a oil change. He grumbled the whole time about how he shouldn't have to work on a pos Rabbit(we were a high end import shop). I was changing the water pump on a early 300SD at the time and he was very amped because he didn't get the gravy job. While I was pressure testing the cooling system of the 300SD, he started the Rabbit and started revving it up. While diesel exhaust enveloped the stall, he *****ed about how the stupid oil light wouldn't go out. I glanced up on the roof of the 300SD, and the new oil filter for the Rabbit was still sitting where he left it, while a large puddle of oil puked out from under the VW. He forgot to install the new filter. It was pretty funny at the time, though I would have been furious if that was my car.

Those little Rabbits were tough, the car was a regular customer for years at the shop and I think it died when the head cracked from overheating.