'fess up!! what's the dumbest, most expensive mistake you've ever made with your car? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

#1 06-04-2003, 12:20 AM

Be courageous enough to admit your own self-sabotage against your manly gearhead image!
My dumbest move ever was in high school, when my Dodge omni's engine was making some horrendous noise. I chose to ignore the sound of a water pump eating $#!t. The engine got so hot that I couldn't even shut it off. It dieseled until it siezed. The best thing to come out of it though was my purchase of my first German car a '65 bug. Learned from the experience thank God.

Let's hear your story!

The Warden · #2 06-04-2003, 01:50 AM

Probably the most expensive mistake I made was in buying a vehicle. It was an '80 IH Scout with a Nissan turbo diesel. This vehicle did great for a year and a half, but I had to take quite a bit of a loss. First, I didn't realize how bad the rust problem was when I bought it (probably the biggest mistake), and second, I hadn't realized until nearly a year later tha a previous owner had souped the engine up in an unsafe manner, leading me to do terminal damage to the engine (it was fixable, but the rust was so bad as to make it not worth it).

The reason I call it a mistake was because I paid $2000 for it. In retrospect, it was worth nowhere near that much due to the rust being so bad (one body mount was completely destroyed, making the body sag to one side in relation to the frame). It was probably worth the $1000 that I got when I sold it, when I bought it. However, live and learn...the next vehicle, I got very lucky in that the owner allowed me to make payments, so I had reliable transportation.

In spite of that, I had a lot of fun with that truck (played in the desert a few times), and don't regret the purchase...I just wish that the rust hadn't been so bad, or that I would have seen it and opted to hold out for another vehicle...

Kuan · #3 06-04-2003, 07:42 AM

Overadvanced the timing on my VW bus parts getter, and if that wasn't bad enough, I put hot running plugs in, and they were the wrong thread size! The plugs were way too long! I wish I had pictures of the detonation, there was literally a hole in the piston! Good thing VW engines were cheap. I felt stupid, having to get parts for the parts getter.

TX76513 · #4 06-04-2003, 09:29 AM

When I bought the SDL last year it had been 100% dealer maintained with the PO. Feeling "cocky" I took the SDL to MB for an oil change (period). Left it at lunch said I would pick it up after work. When I returned the tech said $588 please. I don't know how to say this politely but I was a "little disturbed". They did a 30K service - as the PO always "played (paid) by the book" in service. We negotiated a new price but still was not to my liking at almost $440.

mike690003 · #5 06-04-2003, 09:54 AM

The dumbest thing I did was attempting to adjust my air/fuel mixture myself.I adjusted the mixture too lean, I screwed up my car so bad that it stalled and had no power. Not to mention the numerous times I almost was hit in traffic while trying to start my stalled car. I had to "fix" it myself and now my car runs richer than Bill Gates. I guess I should have left well enough alone.

Zoonhollis · #6 06-04-2003, 10:30 AM

I once lusted after the venerable W123 so badly that I was ready to purchase at any price. I bought the first 240D I looked at while living in Lubbock, TX. I qualified for a $3200 bank loan and gladly paid that amount to the seller(!). Did I do pre-purchase inspection? Did I even KNOW what a PPI was?

As it turned out, the car had poor compression and the IP leaked fuel into the cylinders. It was probably worth $500.

But wait! I got even stupider! I paid for a brand new engine ($4400), spreading the cost across three credit cards, and thereby plunging into a five year debt.

Obviously, my desire to own a Benz far outweighed any semblance of common sense I might have possessed.

G-Benz · #7 06-04-2003, 11:25 AM

Everyone makes mistakes trying to learn how to fix their vehicles. And as most here have posted, some mistakes cost big bucks!

I have made several blunders, but the dumbest (and most recent) was the gauge cluster pull on my R129.

About $6 worth of bulbs had burnt out, and since i had already pulled the cluster out of the W124 to do the same, I figured I get them both out and make one trip to the store for bulbs.

Got a bit too impatient with the pullers and CRACK! There goes the gauge cluster lens!

Of course, SL parts usually run for a king's ransom and this was no exception...$372 just for the lens!!!

So I walked out of the dealership with $6 worth of bulbs and an almost $400 hole in my credit card!

Needless to say, I NOW work on the R129 with the same caution as someone defusing a live bomb!:p

rickg · #8 06-04-2003, 11:33 AM

Bought a '86 Audi 5000. (first dumb mistake) Then proceeded to dump about $3000 into it in about 3 months(second dumb mistake). Then traded it in for a new '96 Chrysler Cirrus.(third dumb mistake)
Lessons learned:
Never buy a post-'83 Audi
Check a car out CAREFULLY Before buying it.
Don't buy a new car from Chrysler Corp.

X 100

Eberhard Weilke · #9 06-04-2003, 12:47 PM

It was a streak of mishaps:

First I wanted to check the vaccum system of my distributor. Of course, I broke it. Since I went on a business trip anyway, I sent in the distributor to get it fixed.

Coming back from Las Vegas, after a 26 hr. stopover in Atlanta (missed the flight in Las Vegas due to increased security after 9/11) and haven't really slept for quite some time I wanted to put the car together right away.

Of course I hadn't marked the distrubutor position when I removed it (it didn't say so in the manual

) I had to install it about 25 times until I hit the right spot.

Finally, after looking at a picture of another M 102 as reference, I finally was able to start the engine.

It fired right away, also procucing a loud "klonk". Scared to death that I ruined some gearing at the distributor we finally figured out that I had forgotten to remove the wrench from the crank with which I had turned the engine while installing the distributor.

Not alone that the wrench cut one of the oil hoses to the oil cooler for the gearbox, it also opened the bolt at the end of the crank (I was glad that the pulley didn't fell of)

First problem was, that I have the steel plate under the engine, since the car used to be a police cruiser. Next problem was, that the bold had to be tightened with 200 Nm (which is a little tricky when you can't reach it from below the car but have to find your way around the radiator fan.)

Biggest problem was: The manual said: "Block the engine." It didn't say, how to block an engine with automatic transmission.

Finally we came up with an solution. Put the engine on o.T. and pulled the plug #3. We took a clean nylon rope and filled it into cylinder #3

We carefully compressed the rope and could block the engine that way.

From that ecliptical point on everything went just fine

Kind regards
Eberhard

suginami · #10 06-04-2003, 06:21 PM

I had a 1994 Mazda Protege with the 1.8 liter DOHC engine that was used on the Miata. Loved this car.

I used to do all of the maintenance on all of my cars, and decided to do the 30,000 mile service on this car to save some money.

I had replaced the fuel filter, PCV valve, transmission fluid (even dropped the pan and replaced the filter and gasket); replaced the engine oil and filter.

Basically, everything was done but the air filter. I removed the top half of the airbox and tried to move it out of the way to slide out the square air filter. I couldn't force it out. Instead of removing the black plastic air tube (I didn't have a pair of pliers nearby to remove the pinch-type clamp). I happened to have a phillips head screwdriver, and decided that I'd just quickly remove the mass air sensor, which rests on top of the air box. I removed the screw and not so gently pulled the MAS off, and three loose wires came out. It was not meant to be removed in the fashion that I did. The wires could not be reattached. Tried to start the car anyway (like an idiot), and the car wouldn't even idle. Backfired badly through the intake manifold and tailpipe. I thought the engine was gonna catch fire.

I had to tow the car to the dealer, and had them install a new MAS and new top half of the air box.

Cost me $440 parts and labor.

So much for saving money on a 30K service that would've cost me about $220.00

Triffin · #11 06-04-2003, 06:24 PM

'fess up!! what's the dumbest, most expensive mistake you've ever made with your car?

Hmmmmmm.....that would be writing the check :p :p :p
to buy it in the first place ..

Jim in Ct ..

suginami · #12 06-04-2003, 06:34 PM

Here's another good one.

My dad purchased a 1968 Ferrari Dino when I was in elementary school that had been in an accident and in a fire.

He got it cheap, but he was a mechanic for Union Oil and worked on oil rigs, etc., and could do anything.

Over the course of 3-4 years, he rebuilt the whole car. Replaced all of the wires, re-did the interior, rebuilt the motor, even painted the car himself in the garage. I was the 7 or 8 year old being forced to stay up late holding the wrench and bringing him tools.

The car was flawless, got a lot of looks, was very fast. In a two year period, he got so many speeding tickets and gross violations of the speed limit, that he was actually thrown in jail for one night and was one ticket away for losing his license for a year.

He parked the car, and shortly after that, my parents divorced. The car turned out to be a bad reminder of his failed marriage, so he parked the car at Grandma's house, uncovered and outside for about 15 years.

The rain and sun had gotten to the car, and it was virtually ruined. All of the seals had failed, the interior had gotten wet. The tires were flat and cracked, all the chrome was rusted.

My dad wanted to sell the car, but thought it would be fun if we could get the engine running. We drained the fuel tank, changed the fluids in the car, replaced all of the hoses, went through the fuel injection system, new tires, etc. We could turn the engine, and knew it wasn't seized.

With a lot of work, the engine started, but ran badly and smoked.

We took it for a slow drive around the block, and we're whooping and hollering, and grinning like two kids in a candy shop.

He's taking the car through the gears, not letting the rpm's get too high. Very gently.

He pulls around the block, looks at me with this devlish look on his face, and guns it. Takes it to about 65 in 2nd gear and just before he let his foot off the accelerator, BAM!. A loud clanking noise results. Clank clank clank clank. He shuts off the engine quickly and we coast to the side of the road. It was obvious that we threw a rod!

He looks at me like, What the hell was I thinking? We got carried away in the moment. But it was sure worth it. It is now a great memory now that he's past away.

I pushed the car down the block and up the driveway into the garage. He put the car up for sale, and I don't know what he asked for the car, but probably gave it away. It sold the first morning, and callers were begging and pleading to hold it for them. He always told them the first guy that shows up with cash for the full price gets the car.

The first guy that showed up bought it.

mikemover · #13 06-04-2003, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TX76513
When I bought the SDL last year it had been 100% dealer maintained with the PO. Feeling "cocky" I took the SDL to MB for an oil change (period). Left it at lunch said I would pick it up after work. When I returned the tech said $588 please. I don't know how to say this politely but I was a "little disturbed". They did a 30K service - as the PO always "played (paid) by the book" in service. We negotiated a new price but still was not to my liking at almost $440.

A "little disturbed?"!!! I NEVER would have paid for service that I didn't ask for or approve! There would have been a BIG scene in that "stealership" if they tried to bill me $500 when all I asked for was an oil change!

Mike

mikemover · #14 06-04-2003, 09:24 PM

I've never made a huge DIY blunder or anything, I don't think...I'm always pretty good about knowing when something is beyond my abilities, and when it is, I take it to someone qualified.

I do think I fumbled a little when I bought the aftermarket chrome wheels that I have on the SD now...There's nothing physically or cosmetically wrong with them..they're in excellent shape, look great, no vibrations, and they look almost exactly like chrome-plated factory alloys, buy they are not. The problem is, I cannot find the correct size star center-caps for them ANYWHERE! I can't figure out what brand the wheels are either. I lost a cap a long time ago, and my months-long search for a replacement has been futile.

Mike

Blu 420Sel · #15 06-05-2003, 12:18 PM

First off I can't say how incredible reassuring it is to hear I'm not the only one who makes these kind of stupid impulsive mistakes. Even though I've never made the same one twice I do feel like I make lots of new ones all the time.

The stupidist and more expensive mistake I ever made was buying a '95 Saab convertible. I was straight out of school, had a little bonus for a job I was starting shortly and convinced that my time had finally come. I looked at a bunch of different ones but all the cars in my price range were pretty beat. Then, I found one in Boston (first mistake) from a used car dealer I got a bad vibe from (second mistake). I did have it inspected but not by a Saab mechanic or even an foreign car specailist (HUGE mistake). I even let muself overlook the odd spots on the carfax because the car was so sexy (triple black leather with every option).

The car is beautiful and I slap down my bank check the same day.

In the course of the next nine months I replaced:

Timing Chain (requiring the removal of the engine)
Transmission
Alternator (for Saab convertible this is a big money item)
all hoses and belts
windshield (fortunately covered by insurence)
Head gasket and all other upper engine gaskets
rear brakes (calipers, rotors and all)
ECU (factory recall, didn't have to pay after I made a scene at the dealer)

And too many little things to count. I was too busy keeping my high-pressure new job in a terrible economy to do any of the work myself and newer Saabs are very very difficult to self-service anyway. Needless to say, I took a huge beating. I managed to sue the dealer for a couple grand but I'll never see the majority of that money again.

I found out later on that the car had been stolen and taken on a high speed chase before sitting in the impound for a year. This explained the new tires and paint and why a car with 65,000 miles would have such a bad service record. It was whipped.

The only bright spot in the whole story is that I bought my 420sel and read several mechanical textbooks in order to learn how to service it. I've gotten pretty good and the new car is running great, plus I've learned some really valuable life lessons.

I console myself by saying at least it wasn't some horrible property deal I stumbled into, that would've bankrupted me.