If your car is unsafe to drive, tell me. Don't wait for me to almost lose control of it.
Yesterday I was given a 1990s Chevy pickup truck to align. I got in it and the brake pedal went to the floor and barely caught a little bit of braking at the very end of its travel. I left it where it was, went back in and said, "I can't align this. It's unsafe to even road test, let alone drive onto the alignment rack. I'm liable to drive right off the end of it." The owner, completely nonchalant, said, "Oh, yeah, there's a leak in the rear brake line." Since I'm not supposed to insult customers, I left it at that and didn't say what was really on my mind. This has happened a number of times in my career; this is just the latest. At least in this instance nobody gave me a hard time.
I've got plenty more stories similar to this one.
"The Almighty, He put some livin' things on this earth so a man can eat." - Festus Haggen, Gunsmoke
August 21, 2019, 12:22 PM
BigSwede
Front brakes work, where is your sense of adventure?
August 21, 2019, 12:26 PM
ZSMICHAEL
Work the Valet at the casinos. You will be amazed. Pickups with dead gators in the bed, lots of cars with mechanical issues.
August 21, 2019, 12:52 PM
sns3guppy
Not a brake, or car, but same principle. I was asked to work on a drop zone's Cessna back-up airplane to prepare it for an annual inspection. When I checked the rigging for the flight controls, the ailerons, I discovered that it was rigged to only turn one way. That is, the control yoke in the cockpit would only go one direction, as it was fully thrown to one side, with the controls in neutral.
I asked the regular jump pilot about it; he said it had only flown about nine hours that year, so didn't seem a problem.
I said "You mean someone actually flew it?"
Yes, he replied. But we only do left turns, so no problem.
I noted that a logbook was missing, and called he mechanic who did the last annual inspection. The mechanic told me he still had the logbook. The airplane is worthless without the logs, so I told the mechanic to bring them over. He showed up, but wouldn't step onto the property. I had to meet him at the gate. He was reluctant to give up the log (it had the sign off for the inspection he'd done, making him liable).
I asked him about the flight control rigging. He told me that it wasn't a problem, just needed "a little rudder to fly," which is an idiotic thing to say. I asked how he could sign the airplane off as airworthy, as it obviously wasn't. He told me that I didn't know how to fly, or I wouldn't consider it a problem, and he drove away.
He's not alone; someone like him has worked on something you've flown or driven in, whether you knew it or not. Lazy, idiotic, cheap, and large in number, whether mechanics or owners or operators, they're a large tribe and they are out there.
August 21, 2019, 12:53 PM
Kevmo
quote:
Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL: Work the Valet at the casinos. You will be amazed. Pickups with dead gators in the bed, lots of cars with mechanical issues.
I was doing a shoot for a casino and they happened to be giving away a 71-72 Mustang Mach 1 as part of an auto auction promo and decided they wanted to to shoot this car driving into the valet area. Problem(s) were that the car was indeed a Mach 1 but was a complete POS and had a wonderful combo of horrible brakes and a 429/4 speed. After explaining the the client that i was not risking crew and gear on the chance that the talent could actually stop we canned that idea.
August 21, 2019, 05:38 PM
V-Tail
Question for Guppy: Would that be worth a conversation with an inspector from the FSDO?
הרחפת שלי מלאה בצלופחים
August 21, 2019, 05:49 PM
elmer
Handed shotgun at shop told it won't feed. Mag loaded. Years ago had shotgun told it wouldn't feed. Put a dummy in sear didnt hold either
August 21, 2019, 05:52 PM
egregore
quote:
Originally posted by BigSwede: Front brakes work, where is your sense of adventure?
"The Almighty, He put some livin' things on this earth so a man can eat." - Festus Haggen, Gunsmoke
August 21, 2019, 07:40 PM
egregore
A couple of years ago I had a Jeep Wrangler with (according to the owner) stability control lights on. Yeah, jerkoff, because it had a full quarter turn of play in the steering. You didn't think that was relevant, something I should know before trying to drive it? The steering gearbox was completely shot. That was the reason the lights were on, because a large steering wheel input with no change in wheel speed (as in a turn) was detected. Even better, being used for mail delivery, it was a right-hand drive. No steering boxes to be had.
"The Almighty, He put some livin' things on this earth so a man can eat." - Festus Haggen, Gunsmoke
August 21, 2019, 11:43 PM
YooperSigs
In my cop days, I would stop people for blowing through red traffic signals. When I asked them why they made no effort to stop, an amazing number of them said: "Well, my brakes dont work all that well so I did not try to stop". Me: "So... You are telling me that your vehicle is so unsafe that you cant stop for traffic signals"? The "no brakes" answer usually generated a ticket!
End of Earth: 2 Miles Upper Peninsula: 4 Miles
August 22, 2019, 04:28 AM
egregore
quote:
Originally posted by sns3guppy:
I asked him about the flight control rigging. He told me that it wasn't a problem, just needed "a little rudder to fly," which is an idiotic thing to say.
To not only have a dangerous vehicle, but also insult my intelligence, pushes my self-control to the absolute limit.This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,
"The Almighty, He put some livin' things on this earth so a man can eat." - Festus Haggen, Gunsmoke
August 22, 2019, 08:26 AM
Perception
quote:
Originally posted by sns3guppy: Not a brake, or car, but same principle. I was asked to work on a drop zone's Cessna back-up airplane to prepare it for an annual inspection. When I checked the rigging for the flight controls, the ailerons, I discovered that it was rigged to only turn one way. That is, the control yoke in the cockpit would only go one direction, as it was fully thrown to one side, with the controls in neutral.
I asked the regular jump pilot about it; he said it had only flown about nine hours that year, so didn't seem a problem.
I said "You mean someone actually flew it?"
Yes, he replied. But we only do left turns, so no problem.
I noted that a logbook was missing, and called he mechanic who did the last annual inspection. The mechanic told me he still had the logbook. The airplane is worthless without the logs, so I told the mechanic to bring them over. He showed up, but wouldn't step onto the property. I had to meet him at the gate. He was reluctant to give up the log (it had the sign off for the inspection he'd done, making him liable).
I asked him about the flight control rigging. He told me that it wasn't a problem, just needed "a little rudder to fly," which is an idiotic thing to say. I asked how he could sign the airplane off as airworthy, as it obviously wasn't. He told me that I didn't know how to fly, or I wouldn't consider it a problem, and he drove away.
He's not alone; someone like him has worked on something you've flown or driven in, whether you knew it or not. Lazy, idiotic, cheap, and large in number, whether mechanics or owners or operators, they're a large tribe and they are out there.
It's ok. It's the Cessna NASCAR proof of concept.
"The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people." "Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy." "I did," said Ford, "it is." "So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't the people get rid of the lizards?" "It honestly doesn't occur to them. They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates the government they want." "You mean they actually vote for the lizards." "Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course." "But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?" "Because if they didn't vote for a lizard, then the wrong lizard might get in."
August 22, 2019, 10:05 AM
kz1000
------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Yidn, shreibt un fershreibt"
"The Nazis entered this war under the rather childish delusion that they were going to bomb everyone else, and nobody was going to bomb them. At Rotterdam, London, Warsaw and half a hundred other places, they put their rather naive theory into operation. They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind." -Bomber Harris
August 22, 2019, 02:04 PM
Southflorida-law
Old habits die hard, growing up and working in the family garage most of my life, I dont get in a car without hitting the brakes and turning the steering wheel a bit before putting in D or R. Just force of habit.
Once drove a Cab-over White to the transmission shop, 3 working gears (in no special order) and front brakes only. That was a fun 5 mile drive in the rain!
Originally posted by V-Tail: Question for Guppy: Would that be worth a conversation with an inspector from the FSDO?
It certainly would be. Unfortunately, the same IA had a number of incidents and was well known, including fatalities, thanks to his shoddy work...and he kept getting his IA renewed. I've seen way too many cases in which mechanics, pilots, and inspectors who should have been sidelined kept on going with the blessing of a given flight standards district office, and I know of a number of cases, personally, in which those incompetent individuals became inspectors themselves.
quote:
Originally posted by YooperSigs: In my cop days, I would stop people for blowing through red traffic signals. When I asked them why they made no effort to stop, an amazing number of them said: "Well, my brakes dont work all that well so I did not try to stop". Me: "So... You are telling me that your vehicle is so unsafe that you cant stop for traffic signals"? The "no brakes" answer usually generated a ticket!
It's okay. They stop for the green light, because their brother might be coming the other way.
August 23, 2019, 07:15 AM
henryaz
I drive a manual Tacoma, and I have disabled the pesky clutch safety switch. I always tell the service person to warn the mechanic. If it is off and in gear, turning the key to on will move the car. We used to use this "no safety switch" feature on older cars by using the starter to bump them to the shoulder when disabled.
When in doubt, mumble
August 23, 2019, 09:49 AM
V-Tail
quote:
Originally posted by henryaz:
I drive a manual Tacoma, and I have disabled the pesky clutch safety switch. I always tell the service person to warn the mechanic. If it is off and in gear, turning the key to on will move the car. We used to use this "no safety switch" feature on older cars by using the starter to bump them to the shoulder when disabled.
An older car that I had, not sure which one but I think it might have been a 1950 Studebaker, the starter switch was under the clutch pedal. The starter was engaged by pushing really hard on the clutch.
This has happened a number of times in my career; this is just the latest. At least in this instance nobody gave me a hard time.
You didn't think that was relevant, something I should know before trying to drive it? The steering gearbox was completely shot. That was the reason the lights were on, because a large steering wheel input with no change in wheel speed (as in a turn) was detected. Even better, being used for mail delivery, it was a right-hand drive. No steering boxes to be had.