In my business I have to drive peoples' cars, sometimes just from the parking lot into the shop, but often road tests of 1-10 miles depending on the nature of the repair. So I'd really appreciate it if some of them didn't smell like cigarette smoke and ashes (in overflowing ash trays); puke, spoiled milk and other rotten food (often found in minivans); nasty BO (the owner is no fun to be around either); or even, in one case, marijuana. That last car, I refused to road test altogether. If a cop pulled me over in it, I'd have a lot of explaining to do. "It's not mine, officer, I swear!" Along with the smell, I had a car - a Cadillac, no less - that the driver left himself a place to sit and reach the pedals, but the rest of it had trash piled on the floor clear to the tops of the seat cushions, like a smaller scale "'hoarder' house." I'm about to finish a pickup truck that I replaced a steering box in, but before I drive it, I'll have to throw away his empty beer cans. I don't want to have to explain those to a cop, either. Now, I'm no prize myself when it comes to housekeeping, but I do clean on occasion.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: egregore,

I can’t stand trashy vehicles. I throw all my trash away as soon as I stop at a place I can dispose of it. I also keep it wiped down inside fairly often. I won’t even ride in my wife’s car because of the clutter. She has stacks of junk mail above the visors. Along with loads of crap hanging and swinging from the rear view mirror and crap piled up on the dash.

Cars today still have ashtrays? Smokers are so damn nasty. I normally wouldn’t care but non-smokers are forced to smoke and don’t even get started on smokers thinking the whole world is their ashtray.

quote:

Cars today still have ashtrays?

Today, no, or at least getting rarer. But I work on cars going back into the last century. And the lack of ashtrays don't stop a hardcore smoker.

Yeah, I don't understand this either. What are they going to do with thirty six inch deep trash? Drive it around the world to let everybody see it? Is it a trophy or status thing?

"Hey, look at me! I have a compost heap in the back seat that has milk from 1989! Woo hoo!"

I can't see it increasing the drivability much or helping the mileage. Hadn't thought about someone getting pulled over while checking for drivability or NVH. I have a few that I work with that are unencouragable slobs. Sometimes I wonder what their house looks like.

Some things aren't meant to be understood.

You only had ONE car that smelled of weed??? Shit, half the cars in my shop smell of weed. Some of them are so bad we have to roll the windows up oterhwise the whole shop will smell of weed. Worse, the stinky fuckers who drive these shit piles go into our waiting room and since they wreak of weed, B.O. and patchouli oil they stink up the office and it takes hours to get it aired out.

Some cars we use seat covers to protect the interior, then there are the disgusting ones that we use seat covers and gloves to protect us from the car....yuck!

By the way...most excellent rant!!! I couldn't agree more

Had a focus the other day the owner wanted an alignment. Drops off car for the appointment. Open spit bottle in passenger door, two in the cupholders, rotted food on passenger floor board, and several discarded rubs scattered on the seat and passenger floor. Also, looks like he had spit on console and passenger side of car. Gloves and seat covers on that one. Finish car and customer says he will need to make an appointment to repair broken door handle. NOPE not going to happen. Think you need to find another shop. YOU'RE FIRED!

Come to Tucson and see vehicles that people are living in.

Shiiiiit. If you think the cars that people bring to your shop are bad, imagine how bad the cars that never get taken to a shop are.

Granted, it's not as bad as the ones that smell like cigarettes, stale beer, cat pee, and unwashed ass, but since we're talking about bad-smelling cars... For some reason, the one whose smell sneaks up on me on occasion is the funky soccer mom minivans/ginormoSUVs. There's just something about that special combo of diaper blowout, vomit, sweaty kid, unwashed sports equipment, rotten McDonalds french fries, long-spoiled milk, Cheerio dust, and hint of "Beachside Citrus Blast" Yankee Candle air freshener (like that's gonna help) that can get to you.

Fun things to see from the outside. The restaurant we eat at regularly has another customer. He's a doctor, too! The inside of his car, a late model Chevy, is piled to the bottom of the windows with crap. Mail, clothes, food wrappers, you name it. Its fun to park near him just to look at the accumulation. If he were out in the river, we'd call it flotsom and jetsom. Here, its just a rolling debris pile. I always check under the drivers door for things that fall out. Fun times.

My wife, on the other hand has improved over the years. I always checked for rats and snakes before getting in. She has never washed her car. This one or any of those before it. Except she claims credit for the times I take it to a car wash. My view, if I drove it there and I paid the toll, I washed it. Women are often cheap. Even if their car requires premium fuel, they fill it with regular and complain about it not sounding or running right. So rain is the thing for their wash jobs. Or just too busy or cheap to pay someone to sit in line.

The idea of getting out the hose a sponge/bucket has never occurred to them. Won't happen. My son, on the other hand, just bought a Toyota from a place that offers lifetime wash jobs. In just over a week he's been back twice already. I hope, for his sake, they stay in business.

Wow, its been 8 years since I quite smoking, but I still find this conversation so offensive. Sounds like a bunch of self centered, Starbucks coffee drinking, Bernie voting, Whiny ass liberals----Get over yourself. Working on dirty cars is a business you chose, deal with it. Most of this conversation belongs over on the "We love Hilary" forum.

quote:

Wow, its been 8 years since I quite smoking, but I still find this conversation so offensive.

I know that smell. A couple of years on the line of a car wash in my yout'.

A friend of mine worked valet at a casino. A pickup truck was in line with an alligator in the bed. His supervisor said to go on and park it in the garage since the gator was deceased.

Later that week a middle aged woman drove up in a large Cadillac. It happened to be check the trunk day. She was reluctant to open the trunk, but finally did so. It was filled with sex toys.

The dip cup and dirty diapers were frequently present as well. Those folks suprisingly would tip as if they knew what the valet driver had to put up with.

quote:

Originally posted by rwilli:
I still find this conversation so offensive.

Do you need a hug?

Being out on the interweb requires developing a thick skin. Or at least wearing a helmet.

I'd take a smoker over chew or snuff. That is just fucking nasty, especially the spit cups that are half full or more.
To the above, I don't wash or clean my car either. Rain is as close to a bath as it gets. I also recognize this as a flaw about myself and don't buy nice cars as I know I am unlikely to keep them nice. They are mechanically sound, but not pretty.

LOLOLOLOL, when I was around 20 I used to Valet cars, parking around 100-200 cars per night at a nice restaurant (benihana's). YOU should have seen the shit I've put up with, everything mentioned. Some were absolutely disgusting, or the weed smell was so strong, I'd say 5-10% of the ones I parked. I know exactly what you mean. One of them had enough mcdonalds bags and food wrappers that was probably a 100 meal supply, one of them had a plate on the passanger seat with another cut up/loose weed on it that you could roll 3 healthy joints. uuuuuuggggghhhhh

quote:

Originally posted by rwilli:
Wow, its been 8 years since I quite smoking, but I still find this conversation so offensive. Sounds like a bunch of self centered, Starbucks coffee drinking, Bernie voting, Whiny ass liberals----Get over yourself. Working on dirty cars is a business you chose, deal with it. Most of this conversation belongs over on the "We love Hilary" forum.

^^^^^^^^^^^
Glad to see you back in JPG form! Like another poster said you are always a little ray of sunshine.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ZSMICHAEL,

(Psst... That's not a GIF. It's a JPG. GIFs typically move.)