Since a lot of members here like to spin a wrench, I thought they might enjoy this video. My #1 fear of buying a used car??? Someone else owned it first.

lol

Customer states: "Noise like whistling when turning left."

BrahahahHAHAHAHAhahaha

That last one, with the tire off the wheel bead, wasn't wrong. It did need air.

In over 35 years in the business I've seen a thing or two. I'll share two. Customer states: "I need my A/C charged." It was an early 80s Chevy pickup truck. Somehow the liquid line - a metal line running from the condenser to the evaporator - had gotten broken, and he repaired the break with a piece of rubber fuel line and hose clamps. I said, "I can't charge this. That line is under 200 psi of pressure when the system is operating. It probably won't even survive being charged." He got pissed off, slammed the hood down, backed out and laid rubber all the way out to the street, never to be seen again. Good riddance.

Customer states: "My brake pedal goes to the floor and it won't stop." It was a Datsun (that's how old it was) and even before I pulled the wheels I knew something was up - brake fluid was running out of a rear wheel, between the drum and backing plate. He asked us to WELD the drum to the backing plate so the fluid would stop leaking. Plenty more if anybody is interested.

I'd seen a few brake rotors as scrap, worn through like that, down so far there was only one side to it. I couldn't never understand how anybody could let them get that bad. Well..

One day I was on a job with my father and while we were waiting for another truck to show up he said to me "Do me a favor while we're waiting, drive my truck and tell me if you think I need pads." I drove it a few feet and oh dear lord the noise! Later that day I pulled the tire and it was worn down into the center "fins". That's what happens when you can't hear anything anymore! (same for the terrible pre-ignition valve rattle he had on his car, and a bad ball joint you could hear squeaking a block away. Just like his current car that has some (super annoying to me) plastic squeak up front from the grill or some other plastic part, he just can't hear them.)

I had a guy bring in a salvage title minivan wanting the AC recharged, and water squirted out when I tried to attach my gauges!

He had "repaired" the damaged condenser with aluminum welding rods, a propane torch, and filled it with water and compressed air to find the leaks. I'm glad I found the water before hooking up the vacuum pump.

I managed an auto parts store in the mid 70's. guy comes in asking for grease to put on his squeaky brakes. I asked who recommended that, he said his wife and he was serious. I straightened him out and directed him to go see a good mechanic down the street.

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guy comes in asking for grease to put on his squeaky brakes.

I had somebody ask me to spray WD-40 on his brake rotor because the wear indicator tab was dragging against it (as it's supposed to - the pads were worn out). Also (different person) to bend the tab away from the rotor.

A few months ago somebody brought a 2006-ish Ford Taurus in for an alignment. Before even getting in the car I saw something drooping and dragging the ground under the car. Skipping the usual "before" road test, I put the car on the rack and found that the object was the floor of the car. I could see the underside of the carpet I refused to work on it any further. Retirement can't come soon enough.

I was working the service drive at the Buick Dealership one day about 30 years ago when a brand spankin' new Buick Century rolled in.

At the time OKC had a GM Assembly plant and one of the cars they built was the Buick Century.

The car had hundreds of little black magic marker circles all over it.

Guy gets out and informs me that we are going to completely repaint his new car.

He informed that he was a union worker at the GM plant and he had followed his new car order from the origin point in the factory all the way to the exit door. He was mighty proud of being a union member and what his new car.

I just stood there, dumbfounded and mouth open looking at the hundreds and hundreds of black magic marker circles on the car. I asked him where he bought it as there was not a single dealership emblem on the car. Dude told me he took delivery at the plant. Then he told me the paint was very flawed. I thought the paint was very good. We disagreed.

I told him there was no way I, or anyone here at the Dealership level could authorize a paint warranty repair of this magnitude.

Dude got pissed, tried to force his will on me. I didn't budge. Service Manager came out, told him the same thing. Dude stormed off to the showroom and grabbed the Dealer-Owner. Dealer came out, looked at it, puzzled look, asked where the guy got it. No emblems. Dude told Dealer the same story. Dealer walked away.

I told Dude he could call the Buick Factory Rep, super guy named Joe. Dude left with a shitty attitude.

At the appointed day and time Joe was here for his regular visit when Dude came in with his new Buick.

Joe looked at it, told the guy the paint was within specs and he would not authorize any warranty paint work. Then Joe asked why he had spent all that time circling with his magic marker.

It ended when Joe stood straight up, looked at Dude in the eye and told him Gee, too bad your union buddies in the GM assembly plant didn't do a better job to satisfy you. And good luck getting all those black magic marker marks off your new car. I'll be making a note in the system immediately voiding all future paint claims on your car.

Dude got belligerent and was asked to leave.

We never saw him again, and we all had a great laugh.
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At the parts counter we would get some winners too.

Customer came in and asked the price of brake pads for a late 90's Grand Am then proceeds to argue about the price. Like arguing would make any difference. This went on, about the fifth time he ended it with "Murray's sells them for twenty dollars, why are yours more expensive?" At that point I said "Guess Murray's knows what their stuff is worth then." Ended that discussion.

Worked at a gas station during my high school years. One Saturday night I'm going to my girlfriend's house and went there to get some gas on the way. Guy working that night asked me to help him bleed some brakes. He was a doofus, knew that the owner would not let him work on brakes for a customer. On the hoist is a mid 60's T-Bird , this was 1969. He was replacing a muffler. He damaged a brake line so he cut it out, put in a piece of rubber fuel line in it's place, all good (!) though, he put two fuel line clamps on each end.

This was too good! I told him "Sure", had him drop the car down, I got in, started it up to get the power brakes working. Told him to stand back and double footed stomped on the brake pedal. Blew the hose off, sprayed brake fluid all over under the car. What does doofus say? "Why did you do that?"

I got in my car and left after telling him to call the station owner, this was beyond his ability and I was not going to get in the middle of that mess. Next morning the station owner was replacing the line.

How on earth do people allow the rotors to become sooooo bad that it wears away one side of the rotor? How is that possible?

Worked counter at a tire shop connected to a mall in college. You can probably guess which now-defunct one it was. Being a college town + mall, got a lot of 'my car is making a funny noise'. Never got old asking them to describe it, but I couldn't keep a straight face. Usually didn't even pull the cars in since we were mostly tires/oil change, but got some phone numbers anyway.

That was fun

Good one Bigdeal.

When I was in high school back in the 70s, worked at a gas station at the top of a long hill on Highway 101. Saw many things that were almost unbelievable having to do with people and their cars and trucks.

Parking brake on for many miles. Driving on a flat tire for mile plus. But the one that was most common back in the old sometimes oil burning V8 days was "my oil light came on coming up the hill". These usually took about 3 to 5 QTs for 5 Qt oil systems. Had a few people who blew up their engine just pulling out on Highway 101 after adding a bunch of oil. That tried to blame me for their blowen engine because I just added a bunch of oil. This is the place I also learned there is a percent of people who never ever change their engine oil.

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This is the place I also learned there is a percent of people who never ever change their engine oil.

I confess. I brought my younger son up wrong. Let his Mom teach him to drive as I was busy.
He's had two engines replaced, the latest on a 2010 Altima with <50,000 miles on it. How does that happen?

That syrupy oil in the oil pan, that's nothing. Had one towed into the dealership once, 1980 Bonneville Diesel, yep, the infamous 350N engine. Knocking, oil light on.

Get it into the shop, tech drops the oil pan. He called me out of parts to see it. I bumped the oil pan with my foot, onto it's side it goes. Oil does not splash to the floor, it's congealed. We pull the service file, last oil change was 14k previous, still had the AC Delco oil filter on it. Customer freely admitted "been too busy to get it in for a oil change"

So now he got an engine change instead.