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Login to post Forums » Off-topic discussion » Someone needs a new mechanic...

Feb. 3, 2012 1:05 p.m. Rufledt HalfDork

I got a nifty sears gift card from my parents as an xmas gift with the instructions "your van needs tires, go get some." I think "yay, I get new tires" and go to sears today to get some. I've gone to this sears before in Braintree and they seem honest. they've never tried to up sell me or get me to replace the headlight fluid or any crap like that, and I've only heard them once tell a guy his car needed something when it was painfully obvious. By painfully obvious, I mean the noise that car made hurt my ears.

Today I go there and while I'm waiting for my van to be done (which went fine) a girl came into the waiting room and sat down. I dont' know what she was there for, probobly tires. After a little bit a guy comes in and asks her "who put grease on your brakes?!" She immediately said "WD40... err, I don't know." I assume he catches on that the cheapo brake pads were squeaking and she sprayed wd40 on them to quiet them down, so he plays along and says how it's the stupidest thing he's ever seen to lubricate something that's supposed to use friction and whatever 'mechanic' did that should retire immediately.

He goes back to work for a bit and after a while comes back in and says "did you take that car to a body shop recently?" She names one of them in Dorchester (I've never been to a trustworthy establishment in Dorchester except for an awesome irish pub) and he goes on explain how the shop welded the tie rods together so they can't do an alignment

Cheapy cheap brake pads, (somewhere i'd be happy to splurge) WD40 noise prevention, and welding everything up so it can't be adjusted. there was one or more people messing with that car a lot who should never touch a car again!
Feb. 3, 2012 1:09 p.m. ransom Dork

In reply to Rufledt:

I heard a story from a friend years and years ago who was involved in teaching bike mechanics to kids. One of them had the same solution to squealing brakes.

All I could think was "Huh, riding that bike must be the purest definition of the difference between 'exciting' and 'fun'..."
Feb. 3, 2012 1:40 p.m. Grtechguy SuperDork

ransom wrote:

In reply to Rufledt:

I heard a story from a friend years and years ago who was involved in teaching bike mechanics to kids. One of them had the same solution to squealing brakes.

All I could think was "Huh, riding that bike must be the purest definition of the difference between 'exciting' and 'fun'..."

I put tri-flo on a friends bike's pads once....he didn't find it as funny
Feb. 3, 2012 1:45 p.m. friedgreencorrado SuperDork

At the SCCA Runoffs years ago (so long ago, they were still in Atlanta!), I met a guy from Peugeot who was taking video of their cars for the home market. Everybody already knew Peugeot was struggling in the US, so I asked him about it. His reply: Europeans don't mind if the brakes make some noise, as long as they stop the car. Americans don't care if the brakes stop the car, as long as they don't make any noise.
Feb. 3, 2012 1:48 p.m. David S. Wallens Editorial Director

I think that also shows the value in having a trusted shop. We have a great one up the street, and in fact my wife's car is there right now--so is JG's van, now that I think about it. I know they'll properly take care of things so I can keep on making magazines today, and the bill will be fare.
Feb. 3, 2012 2:25 p.m. chaparral Reader

Welding a tie rod?

A part that qualifies as a "St. Peter" link, one that's typically made out of decent steel and then heat treated, and you want to weld it?

I'd have called the cops!
Feb. 3, 2012 2:29 p.m. JoeyM SuperDork

David S. Wallens wrote:

I think that also shows the value in having a trusted shop. We have a great one up the street, and in fact my wife's car is there right now--so is JG's van, now that I think about it. I know they'll properly take care of things so I can keep on making magazines today, and the bill will be fare.

Might be time to resurrect/sticky the GRM approved mechanics thread
Feb. 3, 2012 2:46 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork

ok.. that is scary... but I need to know.. why would you weld tierods?
Feb. 3, 2012 2:52 p.m. TRoglodyte HalfDork

Threaded part stripped, ball joint still good. Usually use a premium rod though, as opposed to a 6011
Feb. 3, 2012 2:54 p.m. Ranger50 Dork

The only mechanic I trust is myself. But then again, I have done probably 90% of any repair on a vehicle before. Only things I can't do at home, still sealed up A/C system repair, no recovery or vacuum machines, alignments, which I could do with some tools I don't have, and tires, again no machines.
Feb. 3, 2012 3:10 p.m. DoctorBlade Dork

My favorite has to be the mechanic who was seriously looking for a thermostat for a 1972 VW Beetle. It was mid-summer, after all.
Feb. 3, 2012 5:17 p.m. iceracer SuperDork

What is odd about that ?
Feb. 3, 2012 5:17 p.m. Knurled Dork

DoctorBlade wrote:

My favorite has to be the mechanic who was seriously looking for a thermostat for a 1972 VW Beetle. It was mid-summer, after all.

Just because they don't have liquid coolant doesn't mean they don't have thermostats.

I've never played with ACVWs myself, but I knew someone who used to, and I remember him bitching about hackjob wrenchers who would disable all sorts of stuff in the tinwork.
Feb. 3, 2012 5:33 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork

there is a thermostat. It moves the internal vanes over the cylinders
Feb. 3, 2012 6:07 p.m. integraguy SuperDork

You said "...a girl came in..." It's too bad, but a lot of places take advantage of women, it sounds like several people wanted to part this woman from her hard earned.

And not to be the grammar police, but:

"...and the bill will be FARE." An Editorial director wrote FARE, instead of fair?
Feb. 3, 2012 6:32 p.m. David S. Wallens Editorial Director

integraguy wrote:

You said "...a girl came in..." It's too bad, but a lot of places take advantage of women, it sounds like several people wanted to part this woman from her hard earned.

And not to be the grammar police, but:

"...and the bill will be FARE." An Editorial director wrote FARE, instead of fair?

Truth be told, I'm horrible with homonyms. Plus it's been a hell of a week.
Feb. 4, 2012 7:49 a.m. T.J. SuperDork

David S. Wallens wrote:

integraguy wrote:

You said "...a girl came in..." It's too bad, but a lot of places take advantage of women, it sounds like several people wanted to part this woman from her hard earned.

And not to be the grammar police, but:

"...and the bill will be FARE." An Editorial director wrote FARE, instead of fair?

Truth be told, I'm horrible with homonyms. Plus it's been a hell of a week.

Homonyms: boy, there tough.
Feb. 4, 2012 1:18 p.m. BoostedBrandon HalfDork

"Fare" also applies to the bill you get when exiting a Taxi, so since you get a bill when you leave a shop, I'd say "fare" is a "fair" pun.
Feb. 4, 2012 1:30 p.m. DoctorBlade Dork

mad_machine wrote:

there is a thermostat. It moves the internal vanes over the cylinders

Which wasn't what he was looking for. The guys at the counter knew what he should have checked, but in the call he hadn't even looked at the engine yet before calling for a traditional thermostat. Trust me, he'd proven his mechanical ineptitude many times before this.

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