A Mechanics Worst Nightmare
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- For me, the worst thing that can happen as a mechanic is to think you did a good job and find out that you didn’t.
I take pride in my work. I want to do a good job. When people drive their vehicles away after I work on them, I want the customer to be happy and satisfied with the work that was done. When it isn’t, it’s a sickening feeling.
It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, nothing sucks more.
Have you ever had a situation like this? If so, please share your story. I’d love to hear about it.
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Stay Dirty
ETCG1
I think that using Fixing It Forward money was justified in this instance. My health is bad and continuing to decline, so I know how grateful she must have been for the help you provided.
usmale47374 get well soon my friend :)
Thanks, but I won't get well. I suffer from MS, plus a chronic form of AZOOR, which is gradually stealing my vision. It sucks, but it is what it is.
never give up, you may get contact from somewhere that a new treatment or drug was developed. There is always a chance.
Yep. Try to find a linux distro for the vision impaired and install it on an old laptop if you have one.
Windows accessibility software like JAWS or Zoomtext are too damn expensive.
no drug will help with man created diseases. U have to detox from all the GMOs food, chemicals in ur daily life, and get away from stress and get good rest. It's cheap but difficult because ppl are stuck in their ways and want a "pill" to solve the problem ... these magical pills dont exist. There are pills that temporarily suppress symptoms but that is like making ur hand not hurt while u stick in a meat grinder. Symptom suppressors will kill u. Remember that when u ask ur doctor if that pill he prescribes will cure u or only suppress symptoms with loads of side effects.
I'm a 56 year old mechanic all my life I've helped people from all likes with similar stories what it did for me was gave me great karma and blessed me beyond belief.
Karma theory is just a theory. Don't be superstitious. ;)
Sounds like you did the right thing helping your friend out but you can't feel responsible for every future issue the car gets. Two rules, never loan money to family and never sell cars to friends.
I don't sell cars to friends unless either they or I are moving out of town :-) I have never sold a bad car knowingly to a friend, but I still might feel responsible for something that is not my fault. If a car is questionable, I GIVE it to the friend or family member.
I don't get this, it's still their choice to buy the car, as long as you are 100% upfront about it, good friends will understand this anyway. If not? You don't need them in your life anyway. :)
Words to live by!
This is true if something were to ever go wrong, which eventually it will, you will never ever hear the end of it
Then they are bad friends anyway.
The best thing when a girl come to my workshop and ask me to change the turbo on mercedes she just come from authorized dealer with that diagnose.
Pleaseeeee tell mi how much money just tell me the price as soon i open the hood i see vacum hose off turbo actuator is just drop from his place i put it back and close no money nice girl she come to my shop few days later with botle of jack and allmost start to cry....
Let's be nice mechanic
P.S SORY FOR BAD ENGLISH I'M FROM BOSNIA
Selmir Fazlic right on brother honesty always works
A friend of mine was told he needed a new engine. We changed the spark plugs and coil pack and it was good to go. There is a reason most people have trust issues when it comes to car repairs.
She will always come back and will recommend her friends and family to you for being honest. You'll make more money long term.
Good on you buddy, cant beat honestly. 👌👌
👍👍Honesty is the best advertising you can get👍👍
I have no problem with u helping this lady out with fixing it forward money it is there to help people and that's what it did
Eric, you've got a heart the size of Texas.
And everything in Texas is huge.
And a big wiener
Eric you're great. You tried to help the best you could, and you made the right call, using that money for paying the bills.
those were the cars we always liked working on at the Acura dealership wonderful cars , dont worry Eric shes just turning into an Acura owner thats what they do .
I started with bikes as way of giving back to kids that need it , just did my first fix it forward, and realized what it meant (no good deed goes unpunished)at first I thought it meant "you try to help someone out and you get screwed" but then analyzing it really meant that sometimes you don"t receive the gratitude that you were expecting,but in exchange what I did receive was a chance to learn how to do brakes,master cylinder,and struts,that help improve my confidence in knowing that now I have the resilience to fix anything , and for that Im eternally grateful, you are my hero ;)
Good on you for helping others. A couple of notes. Expectation is the shortest rout to disappointment. Also, if you're doing it for gratitude, you're doing it for the wrong reasons as you pointed out in your comment. You do it because you can help someone, nothing more. If you get gratitude, great. If not, you take away the satisfaction of helping others and learning new things as you stated.
Thanks for the comment.
I'm like you, a soft spot for people who really need it. You did the right thing bro. You can't see the future, cars break. Bad on your friend for the oil leak.
Right call eric, helping someone in need. you went above the normal fixing it forward - sourcing a good car (she wouldn't have bought otherwise), fixing issues you could find, then using contacts to sort later issues - good on you !
You were doing right by your friend, you didn't squander it, you got her a decent car to help her back onto her feet, I would love to see you do a Fixing It Forward Car for when you get a car in and its not worth it to fix it.
It takes some guts to admit mistake in such a public forum. You're a good guy, Eric.
You've always been one of the good mechanics I aspire to be. Tell you the truth, this is something I was always afraid of when fixing cars. When you think youve done a good job then something goes wrong and now you have to retrace everything you remember doing in terms of repairs that you've done and that eerie feeling of being completely responsible afterwards. I think I might have to start doing that donation things that could save everybody needing a car one day, if you're okay with that. I'd love to help people too with what skills i got. To me, that's one of the best feeling I could really hold on to for a long time: the feeling of making somebody's day; one car fix at a time.
Eric, you have done a great job. These things happen and you used Fixing it Forward money right. Too bad things panned out this way but I hope your friend sees that you make a great effort towards helping her! Take care
I have taken a little bit of a break because of some of the reasons that you're described in this video. 30 years I'm trying to work hard be honest and do my best sometimes people break your heart. I put a water pump on your car and now there's a nail in your tire and it's my fault? God give me strength. Keep up the good work bro God bless
we live in our van and struggle every day to make our van suitable ,I work at temp services and fix one thing at a time, I still have a few things like my controller arms and gas tank with a leak but it is getting fixed , your a great man to help people with this and you deserve to be blessed
oh dude.... I feel for ya...... I DONT RECCOMEND SQUAT TO ANYONE... as a technician no good deed goes unpunished. after over two decades of being a factory trained Grand Master Red Seal Technician in Canada I flat out REFUSE to RECCOMEND or work on friends and family vehicles... it always bites me in the ass. I could do a LeMans 24 hour race in a Pontiac Sunfire and have zero issues then RECCOMEND a cherry VW Golf to a friend and it would go bonkers and be radioactive if I recommended it...... I feel your pain dude.
Yup. That's spot on.
What is "Grand Master Red Seal Technician"? LOL!
im going with an inside joke
Canadian thing.
@@grzegorz16100 Torquewrench black belt.
Eric I feel your pain!!! I to seem to have a problem with every time I try to fix someones car as a favor, or to save them money, it always goes sideways!!! I simple fix turns into some major takes days waiting for some obscure part project. As far as fixing it forward, I feel that was an excellent use of those funds. I try to help friends and family as much as I can, but I also know that you can only afford to eat so much of a repair. The biggest gift I can give is my time, and you are the same. What you have done is great, keep it up. By the way, my first car was a Fairmont, I love what you have done.
Eric I believe your heart is in the right place. I don't believe this experience diminishes in any way your capabilities. As for my personal experience as a mechanic in the field I'm in, I cant have a worst nightmare. If I where to have a worst nightmare it would become other peoples worst nightmare. The only way in my field to prevent nightmares is 100% verification in troubleshooting and thorough inspections. I think how you handled the situation was absolutely admirable. You did the right thing buddy.
You did the right thing, did good work and something unrelated happened. I hope she understands that. The FIF money was the right call too.
I'm a day late dollar short to help, but have he utmost respect for you for how you handled it. You are obviously a man of Integrity!
Eric that is a great idea. I am not a mechanic but engineer that is always called upon to help others out. Yes good with cars too and can do most jobs on them but really don't want to since I am retired. Keep helping those out with pay forward!!!!
NICE TO SEE THERE ARE STILL SOME GOOD HEARTED PEOPLE STILL LEFT IN THIS WORLD.Well done bro,keep up the good work.
Dude you're such an honest and fair person that we trust you to know who you should spend that money on. Cheers
You did the right thing! You couldn't predict it, and you were right. Her situation fits your criteria. Keep it up Eric!
I wish I had a mechanic like you here in New York. It’s so rare to have someone honest and someone that puts heart and confidence into their work. Don’t stress it because mistakes will always be made, it’s the solution that counts. You did the right thing!
Things happen sometimes. You did what you thought was right, and as it happens, sometimes it's not quite enough.
I'm glad that you have the resources through your online contributions to the UA-cam community to be in a position to help others without sacrificing your own quality of life.
I'll stay dirty...as soon as I learn to keep my head out of the way of a pry bar.... (testing for a bad upper ball joint.... pry bar slipped. mucho oucho.)
I think that qualified by helping her.
Fixed a Mercedes s500 with brand new engine and customer took the car and the transmission when out after that the rear end went out
You are forgiven Eric. I had a friend who was looking to purchase a used small SUV and I found one through another friend who had a customer with one for sale.
I got it for her at a good price but she had to spend some money on a few things to get the vehicle running trouble free. I found that I was putting myself in a position where I was spending my own money to make sure it was running to my satisfaction.
Fortunately I was able to reach that point where I was happy with what I had done and I know she would never have had that level of support from any garage in these times.
There are times that we put others before ourselves and not for any financial gain.
I was glad that I was able to truly deliver a reliable product to the customer and still be able to rest well at night knowing that she would be using a reliable vehicle to get her to and from her work place.
Some cases really do deserve Fixing it Forward.
Today IS my birthday! Thank You! And funds established to help people are there to help. Sounds like it's justified, and righteous. Keep on keepin' on!
As a retired mechanic I can tell you I've been there and it reflexes on you. The bad part of it is the word of mouth marking you as a bad mechanic. That's the mechanic's nightmare.
I personally feel that you not only did the right thing but a good thing. I would like to say thanks to you for sharing this.
I have a heavily modified 96 acura rl love the car never have any problems running 5 psi of boost no problem just change the oil every 3000 miles and you are gold
That’s a tough situation, I try not to get that deep in a car situation with a friend, but it’s happened and I learned (to not do it again)
Mixing business with friends is the best way to end up with no friends.
sounds like the starter was just covered in oil "ford problems" lol
No shit! LoL
Hey asshole that's undercoating! ;)
Good job Eric! You saw someone in need and helped them, this is what paying it forward is all about. You did the best to provide your friend with a safe reliable car and you did. Sometimes mechanical issues are beyond our control and the starter issue was a prime example. This has absolutely no reflection on your effort to provide your friend with a safe reliable vehicle. I hope your friend’s health takes an upward turn. And thanks to you and those who donated to the paying it forward fund, now she can gets to the doctor’s more conveniently.
6 bad Stant thermostats in a row on 1 car , changed the head gasket as a last resort as nothing else was bad. \\\still problems got a factory t stat problem solved . That was 20 years ago ever since I test every T stat before installing. Used cars can break at any time ,that was one problem you could not have for seen coming . Sucks when you second guess your own work ,but , you were honest and straight up willing to admit you might have been the problem. Thumbs up for going above and beyond to get it fixed for her.
I can definitely relate on this one. Unhappy customers are inevitable. It's how you react to an unhappy customer that separates you from the other guys in the business. I feel you did the absolute best you could.
I feel your pain. I try not to get involved with "friendly" car deals anymore. It leads right back to "no good deed goes unpunished"......Sad but true.
You act with integrity mate and that is a quality to be proud of. Not everybody has it,some have none! You do the right thing,for the right reasons and with integrity- can't ask for any better than that!
You did the right thing during the situation you and your friend were in. A+ for ETCG
If you are helping out someone who could use the hand up, then do it. The Fixing it Forward family is behind you. Donation on the way (plus a little extra to pay for the videos).
Thank you!
I'm just a home shade tree mechanic, to many nightmares to count. But it's a great thing, when you can make something right, and help someone in need.
We got a video out of that car. Although it was very short, it was information, and in essence it qualifies. The fixing it forward money was not for the sole purpose of making videos, it was to help those who help others, and those in need. This was an excellent choice and fully understandable.
Because she's so far away and with her health issues I think you did the right thing. I hope she appreciates the car. It's a really nice car. I'd love to drive that thing. You also actually did a good job with what you did and looked at on the car. You didn't mess anything up under the steering wheel, everything you checked out is actually okay, you missed one thing wrong which was the starter, and the smoking fluid that was left on hot engine parts was a fluke. I totally agree with Scotty Kilmer and you too Eric that cleaning engine parts is a bad idea so this oversight is as small as just wiping off some fluid with a rag after you worked on it. You're a good guy Eric, thanks for helping your friend.
You are the real deal! and i know the feeling when you missed a thing after a job....! it happens to everyone sometime! The important thing is to accept it and stand up for it.
You did the right thing, and you wear your heart on your sleeve. In answer to your question, there was nothing to be done about the faulty starter motor, but asking her what the temp gauge was displaying while still being on the phone with her might have saved you half of your headache. Keep fighting the good fight my man 👍
Hey Eric, I've been been watching your videos since the very beginning and I have always know you to be a man of good integrity and good judgement. So good on you for trying to help. If I may share a small story... Worst Nightmare: I am not a trained mechanic, but I am very mechanically inclined and have been working on cars for a good bit now, especially Chevy Impalas. I've done everything from break pads to rebuilding the transmission in my 2005 Impala SS, a car I loved and cherished. I kept that car is great condition and kept detailed records on everything. I didn't do much work on friends or family vehicles cause I was always afraid if something seriois where to happen them, that that would be on me. My family knew my feelings on this and understood. Well I gave that car to my sister for Christmas one year and almost immediately she started having problems. First the starter, then the door locking actuator, a crack developed in the breakline (Northern Climate 😔) the battery, and finally she broke the steering column trying to move the car and was to close to the side walk. Oh ya, cause the cars security system locked up the car and it would start after replacing the battery.
I tried helping her fix all these problems, but things were just getting worse. She finally got rid of it not more than a year later. My worse nimare had come true...
But you know what Eric, we tried, we were honest, and we worked hard. And that is as good as it gets sometimes. Nothing to be ashamed of.
Good on you for doing your best and the right thing!!!
Good on you to make it right for the lady, and using the money was justified. I'm a shade tree mechanic out of necessity, and I had one moment that I experienced the "worst nightmare".
Had a friend who needed new front brakes on his Ford Ranger, and since it was an easy rotor and pad switch I agreed. Did the job, torqued everything down, and told him to bring it back to me after a week of normal driving for me to check the lug nut torque as it can change when driving around a bit. A few days goes by and I was told his front wheel had came off while driving through town. I was horrified because I thought it was my fault and called him to see if he was okay. Apparently he took the truck off roading and drove it hard rather than following my instructions to drive normal and return in a week. Luckily he understood that it was his fault and was cool, and there was no major damage.
I knew that I had torqued everything, wheel included, down correctly but it still scared me. He could have hit a family when the wheel came off and killed someone and it would have been on me. Since then that unless it's for immediate family I don't work on anyone's vehicle but my own, and even then there are some things I won't do for family.
It is my birthday Eric , it is . "" a lonely tear running down my face ""
Happy Birthday! Hopefully a tear of joy.
ETCG1 yes it is .
EA Jam happy birthday 🎂
Jumbie thanks man .
EA Jam, its ok tears can be blow out the candles too. happy birthday!!!!!
I run a shop in Canada and feel your pain. Always trying to do the right thing
Anytime I help someone like you did, it comes back to bite me in the ass. Sometimes it seems that the universe is out to get me.
As my family and friends mechanic, i totally get how you feel. You want to help and keep people in tough spots moving and always feel bad when the vehicle breaks down or dies. At the same time, some things like that starter just don't manifest until right after your hands touch it to fix it or you sell it, which makes you look bad. I don't blame you for using FIF money for it, but no machine runs forever. She'll have to pay for repairs herself eventually if she cant do it herself.
I honestly think your friend was being lazy on maintenance and not wanting to tell you because he knows how you feel about taking care of a car. As sure as the car was having those problems, there is no way the previous owner had no knowledge of it. Sucks for somebody to represent your reputation with their laziness,, you are the kind of person that wouldn't even try to hide something from someone anyway. However when it's about money, clearly your friend can't be trusted to do the same.
I recommended a 09 vw routan to a very good customer of mine. He’s always nice, always respectful, is a good person in general. His old chrysler van rusted out, i wasn’t even able to lift it, so i told him he needs a good car. So, i recommended my friend, that does good discounts to my customers, my customer chose 09 routan, i came to see the car - 3 issues - motor mounts, valve cover gaskets and tires - had to be addressed, i told him. He buys the car, then all the sudden torque converter locks and the car stalls in drive while standing still, like if you stop in 1st gear in manual trans. Changed valve body and torque converter. A week later he comes back with abs lights al over the dash - another common chrysler problem - abs pump electronics went bad. That was a nightmare to me as i always treat customers right and do whatever possible to do my best. And that was just insane.
I've had similar problems. When I was a professional mechanic and when I was in mechanic school, I'd done several brake jobs, replaced various suspension components on several cars without any issues save for the occasional rusty nut or bolt that needed some penetrating oil, and yet when I went to do the struts and rear pads and rotors on my mom's explorer, i had several issues. First, i go do the rear brakes. The right rear caliper's piston cracked when i tried pushing it back into the bore. So she had to get new calipers. After that, the right rear brakes went back together just fine. I go to do the left rear rotor, and even with a ton of penetrating oil, I still somehow managed to round out one of the caliper bolts. I spray on another ton of penetrating oil and try to loosen the bolt with an extractor socket, and I somehow stripped the extractor socket. Then I go to replace the struts. If you've ever worked on a third gen explorer, then you'll know how little clearance there is between the top of the strut and the floor of the trunk. Between that and the top nuts being so rusty that they no longer looked like nuts, I didn't even bother since it already has to go to the shop for the left rear pads and rotor. So I move to the front. The right front strut was a PITA but I was able to replace it. The left front strut was a total nightmare. The bottom bolt that fastens the strut to the lower control arm was rusted to the bushing, and so it just kept spinning and spinning inside the bushing, and I couldn't bang it out with a hammer. So I gave up on that and told my mom to bring it to the shop since they had more and better equipment than I. They told her that the bolt on the one caliper was a pain but were able to get it off with a pliers after grinding the head. The rear struts had to be cut out but other than that wasn't that bad. The one bolt on the strut though was a total PITA even for them. They had to hit it on and off with an oxy acetylene torch for two and a half hours to get it to come out. I'm the same way with luck as your friend. If I didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't have any at all.
I think its cool that you helped her out.
I am a mechanic in a small town so we know just about everybody. What my boss does is that if he knows it is someone that is going through hardship. He only charges for the parts at cost and a $20 repair fee. Which i think is cool of him.
Definately don't trust the stealership. We had a customer bring her car in so we could replace the trans that the dealer was going to charge her $6,000 for. We looked it up and the car was still under warranty. They were trying to rip her off.
Oh by the way my worst nightmare is when a customer does not listen to what you tell them is wrong with the vehicle. So you replace the parts they want you to replace and then they bring it back and want you to fix it for free because "you worked on it last and it is still doing the same thing".
Kinda related. I think Google is listening to my conversations and/or my Google searches. I replaced the starter on my 2000 Durango today. Maybe because I looked at videos on how to? I found it odd. Anyhow you have a great channel. Your production and content are top shelf
That being your nightmare just means that you really do car and take pride in your work. Great way you handled that situation Eric.
Similar story as a computer tech. Built a computer for a buddy and shortly after the motherboard went bad...then a second...turns out something was wrong with his power supply. Changed that and the motherboard and it was good to go. Absolute nightmare though. It sucks when you are really trying to do right, but things just don't go smoothly.
That fact that you were completely transparent is huge. I understand that isn't what the money is for, however there was a need. And you proceeded to do what you thought was right. I don't think you were in the wrong.
Totally legit F it F case. No stress my man. I wish I knew an honest mechanic like you.
Hopefully this is the worst mistakes/ ordeal I will go though as a mechanic. I built a preformance 4l60e for a customer as a take out transmission to handle 600hp. Customer doesn’t want to pay my installation cost and takes it to another shop who can’t figure out how to fully seat the converter but luckily calls me and I guided him though it. I get a call the next day transmission is not right. I end up towing it back to the shop pull the pan there is tons of clutch material in the pan and the filter is completely plugged. Tear it down nothing has heat in it converter seems good so I call the customer and let him know the install shop probably didn’t clean the cooler there was 3 missing bell housing bolts untightened exhaust bolts and a overall appalling job. I clean up the unit and get it back together and installed. Test drove it maybe 15 miles in terrible weather but it seems to shift good and had good pressures. He takes it that night and I get a call about midnight that there’s smoke coming from the truck and it’s got a transmission leak. Go get it agin. It drives on the trail and in the shop. I can’t see the leak anywhere. (Leaking from case vent) Pull the pan and first thing’s I see are: the nut that holds the manual valve is loosened off, the fluid is discolored to a yellow, and there is a fair amount of clutch material. Pull it apart and the clutches for 3-4 and second gear band have some heat in them but not like I would expect. Finally I realized that the aftermarket PWM valve in the valve body that came with his core was the cause of my problems. I thought I could block it outwards like I normally do with certain stock PWM valves but in doing so I created a leak which was burning the converter clutch out of it. Put a new valve body on the transmission set it up exactly as I was use to and ordered a new converter. Got it back in test drove it hard for about 40 miles and got a generic solenoid A code. Found a loose pin on the truck harness to the transmission and drove it another 20 miles to verify it was fixed. Customer took it agin and about a month later I get a call it’s shifting weird and has the solenoid A code agin. At this point I’m pretty much broke I was dealing with loosing my Grandmother who pretty much raised me. Being completely defeated I decided it’s best to let another shop try and fix it. I never spent so much on warranty and didn’t figure out the problem in my life. For me that’s a mechanics worst nightmare not being able to find the fix and exhausting everything you know and still coming up with failure. For me I really just couldn’t afford to fix it agin out of pocket and not get it right. I would have literally lost my shop.
Helping folks who need it is always a good thing. Just don't allow them to abuse it. It's all about the situation. A person that is having one bad time after another, still needs help.
I think you did a good job!
you did what you're supposed to do take care of someone.
When I was a brand new mechanic I did a oil change and the person had no oil .
I dropped the bolt and nothing came out.
that was a real surprise for me up until that time.
the worst thing I saw was someone running on the steel belt of a tire...... boy people do crazy things to their car's.
Replaced the rotors and brake pads for a friend of mine. Told him how to properly "bed-in" the brake pads and specifically mentioned things NOT TO DO. A few hours later after he leaves, I get a text saying that his car is wobbly when braking. Come to find out, he slammed on the brakes going 60mph+ a few times on the way home. He ended up having someone else to replace the brand new brake rotors a few days later. Another reason why I don't like to work on people's cars. They blame you for their fuck-ups.
It absolutely qualifies! I can't remember if I donated any money to fixing it forward in the past, I think I did. If I did thank you for putting it to good use, and I would like to donate again in the future.
I feel your pain. This falls into the category of, 'No good deed goes unpunished'.
Some things that have bitten me and caused me to makes some rules for myself. Your mileage may vary:
Never sell a vehicle to someone you know.
Never 'give' a vehicle to someone you know (the fact that it was free is soon forgotten and you will be held responsible never the less because inconveniencing, or costing someone more money will be the biggest factor in their mind)
Never sell or give a vehicle to a person who has health issues, or is poor (seems harsh, but you're going to own it as long as they own it).
Never sell or give a vehicle to a friend of a friend.
Never get into the middle of a transaction on a vehicle or some other mechanical device between two people.
Never recommend a mechanic, or any other kind of a service to others. You'll be in the loop when things go wrong. You may never hear from them, but you will share any blame.
Never recommend a product.
Resist the urge to help.
And there are more, but you get the idea.
You may be thinking, what a heartless asshole you are, Fred. Yeah, I know. But I can tell you that I didn't use to be. Get used a few times, or thrown under the bus by some other mechanic and the wisdom will become more evident. It's sad, it's a shame, but it's a reality, especially as society (much of it) moves more toward a sense of entitlement instead of an attitude of gratitude.
My dad fixed a lot of cars for single moms back in the day. Love men like you.
I took on a 2010 Chevy Aveo side project, it needed a head gasket; thing's still out in my garage. Friend of a friend deal. He was given a $1500 prelim on a head gasket from one place, and then another gave him an $800 one, and told him it'd take like a freaking month. I looked up the labor time and met him in the middle. Said I'd measure deck flatness and see if the 1500 was called for, and have it done within half the time of the other guy. Well, all things said, none done. It's still sitting in my garage, week later. Didn't need machining, but I haven't been able to get ahold of the timing tools, and I learned a little too late that I could take the head off without pulling the phasers, so now I've truly reached engine timing hell.
I think it's perfectly acceptable to use Fixing it Forward money for this situation. At least until you get time or an assistant to help you with these type of repairs then yeah, this is a good compromise/middle-of-the-road way to address these situations. kudos to you Eric!
that is great of you eric my hat is off to you not many people would do that...
Great Story! I’m a Honda mech by trade & training 40 years + (wow that’s freak’n old); I set my 92 Accord Wagon up for son going away to MMI /Honda motorcycles school in Orlando, We were living outside Wash DC, fixed oil leaks, steering rack seals & cv boots, everything for older car, so he leaves & get as far as S Carolina spends night next morning calls to say car was using oil, he added 1 qt, took off for Orlando gets to the school to check in & calls to say oil light was blinking on & off & oil everywhere in engine bay! Had to get someone/ mobile Honda mech to check it out, he said needed new crank main seal, new timing belt too, we had just replaced it 1000 miles ago, turns out it was cam seal I replaced behind timing belt pulley was damaged by me installing it a few days before! Wasn’t crankshaft seal after all, but it still cost to get it diagnosed long distance & repaired so my son had wheels to get to class the next week!
I'll never forget it. 20 years ago on a Monday afternoon I was laying on my back under a pickup looking at Ujoints when I heard a vehicle pull up out front and stop without shutting off. Over the squeak of pulleys on a damp day I heard the door and then a police radio. As i rolled out from under the truck I could see the spit polished boots headed my way and I knew it was the goddamned Volare. Like your girl Eric, who had not much good luck, that car had no good luck before it got to me: everything on that car had been butchered by the kid who sold it to me. From wiring in the column and dash and doors to the wiper transmission to door handles and locks and on into the engine compartment everything had been jury rigged. I worked the better part of a week of evenings with a test light and tools tracking it all down and getting everything on that car to work as designed and then I prepped it for state inspection: Everything worked. I looked blankly at the black suburban with my skin crawling when they told me that on the previous Saturday night, the Volar i sold five days earlier had crashed and burned. there were teen injuries and teen fatalities. That freakin Volare. They asked a lot of questions. I had to sit. I just had a sick feeling about that car. I still had cores and scrap drums from it and talked with them about what I did and about the feeling I had as I worked on it that the problems just never seemed to end. The trooper knew vehicles cause he just nodded and wrote and took notes never asking a tech question: He had the hands: there were no latex gloves back then so you could tell. When they were done asking me about the car they asked me if there were any vehicles on the premises I had that were finished. I showed him one. He went to the suburban, shut it off and pulled a creeper and a jack and chocks and stands and a light and a recorder from the trunk and he went to town on that car, a Caprice: he looked at everything. When he was done he handed me a card and told me he would get back to me. in the paper I later learned that the deaths were ruled accidental and that excessive speed and drugs and alcohol were involved. Sitting there with the daily paper I remembered the Stephen King movie Christine and wondered if that car was possessed or cursed: my sense of it was that bad. I later learned that they talked with my NAPA guy about what I bought for that car and I never heard from them again. I think that car taught me that there are some forces in life whose time comes to be strong and its strength is greater than even our best life force. We cant all slay every dragon Eric. thats why fix it forward is there: to allow the strength of the group to prevail over that single opposing force greater than just one of us. Ya done good.
Your a thorough guy, and a quality guy i can tell.
Thnx for all your videos, very helpful for me.
I own an 02 RL i believe it is the best car i have ever owned i bought it with 20k miles it now has 285k no problems except 3 batteries 3rd set of Michelins
I have gone through 3 moto/trans mounts that were replaced during my warranty, i think it needs another mount i can tell .... not an cheap/easy fix .
a few break jobs a fog liamp.
But this car is built very well..... parts are expensive .
A great car
I wish all mechanics had an attitude and conscience like you have Eric! 👍👍👍👍 legend
My worst was doing a brake job on my friends Jeep Wrangler. Her wheel cylinder went out and filled the drum with brake fluid, which turned into gel, which meant a full brake job. A dealership wanted top dollar because they wanted to remove the drive shafts (rear of the Jeep) to take care of the brakes and I knew I could do it without having to be so invasive. Well, one fitting decided it didnt want to come loose, so I cut, flared and mated the brake line to the cylinder. The auto parts store sold me the wrong fitting, and idiot me didnt check to make sure I was getting the right one. The line ended up blowing on her, and she had to take it to a shop to get fixed. Thankfully she wasnt in an accident, that was my worst.
You're helping someone in need - just because you know the person doesn't disqualify it from Fixing-It-Forward, IMO. Helping your fellow man (or woman in this case) is a noble cause - I don't think you'll get any grief from people who have donated. The money went to something it was intended to go to - repairs that someone was not able to pay for, due to unforeseen circumstances. All good in my eyes! If all of us did something like this, the world would certainly be a better place. You're a good man Eric - sleep well at night! 👍😊
I will donate - forward - heck yes- I offered to check the problem with a friend's dad's car. I realize once I am checking spark- timing marks don't line and the engine back-fires, that I have more than a simple. I figured it was a time chain. Took hours in the rain, outside. I was putting it back together at 10pm. I swore I would never do a job like that without a roof. I was 18 or so.
After installing a turbo kit on a 2006 Solstice, I was happily burning up some tires at the race track, when boost went from 13psi (fun) to 31psi (less fun) for about a second. After the subsequent "boom" and 100 mile tow, I found that the boost / vacuum reference line going to the wastegate had come off due to a missing hose clamp. When I pulled the head off, I found a crack in the #2 cylinder wall running the entire height of the cylinder.
After installing the new engine, I was driving the car home from the shop when the coolant temp spiked from 210° to 302° in about a second. While pressure checking the coolant system, I found that a worm clamp securing the upper radiator hose to the radiator was too big, and was letting coolant leak out. Since air doesn't cool engines all that well... So, I learned how to replace a head gasket, and started a long, fruitful relationship with the local machine shop.
After getting that back together, we had an exciting storm featuring softball-sized hail. So I learned to repair and repaint body work.
Driving it home from the shop after painting (a little over 100 miles), I heard some bad noises from the LH rear wheel. Two of the three bolts securing the hub to the knuckle were missing, and the last one was only finger tight. Luckily, the wheel did not pass me on the highway.
The car is now on engine #4, and weighs about 20lbs more than it used to, due in part to all of the LocTite that I've used.
Fortunately, this was all on *my* car, and I didn't have to worry about leaving someone else in a bad situation.
Kudos on "Fix it Forward."
I think you did the right thing. When you are dealing with older vehicles anything can fail at any time, even if you have a very reliable model. The way I see it that money was for helping people who are having a hard time and she fits that bill.
30yr veteran of the wrench wars. Had customers act like they were being broken up with when I announced my retirement.
I replaced a water pump on a Pontiac sunfire with the quad 4 for a person that was in town for a church function. I didn't know that the timing chain tensioner had to be replaced if it was removed and the car wouldn't idle correctly. The car had 60k miles at the time. I threw in the towel after 2 days of trying to figure it out and she took it to the dealership which they charged her $1400 to replace the water pump again even though it wasn't leaking. She told people in my church that I ripped her off even though I only charged her parts with the provided receipts and no labor. That was the last time I worked on someone else's car that I didn't know personally about 15 years ago. I feel your pain about trying to help someone out and it ends up leaving a sour taste in both parties mouths.
You're a social and caring guy. People are cause over their own environments. Their considerations affect the physical world. Don't take too much onto your own shoulders. don't beat yourself up. :)
no one is perfect, as long as you did your best by heart.
Continue being a nice human being, Eric.
I donated to Fixing it forward for you to help people just like this, we are good! We trust your judgement.
you did the right thing don't sweat it Eric. we all have some shitty things that snowball into other stupid issues.
The fact you fret about these things show you're a good guy. Worst story my fault, changed a friend's brakes in the rain and was going to get torque wrench when he said don't worry I saw you tighten the wheels get out of the rain. 3 days later his wheel nearly came off! I also worked on his mom's car, new pads, discs and caliper on the back, next day she crashed, he said my fault but turned out he was joking, I was ready to buy her a new car lol
That's why I don't help people get cars anymore, I don't take a look at their new cars. Because whenever I've helped, whenever something broke I would be responsible, since I suggested to get that car.
Had a Chrysler New Yorker that I knew needed a new starter, brought it to Pep Boys who told me the starter was fine after testing it. That's until they tried and remove it from the service bay, only proving me right. These things happen, sucks when it does.
This happened before I worked at a Lincoln dealer but we Had a guy not put oil in a car when it came in for service. Customer drove down the road and engine blew up. Tech paid I believe 1200 bucks to help with new motor. I had a nightmare car myself. Lincoln MKZ and continental. Tire problem after bent wheel after vibration after everything. Sheeeesh
No good deed goes unpunished! Every single time I do something nice something else bites me 😂😂
That's why I hate selling cars to friends or family or being involved in that sale at all. Helped a friend get a good deal on a used '08 Highlander after the original owner blew the motor by driving it without oil for 50 km, after realizing it had no oil, phoning us and being told to pull over and call for a tow. We put a used motor in it and were going to send it off to the auction, it was a high mileage chassis and the interior was rough. He needed a family wagon, this unit passed a safety, thought perfect. I even did all the fluids and whipped a new belt and tensioner idler on it for him. Only for it to start using oil after he had put 5,000 km's on it.
Did some oil flushes and Seafoam treatments over the next year or so and then it was fine. But god damn, try helping out and it just bites you in the ass.
I would have done the same thing. God bless you and the doners for doing it!
I did not have many but comebacks fell into the nightmare category in my case. A habit that I developed while working in a European shop was to stamp the RO that various things had been double checked. You may think this excessive but there always seems to be someone sending out a car with something loose or leaking. About getting chewed out for a mistake. It is easy for management to pick the wrong guy to chew out for a mistake, especially when 2 guys worked on the same car. I always objected to having one guy tear the car down and one put it back together. I pulled a VW engine for our "engine guy". Thinking I was doing something good I drained the oil, but put the drain plug in finger tight (thinking he would tighten it). The overhaul went out with a loose plug and it did fall out.
800 for a starter replacement? That's insane. This guy backed into me and broke my plastic bumper cover and the place I got an estimate from wanted 800 and I'm like bruh if you just buy the bumper than I'll put it on no extra charge.
My sister-in-law was suffering heart failure. Someone gave her an old car. I fixed up a car so it could pass inspection, have air conditioning, and be reliable. Probably spent close to $4,000 fixing up a $1,000 car. All she had to do was ask and I would have changed her oil but she did not and the engine cratered from oil too old to lubricate.
Sometimes, even if they are basically good people, they drive junk because they are not responsible enough to take care of a good car and junk is all they deserve because they are going to destroy it anyway.
You did right by your actions. I'm impressed by your work ethic.
My biggest problem is buying a cheap $500 car, fixing a lot of little things here and there, do all my maintenance, new tires, new ball-joints and tie rod ect... And then the transfer case and rear diff go out at the same time after like 6 months of driving it. Lol If I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck.