Thread: Rip off of the week

GM - Generally Munted
KIA - Killed it Again
Ford - Too many to list here, it's Xmas eve!!!

I've had fun with a couple of different vehicles lately, had several high faluting mechanic types look me straight in the eye and tell me complete bullshit. Trying the old "reach up the tailpipe and clean the spark plug tips on your diesel engine Sir" bullshit... I just usually start spinning the bullshit back to them and see how long it will go before they give up digging, usually I found this was what happened when for whatever reason I wasn't available and my wife went in (who is actually pretty good with mechanical stuff, I trained her up to do oil and basic servicing on the Cummins 6BTA engines and other marine gear so she was self sufficient with the basic stuff). She's called bullshit on a few mechanics in her time, usually to their embarrassment. It's a fairly recent thing for them to be trying it on me though, I guess they are getting used to people who know f-all being the usual run of customer. I'm still finding it amusing at the moment, but it's going to get on my tits shortly if it keeps on, I'm currently rating myself as better at rebuilding modern cars than most of the people who are getting paid to do it as I keep having to fix what they damn well can't and end up giving back to me with a shrug and going "I don't know". Frustrating...

Originally Posted by 308

Agreed

The one that gets me is people listing broken stuff on TardMe and saying "Could be an easy fix for someone in the know"

If ya don't know then how the fuck do ya know it's gonna be an easy fix, ya wanker?!?

Phew, now that I got that off my chest I have another acrostic for tac a1's list-

REPCO - Ripping Every Poor Cunt Off
HYUNDAI - Hope You Understand Nothing's Driveable And Inexpensive

For that statement ...sometimes. But as someone who has had soem experience with things of this nature. in many cases I can figure out what is wrong but also know that the task at hand will exceed my own skills. One example was a BMW K1100 I was offered recently. The bike had been parked on hold about 10 years and not been put into storage properly. The fuel and injection and seals were things I know I can fix...but the brake lines and caliber issues were something I have not yet figured out. So I turned it down. The owner is fully aware of the issues but does not have the knowledge / skill to repair it himself nor the finance to pay someone to do it.

Sometimes it is a case of knowing your limits....but I agree, in most cases it is bullshitting a piece of rubbish to get a beter price....

Originally Posted by timattalon

For that statement ...sometimes. But as someone who has had soem experience with things of this nature. in many cases I can figure out what is wrong but also know that the task at hand will exceed my own skills. One example was a BMW K1100 I was offered recently. The bike had been parked on hold about 10 years and not been put into storage properly. The fuel and injection and seals were things I know I can fix...but the brake lines and caliber issues were something I have not yet figured out. So I turned it down. The owner is fully aware of the issues but does not have the knowledge / skill to repair it himself nor the finance to pay someone to do it.

Sometimes it is a case of knowing your limits....but I agree, in most cases it is bullshitting a piece of rubbish to get a beter price....

Yeah fair point - the bit that gets my goat is people thinking that an expert has some magical power to wave their wand and say abracadabra and ride off with an as new K1100 for almost no real work - as Mikee pointed out downthread, even if you had the expert skills to know the way to get something fixed with the least hassle, the expert has sweated it out for years to get that skill

Now, when it comes to talking bullshit in a technical sphere, there's no beating the Turbo Encabulator..

https://youtu.be/Ac7G7xOG2Ag

.308

Now I understand where the Bolshevik Barbie got her training. Anyway back to the subject matter, I remember sometime ago standing at the counter trying to explain to the wksp manager and the head mech that Japanese MC had JIS bolt heads and not PHIL heads hence the mangled mess on side covers etc......?

Originally Posted by kristopher

.308

Now I understand where the Bolshevik Barbie got her training. Anyway back to the subject matter, I remember sometime ago standing at the counter trying to explain to the wksp manager and the head mech that Japanese MC had JIS bolt heads and not PHIL heads hence the mangled mess on side covers etc......?

Not sure what you’re on about but maybe read following link. Possibly regarding fixing head types such as Phillips,Positive-Drive,Torx,Hex,In-Hex (Hexalobular) etc they all follow same standards. https://smallworkshop.co.uk/2022/10/...and-fasteners/
https://www.fastenersdata.com/

Originally Posted by woods223

Not sure what you’re on about but maybe read following link. Possibly regarding fixing head types such as Phillips,Positive-Drive,Torx,Hex,In-Hex (Hexalobular) etc they all follow same standards. https://smallworkshop.co.uk/2022/10/...and-fasteners/
https://www.fastenersdata.com/

I think he is referring to Saint Ardern..and that he had someone fuck up his side cover bike fixings

As many women will attest to - men know what they are saying but it can come out as a private language known only unto themselves

All I can offer as commiseration is to note that the best mechanics are usually grumpy as fuck and one has to travel a bit to find the right person for any kind of specialised work

Originally Posted by 308

I think he is referring to Saint Ardern..and that he had someone fuck up his side cover bike fixings

As many women will attest to - men know what they are saying but it can come out as a private language known only unto themselves

All I can offer as commiseration is to note that the best mechanics are usually grumpy as fuck and one has to travel a bit to find the right person for any kind of specialised work

Speaking of mechanics I must say some of them clearly have a sense of humour.....Like this one we drove past...



I dont know him at all but his business name sums up most of the mechanics in the family...