I have had a lot of business working out of my garage lately and you know what really is beginning to bug me? When someone drops of their car and you SPECIFICALLY ASK THEM: "Is there anything on your car non-operative or shouldn't be touched because it is faulty?" I always get a "Oh no, the only problem is (whatever they brought it to me to be fixed)"

Then I go to roll down the window so I can crank the car and watch the engine bay and the glass falls. Or open the passenger door to get to the fuse panel and the door hinge is busted. Or lock the door with the key fob and find out the car has an alarm but no remote. Or the transmission doesn't shift out of gear on a slope. :mad:

I swear, every job I get has a hidden secret! I call the people up and hint towards the problem and then I get the "OH yeah!!! I forgot" Like the car with the alarm, I call the guy, with the alarm blaring in the background so I know he can hear it and casually ask "Yea, I know I asked you but I wanted to make sure I heard you correctly. Does your car have an alarm?" And I got the reply "No it doesn't. Well, there is one installed but don't set it because I don't have the remote":mad:

What is it with people not disclosing everything!? Are they affraid I'm going to try and sell them that repair also? Anybody else run into these issues?

I have had a lot of business working out of my garage lately and you know what really is beginning to bug me? When someone drops of their car and you SPECIFICALLY ASK THEM: "Is there anything on your car non-operative or shouldn't be touched because it is faulty?" I always get a "Oh no, the only problem is (whatever they brought it to me to be fixed)"

Then I go to roll down the window so I can crank the car and watch the engine bay and the glass falls. Or open the passenger door to get to the fuse panel and the door hinge is busted. Or lock the door with the key fob and find out the car has an alarm but no remote. Or the transmission doesn't shift out of gear on a slope. :mad:

I swear, every job I get has a hidden secret! I call the people up and hint towards the problem and then I get the "OH yeah!!! I forgot" Like the car with the alarm, I call the guy, with the alarm blaring in the background so I know he can hear it and casually ask "Yea, I know I asked you but I wanted to make sure I heard you correctly. Does your car have an alarm?" And I got the reply "No it doesn't. Well, there is one installed but don't set it because I don't have the remote":mad:

What is it with people not disclosing everything!? Are they affraid I'm going to try and sell them that repair also? Anybody else run into these issues?

Bingo... :yes: People are just scared.

I use to get stuff like that when I worked on bikes in the garage. Thats one of the reasons i didn`t work on anythiong older than 10 years old. Anything older than that and it was usually hacked together. I miss the extra money but I`m glad I`m not doing it anymore.

I dont think it is a matter of people being afraid you will try to sell them the repairs at all. I think it is a matter of these are peoples everyday cars. Things they live and deal with everyday, things that become secoind nature to them, and they just forget the problem exists at all, they just subconsciously know not to do whatever the problem is. Once a person no longer has to think to not do the problem, the problem goes away in there head.

Its like smoking, many many smokers after years of smoking grab a cigarette as soon as they get in a car to go somewhere, they dont think about it, they dont realize it, they just do it.

Jeff

I especially like the neglected ones that ran like crap way before they actually broke down. You fix a head gasket, and it still won't run right. I had a nice scanner now, so IF I choose to help someone out, I'll scan it first for codes, then we'll go over what those codes might mean, and note that since they are either part of the problem, or pre-existing, they are getting fixed. I listened to my neighbor one day, trying to start his Mitsubishi one day for about 5 minutes. When he did get it to fire, it ran really bad. I'm working on my car, and he comes over to the fence and asks me if I can do a tune-up on his car. I told him it didn't need a tune-up as much as it needed major repairs, and no thanks. :noway:

I especially like the neglected ones that ran like crap way before they actually broke down. You fix a head gasket, and it still won't run right. I had a nice scanner now, so IF I choose to help someone out, I'll scan it first for codes, then we'll go over what those codes might mean, and note that since they are either part of the problem, or pre-existing, they are getting fixed. I listened to my neighbor one day, trying to start his Mitsubishi one day for about 5 minutes. When he did get it to fire, it ran really bad. I'm working on my car, and he comes over to the fence and asks me if I can do a tune-up on his car. I told him it didn't need a tune-up as much as it needed major repairs, and no thanks. :noway:


I JUST got this the other day! A car came to me and was running rough and misfiring. I start looking at the car and noticed how bad it's been neglected and asked the person when the last time it was serviced, they said before they bought it, about 4 years ago:( I hooked up my fuel pressure gauge and there was about 25 lbs of fuel pressure at the rail. I replaced the fuel filter and the engine ran smooth. I was on the test drive around the block and the thing started overheating. I pulled over and checked it out, no visible leaks. I get it back home and call the person, which is a friend of mine. I ask her how long it's been overheating and she says for the past couple months, I asked her how often she has to put water in the radiator and she says every two or three days. Then I ask her if there are any puddles after the car is parked and she happily said nope! Oh god....I let it cool off and open the cap, fill it with water and start the engine, there are huge bubbles plopping up and you could smell the gas :( I popped off the pcv valve and looked in the valve cover and it was all white. I told her you know, I might have fixed the rough running but the head gasket is gone and it's a big problem that won't just go away. She jst said oh well and picked the car up:(

people just don't care until the car quits on them then it's "poor pityful me", "it's a pile of junk", I like to think most cars if properly attended to will last and offer good service.

My Sis in Law took her car for oil change to Wal-Mart, they would not do it until she signed a waiver! They pulled the oiil plugs and got a few drips of oil from it! She thought nothing of it...... :(

I just bought a s-series Blazer that neede intake gaskets, the guy I bought it from I have known a good while and I asked him why did he quit driving it, his answer was that by time he filled it with water, and drove it to the store and back the radiator would take another gallon, the store is about 2 miles round trip! I asked him hw long was it losing water and he told me a few years! And then he said, but it was just recently that he could fill it and it would come out from the motor somewhere when it was not running!