[Toyota_JP]

Lets' keep in mind here that we can't all be experts or even know the very basics about everything. We all had different exposure to different things as we were growing up. Some of us probably couldn't start a fire with a blowtorch, much less a single match but sometimes what we take for granted comes along and smacks us in the face when we least expect it.

Here are two events I'll share but slight modifications to protect people who hopefully just have other areas of expertise:

I had a classmate who read lots of stories where the hero pours whisky or vodka in the gas tank to coax a few more miles out of the getaway car. My classmate didn't realize soda wouldn't work just as well.

More recently, I met a girl in a parking lot with the hood up on her car. She was diligently using a battery terminal wire brush on the battery terminals...the outside of the terminal. I asked if I could help and she gratefully handed me the terminal brush. Being impressed she had the right tool and grasping the opportunity to further educate her, I explained, while removing the terminal from the battery, that one must use the brush on the contact surfaces. I replaced the terminal cable and asked her to try to start the car again. She turned the key, the starter whirred to life and the car turned over quite lively but didn't start. Long story short, that's exactly what the car had been doing all along, even before I arrived to help. I'm still wondering how to re-set my basic expectations of mechanical knowledge from the general public.

So, share your speechless moments but be nice. Try not to demean anyone or you will feel even worse when you stumble upon a topic you are clueless about :>)

 

[BMR]

AHahaha!!... First thing that jumps to mind is this GIF that's been going around the internet for a while now:

 

[Kingdom934]

AHahaha!!... First thing that jumps to mind is this GIF that's been going around the internet for a while now:

Was this for reals or was staged?

 

[bdy0003]

Was this for reals or was staged?

Edit: Staged. This is Martina Hill, a German comedian.

 

[BMR]

I can't say for sure, but I'd bet it was staged.

 

[O_loung1]

thank you BMR for officially derailing this thread while being completely on topic :grin:
checked out Martina Hill per bdy0003 and its a shame there are not any more auto related gifs of her. she is hilarious. NSFW.

at the very least Toyota_JP, your second person actually tried making a positive difference for herself, that's more than i can say for some people i know.

 

[Toyota_JP]

LOL! We have to laugh and it's funny they staged a clip on this topic. Clearly, the innards of a combustion engine is just a black box for lots of folks so it's no wonder the importance of regular maintenance is very difficult to get across.

Somewhere there is a story about a lady going into a parts store looking for a 710 cap for her car. There are other crazy stories that are probably just jokes. Share your funnies and your real-life episodes, especially if the joke was on you...if you are man (or woman) enough.

 

[BMR]

OK, here's a personal experience. I have a sister in-law who's clueless when it comes to cars. She only knows they need gas. Any kind of maintenance whatsoever?... Doesn't know. Long ago, she had a 70's Mustang II her father had given her when she left the nest, which she drove into the ground. Anyhoo, I got in it once to get a ride somewhere, and the first stop sign we came to, when she applied the brakes it made this horrific grinding metal-on-metal noise. I asked her "How long has it been making that noise?" Her: "What noise?". Ugh. So I fixed them for her (she was dirt-broke), and I found the pads were worn down to the steel plates, with the rivets cutting grooves almost clear through to the vent slots.

 

[Kingdom934]

Well I got one moment.

This is while back when my friend wasn't as more knowledgeable then now. A friend of mines had her dad changed her brake pads in her Camry. I guess it wasn't mention that after the pads are changed, you have to press the brakes at lease a few times prior to putting the car into gear. Mmmmm yea....

Well lets just say the damage was the garage falling onto the car causing a cracked windshield and misc dents. Car is still running though except roof leaks a bit around the 'new' windshield.

 

[ozzcaddy]

I'm in Sydney, Australia and this is going back to the 1960's. This story is about the mechanic who took a female neighbour for a ride, as such. The women who had no knowledge about cars but knew that they all worked in the same way.

The women had a VW Beetle and had taken it in to the local service station that also had a workshop for a service. In those days for service stations having workshops was the norm, before self-serve came along.

After she got the car back and thought the bill was high for the service, she started asking neighbours about it and showing the bill and what was done in the service. They had charged her to replace the radiator in the VW Beetle. As most know, they don't have radiators, the engine is air cooled.

So with the bill in hand and a few male neighbours, returned to the workshop where her money for the radiator replacement was returned. The mechanic was out of business within 12 months.

 

[tedmich]

AHahaha!!... First thing that jumps to mind is this GIF that's been going around the internet for a while now:

obvious side lighting and high production values denotes staged, actual real looks wrong on the interwebs
(same for mammaries :yikes

real:

 

[Toyota_JP]

LOL! I wonder which is the high beam?

Some GREAT submissions!

I have two more...one for later, have to find a photo I took of a car....your headlights example reminded me.

But here is one for now as relayed by my dad about a friend they had in college:

It was going to be a really cold night and this buddy had a nice older car...Studebaker maybe? He was running without antifreeze...just water...so he drained the radiator before a hard cold snap. The next morning he needed to run an errand and my dad reminded him to fill the radiator. Nah, he said, It's plenty cold out there.

 

[Toyota_JP]

While these aren't about a lack of understanding like I began the thread, they are from my on-road experiences and humorous so here they are.

This one is further off topic but I snapped it as an example of when you know the honeymoon is over. If you can't tell, he is driving, she is on the right, and the dog is in the middle.

 

[Toyota_JP]

Here is a nice job on a dragging muffler. Anyone can wire up a muffler with bailing wire but this guy used rope and a cool trick with a piece of 2"X4" to keep the muffler from putting scratches on his bumper.

 

[Toyota_JP]

And one of my personal all-time favorites. I'm told the driver is quite intelligent but gas mileage is apparently not his primary concern. Check out how low the car sits on the back suspension.

 

[Silent Runner]

How I wish I had pics! My sister and I have had a bit of a rough relationship over the last 30 years or so, but I once let her drive my modded Mustang II, 302, V-8, 4spd manual. (in the early 80's) She already knew how to drive a manual transmission very well, and near our home, she let go on the clutch and pressed the gas pedal for just a short stretch of road, just like she would have on her 1978 Civic, a 1-2 shift. Instead of going 30mph, she got us up to 65mph, with great skill, despite much traction excitement. She then said "Holy S..., this thing goes"! -Turns out she had no idea it would do what it did (16years old), but handled it like an expert!

My answer, from the passenger seat? Cough,..... uh ya, she's pretty peppy, toilet paper required....

Sister went on to have Nissan Pathfinder, classic BMW 2002, VW Passat, with manual transmissions.