Entitlement at the mechanic

[greensinestro]

I hate it when it's time to take your car in for maintenance, not only because you fret what the mechanic is going to say, but also because of the type of patrons that go there. It happens at any of them, whether it's Good Year, Firestone, or Tire Kingdom.

In my case, it was The Tire Choice. Now, I get usually good service there, and do feel like they've been up front on each visit there. But, what I hate are the patrons that go there, and literally guard the front entrance, or better yet, intimidate the employees inside to let them in a few minutes before opening.

I pulled in about fifteen minutes before opening, when I saw this older guy, looked to be in his mid sixties, get out of his car with this angry look on his face. The building has three customer entrances, and he first went to one, banged on the doors with his fists, pulled on both door handles without successfully breaking them open, then went to the second front entrance, banged on that door, used both hands to try prying open these doors, and finally went to the side entrance where someone let him in. I guess the employees were afraid this guy would knock the building down unless they let him in, before opening time, we might add.

I waited my turn, and went inside at the time they normally open. My wait was not that long at all, maybe five minutes at the most. I just can't understand people like this anyway. It's not as if this type of behavior is going to get your car fixed any quicker than if you waited like everyone else does.

[Argabarga]

TIRE KINGDOM, presented by Mutual of Omaha

Sorry, my brain just works that way.



And I've found that a pretty big part of the over 60 part of the population is just that ornery..... to everyone and everything.

[protege]

I waited my turn, and went inside at the time they normally open. My wait was not that long at all, maybe five minutes at the most. I just can't understand people like this anyway. It's not as if this type of behavior is going to get your car fixed any quicker than if you waited like everyone else does.

A lot of them are retired and have nothing better to do.

But, my favorite type of idiot at the mechanic...is the one that doesn't bother maintaining his vehicle, and then throws a fit because it's going to cost a *lot* of money to get it through state inspection. Apparently, it's the mechanic's fault that their 15-year-old shitbox has its exhaust held together with tape, and has holes in the floor big enough to swallow elephants

[greensinestro]

I like that as well. Or how about when they say "how did my car get like that?" when they're the only one that drives it.

In Florida, inspection stations were griped out of existence years ago by these same people.

[Argabarga]

Far worse is the guy who disputes every single thing the mechanic finds wrong with the car, they know EXACTLY what it needs, and are ever vigilant that they're being taken advantage of, yet, somehow unable to use any of that knowledge to actually fix/diagnose it themselves.


Fortunately, I live in an inspection state, so there's objective criteria for when the car is unsafe "X or less tread on tires" " x or less inches left on brake pad" "light inoperable" Yeah, there's a few subjectives "Must not have excessive play" but, point is, they'll argue that their brakes are JUST FINE despite the fact the outer surface of the rotor has worn away and the caliper is now chewing on the cooling vanes inside, evident by the rusty brown streak of munched-up metal dust stuck to the side of the car like a bow wave....

Nope, the mechanic is crooked and selling me unessicarry repairs! I'll call the papers! I'll call the BBB! I'll call my senator!

yeah, you'll also be calling a tow truck, someone ELSE'S tow truck because this car ain't safe and if you decline the work, we are NOT letting it leave here under it's own power and we certainly not going to tow it since you spent the last 20 minutes dressing us down in every way possible....

[Aethian]

I WOSH Michigan had inspections then maybe some of these cars that are held together by duct tape would go away. But at the same time I don't have quite enough saved yet to get Mom a newer car then the poj (paid off jalopy) she has. Catch 22 on my desire.

[protege]

The only time I've ever disagreed with a mechanic...was when one wanted to sell me an "automatic transmission service..." and I drive a five-speed. Sorry, but you're not putting ATF in there, unless you want to spend a couple grand rebuilding my transmission! Picked up a few quarts of gear oil, and did it myself.

[EvilEmpryss]

I live in a state with annual inspections -- you cannot get your registration renewed unless your car passes it -- but we still have oil-leaking, black-cloud-puffing, engine-knocking, busted-headlight-and shattered-windshield-having POSes all over the road. I want to know what station these people go to in order to get their cars past inspection so they can be put out of business.

Problem is that my state also charges property tax on vehicles (above and beyond the registration and gas taxes) and the tax is based on the value of the car. That means people who are already having a tough time with finances cannot afford to buy a new (or even newer) car because they wouldn't be able to pay for the annual taxes so they keep that clunker running as long as possible. Dangerous and polluting vehicles they can't afford to repair so I'm sure that they're griping over whether or not something is a "required" repair.

As for the old people, well, they've only got so much life left before they croak, so either they do everything in a hurry or they drag their feet, in no rush to get to their Final Destination.

[Signmaker]

Back when I spun wrenches, the 5-before-opening riot squad of octogenarians was a common sight. We were lazy, deadbeat whippersnappers because we only opened at 7am. 7! Well that was practically NOON in their eyes. Nevermind that I had an hour commute to the shop, and had only left at 9 the previous night to get a rush job done. Nevermind that it had snowed a foot overnight, and the backroads used to get me from the highway to the shop had not been graced by PennDOT's presence. They'd be there, glaring at me and the service writer as we rolled into the parking lot like a couple of lazy bums at 6:45.

To top it off, we could never get away with inspection repair authorization shortcuts with them, like we could "normal" customers. What that means is if your car needs something trivial, maybe a tag light or wiper blade, we'd go ahead and replace it, and start the inspection paperwork, since chances are you wouldnt decline a <$10 repair. Not them. $1.50 for a bulb they can buy at the NAPA 6 miles away for $0.99 and spend an hour figuring out how to install themselves? You're ripping me off!

Arga, down to the cooling fins? Damn, that beats mine. Late model Pathfinder, CC of brake noise. Found the rear disc brakes no longer had pads. Not that they were down to the backing plate, those were gone too. It was caliper piston cup vs. rotor, but the rotor was winning. But my best general cluster-f was a Probe that had some weird nylon-devouring bacteria in the wiring harness. Yanno the rat's nest of wiring that lives under the engine compartment fuse block? All the wires were fine, except that none of them had a shred of insulation left, on any of them. Best I could find was some multicolored powder and flakes piled up underneath. All through the underhood wiring harness, any wire you could expose just had it's insulation crumble and fall off as soon as you moved it. Was wild.

[mhkohne]

But my best general cluster-f was a Probe that had some weird nylon-devouring bacteria in the wiring harness. Yanno the rat's nest of wiring that lives under the engine compartment fuse block? All the wires were fine, except that none of them had a shred of insulation left, on any of them. Best I could find was some multicolored powder and flakes piled up underneath. All through the underhood wiring harness, any wire you could expose just had it's insulation crumble and fall off as soon as you moved it. Was wild.

Ever figure out what it was? I know nothing, but I'd guess either excessive heat somehow (butnyou'd think thatnwould leave other evidance), or use of highly inappropriate chemicals for cleaning. Seriously wierd.

[Argabarga]

Arga, down to the cooling fins? Damn, that beats mine. Late model Pathfinder, CC of brake noise. Found the rear disc brakes no longer had pads. Not that they were down to the backing plate, those were gone too. It was caliper piston cup vs. rotor, but the rotor was winning. But my best general cluster-f was a Probe that had some weird nylon-devouring bacteria in the wiring harness. Yanno the rat's nest of wiring that lives under the engine compartment fuse block? All the wires were fine, except that none of them had a shred of insulation left, on any of them. Best I could find was some multicolored powder and flakes piled up underneath. All through the underhood wiring harness, any wire you could expose just had it's insulation crumble and fall off as soon as you moved it. Was wild.

To be fair, he was a recent transplant to the Keystone state, from a state that didn't have inspections. (Car had NH plates, yeah, "Live Free or Die" alright, more like "Live Free and Die if you stop in front of me!" har har har! ) So, well, I'm sure you were no stranger to people being told for the first time in their lives that it was not hunky-dory that their car had no metal left below the door sills and their only realistic option at this point was to put the $200 scrap value of their current car towards another one.

I've lost track of the number of dead cars I've towed off freeway medians here in such a general state of disrepair that I wondered HOW they were passing inspection, till I walked around the back and saw OH/NY/NJ plates. Then it all makes sense. The owners are always flabbergast that per PSI regs, I could fail them on sight only for the rust holes, let alone what condition the brakes/suspension were probably in.

And Mr. Cooling Vanes? That's the SECOND TIME I've seen someone do that, third if you count pictures another car guy sent me of the condition of HIS cars rotors when he bought it from the previous owner.

[otakuneko]

Arga, down to the cooling fins? Damn, that beats mine. Late model Pathfinder, CC of brake noise. Found the rear disc brakes no longer had pads. Not that they were down to the backing plate, those were gone too. It was caliper piston cup vs. rotor, but the rotor was winning. But my best general cluster-f was a Probe that had some weird nylon-devouring bacteria in the wiring harness. Yanno the rat's nest of wiring that lives under the engine compartment fuse block? All the wires were fine, except that none of them had a shred of insulation left, on any of them. Best I could find was some multicolored powder and flakes piled up underneath. All through the underhood wiring harness, any wire you could expose just had it's insulation crumble and fall off as soon as you moved it. Was wild.

That'd be the bacteria that makes nylonase -- Flavobacterium.

I know about it because I happen to like watching creationism-debunking videos on youtube (creatards say the darndest things ), in which nylon-eating bacteria often shows up as proof of beneficial mutations.

[bhskittykatt]

Arga, down to the cooling fins? Damn, that beats mine. Late model Pathfinder, CC of brake noise. Found the rear disc brakes no longer had pads. Not that they were down to the backing plate, those were gone too. It was caliper piston cup vs. rotor, but the rotor was winning.

We bought a Datsun that had no brakes left. Literally, the physical brake pedals and brake lines were about the only things that weren't replaced after we were through with it (can you tell we live in a state with no inspections?). All four drums were resurfaced, new shoes installed, and had to get a new master cylinder. We actually drove that thing a few miles home, and then later drove it to the mechanic. Hubby was following me there (we left early in the morning when there was no traffic). We hit a red light on a downhill. He was half a block behind me, and he still had to swerve to avoid hitting me. Of course, we didn't let the brakes get that bad; the guy we bought it from did though. I don't know why we bought it other than Hubs wanted a truck and that one was really, really cheap. (There was no way this truck would pass inspection in any state that had them. Not to worry, though; it has since been scrapped.)

[LillFilly]

You just described EVERY mall walker that attempted to get into my mall before opening hours! Banging on doors, hitting windows, trying to sneak in the side doors with the cleaning crew!

[retro]

Not a SC experience but this reminded me of a time when I worked in retail. We were getting talking Teletubbies dolls in and they were that Christmas's hot property so as a result we were getting limited amounts of stocks in. I didn't even work in the toy department of our shop but I did work in our news section so I had to be there early to make sure the newspapers/magazines were on sale before the store opened.

We'd get the deliveries in during the day on certain weekdays and we'd then know how many of the items we'd have to sell but to keep it fair on everyone we wouldn't put them on sale at that point. Although if someone asked about a delivery (our huge delivery truck was hard to miss after all), we'd say it was still being checked.

Because I caught a bus into work, I was usually there before the managers (I would even start checking off the delivery outside while I waited), I was always given the 'coupons' to give to the customers already waiting and every morning after a delivery they would be there queuing up at the door without fail. To be fair, they were never pushy, stroppy or tried to get in when I went inside, even if they didn't get a coupon that morning and would take their coupon (one per customer) before heading to a local cafe for a cup of coffee before returning later in the morning to pick up the item. Even if by some fluke I had coupons left over, the rest of the stock in that delivery would be gone within the first ten minutes of the shop being open.

The only SCs were the ones we dealt with later in the day or over the phone who would never wait for deliveries but wanted them NOW!

It was a fun time of year because I used to love walking up to the shop with the coupons in my pocket and ask them if they wanted a Tinky Winky or a Dipsy. Why I was never accosted on the bus or mugged on the way into work I don't know...