what is the worst mistake your mechanic done to your car ?

[guidedog]

the last one was no split pin in front wheel bearing in a front wheel drive car ,and wheel just about fell of traveling at 100 klm down the highway .car just pulled hard to the left ,lucky i stopped it in time before it fell of or car may have rolled over if wheel had fallen of and front end dug into road. reply i got sorry mate .and thats all ,someone could have died ?

[TC200six]

Sorry to intrude in this thread, this is only what I've seen happen, not my car.

Years ago when I was doing work experience at a Holden dealership, an apprentice drove a customer's Commodore onto a 4-post hoist and somehow managed to accelerate over the stop bars and crashed into a metal bench, forcing the wall behind it outwards. It completely smashed up the front of the car with a folded bonnet and all. As soon as we heard the bang, everyone in the service area stopped what they were doing and crowded around the hoist.

[guidedog]

oh no ,not the apprentice

[seedywagon]

Sump plug half out leaving the workshop, fell out in the driveway and created an oil puddle that stained the driveway for years.

[03 GHIA]

Not mine but m uncles car, mechanics apprentice only hand tightened the front left wheel nuts. Wheel came off on the highway doing ~85, did a fair bit of damage, which of course the workshop paid for.

[XR6T0Y]

Parents car - over tightened sump bolts. Now has a permanent leak unless they can rethread them (they will)

[roberts]

Originally Posted by TC200six

Sorry to intrude in this thread, this is only what I've seen happen, not my car.

Years ago when I was doing work experience at a Holden dealership, an apprentice drove a customer's Commodore onto a 4-post hoist and somehow managed to accelerate over the stop bars and crashed into a metal bench, forcing the wall behind it outwards. It completely smashed up the front of the car with a folded bonnet and all. As soon as we heard the bang, everyone in the service area stopped what they were doing and crowded around the hoist.

eyewitnessed this same sort of accident at another dealer, in my case another tech was directing the other up a hoist and got pinned between the bench and car he lost is leg and it haunts me to this day (the blood, the look on this face and his screams)

[roberts]

Originally Posted by seedywagon

Sump plug half out leaving the workshop, fell out in the driveway and created an oil puddle that stained the driveway for years.

finger tightned sump plugs is the biggest causilty in workshops,
the common reson why it happens
tech finger tightens it and forgets
tech tell apprentice to tighten plug why looking for a spanner someone else calls him away
and the most common, smoko van rocks up. how many times have you had smoko and forgot where your unto.

[ea90_S]

worst ive seen is apprentice mechanic tighten up wheel nut with rattle gun..kept on it it for to long...WHeel nut and stud starting spinning together!!

[XARATE]

Worst mistake ive had was by a qualified "mechanic" with 20+ year of experince.
I had a new brake line made from the mater cylinder to abs unit, idiot messed up the flare for the master cyl connection relying completely on the thread with no sealant to hold the fluid in. Doesnt take a genius to figure out that wont hold.

I left his workshop and went to stop a the childrens crossing on the next block- car kept going! He frikin lucky i reacted correctly and quickly.

Funnily he never ended up billing me for that job? Lol

Worst mistake ive made (as an auto elec) was removing the drivers seat from a VZ ss ute and got the slide rail caught on the sill panel leave a nice size dint and a big nasty scratch. Boss wasnt happy

[Sprint]

rebel ford left my bellhousing bolts loose on my xr8 sprint, glad i checked the work, was not happy.

one actually fell out and went bye bye

[guidedog]

accident happen to easy when we get rushed all day long (i might be bitt slow but i very rarely make a mistake )and that is better than having to do it again

[guidedog]

Originally Posted by XR6T0Y

Parents car - over tightened sump bolts. Now has a permanent leak unless they can rethread them (they will)

same thing on my xr6 au , and that was a s---- job to do .just about had to take sump of to get job done

[JC807]

cable tie on an intank fuel pump outlet line. lasted a year until i used E10 100octane fuel.

[Thunder]

Set fire to my XA "Project Thunder" rebuild, Write off.

[2011G6E]

Not exactly a "mistake"...well...I suppose it could be classed as such, but the work was done properly.
We took the 1970 GT Cortina we used to own many years back to a Ford dealership to get it tuned up and serviced as 1: I didn't have the time because of work (and the twin point Mallory dizzy was a pain in the **** to do at home), and 2: I had an account at Ford meaning I wouldn't have to pay for it straight away.

A friend of mine is a photographer, and was going to photograph stuff for a job he had got at a beach carnival at Bargara beach for some high school. It turned out that I had the day off, so I went with him to be a bag carrier...think golf caddy but instead having a bag full of cameras, lenses, and film slung around your neck...
I was standing near him while he was photographing a bunch of kids lining up for a race down the beach, when I heard a familiar roaR of an exhaust. My mate said "Isn't that your car?", and I turned to see my GT roar around a corner and head down the esplenade, two young guys...one driving in what looked like overalls...and a couple of girls in the back going for a joyride.
My blood was boiling, and half an hour later when my friend dropped me back at Ford, there was my GT sitting there waiting to go. The service manager was all smiles...until I angrily told him what i'd seen. I demanded to speak to the head guy at the dealership, and gave him an earful as well. When asked, the apprentice sheepishly admitted he had taken it for a bit of a too long "test run" after they serviced it.

Lesson to be learned? Don't joyride in a customers car...especially when IT'S THE ONLY DAMN ONE OF ITS KIND IN TOWN...
Outcome? Didn't have to pay for the service, got a voucher to have the car detailed by the mob that did the cars at the dealership, and was told my next service would be free too if I chose to bring it back.
Score!

[poppa smurf]

vehicle in for a rear seal on a gearbox.....seal replaced but oil level not checked nor topped up (oil leakage was the reason we took it in)

we blew the gearbox 800 k's from home, lack of oil

[Franco Cozzo]

I had just finished a service on a customers car, and I'd forgotten to tighten up the wheel nuts on the front right wheel, mechanic drives it out to the customer, then comes back in, puts it on the hoist again, I put the car up in the air, he puts it in drive and the front right wheel was wobbling on the studs.

Oops.

Another time I didn't move the oil drainer out the way completely and I lowered the car onto the edge of it smashing off a number plate.

Another mechanic at the dealership I was working at while he was an apprentice took a car out for a test drive after servicing it, and completely totalled a customers new $70K S2000, they got their car replaced and free servicing for life.

Drilling the mounting holes in a new ambulance for the interior fluro lighting, I was using a long 1/8th drill bit, I got distracted half way through and forgot if I had drilled the holes when I came back, so I went to check with my drill bit, I felt some resistance, so I drilled again.

I ended up drilling 6 holes in the roof, oops.

Putting in an m8 nutsert into a new ambulance for the wiring loom main earth, I didn't realise it was a thin panel, behind that is the outer skin on the top of the van before the roof.

I've gone through with a 1/8th drill bit and hit it, but didn't go through, and its left a dint in the van, I did this to 11 vans before someone noticed.

Then someone tried to fix it and made them all worse

[mex351]

Mechanic left his apprentice in charge of his shop for 2 weeks and the young fella drove my 475 HP XD ESP to get KFC with his mates every lunch time.Split bore when I got the car back and no-one owned up to anything so I got left with a bill and a engine that needed a new block.

Wasn't till I met the apprentices mate years later did I find out the true story...not happy at all but what can I do now.

[RHR]

Had the rear brake lines replaced as per recall on my BA. When replacing they moved some brackets that hold the lines causing them to rub on the inside of the wheels.

Were only just rubbing and a couple hundred kms later the lines ruptured and the result was a long fading brake pedal.

Was lucky when they went cause i was only a few kms form home

[PHANTMXR6]

My mechanic over tightened the turbo oil supply fitting in the block causing the block to split.
My mechanic is me.

[RASER]

I saw a wheel come off a Commodore once, sorry but it was REALLY FUNNY :-)

On the way back the Holden dealer service vehicle was attending to it....lol

[TC200six]

Originally Posted by roberts

finger tightned sump plugs is the biggest causilty in workshops,
the common reson why it happens
tech finger tightens it and forgets
tech tell apprentice to tighten plug why looking for a spanner someone else calls him away
and the most common, smoko van rocks up. how many times have you had smoko and forgot where your unto.

Along with lose sump plugs, I wonder how common it is to replace an oil filter not realising the seal of the old one is still stuck to the engine? That would be an easy mistake to make since the seal comes off with the filter 90% of the time.

[DJM83]

Nothing major, just left the symposer pipe off and a socket in the stone tray

[Road_Warrior]

Unplugged the thermofans in my BA and didn't plug them back in

And on my Mrs' car, ascertained the trans "needed a service" and the trans fluid was "grubby" based on an external oil leak (no, he didn't remove the level plug to actually check)

[the_doc]

First car was a ’71 Capri 1600. Uni exams around the corner and no time to change the clutch so took it to a mechanic nearby. Next day driving to uni and the car vibrated and got worse on and off throttle. Suspected it was related to the work done, so pulled over and checked underneath. Noticed only one bolt left holding the tail shaft – ant it was almost sheared off!

[supershifty]

Not a life threatening situation in my case: Usually work on my own cars. Ring gear teeth finally gave up, I was busy/lazy so delegated the job to local mech. 2 days later there's a "death rattle" like a spun bearing and trans fluid leaking from the bell housing. I pulled the inspection plate and discovered the torque converter bolts were loose, also guessed they'd damaged or not replaced the input shaft seal when refitting the trans. I left everything as it was, put the inspection cover back on, rang the mech, and called a tow truck. I didn't tell the mech what I'd discovered - just acted dumb and waited for his call.

I get the call that the car is ready. I arm myself for the BS scenario I'm gonna get from him and prepare myself for battle!

It all goes north from here. The mech explains that they had made a mistake by not tightening the bolts, and had also damaged a seal on the box causing a minor leak. He then cashed me up with $80 for the tow fee and profusely apologised.

True story - really!

[raised by monkeys]

had new wheel studs put on. the apprentice done it, also in the process knocking the ABS speed sensor. Argued witht he mechanic, who was also a golf partner. He wouldnt replace it so i told him i wasnt returning. Went to a brake a clutch specialist workshop. I asked them JUST to check it out so i could go back to the original mechanic and have evidence that it was hit. Well the brake and clutch specialist replaced the part without authority and slugged me with a massive invoice. Told them they were useless kents.

Now only go to ONE mechanic. He is the most chilled, honest and truthful mechanic alive. The only mistake he has made is not pulling out my 5.0 stroking and camming it for me... just for a present =P.

All in all, a good outcome to find a reliable and well priced mechanic i can sit and have a beer with.

[Olbucko]

Mechanic changing wheel bearing on front of Subaru Forrester forgot to tighten bolts holding the Knuckle to bottom of the strut. Next day with my wife driving the front Knuckle and wheel fell off. fortunatly at low speed on a dirt road.

Later after the car was towed back to the workshop my wife said she could hear the owner of the shop roasting his mechanic from the street outside.

[guidedog]

Originally Posted by Olbucko

Mechanic changing wheel bearing on front of Subaru Forrester forgot to tighten bolts holding the Knuckle to bottom of the strut. Next day with my wife driving the front Knuckle and wheel fell off. fortunatly at low speed on a dirt road.

Later after the car was towed back to the workshop my wife said she could hear the owner of the shop roasting his mechanic from the street outside.

yes mine was a subaru liberty ,same thing