[Keith Seymore]

You know how they tell you you're supposed to replace both springs at the same time?

I only did one, to save a little money and because I was in a hurry to move on to some other projects.

This April I pulled my truck into the garage to change ball joints and front wheel bearings.

Yup. Broke the other garage door spring.

Haven't gotten back to fixing that one yet.

K

[gtohunter]

Originally Posted by FirebirdHank

Same here. Twelve foot lumber almost fits in a 2500 express van if you rest it on the dash. Almost!!!

Loaded some 16' - 1 X 12's into a country squire and they sat on the dash and hung out the back. Picked them up on the way to work so I parked backed in, with the boards up against chain link fence. Got cold that night and when I came out, boards broke the windshield, and I assume as the fence tightened up from the cold? In hindsight, I suppose I could have left an inch or two?

I'm gonna quit now, because it's making me think of some things I'd rather forget !

[66sprint6]

I did the lumber on the dash/windshield smash thing in 1989 with my two day old Jeep Cherokee. Oh, I was so dejected after that I wanted to get rid of the vehicle.
I know that these stories won't make up for the lost time and money, but hopefully will make you feel a little better knowing that you're not alone. The only way to avoid stuff like this is to not do anything at all, which is definitely worse than the odd mishap in my opinion.

[FirebirdHank]

Last week when taking the grass clippings to the village compost site, after dumping out the first container, I noticed that someone had accidently dumped their mower thatcher plug in the clippings. I knew what it was because it is the same mower that I have. I thought I should keep it as a spare but then thought "why would I ever need a spare". Then I thought that whoever left it there would probably realize it and come back looking for it so I placed it prominently by one of the signs on a concrete footing. When I took the clippings in today I checked and it was gone.
You can probably see where this is going.....I went to get the plug for my mower today from its spot next to the mower and it is nowhere to be found.
In case you are wondering, that small piece of ABS plastic with shipping is $30.50. Talk about throwing money away!

[dataway]

Hehehe ... so you are saying you found YOUR own plug and then left it there? That's great ... sorry

[OG68]

Just today, I was polishing some plug wire brackets on my pedestal buffer. One caught the buffer pad and ZING, off it went to who knows where. I spent over an hour looking and still can't find it.
It will probably show up the day after I buy a new one.

[Lightfoot]

I was running some odds and ends from my buddy's shop to his house, in one of his loaner cars, a '94 Grand Prix. He had a nice 2-wheel dolly that I was transporting along with the other stuff. It wouldn't fit in the trunk, so I set it in the front passenger floor pocket and leaned it against the seat back. Seemed stable enough. Then on my way, I came to a 4-way stop that was at the crest of a hill. Just as the car came to a stop, the dolly rocked on it's axle and kissed the top of the windshield. Put a little star break in it.
To add insult to injury, it was a HUD car. I never knew they used a special windshield for that until that happened. Since it was difficult to find a used one, my friend put off replacing it, and months later, the car got smashed when someone plowed into it while it was sitting at an intersection.

[MYGOAT]

Had a old Morris Mini, (Mr Bean Car), which needed the fuel pump replaced. Thought I would be smart and instead of buying a costly original replacement thought I would use one of those cheaper in line aftermarket ones. Decided to fit in in the fuel line that ran under the car roughly in the middle, (between front and rear wheels). Was able to just squeeze under and get a tube cutter on the line and started to rotate it and screw the cutter wheel down as i went. Just broke through and liquid started to squirt out and thought OK bit of petrol coming out but then I got this alcohol smell and noticed it was really squirting out with a bit of pressure, thinking that's weird. All of a sudden I realised, bugger, this car has hydro elastic suspension and what I cut through was not the fuel line but the suspension line connecting the front and rear suspension.
I could do nothing about it but watch as the car slowly lowered itself until it sat on the bump stops. I tell you that was one bumpy ride as I drove this car, after fitting the fuel pump to the correct tube, to the local Mini repair shop to get a new line fitted and the suspension refilled with whatever that liquid was. That was over 40 years ago and I still laugh about it.

[Greg Reid]

My wife's Volvo suffered a windshield chip and we had a guy come out and replace it. This is the car the very next day....

[GRNMTGOAT]

I know the feeling.I was trying to fit the doors on my TA.the top corner just lent against the aluminum window surround,crack. There goes the new,Pilkington date code etched windshield!!

[gtohunter]

Years ago we had a small v belt driven pedestal grinder on our work bench. It was bronze bushed and the bushings and shaft were shot, so dad brings a new shaft and bushings home, which he made at work. Problem is, he missed the detail about the left handed threads on one end of the shaft, and when I flipped the switch to grind something, the wheel came off at about 4K rpm, and danced across the hood of his Chrysler New Yorker, then hit the wall and shattered!!

[SRR]

Was doing the clutch on a friends older Ford pick up and after I got the trans in and bolted up I noticed the plate that goes between the engine and trans hanging on the old transmission...

[Chris65LeMans]

Back in my 20's, a gal I knew was having a midweek evening get together at her place, so I was taking Mulholland Drive as a shortcut. It was dark and I was taking the corners aggressively, so I didn't see an asphalt curb in the dark and hit it - blowing my front tire.

As was common in my 20's, my spare was already on the car, with another flat tire in my trunk. I decided to slowly head down the hill into the valley in search of a gas station. When I reached the station at the bottom of the hill, I realized that most gas stations don't do tire service anymore. That didn't really matter, though - I walked around to the front of the car and saw that my flat tire was now on fire.

I managed to get the car towed to a tire shop that was still open, got two new tires mounted, and even made it to that get together and to work the next day. Still not sure how I fit all of that into one evening.

That same car - probably the same year - I was driving through a parking lot when I realized that I was about to go over a "severe tire damage" (at an angle) from the wrong side. Too late to stop, I ran right over it with three tires with no damage. It tore the 4th tire wide open.

Years later, I was 300 miles from home, pulling into a parking lot when I hit a curb that I didn't see. Not only did I tear a hole in the sidewall of my new tire, the impact flexed the unibody in my VW Jetta enough that it shattered the windshield, too.

Come to think of it, I have a lot of stories about blowing tires stupidly. (I don't have room for the more recent ones.)

[OG68]

You and my daughter should get together and talk about curb jumping LOL. She jumped two 6" curbs one night with her Cruze. Took out a No Parking sign too. Beyond some scrape marks on the underbody and a hole in the front bumper cover the car came out all right.
She on the other hand had to go to the College Police Department the next day to explain why she didn't report it. (Dad's insistence)

[tigergto]

Many years ago I was changing the oil on my car, when putting the second quart in I realized I never put the plug back in the oil pan. It was in the driveway of an apartment I was renting. To make matters worse I tried to clean it up by spraying water on it from a nearby hose. OMG what a mess. The landlord was not pleased at all.

[george kujanski]

I was 18 back in the day and had a '63 Dodge Dart. Push Button trans on the dash.

I was doing a tune-up....plugs, POINTS, etc. and finished up. Go to start, nothing.

Not a problem, I say, I'll bypass it now and fix the problem later. So I turn on the key and bump the starter with a wire, (easy to do on those slant 6's), the car starts up and starts to drive away.

I don't remember what went thru my mind at the time but I quickly reached in and flipped the PARK lever down, stopping the car.

I then realized it didn't start before because I had it in DRIVE.

No harm done....I don' think anyone saw me...

I still like that push button tranny..............rev it and hit the button................

George

[OG68]

Originally Posted by OG68

Just today, I was polishing some plug wire brackets on my pedestal buffer. One caught the buffer pad and ZING, off it went to who knows where. I spent over an hour looking and still can't find it.
It will probably show up the day after I buy a new one.

Found It! 25' away over a 6' fence. (Pedestal buffer is on my service porch adjacent to the garage)

[Pontiac62]

Was about to change the oil in my CTS. Cartridge type filter up next to the engine. Put the car on the lift, and removed the filter cover to help drainage while under the car. Lifted the car up and realized it wasn’t positioned quite where I wanted it. “I’ll just reach in and put it in neutral so I can move it by hand” Can’t put the silly thing in neutral without starting it. Also can’t release the electric parking brake.
So… I crawl into the car up on the lift to start it and move it a few inches. Total running time, about 6 seconds.
I crawl down from the lift and see oil dripping out the bottom of the car. Open the hood and it looked like there had been an oil geyser under the hood.
It’s amazing what a mess less than a quart of oil can make.

[66sprint6]

Originally Posted by tigergto

Many years ago I was changing the oil on my car, when putting the second quart in I realized I never put the plug back in the oil pan. It was in the driveway of an apartment I was renting. To make matters worse I tried to clean it up by spraying water on it from a nearby hose. OMG what a mess. The landlord was not pleased at all.

I did a short stint as an apprentice mechanic when I was 16. Of course, the first thing they had me do was oil changes. First car, I was so excited. I hoisted the car, drained the oil, etc. made sure that I put the oil drain plug back in and the oil filter correctly.
Later, the owner of the garage went to move the car. He called me into his little office after. He says "how'd that oil change go?" I said "good", all happy with myself. "You missed something", he says. I went over the job in my mind. I put the drain plug back in, used the proper filter and wiped everything down so the customer wouldn't complain. "What was it", I asked. He leans over with a stern look on his face and says "you forgot to put oil in it".

[sdbob]

When SD was brand new. I did first oil change used big Fram HP filter,had to use the old screw driver trick to remove oil filter. I wanted to go cruising. Fired it up,oh **** forgot to add 5qts ,sitting there,luckily I always fill filter. Nothing adverse to this day.-Couple years ago I was still doing residential work for old customers.This one basement screen door the lady always buys. I had to change it twice under warranty,corrosion within a year. Last time she called I went,this door is shorter than standard buy couple inches. The door isnt prehung,sooo shoot 45 minutes I'm out of here. Well I cut door down,added bottom sweep ,added hinges. Went to install ,here when I cut door I flipped it over,I put hinge on wrong side,tried to change but the bottom sweep attaching screws holes would be seen on the inside. Sooo I had to run to Home Depot bought the same door,MADE SURE TRIPLE CKD this time. I have brand new door in cardboard in garage.