People that won't maintain their cars

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Drew99GT

Joined
Oct 11, 2002
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Doesn't it just make you want to punch them in the face? Well, if it's your brother maybe...........has less than 3,000 miles on a Jiffy Lube oil change that is going on 1.5 years (can you say, short trips?). His GMC Jimmy has had an external coolent leak since a remanufactured motor was installed from the intake gasket failing and killing the motor (4.3L), coolent filled the motor to the brim. He has a stupid #@$%! K&N intake kit; the #@$%! filter constantly falls off the end of the tube etc. etc. etc., tires are always at about 20 psi. I've offered to change the oil and do a full look over for, you know, a couple beers (free!) or something and he just blows it off.
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OH WELL!!
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PENNY WISE POUND FOOLISH (although some of you would call me that since I'm a cheapskate with oil/filters/fluids in general but I change them and maintain my vehicle!)
 
Oh, and the freakin vacuum actuator for the front slip joint/differential has been busted going on 2 years now, no 4wd and he's always bitching about how it sucks when it snows. The part has been sitting on the garage shelf the whole time...and he knows how to fix it. I just do not get it.
 
Ya, but it still makes me mad. He'll be up a brown creek with no paddle if his truck dies. Won't even let me check the oil; "it's a new engine, it doesn't burn oil" he tells me. Wouldn't be surprised if it had about a quart and a half in the sump. I can guarantee you there's no coolant in the reservoir and the rad is down below the filler neck. not good with Deathcool.
 
It sounds like he won't learn unless something bad happens as a result of his negligence. Or maybe he just won't learn, period.
 
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I hear ya...my buddy is like that with all his vehicles..latest one is his mercedes suv...the basard. He doesn't care if all the #@$%! idiot lights and message center warnings are going..he just drives it and waits till something breaks. And the inside looks like sh!t.


I feel for you man...
 
People smoke and take chances with their safety and security all the time. It's self-abusive behaviour...IF they know it's risky. The under-maintainer is similar, but different. Sometimes they simply don't know or really don't care, because they are uninformed or don't see the cause>>>effect. We BitOGers know how stupid and in-denial the average person is, be it cars, health, living in general...are we now surprised by it??? I think also it's lazyness. Think also about the guy who won't go for a medical check-up...because they don't want to find a problem or even pay for the medicine!!! One thing for shure about BitOG, it's made me VERY wary of used cars, and I have a new Acura to thank for it. Anyway, I do a lot of car maintenance, and get to the point where, I'll let people know what/how to care for their car and tell then they can ask me for help anytime, but that's it. No sneaking a q into someone's car...sounds bad, but I just assume see them blow an engine than get that feeling I'm "nagging" someone. Those days are over.
 
Best advice I give now is to tell people reset the trip-o-meter and after 1000mi check the oil and air. if people put a lil effort into it, I help them further.

fwiw, I was under the 98 CRV doing the OXY sensor (wires soldered and shrink-wrapped) and noticed spot rust on the floorpan and trans tunnel. It took a full 15 min with a wire brush and a can of blue metallic Rustolium to re-do the underneeth. That is advice I gave out a bunch of time and never really applied myself in earnest. Now, the rust is abated 5 years for $3 and 15 minutes. Makes sense, but how many people actualy would do the procedure? 1/100.

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Your right people won't do it, much less make the effort to get under their vehicle. Its an investment into your machine and some people can't even invest in returning a email with more than one word.
today took my 15 minutes to wire brush all the buildup in on my pulleys then cleaning them with spray before putting on new serpentine. That 15 minutes may have added some big life to that belt.

my bud lets it break then gets it fixed..lets it break then pays again.

Next time I see him...smack!
 
A friend came over to my house to have me check the oil about 4 months ago. I pulled the dipstick, and it was about 1/2 on the stick. I filled it up, and he was on his way. A few weeks ago he asks me a question. It started with the words "I tried starting my car, and bang". So I asked him if he had touched the oil since I touched it last. He said no. I said the engine is toast.
 
Drew, a word to the wise. When you do some work on a car or truck that belongs to a person who maintains cars like that, you will get credit for anything that goes wrong with it in the future.
 
Quote:

Drew, a word to the wise. When you do some work on a car or truck that belongs to a person who maintains cars like that, you will get credit for anything that goes wrong with it in the future.

Click to expand...

Big 2nd. He should just stay away from it altogether.
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I always enjoy the horror stories. About 15 years ago, I had a cousin who bought a new VW Golf or Jetta right after graduating college. The car ran fine for a number of years, until one day the engine seized. It seems the cousin never checked or changed the oil, ever, in that whole time. Not one time.
 
How about the people that can't be bothered to replace a blown headlight?

I can count on seeing at least two cars with one blown headlight on my 15-mile drive home from work. Very occasionally I will see a car with two blown headlights--nothing but the parking lights are working.

This is in a state that has a safety inspection program, too. (I think that's just about useless).

I really wonder if this is the result of "depolicing".
 
My bud with the oil-less engine, had to be demanded to pull over. He was like “I will check it tomorrow” Mind you he had to get home from Queens to Jersey and it has been making noise for a few days. He would have seized that sucker.

And your right if we touch a car already headed down the tubes, we will take on the blame when it does. Just like when you fix a users pc... I get blamed when they kill it with porn or spyware, because I fixed it last.
 
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