Things that make you go...

[corned]

OK. I'll start. Please feel free to add your own s along the way!

I once had a Lada whatever (the Fiat 124-a-like) which someone gave me. It came at the right price. It was crap (as you would expect) and I spent approximately £0.00 on it.

The factor came when I was driving in to work one morning, down quite a steep hill and heard/felt a loud bang as soon as I pressed the brakes. This was accompanied immediately by a severe pull to the n/s. I got the car stopped without hitting anything, but had to drive home again that night, again with a hideous pull to the n/s under braking, until I could get underneath it to find the cause.

The cause was .. .. .. .. The bacon-slicer brake rotor on the o/s had failed completely around its inner circumference, around the hub. Effectively, the brake caliper had stopped the rotor itself, but not the rotor hub as this was now in two separate pieces. Ouch.

The next journey it took was the following evening when I drove it straight to the local scrappie, where it promptly ran out of petrol as they were driving it around the back. I think I got £15 for it, and felt the scrappie had been done...!!!!

So come on - we've all been young and stupid - there must be some hair-raising stories to tell...

 

[BlackC55]

Things that make you go.....

Some of the work I see from other garages.

Shocking.

 

[Ian B Walker]

My very first car was an NSU. I had a puncture and changed the wheel. I was that concerned about putting the spare wheel in the boot that I clean forgot to tighter the three wheel nuts. About 10 mins later in the center of Padderborn, the wheel fell off. Lots of onlookers and a highly embarrased me.

 

[Gollom]

Driving a green Austin Allegro up the M62 Windy Hill (about 50mph - it would not go any faster!) when I was overtaken by a wheel. Turned out to be mine - the stub axle sheared off!

 

[davidjpowell]

17 first car was volvo 343. Very rusty. Decided to treat to new oil.

Garage had an inspection bit, but was 90 degree to drive, so you had to turn hard and drive in. Did my oil change all was good. Dad had said that he would give his car on also, so left the pit uncovered.

Because of the sunlight he could not seen in the garage properly, Drove straight into pitt. oops. Was quite difficult to get his car out!

 

[whitenemesis]

First car, Singer Chamois, totally stripped and rebuilt as Monte Carlo road stage car. Blatting around the lanes in Devon, took wrong turn into a farm yard. Into reverse, spun round and sat there with steering wheel in my lap!

Splines and threads completely stripped. Only 30sec before was doing 45mph through some lovely twisty bits.....

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

When I was 17 I was driving my sisters brand new Fiesta along the very road I now live on - on a very cold day.

The junction at the end of the road is steep, known for black ice (never really sees any direct sunshine) and is into a fairly busy main road.

I knew all that and proceeded with absolute care. The car started to slide very very very slowly, and making it stop before the junction certainly made me go

 

[lynall]

Many many years ago serviced my renault 19td driving home through medway tunnel, whats that horrible noise?, stop other side of tunnel and tighten wheel nuts up.

Servicing wifes 203 and not paying attention and sticking the atf oil down the engine dipstick tube, and not realising until i couldnt select drive because there was no oil in the gearbox!



Lynall

 

[Chattonmill]

Leaving St Tropez at 10 in the morning on a Sunday and noticing a flat I changed it, went inside for a coffee came back out and noticed another soggy tyre.
Nothing opens on a Sunday in France(Or it didnt then) so ran it back to Calais stopping every 100 miles to top it up.
1.5 hrs on the ferry......flat as a pancake, so left the ferry very gently! got to the Speed bumps in customs and crawled over so as not to damage the tyre or rim......'excuse me sir could you just park over here'
Explained the problem and was asked for my documents, I had just bought the car(I am not willing to disclose the awfulness of what it was) and hadnt had the Reg document changed, the MOT was under another number as the car had a private plate on before, although it had been stamped. I had also just moved so my address was wrong on my driving license and the insurance was under my farm policy.
It gets worse........
My mate is an epileptic and haemophilliac so the car was stacked full of Needles and drugs even with a fridge on the back seat for some of them.
The Trolley mirror came out and I fear the worst, but to my amazement they then put it away and said 'on your way'......I think the whole thing was just too much for them
Topped the tyre up at the port service station and headed for Cambridge (Actually Haverhill, but that isnt something you readily admit to) I was now down to 50 Miles between top ups, eventually arrived very relieved

 

[crammy69]

I was on my first weekedn away at a little country cottage in Devon with my then Fiance. Bought a local autotrader and sawa lovely picture of a red Matra Bagheera at a dealer in Paignton. Went and bought the car for cash, which I miscounted and paid £800 more than the agreed £2000 price!. Got 5 miles from the dealer and lost of ability to change gear, called the AA and they put a temporary fix on the gear linkage. Found out my cash shortfall and managed to get the dealer to refund it (the wad of cash was still unbanked in their drawer luckily).

Managed to fill the car up for the return journey and it broke down 3 times before the AA gave up and towed it home for me. Car went for 1 2 mile drive for me to show it to a mate, then sat in the garage for 6 months before being sold for £500 with the same tank of petrol in it!.

 

[SLK350]

Use to own a Mk 1 Escort and when changing from 2nd to 3rd the gear lever would sometimes pop out of the floor! I got quite good at putting back whilst still moving.
Shocking when I think of it now.

 

[manalishi]

First time braking heavily in the wet in a new-to-me Fiat X1/9... fronts lock instantly... sliding relentlessly towards a stationary queue of traffic in Leeds city centre... releasing the brake pedal didn't help it stop, either. I might have had my eyes closed, so I'm still not sure if I stopped in time or if the traffic started to move off.

Few weeks after that I did a 180-degree spin with no provocation and at all of about 15mph.

Time to sell it to someone who'd enjoy exploring the limits a little more than I did...

 

[HowardD]

Use to own a Mk 1 Escort and when changing from 2nd to 3rd the gear lever would sometimes pop out of the floor! I got quite good at putting back whilst still moving.
Shocking when I think of it now.

My first car was an Escort Mk II, it did exactly the same on its maiden voyage. On the A4 in Slough, in rush hour traffic.

Sold it and bought a Chevette, or a Shove-it, as my so called friends used to say.