A lady sends her mechanic to check out the car I am selling. First thing he does is pull out the oil dipstick and announce it is low on oil and since there are no oil leaks, it must be burning oil, so he will advise her not to buy it. His check of the oil level was done whilst car parked on a steep drive and without a rag. He leaves and I immediately park on a level position and use a rag to wipe first and recheck. The oil is at the perfect and normal level. I let the lady know, who tells her mechanic who then accuses me of topping it up. I then realise it's all over. Never mind.
intrade,
Apr 13, 6:08pm
ummm yea well maybe its better you did not sell this person a car as you would be sued after 5 years when the car blows up since you last supposedly toped up the oil!
grangies,
Apr 13, 6:12pm
Oh dear. Sounds like you'd be better off without the sale, as the idiot will start picking on ludicrous things.
Sounds like the lady will never be able to buy a car, as none of them will be good enough according to that fool she is using to check them out.
Tell her if she wants a perfect vehicle she'll have to go and visit a brand new Rolls Royce dealer with $500,000 in hand.
sr2,
Apr 13, 8:13pm
Yes I've run into these "experts" before when selling a car. Some years back I was privately selling a very tidy 323, a prospective buyer had sent an "expert" to look at. When the buyer fronted up with a huge list of defects I told him that being an honest person couldn't possibly sell it to anyone due to the issues his expert had discovered. He kept offering me more and more over the following weeks until I eventually sold it to him for more than the original advertised price.
kazbanz,
Apr 14, 12:39am
hate to tell ya T gray--it was all over before he even pulled into your driveway. I bet he conveniently happens to have a "better ' vehicle he can make money from
tgray,
Apr 14, 12:44am
I hear ya. It's frustrating a little when you know they are talking crap, but you have to just take it on board and move on, which I have learnt to do. It's more of a funny anecdote now, rather than anything else.
nesta129,
Apr 14, 12:46am
No offense but what kind of mechanic checks the oil level of a car parked at a steep angle?
kazbanz,
Apr 14, 12:49am
Remember my thread from a few months back-Mechanic told my customer that what was my personal drive car for a couple of years had been clocked a couple of hundred thousand k's Then funnily enough they just "happened" to have a car for a couple of thousand more than mine available--same year slightly lower milage.
tgray,
Apr 14, 1:23am
One day I will write a book. There are so many stories to tell.
tgray,
Apr 14, 1:24am
A self ordained one.
trogedon,
Apr 14, 2:50am
Yep. Nutz.
lookoutas,
Apr 14, 3:03am
Just copy & paste. "Where's he gone!" Haven't seen a peep from jazz for ages!
nzmax,
Apr 14, 3:38am
A little off topic. its to do with checking oil, so not miles off. a number of years ago, I watched my bosses young self proclaimed "mechanically minded" nephew check the oil in his 1986 Mazda 323GT. with the engine running. Obviously it showed empty on the dipstick, so he proceeded to start pouring a 4lt container of oil into it. and yes, he still had it running. He only got about 500ml poured into it before we intercepted him and showed him how to do it correctly. Sadly it wasn't too long before this near mint low mileage 323GT was just a worthless bucket of bolts.
joanie04,
Apr 14, 5:15am
I think a lot of people even those in the trade don't check oil levels correctly. A couple of times with different vehicles and different workshops my oil levels have been above the mark. Motor still too warm to get a good reading. Have let them know as well.
trogedon,
Apr 14, 5:28am
Yek! They were excellent cars. A friend bought a brand new one in '84.
rpvr,
Apr 15, 4:25am
I recently bought a Toyota Vitz which the lady owner had always had serviced at a well known Auckland Toyota dealer. It had been serviced just weeks before she sold it, their sticker was on the windscreen,and yes, the oil level was way over the "Full" mark. I drained off over half a litre to correct it. Not good for the engine seals.
3tomany,
Apr 15, 4:37am
Dodged a bullet tgray just think if car was parked on flat land on day of sale then parked on hill two weeks later and friend mechanic checked oil again you could have been sued for a full rebuild
joanie04,
Apr 15, 4:49am
Will be interesting to see what happens with the next service. Must remind them not to over fill. I think a lot of the time they use the apprentice to do or finish off the job.
trogedon,
Apr 15, 5:07am
Must be easy selling cars in Christchurch.
3tomany,
Apr 15, 5:13am
till it gets parked in Lytteleton. CGA carries some hefty weight oil must be accurate everywhere
strobo,
Apr 15, 5:14am
Great heading there #1 I hear that now and then that statement " I'm mechanic " & know dam well it's bull sh. t , from dreamers who have no idea & havn't done the hard yards or appropriate training successfully.Those people are imposters In fact its insulting to those who are bonifide.It annoys me at times & they give the industry a bad image.They bullsh. t their way into jobs at any cost , have no career except make a $ & then con the next one until they fall by the way. I maybe good/bad cook but am no way a chef. to say I am a chef is simply fraud. No ones nothing till they make the grade. My rant over.
bjmh,
Apr 15, 3:36pm
a car painter mate and I reckon these guys who say they are a bit of a "whatever". are the the bit just below the top of the butt crack
mrfxit,
Apr 15, 4:08pm
Best job that got me started as a mechanic (no certs) was about 45 years ago as a "Gopher Plus" for my brother who did A LOT of home repairs. Had me doing all the engine work for him while he did most of the panel work.
Next best jobs were as a "Gopher Plus" again for several other firms including Car sale yards /Garage workshops /Wrecker yards & engine reconditioners. Spend most of my time IN the workshops :-).
Car yards were great back then because I would end up delivering /picking up cars all over the North Island. Now they just use transporter trucks
mrfxit,
Apr 15, 4:11pm
The worst of them we called "Ankles" , 2 inches above a heal & 3 feet below a c%n^
tgray,
Apr 15, 4:32pm
Yes, you wouldn't believe how many 'experts' come along to advise a potential customer on the cars condition. It always seems they are trying hard to impress them with their knowledge of vehicles, rather than give a true assessment of the car. Some clearly know very little.
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