5.5Mviews
50 Times Car Mechanics Took Pics Of What They Were Dealing With So Others Would Believe Them
If you're counting everything down to the smallest screw, a single car has about 30,000 parts. That's way too many for us average folk to maintain. This means that over time, bad things happen, and we need to take our metal horsies to the mechanic to fix them.
But the state of some of our cars... Due to money shortage, ignorance, or neglect, we DIY or pretend we don't see a problem when it's clear that a professional has to take care of it. So when the inevitable occurs and we pull up to their place begging for help, the poor fellas know they're stuck with it for good.
There's even a subreddit for such situations. r/JustRolledIntoTheShop is a community that collects "those absolutely stupid things" that we bring, roll, or toss into their businesses and car mechanics are pretty popular there. Continue scrolling and you'll understand why.
This post may include affiliate links.
Stayed A Little Longer At The Shop To Save This Little Guy From Someone’s Engine Bay
A recent study of 2,000 American car owners support the message this subreddit is sending, too. It found as many as a quarter feel they take a risk each time they hit the road as their vehicle is currently in need of repair or no longer runs well.
The study asked people to reflect on the current state of their vehicle and tested their knowledge of car basics. Results showed an alarming number of drivers are rolling the dice on vehicles in need of work — 68 percent said their cars currently have at least one thing wrong with them.
And with so many vehicles in need of love, Americans could stand to do a bit of brushing up on how to take care of their cars a little better. 36 percent of those studied confessed they don’t know the first thing about fixing a flat tire.
Customer: "Let Me Know When You Are About To Pull My Truck In So I Can Get My Raccoon" And He Sat In The Lobby With A Raccoon Until His Truck Was Done
The survey, conducted by Cooper Tires, discovered that nearly half of American car owners think they couldn't change their car’s oil and almost 30 percent believe they couldn't even pick out the correct oil their car needs in the first place.
One in four Americans also aren't confident they could jump-start their vehicle should they need to.
Even using an air pressure gauge to check tire pressure can prove to be too difficult for nearly one in five Americans.
I Dont Condone Stealing... But Man I Want To
“Although many Americans have a lack of confidence and knowledge when it comes to vehicle maintenance, it’s important to plan ahead and take initiative," Jessica Egerton, director of marketing for Cooper Tires, said. "Don't wait until there is an issue with a vehicle. It’s why Cooper Tires is passionate about helping educate and empower car owners across the country.”
This Made Me Laugh Way More Than It Should Have
Hood Opens. Hood Is Layed Down Immediately. Tech Exclaims "Oh Hell No."
Actual Work Order At Our Shop From One Of Our Technicians
Customer Has Been Coming Since 200k Miles, Said He'd Get To 1 Million. I've Been Waiting For That Day For Years, Today He Casually Rolled Up And Asked To Plug His Tire, Needless To Say Best Tire Plug Ever
The Odds Of A Single 4 Leaf Clover Rooting Into A Fender Line
The Car Sounds Like A Cartoon
Customer Refused All 4 Tires On A Rainy Day, She Also Had To Sign A Waiver Before Releasing The Car
this person is putting their own life, and that of innocent people in danger. In Europe, you could go to prison for driving like this.
Just Crawled Out From Under A Broken Lift
I Work At A Rental Company And The Police Brought This Back...
Customer Failed To Mention The Fact That His Dog Was In The Vehicle, Scared The Hell Outta Me
Accerlator Gets Stuck To Floor. Pull On String To Unstick
Self Aware Prius Owner
This says a lot about the kind of friends he has, or the kind of town he lives in.
C/S She Hears A Flapping Noise Coming From The Driver's Side
I Am Pretty Sure I'm Younger Than The Tire
16 Years Of Writing Service And It Finally Happened. Gloves In A Glovebox
The First And Probably Last Time I Will Ever See One Of These. Jaguar Xj220 With Only 3k On The Odometer
Just Hopped Into The Shop
Work Never Fails To Disappoint
Had a friend who couldn't figure out why her interior lights wouldn't work. Reached over & scrolled the dimmer mechanism up. Voila!
I've been there. I didn't play with it, so I couldn't understand what was going on. I didn't even know where the dimmer was on that car.
Load More Replies...Once I was at a petrol station. An older gentleman was unable to leave the stand, repeatedly tried to, but nothing happened, so he just steps out of the car laughing and asks everyone: Is there anyone, who knows how a combo of an electronic parking brake and an automatic transmission work? I just got this car from the dealership and as an old school guy have no idea how this thing works. Someone showed him, he thanked them and left laughing like a little kid.
that happened to my husband and me on our trip through utha, 2 days without being able to raise the passenger window! We went to a mechanic in a town, and we left there totally embarrassed ... the mechanic was very cool, he didn't charge us, he knew what was happening the moment we told him we couldn't close the window.
I did that. Told my son to get over here and help me with the window. He got here and tried to pull it up then I checked window lock oh brother.
Now wait! I've done that a million times. They put that lock switch in such an awful place.
That's like the time I flew from Puerto Rico to St. Thomas to repair a computer with no power. I plugged it in because plug fell out. That was 1975, I'll never forget.
A friend of mine had the same problem and asked me for help. I plugged in her computer and it worked fine. Unfortunately, this led her to keep calling me for help until her computer finally stopped working completely.
Load More Replies...I took my car to the mechanic once because the digital speedometer display was broken. Apparently while cleaning the dashboard I pushed a button that turned it to km/h instead of mi/h. Luckily they didn’t charge me. And luckily no one hit my car as i was doing 25mph on the freeway. Doh!
My iPad wouldnt play sound for like months. Turns out it was muted the entire time😂😂😂
You have to wonder if they have ever even looked at the OWNERS MANUAL. ????
Got a new car and didn't know there was an activate/deactivate switch on the console for the trunk. Couldn't open the trunk with the button on the fob so took it to dealer. Felt so small when he pushed the activate button and the trunk opened!
Okay, I have a car with a window lock, first time in my life. It took me forever and a call to my son to figure it out. Embarrassed me greatly.
I did this. I told my don to get over here now and fix my window. After work he came by tried to pull it up it wouldn't work then I looked over and the window lock was on oh brother.
I actually did this one. Hanging my head in shame. Thankfully that wasn't the only thing I had the car in the shop for!
I'm an old phart. I still want to get my hands on whoever invented the power window!!
even better i had a ford service tech tell me my headlights are broken on my capri xr2 they wanted 450 to fix them , the switch was on to keep the headlights in the up position
Customer: My car won't start. Repair technician: Did you put a key in the ignition and turn??
Lost my car keys in a parking lot. Took a cab home, got the spare key, went back to the parking lot and drove home. Couldn't figure out why the car wouldn't lock afterwards. Someone had found my key and thoughtfully placed it on the windshield. My car has a safety feature that won't let me lock the key in the car.
I do most of the small repairs on my truck. One day I could not get the dome light to turn off, I tried almost everything and finally popped the bulb out. I took my truck to my mechanic and he spent about 45 minutes troubleshooting the issue. He came and told me he "fixed" the problem. We went out to my truck and the dome light was off, I was very happy. I asked him that the issue was and he told me some of the things he checked, then showed me the solution, he reached in and rotated the dimmer switch for the headlights. I felt like a fool for missing that. Cost me a $25 dumb*** fee as I called it
My dad is a satellite technician for government and regular internet providers. He got a call to a store because the satellite internet failed, that he installed a few weeks ago. He got there, and just had to plug in the internet cord to the router. He still gets paid for the service calls, because its rural and had to drive 3 hours. Another time, a technician in Quebec couldn't figure out an installation. My dad is from New Brunswick, so drove the 8hrs over there to help him. The guy had the satellite dish pointed up directly to the sky xD!!! The opposite way from the satellite position. Easy fix, long drive. Other tech was embarrassed xD
Niece said it was hot in the car - told her to roll down the window. Five minutes later, "Where's the button?" It's a 1986 Dodge Diplomat without automatic windows... She could not figure out how to roll down the window even though she was against the crank.
It just boggles my mind how car owners don't think of this sort of stuff before taking it to a garage.
Thought my passenger window switch wasn't working but figured it out fat it was the lockout button.
Had a neighbor that came to ask my husband to see if he could get her key out if the ignition. He went over, got in her car, then put it in park. Problem solved. I had the opposite problem w one of my cars. I could be cruising along &, while IN MOTION, I pulled my key out. The car kept on running! Our son thought I'd put some kind of magic spell on it, lol!
I once had someone out to look at my car because it wouldn't start. When they got there they asked me to put up the hood and try to start the car. Only then when i went through my usual routine for starting the car did i realise it was in Drive, not Park. I fake tried to start it and then started on the third attempt. I thanked them for coming, but gee i felt like an idiot. I didn't tell them why it didnt start. Never done that again since.
Thats an expensive mistake if they charge this person ... Shop rates are no joke.. lol
I had a friend who was totally unaware of the child-safe locks and how to disable the feature -- and none of his passengers seemed to know, either.
This, but at 3 in the morning. I really loved working roadservice assistance. Sigh
Surprised It Didn’t Explode Into The Shop
Customer States Temperature Gauge Is Reading Full Tank
A Girl Who Works At Sonic Just Paid Her 1k Repair Bill With Mostly 1's And 5's. Mad Resolve
Private Security Tahoe With 1” Bulletproof Glass. The Rest Of The Vehicle Is Just As Heavily Armored
The Only Worthwhile Lift Kit Instructions
When I Saw This I Told Her It Wasn't Going To Be Cheep
Just Pulled This Out Of A Customers Car Between The Grill And Condenser
7 Months Since The Last Post About This Car... He Finally Did It. Our Customer Bought This Civic New In 06 And It Has Only Been Serviced At Our Dealership. Original Motor And Transmission
Just In For An Inspection & Was Greeted With This...
This Little Girl Helped Me Check Codes In Her Owner’s Car Today. Good Girl
86 Yota. 211k Miles. In Mint Condition
They Told Me Someone Was Dropping Off Their BBQ For Me To Do Brakes And Bearings On. I Thought They Were Joking, They Were Not
Guy Drove In Like This. Another Reason Why We Are Essential
Lexus In To Pick Up Some Brake Pads
In Case You’ve Ever Wondered That The Undercarriage Of A Tesla Looked Like
That's smart actually. We are losing parts of the cars on the road, not to mention some of them get stollen while you are parked.
Which Car Has The Worst Battery Location?
C/S Lost His Keys... I Wonder Why
So this fool is driving while he's high? Better report your findings to the police.
Had An Interesting Tailgate Come In Today
A Sweet Old Lady Asked Me To Apply Her 2018 License Plate Decal Today As She Couldn't Kneel Down To Do It Herself Anymore
Customer States "I Played Edm Once And Now My Car Won't Stop Pretending It's At A Rave"
Damn that's a lot of malfunction lights! That's a total crab rave
An Actual "Key" Supplied By A Customer
Says Didn't Have A Spare, Drove For 3 Days! I Found The Spare In The Trunk Complete With Jack!
Ya Think
Sorry Officer I Didn't Know How Fast I Was Going
I Think My Boss May Be Compensating For Something With His New Toolbox
Customer Stated He Needed A Punctured Tyre Repaired, Had To Tell Him He Was Screwed
Rental Car Came Back Like This "Had A Plane To Catch"
I Replaced A Battery Last Week In A Customers Car And She Is Trying To Claim The Battery Is Causing Weird Things To Happen To Her Car Now. This Morning, She Said The Red Line Was Never There Before The Battery Was Replaced And Wants A Refund. Lord Help Me
Customer Was Wondering Why When He Started His Car This Morning, It Sounded Different. He Didn't Understand It When I Told Him He Had Been Robbed
They stole the catalytic converter, which contains precious metals like titanium, rhodium and palladium. Replacement costs can run up to $3000 depending on what car you are driving.
Note: this post originally had 153 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Some of these are pure stupidity but some I just feel bad for. Obviously no one thought them anything about cars and maybe some people don't have someone to teach them. I wish they had life skill classes in school. Cars, banking, how to write a check, credit, sewing, cooking etc. I had some of these when I went to school but they took them out a year or so after.
When I was in school, the driver's ed class taught us not just how to drive, but the parts of a car and how to maintain it. We also had home economics that did cooking and light sewing, etc. It was a well funded school. Not every family can teach these. Vote to fund schools and well rounded curriculum.
Load More Replies...If you ever need to be reminded about how dangerously dumb millions of people are (and you shouldn't, especially if you live in the US right now) just talk to doctors, mechanics, plumbers, etc. Anyone who fixes things for a living.
I never thought I'd hit worse than a pediatric ward full of kids destroyed by measles back in the 1990s. And then Covid hit... Turns out there's worse than kids in the USA of all places dying of measles. It's .... Yeah. Fixing? We're lucky if we don't break, too.
Load More Replies...My ex was the epitome of why mechanics get a bad rep. A very dear friend recommended my ex to his employee, who had a classic Chevy El Camino. It was an absolutely beautiful car in "Plum Crazy" purple. I WATCHED as he and his dipshit buddy backed it into the shop - and right into the end of the engine hoist. It put a huge dent in the tailgate. They went ahead & did the work requested (brakes & an LOF, I think). My friend brings the guy over to pick up the car and he freaks over the dent. My ex tries to tell him that it was there when the car showed up. My friend takes one look at my face & knows that I KNOW, he's lying. I've never been more humiliated in my life. Lost the ex, kept the friend.
And these folks are on the road driving next to you...
I dont understand the level of poverty in some of these pictures.. stealing some parts-driving without a tyre..just cant get my head around
in the 'old' days, my dad believed girls should be able to do basic maintenance/repair on their cars. fast forward 50 yrs and i am lost w/all the new crap as well the computers in cars. now, i call my great mechanic, curtis, and just tell him that my car is 'screaming' at me, telling me to have [blank] checkes and i would like him to shut it up
It is ridiculous on modern cars! To specialised to be able to fix anything. I'd never realised how much of a difference there was until my bf at the time bought a mach 3 escort. It stopped working once when we were driving, and I was thinking, like with any modern car, it was going to be a big expensive hassle. But he just broke open a pen, took out the spring, used it to hold whatever it was (something to do with the alternator?), we drove home and he fixed it properly when we were there. Old cars aren't safe re crashes etc but by God they were easier to maintain
Load More Replies...Back in 1971, a customer came in to get her car. She paid the bill, went outside and claimed that her car had been damaged in the parking. We went outside to see a crunched area where the damage was all the way down to bare metal. She claimed that the damage wasn't there when she brought the car in for service. We pointed out that the rust on the bare metal couldn't have possibly formed during the few hours her car was in our possession because it hadn't rained for many weeks. She disagreed. Yeah, right.
I ran an auto parts shop for a few years and during the busy season (mid-March through Thanksgiving) I would frequently have to deliver parts myself. I have actually patted fenders and apologized to cars for being owned and driven by total idiots.
Interesting. Some were just plain unbelievable.............can't believe some are so DUMB!
I have to admit I took my 21 foot RV in for a winterization and the tech opened the lid and there was a bee hive growing in there.. I had left it next to the house with a heavy tarp over it...
Hello! I am so glad to found your website on google and found it very useful and Informative and I shared your website with my all colleagues and friends and they are really happy with your website information. if you have a scrap car or junk car and want to sell it for top cash and also get the best services then get in contact with our company NSW EXPRESS CAR REMOVAL and get the best car removal services. Link: nswexpresscarremoval
My heart was broken. I never believed I would get my ex back until Dr Akhigbe brought my ex in 48hrs with a powerful love spell. It is reliable to get a positive result, contact the spell caster for a love spell by email: drakhigbespellhome7@gmail.com or WhatsApp on +2349021374574.
Some of these are pure stupidity but some I just feel bad for. Obviously no one thought them anything about cars and maybe some people don't have someone to teach them. I wish they had life skill classes in school. Cars, banking, how to write a check, credit, sewing, cooking etc. I had some of these when I went to school but they took them out a year or so after.
When I was in school, the driver's ed class taught us not just how to drive, but the parts of a car and how to maintain it. We also had home economics that did cooking and light sewing, etc. It was a well funded school. Not every family can teach these. Vote to fund schools and well rounded curriculum.
Load More Replies...If you ever need to be reminded about how dangerously dumb millions of people are (and you shouldn't, especially if you live in the US right now) just talk to doctors, mechanics, plumbers, etc. Anyone who fixes things for a living.
I never thought I'd hit worse than a pediatric ward full of kids destroyed by measles back in the 1990s. And then Covid hit... Turns out there's worse than kids in the USA of all places dying of measles. It's .... Yeah. Fixing? We're lucky if we don't break, too.
Load More Replies...My ex was the epitome of why mechanics get a bad rep. A very dear friend recommended my ex to his employee, who had a classic Chevy El Camino. It was an absolutely beautiful car in "Plum Crazy" purple. I WATCHED as he and his dipshit buddy backed it into the shop - and right into the end of the engine hoist. It put a huge dent in the tailgate. They went ahead & did the work requested (brakes & an LOF, I think). My friend brings the guy over to pick up the car and he freaks over the dent. My ex tries to tell him that it was there when the car showed up. My friend takes one look at my face & knows that I KNOW, he's lying. I've never been more humiliated in my life. Lost the ex, kept the friend.
And these folks are on the road driving next to you...
I dont understand the level of poverty in some of these pictures.. stealing some parts-driving without a tyre..just cant get my head around
in the 'old' days, my dad believed girls should be able to do basic maintenance/repair on their cars. fast forward 50 yrs and i am lost w/all the new crap as well the computers in cars. now, i call my great mechanic, curtis, and just tell him that my car is 'screaming' at me, telling me to have [blank] checkes and i would like him to shut it up
It is ridiculous on modern cars! To specialised to be able to fix anything. I'd never realised how much of a difference there was until my bf at the time bought a mach 3 escort. It stopped working once when we were driving, and I was thinking, like with any modern car, it was going to be a big expensive hassle. But he just broke open a pen, took out the spring, used it to hold whatever it was (something to do with the alternator?), we drove home and he fixed it properly when we were there. Old cars aren't safe re crashes etc but by God they were easier to maintain
Load More Replies...Back in 1971, a customer came in to get her car. She paid the bill, went outside and claimed that her car had been damaged in the parking. We went outside to see a crunched area where the damage was all the way down to bare metal. She claimed that the damage wasn't there when she brought the car in for service. We pointed out that the rust on the bare metal couldn't have possibly formed during the few hours her car was in our possession because it hadn't rained for many weeks. She disagreed. Yeah, right.
I ran an auto parts shop for a few years and during the busy season (mid-March through Thanksgiving) I would frequently have to deliver parts myself. I have actually patted fenders and apologized to cars for being owned and driven by total idiots.
Interesting. Some were just plain unbelievable.............can't believe some are so DUMB!
I have to admit I took my 21 foot RV in for a winterization and the tech opened the lid and there was a bee hive growing in there.. I had left it next to the house with a heavy tarp over it...
Hello! I am so glad to found your website on google and found it very useful and Informative and I shared your website with my all colleagues and friends and they are really happy with your website information. if you have a scrap car or junk car and want to sell it for top cash and also get the best services then get in contact with our company NSW EXPRESS CAR REMOVAL and get the best car removal services. Link: nswexpresscarremoval
My heart was broken. I never believed I would get my ex back until Dr Akhigbe brought my ex in 48hrs with a powerful love spell. It is reliable to get a positive result, contact the spell caster for a love spell by email: drakhigbespellhome7@gmail.com or WhatsApp on +2349021374574.