What really p!sses me off!

[blackcat4866]

Re: What really p!sses me off!

The Ford dealer started this sequence of events for me.

On my 1989 Festiva the transmission seals failed and all the trans fluid leaked out. First I lost 5th gear, then 4th gear, then 3rd gear. By the time I got to the dealer I was going as fast as I dared in 2nd gear. The drive train was still covered within the 100K mile warranty. After a good deal of discussion, the dealer did rebuild the transmission.

A few days later a friend pointed out that my reverse lights remained on constantly. The dealer was disinclined to repair the problem, since that would involve disassembling the transmission a second time to reposition a linkage inside the transmission. When I tired of that discussion and lack of progress, I posted a large sign in the rear window explaining why my reverse light remained on ... and the name of the dealer prominently in large characters.

After about 6 months of that, and my sign looking worse for wear, I tossed the sign and connected the reverse lights to a separate toggle switch. It works almost identically to the brake light arrangement above. Just as a final note, that Ford dealer declared bankruptcy about 5 years later. I hope I had some small part in bringing that to fruition.
=^..^=

[Iowatech]

Re: What really p!sses me off!

I guess if this is going to include stupid driving stuff, I probably should bring up the blind drivers that ran into me.
I drove a bright red minivan (Ford Windstar) for work for a while, and it got crashed into four times. One t-bone from someone backing out of a parking lot, and rear ended three times, mostly in town so the speed differential was not that large, and I was able to drive away in all cases (and none of my car stock was ever damaged either), but I did get my bell rung a couple of times. (Takes a few cases to stretch that out of the neck.)
I will never have another red vehicle ever.
Oh, and Cat, it was kind of unclear but I hope you aren't still dealing with the Festiva anymore. Because that was the second car to hit the minivan. While I was able to drive away, the Festiva was salvage and the lady driving the thing had to go to the hospital. I still feel bad about that.

[allan]

Re: What really p!sses me off!

For the number plate wipers.

Take a needle and adjust the wiper liquid nozzles all the way up to spray over your car.

[ZOOTECH]

Re: What really p!sses me off!

Gene, a bright red car? Were you advertising for 'Target'? (Pun intended)

[NeoMatrix]

Re: What really p!sses me off!

For the number plate wipers.

Take a needle and adjust the wiper liquid nozzles all the way up to spray over your car.

Tap a small hole into the exhaust manifold and connect a wiperwasher unit with bottle full of waste oil. Press the button for a few seconds to force a few drops of waste oil into the hot exhaust and watch blinding blue smoke out the exhaust of your car.I recon the guy tailgating behind you will be so busy trying to see he will be on the brakes hard.

Each your heart out Roulette Fighter pilots.... ....o .....o .....oo





Disclaimer:- Do not try this at home, we are trained professanals, proficials professionals.

[allan]

Re: What really p!sses me off!

Whahehe. Brake fluid makes very nice smoke. Or if your a bit of an environmentalist use Propylene Glycol (smoke machine fluid) for a really intense effect.

[emujo]

Re: What really p!sses me off!

Speaking of Ford, and although this wasn't really Ford's fault, I was very displeased with their troubleshooting....

My Mother in Law had a Ford small sedan about 1 year out of the factory warranty. She kept on telling us that when she drove the RPMs were always in the 3K range, even at highway speeds. She took it in and they diagnosed it as needed a transmission flush, so $200 later still has the issue, She took it back in 2 or 3 times over about 3 months and each time they diagnosed it as something else, did the work and sent her on her way with the issue never fixed. One day she needed to get some errands done as she was getting on in years asked me if I'd chauffer her around for a few hours. I thought it would be a good time to see if the car really gave her the problems she said she was having (never drove before this). We spent the morning running around and the car shifted as expected, all 4 gears and OD worked so I said to her they must have actually fixed it the last time...On the way home it started raining, state law says light and wipers on while raining so while driving about 55 I turned on the headlights. Immediately, the engine dropped into 3rd gear and the RPMs went up to about 3.5 KRMPS. Lights off and back into OD, lights on and back into 3rd gear. (She had driven this way during a rainstorm from SC to Florida). I said great, this should allow Ford to fix it this time, and the next morning, she was T Boned by a young lady resulting in a total loss. I just find it hard to believe that Ford had no tech pubs addressing an electrical issue with the lights and the transmission controls. If she had brought it in again I'm sure they would have recommended a new transmission.

[NeoMatrix]

Re: What really p!sses me off!

Whahehe. Brake fluid makes very nice smoke. Or if your a bit of an environmentalist use Propylene Glycol (smoke machine fluid) for a really intense effect.

Ya ya ya yah... rolling my grubbing hands together with a snickering smirk.

Look out Road Runner, Wyle Coyote has a new Acme toy....








FYI. I can't stand that Road Runner bird... (It really does peeve me off.)
Throughout my childhood cartoon viewing years, I just wanted to see that Road Runner bird flattened just once.

[blackcat4866]

Re: What really p!sses me off!

...
Oh, and Cat, it was kind of unclear but I hope you aren't still dealing with the Festiva anymore...

It got totalled by a road grader a few years later. I left a vicious baseball sized red paint mark on one of those 8 foot tall tires. I was fine. The road grader did a 540 in our road, which was quite a sight! There were no headlights on this road grader in the pre-dawn. That's my excuse anyway. =^..^=

[Tonerbomb]

Re: What really p!sses me off!

Ya ya ya yah... rolling my grubbing hands together with a snickering smirk.

Look out Road Runner, Wyle Coyote has a new Acme toy....

But Does It go BooooMM ????????????????????

[anothertech]

Re: What really p!sses me off!

Finally, after 5 years, discovering the secret to being a company technician:
The Numbers are akin to the sword of Damocles every bloody day, that's why I've capitalized their name. So they don't zap me for disrespecting The Numbers.

Playing "The Numbers game" by remaining paged to a call that has been completed physically, but not logged as "complete" in the mobile device, while repairing another machine that does not have a call on it, using parts that are from strip and salvage (not in inventory) is apparently a no.

"That's a No-Go, Private."

So...
If I create calls to repair machines without using inventoried parts, my callbacks percentage goes through the upper atmosphere, as do my customer hours (bad thing and good thing, respectively). If I play The Numbers game my customer hours stay around where they're supposed to, but my calls per day count suffers.

The big secret:
THERE IS NO POSSIBLE WAY TO MAKE EVERY SEGMENT OF THE NUMBERS OF OUR CORE METRICS BE IN THE RANGE OF "EXCELLENT" OR "OUTSTANDING" AT THE SAME TIME. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE. The way the company wants us to work is different from the way our manager (who is an amazingly good person, I've never worked for a better manager) wants us to work, which is itself different from the way the customer expects us to work, which is also vastly different from the way we are able to make ourselves work.

Stress is like pain, it lets you know you're alive.

Wow, well put my friend, perhaps we work for the same company because I feel the same way.

[NeoMatrix]

Re: What really p!sses me off!

But Does It go BooooMM ????????????????????

Ooooooh!!!!!!

Now you've done it.....!

The brain is ticking over with an idea for a fuel air mixture down the tail pipe....

Jet engine afterburners anyone ?



Look out Road Runner, Wyle Coyote is going supersonic....

[ZOOTECH]

Re: What really p!sses me off!

Ooooooh!!!!!!

Now you've done it.....!

The brain is ticking over with an idea for a fuel air mixture down the tail pipe....

Jet engine afterburners anyone ?



Look out Road Runner, Wyle Coyote is going supersonic....

With a hefty order of re-fried beans, you'll have a potent fuel/air mixture - how to get it down into the tailpipe is the problem.

[Iowatech]

Re: What really p!sses me off!

It got totalled by a road grader a few years later. I left a vicious baseball sized red paint mark on one of those 8 foot tall tires. I was fine. The road grader did a 540 in our road, which was quite a sight! There were no headlights on this road grader in the pre-dawn. That's my excuse anyway. =^..^=

Glad you're OK after that! (I imagine that stung like the dickens for a while, though.)
Um, I hope this isn't problematic, but seeing a road grader do a 540 would be pretty cool, even for the puny ones that are out here.

And that actually brings up something slightly related: If it is foggy (or snowing) during the day, use your freaking headlights! (Low beams, please.) It won't help you see any better, but it will help me see you.
On a further kind of unrelated note, it is considered courteous (and the law in at least parts of the U.S. I think) to use turn signals when switching lanes on a divided highway. So please do that too.

[slimslob]

Re: What really p!sses me off!

Glad you're OK after that! (I imagine that stung like the dickens for a while, though.)
Um, I hope this isn't problematic, but seeing a road grader do a 540 would be pretty cool, even for the puny ones that are out here.

And that actually brings up something slightly related: If it is foggy (or snowing) during the day, use your freaking headlights! (Low beams, please.) It won't help you see any better, but it will help me see you.
On a further kind of unrelated note, it is considered courteous (and the law in at least parts of the U.S. I think) to use turn signals when switching lanes on a divided highway. So please do that too.

I got a warning once for driving in the rain during the day without my lights on.