Car guys: Worst repair job you've ever seen?

[K_W]

In line with the worst smell thread... some things that stink don't smell.

What is the worst repair job you have ever seen?

For me... I delivered a part to a tire shop and the Master Tech was changing the oil on this little Suzuki hatchback and he called me over to see what he found underneath.

The bumper and fenders were a couple of shades off the rest of the car and when you looked under you could see why. The car had a lower front damage accident and in the repair process they tried to replace the K frame and 2 of the six bolts had either stripped or refused to come out. Instead of solving the issue they cut the K frame at the back bolt mounts and butt welded the rest of a replacement K frame to the 2 old mounts while it was still on the car... Not only was it a crusty porous butt weld but they could only weld about 3 sides of the frame while it was on the car so the top was open and then they had sprayed it with what looked like Krylon. You could see water had gotten in and the joint was badly rusting.

 

[Fargo]

Tire rotation on a half ton 80s suburban where one rear tire lug nuts were only hand tightened. My mom was driving it to church the next morning when the tire separated and went rolling down the road for some distance until it smashed in the front end of a pick up coming the other direction. The brake assembly gouged a long line in the asphalt but we didn't hit anything. This all happened directly in front of the shop that had done it and the pick up that got smashed belonged to a tech from that shop. He wasn't the one that had done it, but I'm sure he had some choice words for his coworker.

Years later when I worked in an auto repair shop, it's still had me always paranoid about making sure all the Lugnuts are tight. I always started them by hand, spun them on with the impact and then went over them with a t bar. I always hated people that slammed them on with the impact and swore I wasn't going to be that guy.

 

[chef larry]

Tire rotation on a half ton 80s suburban where one rear tire lug nuts were only hand tightened. My mom was driving it to church the next morning when the tire separated and went rolling down the road for some distance until it smashed in the front end of a pick up coming the other direction. The brake assembly gouged a long line in the asphalt but we didn't hit anything. This all happened directly in front of the shop that had done it and the pick up that got smashed belonged to a tech from that shop. He wasn't the one that had done it, but I'm sure he had some choice words for his coworker.

Years later when I worked in an auto repair shop, it's still had me always paranoid about making sure all the Lugnuts are tight. I always started them by hand, spun them on with the impact and then went over them with a t bar. I always hated people that slammed them on with the impact and swore I wasn't going to be that guy.

When I worked at a sears auto center the standard policy was to use a torque stick on the air impact and then make sure with a torque wrench.

 

[hopper68]

1/2 inch x 6 inch x 9 inch chunk of bondo fell off a guy's door. The paint underneath shined better than the paint on the repair.

Guy bought a truck with a "rebuilt engine" had a top end noise. Cam and lifters were worn out. One lifter so bad you could turn it upside down and use it as a golf tee.

Heard about but not seen. Shop replaced front brakes complete with rotors and calipers, could not get bled. Customer gets towed to another shop and calipers were on wrong side, putting bleeders at the bottom.

+1 on starting lugnuts by hand, running up with impact and rechecking with bar.

 

[deo62]

Delivery truck taken to local muffler/garage for leaky exhaust. $300 later, lasted for a day, ask me to look at it and found coffee can and hose clamps! Nothing like a good ole professional repair.

 

[femurphy77]

A co-worker used a block of 2x4 between the frame and alternator on an old diesel rabbit to tension the alternator. PVC pipe for exhaust pipe on another occasion .

 

[hopper68]

Lincoln with a 460 in it. Somebody built a single exhaust system using 2 inch pipe. They ran one side out the back then blew an 1 1/2 hole in the side to y in from the other side.

 

[bobjones223]

SOOOO do personal hack jobs count?

In college I fixed the flexible wire mesh exhaust line on my car with steel wool and JB Weld!

LOL I have probably just black balled myself from the Classifieds section, the gun smithing section, and the reloading section!

 

[edporch]

Tire rotation on a half ton 80s suburban where one rear tire lug nuts were only hand tightened. My mom was driving it to church the next morning when the tire separated and went rolling down the road for some distance until it smashed in the front end of a pick up coming the other direction. The brake assembly gouged a long line in the asphalt but we didn't hit anything. This all happened directly in front of the shop that had done it and the pick up that got smashed belonged to a tech from that shop. He wasn't the one that had done it, but I'm sure he had some choice words for his coworker.

Years later when I worked in an auto repair shop, it's still had me always paranoid about making sure all the Lugnuts are tight. I always started them by hand, spun them on with the impact and then went over them with a t bar. I always hated people that slammed them on with the impact and swore I wasn't going to be that guy.

Whenever I get new tires, I go to the shop with just bare lug nuts so I can check them in the parking lot when the job is done.

I have YET to find a tire shop that properly torques the lug nuts to what the spec sheet calls for.

Some over the years have let me torque them myself.

But usually I get the same BS about how they properly torque them, so I don't need to.

 

[bocefus78]

Delivery truck taken to local muffler/garage for leaky exhaust. $300 later, lasted for a day, ask me to look at it and found coffee can and hose clamps! Nothing like a good ole professional repair.

 

[deo62]

yep^^^^^

 

[halfmileharry]

New car dealership on the S.Side of indy replaced the L 1/4 panel on a new Chrysler. The 1/4 panel fell off the car within a week of the repair.
The tech apparently used door skin adhesive to try to replace the 1/4 with.

 

[ces6508]

Had a shop replace both tie rod ends. Different shop then did an alignment.
After about a week, the wife came in and said "the van drives funny". I got in and took it around the block. Boy, was she right, you couldn't keep it in the road.
When I checked, I the left tie rod did not have a nut. It was just setting in the hole!!!

 

[RustyHornet]

How bout some rear frame rails on a 1970 camaro made from spray foam and undercoating. Same car also had new 1/4 panels installed overtop of the original rotten ones...

1" thick bodyfiller on a 1963 Corvair....

"Professionally rebuilt" 428 cobra jet in a 1969 Torino Cobra. Just forgot to torque the main cap bolts. Oh and never fixed the crack in one cylinder wall.... Charged the guy $13k for that fine work.... It cost him more with us to repair what the last guy screwed up....

Then there is a 1969 Roadrunner that had the 1/4 panels stuck on with 3-4 brazed tacks and a crap ton of duraglass..... Same car also had a "professionally built" 440 by an "automotive legend" whose written countless articles for many of the magazines. The owner was told the engine had all new parts installed. It was pulled apart for a reseal and we discovered an old used up crank that had been balanced a couple times and welded on as well as turned.... Needless to say, that one also got rebuilt correctly.

Those are the only ones that stick out right now. In referance to wheel torquing, in our shop if one wheel comes off they all get backed off and re-torqued. Started by hand, run on with 3/8 cordless impact and torqued to spec with a proper torque wrench.

 

[churchmouse]

How bout some rear frame rails on a 1970 camaro made from spray foam and undercoating. Same car also had new 1/4 panels installed overtop of the original rotten ones...

1" thick bodyfiller on a 1963 Corvair....

"Professionally rebuilt" 428 cobra jet in a 1969 Torino Cobra. Just forgot to torque the main cap bolts. Oh and never fixed the crack in one cylinder wall.... Charged the guy $13k for that fine work.... It cost him more with us to repair what the last guy screwed up....

Then there is a 1969 Roadrunner that had the 1/4 panels stuck on with 3-4 brazed tacks and a crap ton of duraglass..... Same car also had a "professionally built" 440 by an "automotive legend" whose written countless articles for many of the magazines. The owner was told the engine had all new parts installed. It was pulled apart for a reseal and we discovered an old used up crank that had been balanced a couple times and welded on as well as turned.... Needless to say, that one also got rebuilt correctly.

Those are the only ones that stick out right now. In referance to wheel torquing, in our shop if one wheel comes off they all get backed off and re-torqued. Started by hand, run on with 3/8 cordless impact and torqued to spec with a proper torque wrench.

If you do not torque properly when the car rolls it will loosen the nuts. They might feel ok until it rolls out for a mile or 2 and hits some chuck holes.

 

[RustyHornet]

If you do not torque properly when the car rolls it will loosen the nuts. They might feel ok until it rolls out for a mile or 2 and hits some chuck holes.

Yes sir. Forgot at add that part. Lower the car till the tire just touches the ground so you can torque. I always at least roll them around the lot and do some swerving, then bring it back in to check the torque.

 

[Spear Dane]

I once saw a station wagon that had been painted lime green...with a brush.

 

[churchmouse]

I have to admit that when a very young man with a new baby and recently laid off I fixed the exhaust on the wifes car with "2" beer cans and some muffler tape my Dad had in the garage The cans were steel and the repair lasted until her brother wrecked that car.

 

[1911ly]

I looked at a Chrysler Station Wagon one time. I thought I should look under it. I found the frame was rusted way on one side at the rear leaf spring mount. Someone took the jack and wedge it in threw the shackle and rested the body on it. I passed on it.

I bought a Gremlin really really cheap with a bad radiator. Or so I was told. When I got under it I found a glob of radiator sealer snot stuff, the silver kind hanging off the lower radiator hose. The clamp was just loose. It looked like a new hose. Someone just didn't tighten the clamp. I pulled the radiator and the think must have had 10 tubes of that stuff poured in it. I flushed it out. Reinstalled it and all was fine, but for the heat core. It was packed full. I swapped the in and out and about half way threw the winter the core finally opened up. That was a good day to finally have heat! In my younger days I drove some pretty crappy cars, lol. Most of us did. And yep, I too have temp fixed a few tail pipes with soup cans when times were tough!

I bought a 68 Camaro that was suppose to have a Competition Engineering build 327 small block with 202 heads blah blah blah... It had a pretty thumpity cam. I drove it about 6 months and it went bang. It dropped a valve. I pulled it apart to fine a junk yard motor with a big cam. It had dropped a valve. It beat the crap out of the head and the block. The next engine was done right though.

I don't hardly trust anyone to do car work these days. I have one local place I use from time to time.

 

[long coat]

Not a repair, but a install.
A trailer hitch with missing/wrong bolts.
Trailer wiring on a mini van with the wiring just pushed under the rear inside panels, not hooked to anything.
This was from a place near 465 and 69, where you could rent a truck and/or trailer and move .
I'm not sure if they wanted a crash involving their stuff or just didn't know what they were doning.