What is the most stupid thing you've done to a car?

bear1

Got the idea of this thread from the luxobarge section.
Basically what is the most retarded thing you've done to your car?
I'll start it off (basically a copy/paste job :P)

When I first got my 156 I took it on an EU road trip with the missus.
Roughly 10 countries and then a pop up to the in-laws before heading back to Irl.
Just had the car fully serviced with new belts and AC topped up so I knew the car was in a good way.
Driving along the German border we decide to take a scenic route to a lake.
The road was quite poor but nothing terrible.
All of a sudden the road drops and the car crashes to the ground.
I stopped for a second to check all was ok and it seemed that way so I continued on.
After a few minutes the oil light comes on, at this point I'm thinking that a sensor has gone bad - hate myself when I think of it now.
Light stays on and I decide to bring it to the nearest petrol station and have a proper look around.
After another few minutes the engine loses all power and finally cuts out.
I realised immediately what had just happened and was left gobsmacked that I had been so stupid!
Car gets towed to a mechanic who tells us the sump has a huge crack and the engine is fubbered.
Luckily we were in Poland so I bought an engine for 500e and paid a lat another 250e to pop it in.
1 week later she was back on the road. But that moment of pure idiocy cost me the guts of around 800e.

So, your turn

allibastor

Gave my car to a mechanic in Limerick to fix. 2k later and still being fixed.

bear1

allibastor wrote: »

Gave my car to a mechanic in Limerick to fix. 2k later and still being fixed.

What happened??

Supergurrier

Crossed in front of another car on two occasions while making a right turn when learning.

Besides that little of note

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

Neighbour of mine rubbed up the side of my car as he was backing out of his drive. Rang the bell and let me know about it. He was a panel beater, so he said he'd take care of the repairs FOC obviously.

He repaired his own car in no time, but every time I asked when mine was getting done, I was always told "next week." Inevitably next week would come and go, and nothing got done.

I was seriously fed up after a month, and I'd seen an old punto parked outside another house in the estate for months. I asked the owner what the story was with it. "Scrap" says he "I keep meaning to tow it out the breakers yard, the head is warped"

I told him I'd buy it off him for €50. Deal done, I hopped in and he jump started it. I drove it up the road a few hundred metres and ploughed straight into the side of my neighbours car. Out he comes shouting and cursing, I just told him "you needn't get the guards involved, you knew you were meant to fix my car"

Had to get my own car fixed myself, €800

goz83

allibastor wrote: »

Gave my car to a mechanic in Limerick to fix. 2k later and still being fixed.

Thank god it wasn't in Kerry

Truckermal

I put a cheap HID kit into it oh lord god....

MetzgerMeister

A big exhaust on a Rover 400 :pac:

Renegade Mechanic

Off road Astra anyone?
Stupid as hell but one of my favourite cars ever!:D

Tigger

Duracell Bunny wrote: »

Neighbour of mine rubbed up the side of my car as he was backing out of his drive. Rang the bell and let me know about it. He was a panel beater, so he said he'd take care of the repairs FOC obviously.

He repaired his own car in no time, but every time I asked when mine was getting done, I was always told "next week." Inevitably next week would come and go, and nothing got done.

I was seriously fed up after a month, and I'd seen an old punto parked outside another house in the estate for months. I asked the owner what the story was with it. "Scrap" says he "I keep meaning to tow it out the breakers yard, the head is warped"

I told him I'd buy it off him for €50. Deal done, I hopped in and he jump started it. I drove it up the road a few hundred metres and ploughed straight into the side of my neighbours car. Out he comes shouting and cursing, I just told him "you needn't get the guards involved, you knew you were meant to fix my car"

Had to get my own car fixed myself, €800

Note to self; always be polite to this poster

allibastor

bear1 wrote: »

What happened??

Check the engine problem post to hear the full story.

wiz569

A car was part blocking the driveway so made it a bit awkward to get in, it was do-able, have done it before, but had a senior moment and took eye off the ball, so clipped pillar/gate, badly

Mind you pillar is fine, car body not so much, first ever accident for me,

I hate pillars lol



Need to fix it for next months NCT now

darragh o meara

bear1 wrote: »

Luckily we were in Poland so I bought an engine for 500e and paid a lat another 250e to pop it in.
1 week later she was back on the road. But that moment of pure idiocy cost me the guts of around 800e.

Best part of the story.. You gotta love the Polish mechanics.

dgt

Haven't a clue, there were a few....

Seicento, tore out the back seats, inserted 2x 800 watt subs and a 3200w amp. Then put in xenon yellow bulbs. Result: a huge car that blinded everything for half a mile and shook when the subs were turned on

On my Fiesta, I stickerbombed the inside of it

Another stupid thing I did was put money into my old 406 :pac:

Maximus Alexander

Once bought a 1988 Integra from a lad down the country, drove it back to Dublin and then spray painted it matte black with a offset silver stripe running from front to rear on the driver's side. Also bought some of those chrome letter badges from Halford's to spell out Integra on the back.

We were going to try and put a turbo into it for a laugh but we ended up just leaving it in the garden for about 6 months and then, somehow, selling it on.

JohnBoy26

goz83 wrote: »

Thank god it wasn't in Kerry

Why is that?

Atlantic Dawn

Changed the oil in a car, checked the dipstick that oil was correct level, closed bonnet and started car to then recheck level after it heated up. Stupidly I forgot to put the oil filler cap on and when I reopened the bonnet there was oil splattered all over the engine. Luckily nobody else saw it or I would be a laughing stock, I wiped engine down and there was actually a kind of shine of it afterwards, not a bad end to things, could have been so much worse if I took it for a drive.

corkgsxr

Bought I 96 polo.


Shocking stuff

Dartz

According to some people, buying it. They expected me to buy something sensible, but I showed them...,

Oh, and ripping the door of a nearly new Megane down an iron gate, gouging a scrape into that cut the metal.

MAJJ

long time ago helping my Dad clean his pride and joy and I used a brillo pad, this was in days when metallic paint was exotic, . I still remember the sound of anguish from him and him trying to commend me for trying. Thankfully I didn't get to far and tcut helped. I now occassionally post on the detailing forum and even sponges and chamois cloths are bannned in my house.

Another, breaking down, opening coolant cap on side of road, burnt fingers lightly but jumped back just in time to avoid the money shot.

quadrifoglio verde

dgt wrote: »

Haven't a clue, there were a few....

Seicento, tore out the back seats, inserted 2x 800 watt subs and a 3200w amp. Then put in xenon yellow bulbs. Result: a huge car that blinded everything for half a mile and shook when the subs were turned on

On my Fiesta, I stickerbombed the inside of it

Another stupid thing I did was put money into my old 406 :pac:

Which one :pac:

When I had the polo I got in a fight with a girder in the jervis st carpark. 200 quid to fix said scratches!:( I feckin hate parking.

The previous owner of one of my cars spent 500 quid on and oil and plug change.....

theteal

timing-belt roulette

For Forks Sake

theteal wrote: »

timing-belt roulette

Head-gasket roulette on an old Astra.

Renegade Mechanic

For Forks Sake wrote: »

Head-gasket roulette on an old Astra.

Ah yes!:D Hello, brother!!

challengemaster

(unintentionally) Made it fly, with the help of a hump back bridge I was unaware of. I reckon the N15 Almera's suspension is made out of adamantium.

Dord

Dropped a spanner down the cavity in the body. It's still there.

demanufactured

Made a Citroën c4 fly over a hump back bridge at 80kph. ..how it didn't crumble ill never know

Sitec

Spent €2500 re-spraying a car worth €2500

alan partridge aha

My 1st car a 1985 MKII diesel Ritmo with huge mileage, that was the 1st mistake.

Had it about 2 weeks and was bringing my brother a few miles down the road (he was getting a lift to Uni) at 4am on a Monday morning. Had a skinful with little sleep and the road turned but I didn't. Got him into the drivers seat and i lifted the back of car out of ditch. Sobered up pretty quick I tell ya.

2 weeks later windy night, parents said don't go out, I did and ended up parking car into a falling oak tree.

Got it sorted and bout 6 months later was pulling another car and I heard this noise, so I stopped and asked the guy was he trying to start his car. He said no I think it might be yours and I looked around to see smoke billowing out of it. It would not turn off and was revving flat out so I rammed it into top and got her to stall. That was the end of the Ritmo but on the upside we were outside a pub when this happened. Every cloud and all.

sunnysoutheast

Was fiddling with my change and managed to drop an old 10p piece down into the gear change slot of my tiptronic Passat. Basically from then on it was touch-and-go whether you could get it into 1,2 or use the manual function on it.

Amazingly and bafflingly I traded the car in Hull in the UK in 2004 and, almost three years later, I was crossing the road in Hammersmith and it rolls to a halt at the crossing.

CiDeRmAn

I have owned 3 Citroens, 2 Xantias and a C5, I feel pretty embarrassed about it now... while driving my crappy Renault....
No more french cars ever!

Funky suspension = Big repair bills!