Sooo, what are your Pet Peaves?

[BOSS]

Leaks!

[mocwon]

I gotta agree with the parts store 20 question routine. The best one for me was when I decided to put a GM internally regulated alternator on my Mustang. I had the alternator part # and went to the parts store and asked for it by part #. Then the questions started: what year?, "that won't help you". I need to know what year, "ok, 1970". What model? "Ford Mustang". This is for a Chevy not a Ford. "No sh!t junior, now, just sell me what I asked for."

[GMCjunkie]

Parts stores!!! Went into Napa, to get a head light for my husbands step side GMC, I needed a LOW BEAM light. They (and their computer) tried to convince me that the combo high/low beam light they were trying to give me was the one I needed, (not to mention that it was half again as big as the RIGHT one) They tried to convince me that the chevy/GMC trucks did NOT have 4 head lights. Nor seperate high/low beam lights. I said CHEVY trucks didnt, GMC trucks did. I had MY GMC Burb right out front and there was an old 72 sitting in the parking lot next to theirs for Petes sake!!! I finally convinced them and got the right LOW BEAM light,,, GEEEEEEZE... and they WER'NT kids!!!

[Fred T]

I also hate the "chain" parts stores. I have a mom & pop store that I do as much business with as possible. They cost a little more, bit it's worth it for the service. Only problem is they're not open on Sunday. Have a brother-in-law that used to manage a Napa store. They can be good stores, but it all depends on the owner & manager. Many of the Napa stores have gone to hiring the brain-dead, like AZoned and Orileys. Try going into an Azoned and buying parts for a 52. I've even been told they don't make parts for anything that old.

[Stryker67]

I have a bunch. Besides wiring and A/C, I have to deal with a neighbor that lives his car fantasies through me. I swear every time he sees me out in my shop, he comes over and stands about 8 inches from me and yammering away about how he's gonna do this or that to his car. "I'm gonna put a 502 and a 5 speed in my truck with nitrous and twin turbos and a blower, and a lift kit with a 4 inch drop and big and littles under it with 20 inch rims and, and, and .......Oh yessss!" Than he makes sure to say "I'm like you" Good grief, I don't know anybody that is "like me". Then he wonders home to sit on his back porch. Ths guy is 50 years for goodness sake!

[corn]

Ooh I have one! When you grab for the air hose or extension cord & it will snag on something when you drag it across the floor. I always think...I could never do that on purpose EVER!...

When you lose the wrench you just had in your hands 10 seconds ago...

Oh ya, the parts store guy can be fixed with "'84 GMC, 1/2 ton, 2wd, grey, 4 tires, dent in rear fender,cracked windshield, black seat..." & then ask if he needs any other info after he could have just listened to you when you ask for a "long small block oil filter"...corn

[saulgoode]

Anything electrical is my pet peeve I absolutely hate working on it.

Besides that the only other peeve I have is writing or answering a thread in ALL CAPS, is that really necessary?

Later,
Saulgoode

[GMCjunkie]

Oh yeah, Blinkers... that one buggs the crap outta me too!!!

ALL CAPS, SOME PEOPLE WRITE IN ALL CAPS CAUSE ITS EASIER FOR THEM TO READ.

[PICKMUP]

People who get so specialized, with their own little vehicle, that they have no patience with anyone else who doesn't know everything about it, like they do. Especially people who are rude and put down others trying to do their jobs in auto parts stores. Give em a break. Remember they have to deal with about 20,000 different vehicles---and people like you.

[1969 GMC]

Originally Posted by saulgoode

Besides that the only other peeve I have is writing or answering a thread in ALL CAPS, is that really necessary?

Or, When People Type And Capitalize The First Letter Of Each Word. That Is Kind Of Annoying, Too.

[Apache]

A long time ago I went to a parts store and asked about a cam for a 77 350. Guy asked if I wanted one, or both of them..... Ended up him confused looking thru 20 different books telling me the engine has 2 cams..me trying to tell him its not a over head cam engine. I can understand ppl who work there having hard time with parts....but when you TELL them exactly what you want, and they swere they are right and your wrong, that gets on my nerves.

[toddtheodd]

I hate the people that think they know everything. I spend hours and hours reading up in books, looking online, and talking to professionals about just a single part conversion (camshaft for example), then some nobody comes along and says that EVERYBODY else is wrong and that I should get ______. Parts guys are included on this. Just last week:
Me: "I need spark plug wires for a 75 corvette." (HEI thing)
He asks me all sorts of bs questions I can't answer because I don't have a 75 corvette.
Him: "Well what are they going on?"
Me: "I'm putting them on my 72 truck because I've converted it to HEI."
Him: "You're truck is supposed to have these wires ________."
Me: "Those would be the correct wires if I still had points, I don't, I have HEI, and so therefore I need the spark plug wires from a 75 corvette."
Him: "The spark plug wires would be the same for those two vehicles so you should just use these. (tries to hand me the ones for my truck)."
This is were I've hit the end of my patience. I "gently" push him to the side and take over his computer. I find the part number for the 75 corvette spark plug wires and go behind the counter and grab them. I take both sets out of the box and set them on the counter next to each other (one set is massively longer than the other, different boots for the distributor, and one has a coil wire (we all already knew this on here though)). Then I say "Do these look like the same %$@#ing wires to you?"
Him: "......................."
I just paid and left.
Now the thing that gets me the worst (and I've gotten to the point of trying to hit them) is when you're getting on the highway. You're in the onramp, with a car right behind you getting on the highway as well. The onramps land ends pretty quickly with nowhere to go and there is a lot of traffic coming. And this mother %&@#er!!! behind you floors it and jumps into the lane right beside you and then doesn't let you over. WHAT THE &%$@ !!!!! They knew that I didn't have anywhere to go and that I would have to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the guard rail. Not to mention that now I can't get over because I'm going too slow to merge with the buttload of traffic that was on the highway. I've gotten to the point that when I see them starting to try that I jerk my big a$$ truck over right in front of them so that they have to slam on their brakes.
Todd

[Mike Culpepper]

There are many but the #1 today is.....People who feel EVEYTHING is someone elses fault. No one takes responsibility!

[Apache]

toddtheodd...ive done that too. Go to look for something that has been changed from the original, and just use another year/model of car to get the part. Then they ask you questions and sometimes you dont know them, so you tell them its going on a certain car, but the part is off of something else. And they try to sell you the wrong part.

[LUV2XCLR8]

THIS IS JUST FOR GMCJUNKIE, USED ALL CAPS AND LUV TROLLS

Moderate to Nice Eating Establishment with Poor / Worthless Service, I can
get by if the food is so so, maybe I won't go back, But with Crappy Service,
it just Drives me Insane, and it is Usually my Favorite Places to Eat.

Of course, Where else, But only in The Greatest Place on Earth, USA

[COBALT]

All these are great, but I discovered a new one the other day when the husband of one of my wife's friends had a problem with his work truck. I guess my wife told his wife I'm good with a wrench. She bullies her husband to call me and ask some questions. When I tried to help him he got all defensive, and argumentative about what I was saying. Never mind the fact that his pathetic S10 pickup has a blown head gasket and he just spent $3000 to "have it fixed". He told me I didn't know what I was talking about because his mechanic didn't say exactly what I said. I more or less vowed to never help him again.

You see, now that my friends or maybe even acquaintences know that I "know things about cars" they'll ask me for help and stuff. That in itself is not bad at all. In fact it's great!, but when they ask for help and I'm willing to spend the time to work it out with them, AND they get defensive, or start arguing with me about what I know or don't know, or start humming and hawing about what I've just told them it REALLY makes me mad. I'm just being objective and I'm truely trying to help. I'm not in this for the ego boost. But when they say things like this:

"Well....yeah, but I just don't know about that...."

Or

"Sounds reasonable, but I'd have to check that out for myself"

THEN WHY DID YOU BOTHER TO ASK ME IF YOU'RE SO F%^KING SMART? I spent the time to learn how to do this stuff right. They're not willing to spend the time, but once I tell them something to be helpful they make a proclamation like they're going to go invest all this time to confirm what I said...

Drives me crazy. It makes me NOT want to help anyone....so now I think I know why car enthusiasts get grumpy after a while.

[franko72]

how about going to the parts store and it taking longer to wait in line for the part than to do the whole job!That realiy sucks!or finding out right in the middle of your job that one of your friends or family did a swing by and borrowed the only damn tool that you needed!or making a second trip to the parts store and waiting your turn in the eternal waiting process (it only seems this way when you are under the gun to get it done)

[toddtheodd]

Ok, what about this one. I'm sure we all get it. There's even a little saying to go with it. "Why buy a truck when your friend has one."
The second I bought my 72, people started coming out of the woodwork wanting stuff moved or hauled around.
Todd

[skokie]

Originally Posted by toddtheodd

Ok, what about this one. I'm sure we all get it. There's even a little saying to go with it. "Why buy a truck when your friend has one."
The second I bought my 72, people started coming out of the woodwork wanting stuff moved or hauled around.
Todd

I had that problem to so what I did to solve was this. Sure no problem that will be $50.00 for the day. Plus milage.

[kingsolver72]

How about when you need to go to the parts store,your in a hurry,but you got some wise guy slow plokin in the fast lane.You eventually get around him and get to the store and go in just to find out they don't have the bleeder screw's they said they had when you called and asked if they had them.So you go to another store and ask for your part and this Bobo says,"Why don't you just clean the old ones out?"I had to say "because my truck is 32 years old and I don't mind spending $2.75 on it.Just give me the parts."And it still takes the guy 15 min. to get the part.

[68w/sbc406]

order spark plugs for a sb 400 in a 68 chev. they are quick to point out that 400s dont come in a 68. then you tell them it is the same as a 350. bicker fight nag finally you get what you want. i go in now and establish that i know more than they do. "I have a 68 chev 1/2 ton 2wd long bed, sb 400 out of a 73 caprice and a th350. power steering, no a/c with MSD distributer" they usually listen then.
One time i went in and was ordering something and was leaning over the counter to see what the guy was looking up and he started yelling at me " I HAVE WORKED HERE FOR 20 YEARS AND I HAVE NEVER HAD SOMEONE SO DISRESPECTFUL TO LEAN OVER MY COUNTER AND DOUBLE CHECK WHAT I AM DOING!"
My responce "HAHAHA you have worked the parts counter for 20 years? HAHAHA" and left.

[hobby67stepside]

People who butcher the English language, and do foolish things like putting an apostrophe after a noun and then an "s" to show what they think is the plural form. Example: "truck's" . This shows possession, not plurality. I see this much too often on this board.
Oh yeah, I agree with cornfed. Every time I drag an air hose or drop cord it catches on everything. If I wanted it to do that there is no way in hell it would. I guess it's (contraction of it is) Murphy having a permanent perch on my shoulder.

[JoetheMobster]

Originally Posted by 3rdGenrationChevyman

yeah, sounds familiar... but with me I get the truck all apart & THEN realize I forgot something...

I third that!!!! I've done that soooo many times I don't even want to think about it anymore!

Not so bad though when you have a 2nd vehicle to get the parts.

I remember once, I had bought brake pads for all around on my car, back then I only had the one vehicle. I had JUST enough time planned out to change them, and then get my arse to work. I had the damn front torn all apart, and realized the auto parts place gave me the wrong pads!!!! I had to put it all together again, go get the new ones, and redo it all!! I was late for work.

[passthebuck]

What pics my bum is when I'm collecting the parts I need to do a job or two on my car/truck on a weekend & I get the job all apart & I open the sealed ("you cant return this once this part's box is opened") box only to find that theyt gave me the wrong parts.

[bumpster]

Originally Posted by PICKMUP

People who get so specialized, with their own little vehicle, that they have no patience with anyone else who doesn't know everything about it, like they do. Especially people who are rude and put down others trying to do their jobs in auto parts stores. Give em a break. Remember they have to deal with about 20,000 different vehicles---and people like you.

I think you missed the part about simple, I don't expect counter kids to know anything about my trucks, but I prefer not to give my life story for a non-year specific item like an 1157 bulb or a set of plugs I asked for by number. Didn't mean to step on your little toe.