Do-It_Yourself-er's. Got any stories?

Clark · May 3, 2009

Hope he had some sort of tractor brake setup to steer the thing.

Nevermind tractor brakes, he just needs some tractor weights on the front.

Jim Warman · May 3, 2009

What could be a scary "other topic".... we have the expectation that we will adhere to both "accepted industry standards/practices" as well as understand what is and isn't acceptable in terms of CMVSS (Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) as well as the US counterpart FMVSS.

Many of us don't know jack shit about these regulations.... But they have everything to do with what we can acceptably do and what we cannot....

Quick.... how close can the exhaust be to a fuel line? What about child safety seats.... As professionals, we are held to a high standard of compliance.... "WE KNOW BETTER...." - or, at least, we should. We do not have the advantage of "I didn't know....".

The DIYer, however, has (at this time) no expectation of knowing what may be right and what may be wrong.... One travesty is that the manufacturer of <whatever> might be held liable even though it is the consumer that did not read the provided instructions.

If we fuck up bad enough... we will be judged by a group of our peers in any litigation that might ensue.... those peers will have knowledge and access of these safety standards...

Todays society is litigious in nature.... lawyers can charge a "commission" on what they "win".... "Well... how lucky do ya feel, punk.... was that 5 shots or 6?..... Make my day".

We can do damned near anything we want.... but, if someone dies or is maimed because of our "oversight"..... our lives can be forever changed....

Aaron · May 3, 2009

\"Well... how lucky do ya feel, punk.... was that 5 shots or 6?..... Make my day".

Posted Image

Bruce Amacker · May 3, 2009

\"Well... how lucky do ya feel' date=' punk.... was that 5 shots or 6?..... Make my day".[/quote']

How appropriate- I just watched Dirty Harry again last night, for the umpteenth time. I never seem to get tired of old Clint Eastwood movies...

Aaron · May 3, 2009

I don't think you're allowed to get tired of Clint Eastwood movies, and keep your man card Posted Image

Have you seen Gran Torino yet? AWESOME.

jaysonfordtech · May 3, 2009

Jim were you ever given any formal training by any of your employers in cmvss? I know in my 10 plus years in the industry I have not, and I have done fords training for tech, service advisor, customer relations manager, and most of the service manager training. For the most part I did not do things that would require too much of that knowledge. More knowledge is always good but I ever even bothered to know such things as what the legal distance a fuel line had to be from the exhaust, because if I replaced either it was back into the spot that an engineer making 3x my wages intended it to go into. As for child seats, if they come out I NEVER reinstalled them. I was not going to be responsible for incorrectly installing one. I feel somewhat secure in the knowledge that my employer has way more insurance and assets then I, so they will be the target of any litigation. As an agent of my employer they bear most of the legal responsibility for the results of operations in their facility. If I am grossly negligent then I COULD be held liable, but it does take a different level of screw up I do believe. The points you raise are another reason I never do side work.

Aaron · May 3, 2009

As for child seats, if they come out I NEVER reinstalled them.

+1

Your child seat is either sitting the sideways on the seat, or laying down on the seat, so you CLEARLY know that it's not installed in the vehicle properly, if I've had it out.

Jim Warman · May 3, 2009

Aaron and Jayson... you both are on the money with the child seat thing.... It goes beyond simply installing it correctly - if one of the attaching points were to fail (floor hook, factory installed restraint, whatever) the installer could still be a correspondant.

Jayson, my only training with FMVSS and CMVSS are those sections I've perused on my own (they are available on the web for free).

As it stands, we in the trade are expected to fix things that have been manufactured according to the legislation and regulations.... leaving them in an "as manufactured" condition. Meaning no modifications.

Now, I perform many types of safety oriented inspections... Often, I will come across something that has been modified or altered from "stock". Someone has done a "unique" repair to save money or perhaps a dual exhaust been installed or some after market accessories/mods/what-have-you. If the guideline manual fails to address a condition due to a modification, then I will check CMVSS (or even FMVSS when necessary). In the case of our dual exhaust, the fuel line must be a minimum of three inches away from the exhaust.

If we repair stock automobiles with parts that meet stock design criteria in a manner that is considered to be accepted industry practice (i.e., we could find it in a workshop manual if we had to sit to the left of a judge), these regulations will mean little to us.

As for side work... I've never really done much... I was self employed for much of my life (I am a much better mechanic than businessman) so my "sidework" was usually giving discounts to seniors or others on fixed incomes and "freebies" where I desired... My insurance package was always along for the ride.

Now? I have a couple of dear family friends that get repairs done for only the price of the parts - I have several friends that get together over a two-four and polish/tinker/tweak a fleet of toys.

The chance that one of us is going to be on the receiving end of a very bad lawsuit is, currently, very slim.... but that could change with the very next knock on the door....

Raise your hands... who amongst us hasn't had to go out into the back 40 and recheck an oil pan drain plug or wheel nut torque????

FWIW... those of you with small children... here is one of many resources to make sure you are creating a safe environment for young passengers.

Jim Warman · May 3, 2009

Not a DIY story.... but worth a giggle, anyway.

I was renting two bays in an ESSO service station at the time... My wife had a friend that was living with a man that was ........ different.

He asked what I would charge to do something to his truck.... I gave him an estimate.... he asked if I would do it cheaper in his gravel driveway???????? Away from my shop, my tools, and my two hoists....

Here's your sign......

Keith Browning · May 4, 2009

Raise your hands... who amongst us hasn't had to go out into the back 40 and recheck an oil pan drain plug or wheel nut torque????

I have also layed awake in my bed wondering about things like that.

Mekanik · May 4, 2009

Originally Posted By: Jim Warman

Raise your hands... who amongst us hasn't had to go out into the back 40 and recheck an oil pan drain plug or wheel nut torque????

I have also layed awake in my bed wondering about things like that.

That would be me. One time I called a guy at work on Saturday to check to see that all the cotter pins are installed on a vehicle that I was working on Friday. I just got this "wierd feeling" on the way home from work and I couldn't get it out of my head.

I will re-install a car seat upon request, but I really don't feel comfortable doing it. I don't blame anyone who would refuse to do it. Especially you guys that don't have kids and car seats in your own vehicles.

Brad Clayton · May 4, 2009

Called a guy at home later one night after doing an inspection on his truck earlier that day. I couldn't find the razor blade I used to clean the glue off the windshield and couldn't remember if I left it on his floorboard on the trans tunnel.

Could have been bad if someone jumped in there barefoot or a baby got loose on the floor.