Don't laugh - trying to translate from a non-car person

These types of people are dangerous when they walk into a parts store.

They have to walk in with the registration to tell you what kind of car it is they own, but they can tell you what color it is without looking at it.

bangsheadoncounter

iceracer wrote: My daughter in law was driving her Escort on slicks on the front, the rears looked new. Quote. " I never look at the tires".

reply: "oh, that's OK, the coroner will inspect them as a routine part of the investigation."

hotrodlarry wrote: These types of people are dangerous when they walk into a parts store. They have to walk in with the registration to tell you what kind of car it is they own, but they can tell you what color it is without looking at it. *bangsheadoncounter*

"I got a new car!!!!"

"Neat, what kind?"

"A RED one!"

curtis73 wrote: We rebuilt a BMW ZF tranny with 180k on it and never had a fluid change. The whole shop reeked of burnt ATF for two days. When she picked it up I told her that she needs to change that fluid about every 60-80k. She laughed and though I was just trying to get more money out of her. "Nice try" she said. "Thats a 'sealed-for-life' transmission." :facepalm:

To be fair, that was probably drummed into her by the "experts" at the dealership. This "sealed for life" transmission BS always reminds me of the old story of Rolls Royce (or was it Bentley?) making engines without gaskets back in the 1920s, because they were "so accurately machined" they supposedly didn't need them. Of course they leaked like sieves after a few dozen heat cycles. If only boasting and chest-thumpery could keep a car running...

In reply to hotrodlarry:

My favorite personal experience like that were the times people came into the Tire & Service Place I worked at where a guy came in and was very sure that he drove a 1986 Oldsmobile Buick. "It is an OLDSMOBILE BUICK, THAT IS WHAT MY CAR IS, 1986!". It was actually a 1984 Oldsmobile Delta 98. I can't even remember what kind of nonsense he was in there for, probably the cheapest tire the store carried.

Hey, now the cheapest tires the store carries are usually pretty fantastic for rallycross.

curtis73 wrote: We rebuilt a BMW ZF tranny with 180k on it and never had a fluid change. The whole shop reeked of burnt ATF for two days. When she picked it up I told her that she needs to change that fluid about every 60-80k. She laughed and though I was just trying to get more money out of her. "Nice try" she said. "Thats a 'sealed-for-life' transmission." :facepalm:

Well, it was sealed for life, wasn't it? The original oil was still in it when you rebuilt it...

glueguy wrote: So a family friend who would be a sterotypical "car is an appliance-transportation-pod and what do you mean I have to change oil" type bought a Cruze and swears that the car doesn't have spark plugs. Am I missing something? It's just an Ecotec, isn't it? I'm trying to figure out what the SALESWOMAN told her that got us to this point?

fify. Explanation- In 1983 (yeah, "a long, long time ago..."), having just become a three-kid family, my (now) ex and I went looking for a cheap family car. Ford dealership. Escort SW. Just what I wanted/could afford. Bought it. In SPITE of the saleswoman informing me that this model was one of only a few that had a new device in the transmission that didn't allow one to shift into the wrong gear!!! Synchronizers. That's what she was talking about. Honest to God. So, if the car-tarded family friend was told by a car-tarded sales(person who regardless of gender lacks enough something to know anything about cars so the other salespersons pranked her by telling her "Look! there's no spark plug wires! Because IT DOESN'T HAVE SPARKPLUGS!! and are even now laughing their fannies off every time she repeats her newfound knowledge) Then she probably really was told NO SPARKPLUGS!! and has every reason to believe and be amazed at how someone who knows cars couldn't have heard of this already.