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View Full Version : Your mistakes....what are they?



DaveL485
06-06-2012, 18:12
Today I left a bit more skin under the bonnet of a Renault. Minor, regular damage.

However. Previous offences.

Refilled the oil before looking at the sump plug sat on the turret :cry:

13mm spanner slipped off and I cheese-gratered my knuckles on the turbo of my 21. Threw the spanner across the garage in a huff, it hit the floor, hit the wall and smacked me square in the head :laugh::laugh::laugh:

Undoing the rear diff filler plug on my Renault 21, it was resisting. I was pulling the ratchet toward me, under the car. Braced on the opposite wheel with my leg and gave it some welly. The alloy bung cracked off suddenly, and as my arms jerked forward I smacked myself in the face with enough force to see stars :eek::laugh::wasntme:

It can't just be me....what have you done to yourself in pursuit of Renault perfection?

D4WNO
06-06-2012, 18:17
Walked into Turbo Developments an hour ago and the side door fell on my head with comedy timing, the lads found it very funny (I'm sueing - :laugh:)

Regarding other injuries, Adam tends to get them all as he does the bulk of the maintainence on my car - my hands stay pretty as I wear gloves :D

markey b
06-06-2012, 18:20
Mine are all usually north of 30psi ;-)

andybond
06-06-2012, 19:16
Being speshul , and after a quick 30 minute blast putting the flat of my hand on a turbo.

That was keen for a while.

Smelled like chicken tho. :crap:

DaveMayGTT
06-06-2012, 19:50
All I have managed to do is slam my finger in the door of my new Renault company car this morning. The rest of the day didn't get better

These posts however put a big smile back on my face, classic.

Steven Leece
06-06-2012, 19:57
I gave myself a weld burn when some splatter went down my sleeve!!

Not making that mistake again!

Got a good scar tho!!

http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u420/sleece10/73d978d1.jpg

Nottswoody
06-06-2012, 20:11
Not so long back while fitting a new speedo I drove to work and noticed it Didnt work so got to work popped the bonnet reached in under the turbo and noticed smoke then realised I just ruined £80 Bergius jacket on my turbo completely melted the sleeve.. The next day same thing but with a north face top div and the speedo still didn't work... Doh :wasntme:

Sparkie
06-06-2012, 20:44
fitting an engine into gt turbo, had hand on front crossmember. - reached through the engine crane and turned the lowering bar to lower the engine into the bay.
i turned the bar too much and the engine dropped 3feet into the bay.
Was wearing latex gloves and noticed a slight tear in the glove. - i then noticed that i'd nearly ripped my little finger off - skin was hanging off the bone.
had to goto hospital,- a few stitches and ive now got a working finger an an inch long scar :agree:

rs250nut
06-06-2012, 21:00
I gave myself a weld burn when some splatter went down my sleeve!!

Not making that mistake again!

Got a good scar tho!!

http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u420/sleece10/73d978d1.jpg


Big bit of spatter then, thats a nasty burn.

TNT ANDY
06-06-2012, 22:06
Just paid Alex £62 instead of £26 like a dousche bag for some parts LMFAO.

I asked for the remaining back and he told me to Feck off and took the piss.

Quality bloke:agree::agree::agree::agree:

Steven Leece
06-06-2012, 22:09
Yeah quite a big bit! Was made worse by the fact my jumper held it against the skin and I couldn't get it out of my sleeve fast enough!

Won't make the same mistake again!! Very sore and very slow healing!

DaveL485
06-06-2012, 22:32
putting the flat of my hand on a turbo.


Owwwwwwwwww.... feeling that.

LiamR
06-06-2012, 22:50
Working on my 5 in about 2004. The wire attachment that holds the bonnet to the crossmember had snapped off.

I was drilling out the rivet with my right hand and holding the metal wire with my left.

BIG MISTAKE........

The metal wire wrapped around the drill bit and then my finger.Quicker than I could react.... Crack......it constricted on my middle finger and snapped it off.

It was left hanging on by the skin at the bottom of my finger :cry:

A few weeks off work, an operation that I watched and a treat of a smelly infection later, my finger was reattached.

Its fine apart from having no nail now.

Def wont be doing that again!:wasntme:

Sparkie
06-06-2012, 23:18
i was also one time under my lowered gtt, adjusting the handbrake , whilst id jacked the car up with just the renault scissor jack. i was lying along the whole length of the car.
i also had the rear wheel off.

the car slipped sidewards, the centre screw of the jack dug into my coat and bent, and the car basically stopped fall flat with my chest.
only thing that saved me was the bent centre screw.

i managed to undo the zip of my coat and wiggle out of the jacket and under the car.

was nearly a gonner.:disagree:

Tony Walker
06-06-2012, 23:25
i was also one time under my lowered gtt, adjusting the handbrake , whilst id jacked the car up with just the renault scissor jack. i was lying along the whole length of the car.
i also had the rear wheel off.

the car slipped sidewards, the centre screw of the jack dug into my coat and bent, and the car basically stopped fall flat with my chest.
only thing that saved me was the bent centre screw.

i managed to undo the zip of my coat and wiggle out of the jacket and under the car.

was nearly a gonner.:disagree:


i was working on a Grand espace replacing rear pads. the espace was on an axle stand and the pin sheered luckily the stand still stood up to the weight but on its bottom setting. all the stands were thrown out and newer better ones bought. OE jacks are really really not good enough to jack a car up with. and allways put the wheel atleast under the car. just not worth the risk.

LiamR
06-06-2012, 23:53
That was a very close brush with death sparkie!!!

I am paranoid when I work under a car. I use axle stands, trolley jack and a spare tyre just in case.....and still I dont particularly like it.:confused:

Coops
07-06-2012, 09:29
I've never had anything too bad, just constantly rip chunks out of knuckles doing pretty much everything.

latest one was a T55 breaking on my doing up the head bolts last weekend, that took a big slice out of my right ring finger as it slid across the chassis over the headlight, nice sharp bit of metal that! :laugh:

soapymech
07-06-2012, 10:30
A few years ago I'd just finished replacing a clutch on an old twin wheel base cf Bedford van when I'd finished I droped the van down on an old four poster lift when one side droped the van then rolled off sideways and almost pancaked my mate. Ooooops

DaveL485
07-06-2012, 10:49
......it constricted on my middle finger and snapped it off.



:eek::eek::eek::cry::cry::cry:




was nearly a gonner.:disagree:

2 or 3 years ago, I heard a creak, and for some reason knew it was time to shift out, quick. Jack-in-the-box stylee out from under the car just in time....

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/DaveL485/phone05.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/DaveL485/phone07.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/DaveL485/phone09.jpg

Also i've set myself on fire twice, and ended up in hospital with various nasty things in my eyes....four times :laugh::laugh:

stu21t
07-06-2012, 12:11
My biggest mistake was spending as much money on 2 R5s as what 1 of these would have cost!
:cry:
http://autotrader.mobi/used-cars/advert/201139417799747/viewing-39/0?PHPSESSID=d29i44d608ql1nfec8j4528bc2

And that doesnt include the other old bangers ive had
:cry::cry::cry:

Bigfoot
07-06-2012, 12:30
*TOUCH WOOD* haven't had anything bad apart from the close slingshot of a speedo cable near my eye, and walking into the corner of garage doors when it was windy and it came down on my head.

Whilst changing over the springs on the Renault 5, we had some old spring compressors which we should have got rid of ages ago, well when clamping down on both of them, one decided to spin around the spring trapping my dads thumb and the spring very tightly together cutting the blood flow off. Was trapped for a couple of mins before I managed to removed it, but he had no feeling in his thumb for about 3 months after that. Refuses to help change the springs now for some reason :scratch:

Coops
07-06-2012, 14:04
thinking about it I've had bits of exhaust in my eye twice and once was a hospital visit to sort it

and also, near miss, but swapped a spring on my mates 106 years back, spring compressors came off and if it hadn't of been for the emergency climbing rope to backup the one old compressor (his granddad had welded them up on standard threaded bar, pikietastic) I quickly wrapped round it could of been very nasty. that was a scary moment!

James5
07-06-2012, 14:16
I have made a couple of supid mistakes first was about 15 years ago on my old mk2 xr2 turbo technics I was playing with the carb and activated pump jet lever and got fuel in my eye fecking stung for ages, swear I went blind for a few hours in one eye.

2nd was 2 years back working on the landrover prop shaft car all chocked up, in reverse gear and handbrake on and for some reason the car rolled caught my right leg I ripped my trousers as i tried to scramble out from underneath injury wise I got a huge graze from being partly caught under the tyre I now have a scar on my right leg about 10cm long and 2" wide (pretty impressive :D ladies love a good scar:agree::cooter: ).

Nad-5GTT
07-06-2012, 15:00
A few year ago i was grinding something cant remember what now, anyway the sparks decided to jump into a 25litre drum off paint thinners that was open and my arm was right underneath it :eek::scratch: i had to go to East Grinstead burns hospital three times, this pic was taken after two weeks:crap: luckily ive had no scars from that little mishap
13485

Steven Leece
07-06-2012, 16:38
lucky not to have any scars after those burns, looks really sore!!!

dangerous dave
07-06-2012, 17:25
undoing my tsw's with the big plastic cap removing tool, slipped and hit myself in the face...twice...upon refitting slipped and faceplanted the wing, twice:crap:

lever bar slipped while breaking the hub/ball joint = faceplanting wing again:crap:

jack slipped and dropped the 5 on its floor pan:(

jack slipped on next doors megane smashing an electrical connector:crap:

took a piece of brick to the head splitting my eyebrow open, could easily have lost my eye had it been a shade lower..

bent my thumb till it touched my wrist due to an alloy wheel removing feck up

fecked my back up tuesday using the cheese toastie maker at work and im still in pain now.. trapped nerve, disc troubles..

theres more but i can't remember everything

alex barker
07-06-2012, 17:48
undoing my tsw's with the big plastic cap removing tool, slipped and hit myself in the face...twice...upon refitting slipped and faceplanted the wing, twice:crap:

lever bar slipped while breaking the hub/ball joint = faceplanting wing again:crap:

jack slipped and dropped the 5 on its floor pan:(

jack slipped on next doors megane smashing an electrical connector:crap:

took a piece of brick to the head splitting my eyebrow open, could easily have lost my eye had it been a shade lower..

bent my thumb till it touched my wrist due to an alloy wheel removing feck up

fecked my back up tuesday using the cheese toastie maker at work and im still in pain now.. trapped nerve, disc troubles..

theres more but i can't remember everything

You really are dangerous Dave haha

warpspeed
07-06-2012, 19:42
'o' ring failed on my 2 stroke kart master cylinder, upside down twice at 80-90mph, broken collarbone, 3 ribs, bruised lung, spine and severe gravel rash.

Lost the tip of my ring finger by dropping a truck battery on it.

Damaged a knuckle on my left hand when the engine i was removing with a mate landed on my hand, he knocked on of the engine mount bolts out as i was sliding out from under the car, he's not a mate any more.

Had a Supra fall of it's stands while i was changing the diff, petrol tank landed on my chest trapping me, luckily 2 mates heard me swearing and came out to help me.

D4WNO
07-06-2012, 19:53
fecked my back up tuesday using the cheese toastie maker at work and im still in pain now.. trapped nerve, disc troubles..



Lol, what?!?!? Please elaborate :laugh:

Sparkie
07-06-2012, 21:08
i managed to headbutt a brake caliper with my eye socket, two days before my wedding.

thankfully its been the only time i've had to wear makeup ;)

DaveL485
07-06-2012, 21:15
thankfully its been the only time i've had to wear makeup ;)

Yeah yeah! So you say!

Junglist
07-06-2012, 21:54
lieing on the floor under the 5 looking up and a rust flake lands in your eye ,, :crap: i do it all the time :crap:

old skool turbo power
07-06-2012, 23:08
i was working on a Grand espace replacing rear pads. the espace was on an axle stand and the pin sheered luckily the stand still stood up to the weight but on its bottom setting. all the stands were thrown out and newer better ones bought. OE jacks are really really not good enough to jack a car up with. and allways put the wheel atleast under the car. just not worth the risk.


:agree:i was even told by my dad and even grandad that when i do jack up a car to always keep the tyre that you have taken off to keep underneath the car just incase.
I have had the sissior jack drop on my before and that was the back of the car on a slight hill and the weight got the better or jack and car slid to one side landed on the torsion bar just missed my feet.
the only other reason i have had to use the sissior jack was when the side exit come lose and basicly come off so i had to pull over and unbolt where the exhuast is bolted on to the under body.I quicly did it but didnt mess around though.the car was parked slighty on a hill as well at night :scared::sad2:got the car home in the end.

old skool turbo power
07-06-2012, 23:14
A few year ago i was grinding something cant remember what now, anyway the sparks decided to jump into a 25litre drum off paint thinners that was open and my arm was right underneath it :eek::scratch: i had to go to East Grinstead burns hospital three times, this pic was taken after two weeks:crap: luckily ive had no scars from that little mishap
13485


had a simmilar situation just like that and my arm went that colour was not good.all over my face and chest(boiling hot water alot of it)and it foooookin hurt like nothing!!!
face and arm is ok but top of chest left side is slighty off colour.:disagree:

dangerous dave
07-06-2012, 23:26
Lol, what?!?!? Please elaborate :laugh:

nothing exciting, i originally did some damage ages ago and was lay'd up a few days.. whatever was wrong sorted itself out as i could hardly move one minute due to the pain, and then i could star jumps while doing the hula..

tuesday i just twisted to remove my toastie and felt "the pain" its gotta be bad as i can feel the swelling up my spine.. i've worked on it the last 2 days and movements better, but perhaps monday will see me down the docs:(

on wednesday i was standing on the step on my side door to the van, it was wet and i was reaching for some tools at the other side, i slipped and pretty much planked my way out the van.. the second time i landed in a bucket of tools on my way out, all why trying not to bend:cry:

GT Josh
07-06-2012, 23:48
I took my fuel filter off (disconnected from the sender) as I whipped the oh so tight hose off I managed to drill myself in the skull swiftly followed by a jet of fuel right in my bast*** eye. Well as you can imagine I wriggles out feeling very sorry for myself. Got my mum to bathe it :laugh::wasntme:

Hoolio
08-06-2012, 00:07
Well with hindsight that second big bag of Minstrels I just polished off was probably not wise. Also whipping off the oil cap and peering into the engine whilst it was still running after a long trip out was not advisable either.

T.K
08-06-2012, 05:15
Life is an intelligence test.

Don't fail!

GTphil
08-06-2012, 09:57
I did the old steering wheel one, took off the 19mm nut, was trying to get the wheel off for a good 10mins, got very annoyed the gave it some stick, off it came right into my face!!!!:mad:

The closest shave i ever had was when i was once rebuilding the raider after a complete front end stripdown, subfame off etc etc, got the engine back in, was trying to get the gear selector rod correct, i was Sat in the car on some ramps 6ft up in the air.

Must of accidentally put it in gear whist underneath, climbed up the ramps got in the car, for some reason I hadn't ajusted the clutch pedal quadrant, went to start the car, it shot forward I had no gearstick, no brakes (calipers not blead yet), and no clutch pedal, let go of the key and the car stopped, got out had a look, I was about 2mm away from driving off the ramps 6ft up in the air:eek:

I remember turning round and looking at haz and scoff who both just shook their heads at me:wasntme:

Adam L
08-06-2012, 19:07
There's many a tale to tell from Adam's injury pot of wealth...

One that happened two years ago and still gives me problems though was my left eye, possibly the worst thing to injure as you're pretty ****ed without your eye sight. I was working on Dawn's old Saxo checking the wiring for the brake pedal and had the carpet up, although, it's that carpet that's actually plastic sheet with fabric sprayed onto it. It flicked back and the corner scraped right across my eye, ****ing it completely. I couldn't see out of it for day's and a pusy infection followed. I still wake up in the mornings with a weaping eye after that.

Steven Leece
08-06-2012, 19:13
Sounds more like an std than a car related injury!! :laugh:

Sparkie
08-06-2012, 19:42
i was angle grinding a piece off a mk1 5 gearbox, and i wasnt wearing any ear defenders.- 30mins of that high pitched squealing has given me tinitus. - about a 1/3rd of the noise you get after coming out of a nightclub....constantly day after day.
after about 5 years ive got used to it now.

Biggs
08-06-2012, 19:44
I once chatted up a shim !! :eek:

Sparkie
08-06-2012, 19:45
I once chatted up a shim !! :eek:

that was no mistake.....

Biggs
08-06-2012, 20:48
that was no mistake.....

:cooter:

Adam L
08-06-2012, 22:08
Oh, another one... I won't say what I was doing. But have you ever had grundle cramp:scared:... ****ing kills.

J$£5GTT
08-06-2012, 22:14
Oh, another one... I won't say what I was doing. But have you ever had grundle cramp:scared:... ****ing kills.

never have a problem in that area mate,i once was with out a jack so lifted my 5 with my huge erection and chucked some wood blocks underneath.

TNT ANDY
09-06-2012, 07:36
Dropped a 1275 A-series engine on my foor whilst yanking it out of a mini with a couple of scaffold polls. Luckily for me I was wearing toe-tectors which saved a few toes for sure. I had to throw the boots away as the steel had bent so far out of shape and split that I struggled to get my foot out, let alone get one in.

Ooh, anoth one. Not mine, but it was epically funny. TNT Ross was removing his bulk head round mine and was merrily grinding away, kind of straddling the area he was working on. No guard on the grinder! It bit, and spat itself into his family jewls and got caught up in his tracky bottoms. Because his tracky bottoms where loose(ish) it bound up and stopped the disk from spinning, the trigger was locked in the on position, and at that exact moment, the wheel stopped spinning, the grinder was humming away trying to free itself and the look of helpless panic from Ross was priceless, looking from the grinder to me to anyone.:laugh:

Then there's Big John who serviced a Range Rover and put over 30l of oil in it, only to find there was no sump plug in it.

Ipswich must have posted in here.

dangerous dave
09-06-2012, 09:31
Ipswich must have posted in here.

Efi, vnt's.

TNT ANDY
09-06-2012, 10:26
:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

Thundercat
09-06-2012, 10:28
Lots of little injuries over the years, put me hand into a running engine bay to tighten a jubilee got fan belt burn across back of hand, fitting exhaust support bracket on my 5 dropped it smacked me in gob, working with dodgy grinder with faulty on/off switch got frustrated and pushed that hard on switch that I pushed grinder into me other hand taking skin clean off one knuckle and made chucks for a bit as I could see my knuckle bone very clearly as I moved it then the pain kicked in. Could go on and on.

Sparkie
09-06-2012, 22:48
i was tightening up the alternator hinge bolt with a spanner, without disconnecting the battery. - the spanner shorted out on the positve and sparked loads.

i thought nothing more of it until the next day my finger was sore.

i was working in a laboratory at the time, so had access to microscope.

i found that the sparks had embedded themselves in my nail.... but one of them had burned through my nail and had curled up under it in the nail bed....

i had the scrape the nail away with a stanley blade and dig it out. - i was a curved shard - it took alot of digging! :disagree:

Junglist
09-06-2012, 23:14
Not at injury but one of the biggest things ive done that i regret doing is trying to take the ignition barrel out without droppind the column. Pulling it through the dash hole with a screw driver hense ruining my dash :sad2:

greggtt
10-06-2012, 12:21
Personal favourite was when i was still an apprentice and decided to split the hub from the wheelbearing carrier on an old clio , drive shaft wasn`t keen to come out so got out the big sliding hammer to give it a wee tap to help loosen it off, well was there for 5 minutes giving it hell when just as it came loose my pinky on my right hand slipped and went inbetween the sliding part and the stop at the end, I knew it was bad as I couldn`t feel it, luckily i had gloves on so couldn`t see how bad it was so finished the wheel bearing (blood dripping everywhere) then got it looked at , nail was gone and was a bit of a mess, got it taped and cleaned up , no broken bones so all good, I only really felt pain when i took the glove off and could see the damage , suppose mind over matter and all that !

I remember the girl in reception who was the trained first aider asking if it was bad as she was freaked out by blood ha ha just what i needed!