Women and engines

[BandB]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Well, it could be 30 years ago now that one of the major auto makers, i think it was Ford, had a problem with warped rotors and made a big point about notifying all their dealers how to spell "torque". So if I was a cynic...Oh wait, according to this card in my wallet, I AM a cynic!

I know a boat dealer that removed all electric torque wrench's from their shop after a couple of disasters with them. Anyone here ever had a tire store put the lug nuts on so tight that it was impossible for you to remove them with a regular lug wrench?

[BandB]

We employ three female captains, all very skilled and knowledgeable mechanically. And we hired our first female engineer last year. One of the best one could ever find. She got her undergrad engineering degree from Cal Maritime and her masters from the University of New Orleans. Then she worked as an engineer for 18 months on supply vessels in the Gulf, hauling people and supplies to platforms. Talk about a woman in a man's world.

[ValiantV]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Well, it could be 30 years ago now that one of the major auto makers, i think it was Ford, had a problem with warped rotors and made a big point about notifying all their dealers how to spell "torque". So if I was a cynic...Oh wait, according to this card in my wallet, I AM a cynic!

I say those guys all overtorque the lug nuts because they make more money replacing warped rotors. (Front end shops and front end work being a notorious area for rip-offs.)

Nice thing is, they don't care if you are male or female, they're equal-opportunity scoundrels. (I think men are just too ashamed to ask "Have I been ripped off?" while the women come out and SAY it.)

Card-carrying cynic? I guess I'm still a closet cynic.

I don't recall that particular issue, just to many incidents of having to grunt and swear as I broke loose seriously over tightened lugs and was happy my wife didn't need to change a flat.

I have to agree that it doesn't matter if you are male or female, many shops WILL take advantage of a customer who doesn't know their vehicle.

Unfortunately, even if you do tell the mech what the problem is, they will still often miss it or misdiagnose it. I brought in a car that had a tire going bad (broken belt/cord) and even told them which tire it was. They told me "the tires are OK, but you need to rod ends". I begrudgingly ok'd the repair, mistakenly trusting their "professional" judgement over mine. 100 miles later ( in the middle of a 200 mile trip) a big hunk of the tire I told them was bad came off. Again, luckily I was the driver.

Dishonesty? Sometimes. Most of the time, I think it's simple incompetence.

[hellosailor]

Got a phone call from my father one night. He'd picked up a nail and gotten a flat (somehow he managed to do that about every six months) and couldn't get the lug nuts to budge. I drove over to where he was, and sure enough, couldn't budge 'em.

Took the ugly X-cross breaker bar out of my trunk and still had to STAND on one side while heaving up on the other to break them free. But, the cross bar did the trick.

Personally? I put a small dab of neverseize on lug nuts. Exhaust pipes. Spark plug threads--and be very sure it is *just* on the threads(G). I've gotten pretty good at getting things stuck, and unstuck. Forget gun control, let's work on serial numbers and permits before anyone is allowed to buy, carry, or use hand or power tools. Especially the guys who are so careless with roofing nails and drywall screws.

My friend's sister had a Toyota back when they were funny cheap foreign cars that no one wanted, with a manual "winter/summer" pre-heat adjuster on the air cleaner intake. He calls me one day, she took the car in for inspection and the local dealer (who was one of, if not the first Toyota dealer in NYC) warned her that it needed the then huge sum of $400 (four months rent) because the front end was so dangerous. I said I used this front end shop a mile down the road, they came highly recommended and hadn't ever tried to rip me off. Funny thing, her car only needed a $40 front end alignment, ran for years after that without killing anyone or coming apart.

Yeah, gen-you-whine certified highly trained factory mechanics with ASE certifications and all. Some things, I can't do myself because I can't buy a huge expensive piece of equipment. Some things I don't do, because I'm not as agile as I used to be, and "splat" comes to mind. I'll reluctantly try to find a pro to do those things. And I don't care what gender they are, as long as they don't molest my sheep.(VBG)

[leftbrainstuff]

Nike Steiger on youtube is a shining light for women who fix and maintain their own boats.

I also know a couple where the wife rebuilt their Perkins. She's petite. No stopping her.

I used to teach automotive mechanics back in the 80s and 90s. Plenty of female mechanics in Australia. They can make the guys look stupid.

Just speak up and say I maintain my diesel. You have earned the right. I know many guys who know far less than you.

[hellosailor]

This all reminds me, one day in sailing class (four of us plus one instructor on a J/24) she had been chewing us all out about "Come on guys, let's see some macho!" when the main halyard just wouldn't go up. Well, it was stuck, as in busted stuck, macho wasn't the solution.

On the next weekend she showed up with bright pink nail polish...And we ragged her no end about it. "Come on guys, I had a WEDDING to go to yesterday!" (G)

It is hard enough finding a diesel mechanic who knows how to fix a loose screw, without further thinning that out by asking what gender they are. Or might be.

[Cherod]

We don't have " mechanics " any more , they are called " technicians " , really , no joke , immediately makes me suspicious !!

[ValiantV]

Originally Posted by Cherod

We don't have " mechanics " any more , they are called " technicians " , really , no joke , immediately makes me suspicious !!

We had some guys in the shop that were "diagnosticians", but most were just "parts replacers".

"Technicians" is probably somewhat a nod to the fact that these days, many cars as as much computer as they are machinery. The rest of the change is likely political as "mechanic" is often interpreted as someone with dirty hands that didn't go to college.

I had no problem being called a mechanic.

[Cherod]

I don't mind what they call them , but when you watch the " technician " put the copper slip on after tightening up the nut you begin to wonder !!

[ValiantV]

Originally Posted by Cherod

I don't mind what they call them , but when you watch the " technician " put the copper slip on after tightening up the nut you begin to wonder !!

Basically, it all comes back to knowing your own equipment. Be it car, boat, airplane, whatever. Otherwise, you can't even know if what you're looking at is assembled properly, broken, or working.

It always strikes as a bit funny when I see a hood open on the side of the road. Do they even know what they're looking at?! Short of the engine being on fire, or missing, what are they looking for? To see if the squirrels are still alive?

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Astrid

That is kinda funny, because I love to varnish the wood work.

That is likely cause your good at it.
We enjoy what we are good at, if I didn't make such a mess of it, I bet I would enjoy it immensely too. How often do you get such enormous differences in the before and after pics?
Most things I do myself, but as I age it becomes more and more the skilled work, mechanics, electrics etc. Now if I were to remodel a room or something, I'm hiring out the sheet rock work, especially the ceiling, where twenty years ago I wouldn't.

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by Capt Phil

I recall meeting a young couple in Mazatlan about 20 years ago who had both worked for a .com company in SiliconValley but had enough of the ratrace. They were both making obscene amounts of money so they sold their cars and condo and pretty much everything else they owned and bought a sweet little sailboat, about 40 feet long, called it 'Dessert First'.

I remember that boat when were cruising Mexico.
Never met them though.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by BandB

I know a boat dealer that removed all electric torque wrench's from their shop after a couple of disasters with them. Anyone here ever had a tire store put the lug nuts on so tight that it was impossible for you to remove them with a regular lug wrench?

Yep, exactly.

Went back to the store, spoke to the owner and I insisted if he ever wants my business again, he gets the guy who fitted the wheels to undo the nuts in my presence. He looked at me like I was some whinging troublemaker but he did get the guy to do it (presumably just to show me up).

Guy comes out with the rattle gun and I said "No, put that away and use the regular wrench that comes with the car". Again that look but he had a go and just couldn't bulge them. I said this needs fixing now and with no rattle guns. Finally he used a very long breaker bar and got them undone. He went to tighten them up and again I said "No, you caused enough damage, I will do it". I got the torque wrench out and did them up properly and drove off.

Presuamably they still think I am a whinging troublemaker but I felt better and that is all that counts .

[Pelagic]

Hi Wottie , had a similar experience here in SUBIC but if you can imagine....even worse

Preparing my off road 95 Nissan Patrol for a 2 month trip through the Visayan Islands had all the brakes done.
Then drove about 5 km to another garage that had wheel alignment/balancing equipment.

The last task before leaving.

Up in the hoist , found that 70% of the wheel nuts had fallen off, the rest still remaining...Stripped!
My spacer washers had not been installed and when the nuts didn't tighten up, they got a bunch of idiots to stand on an expansion pipe and tighten the hell out of it.

Stripped all my wheel bolts which had to be ordered and replaced.

Shudder to think of what would have happened if we had left that night for the RoRo Ferry

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Hi Wottie , had a similar experience here in SUBIC but if you can imagine....even worse

Preparing my off road 95 Nissan Patrol for a 2 month trip through the Visayan Islands had all the brakes done.
Then drove about 5 km to another garage that had wheel alignment/balancing equipment.

The last task before leaving.

Up in the hoist , found that 70% of the wheel nuts had fallen off, the rest still remaining...Stripped!
My spacer washers had not been installed and when the nuts didn't tighten up, they got a bunch of idiots to stand on an expansion pipe and tighten the hell out of it.

Stripped all my wheel bolts which had to be ordered and replaced.

Shudder to think of what would have happened if we had left that night for the RoRo FerryAttachment 150411

Crikey P, you are right; even worse!