Common old-school dealer bodges

Common old-school dealer bodges

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aspirated

Original Poster:

2,539 posts

145 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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I was watching Matilda a few days ago, the part where she's in her father's car garage and he's carrying out various bodges e.g. gluing bumpers on and filling transmissions with sawdust to hide damage always makes me chuckle.

So what are the worst (and funniest) dealer bodges you've ever experienced/seen/heard of, or maybe even carried out? wink

Major Fallout

5,278 posts

230 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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Boot polish to hide a bad paint job that was a shade out.

mrnikko

82 posts

207 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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Guy who worked at a local bomb site dealership told me they used to put porridge oats in the gearbox to keep them quiet.!!!!!!

Zingari

902 posts

172 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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Had a chum who 'bulked out' a dent in his Spitfire MkIV with old newspaper and chicken wire before applying a thin layer of plastic padding.

This however takes some beating

http://youtu.be/01dXHywMMyE


Eleven

26,271 posts

221 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
quotequote all

STP to quieten down big-end knock.

WD40 on brake pads to stop pulling left/right.

Covering over holes in inner wings with tape and newspaper before under-sealing the whole lot.

A wire run from one rear lamp to the other when the wiring harness is knackered.

Vinyl roof to cover up a nasty cut and shut job.

Adjusting only one track rod end when doing tracking, move the steering wheel a few splines so it's straight.

Shoe polish to fill the cracks in perished tyres.

Mixing up a new sill with P38

Reconstructing an exhaust system with Gun Gum.





Blue Oval84

5,276 posts

160 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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Scratch on new car (black), polish by hand with G3 Compound, leaves a horrible dull scratched area.

Spray with Pledge furniture polish, wipe, the wax covers the dull area beautifully.

Until it's washed smile

MondeoMan1981

2,352 posts

182 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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Dealer attempted to handover a white car to me in 2000 that bad a big deep wing scratch filled with Tipp Ex.... which was still wet!

gus607

916 posts

135 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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Have seen plywood floors, undersealed ! Also papier mache chassis, undersealed of course.

steveo3002

10,493 posts

173 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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glued on bolt heads where theyve been sheared off

wd40 over scratched paint , along with clever parking when the customer collects

busted warning lights

aerosol paint worn carpet spots

eltax91

9,842 posts

205 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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When I was into off roading all sorts of old bodges used to turn up. Mostly from previous owners rather than dealers

However, one guy broke down with an overheating 200tdi at the start of a run once. He'd owned the car two days from a local trader. The water pump and thermostat housings had obviously been removed for troubleshooting, only the bolts are famed for rusting/ snapping on removal. Seems this dealer couldn't be arsed with new fastenings so had a crack at it with bailing twine.

Sadly the engine was utterly cooked and out of coolant before the driver noticed.

Fleckers

2,851 posts

200 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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either

keep the car wet, just washed guv or filthy just got it in mate

what ever its to hide loads of paint issues

Eleven

26,271 posts

221 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
quotequote all
Fleckers said:
either

keep the car wet, just washed guv or filthy just got it in mate

what ever its to hide loads of paint issues
That, or park it sensible.

JakeT

5,406 posts

119 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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Saying 'I left the interior light on and flattened the battery accidentally' when the battery needed replacing a few years ago.

lord trumpton

7,321 posts

125 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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I had an old VW beetle for my first car. After 3 years I decided to sell it.

I often got damp carpet behind the seats and this was because of rotten heater sills. Just before selling I taped card over them and covered in underseal.

It came back to haunt me as I sold it to an unsuspecting female graduate who ended up dating and had to pretend I new nothing about it when here dads mechanic friend discovered why the car was smelling damp.


aspirated

Original Poster:

2,539 posts

145 months

Friday 18th April 2014
quotequote all
lord trumpton said:
I had an old VW beetle for my first car. After 3 years I decided to sell it.

I often got damp carpet behind the seats and this was because of rotten heater sills. Just before selling I taped card over them and covered in underseal.

It came back to haunt me as I sold it to an unsuspecting female graduate who ended up dating and had to pretend I new nothing about it when here dads mechanic friend discovered why the car was smelling damp.
Brilliant rofl

Gilhooligan

2,211 posts

143 months

Friday 18th April 2014
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My first car was a mk2 Renault clio. It had a sunroof which let water in through the interior light! To fix this I siliconed the sunroof shut but this didn't solve things so I just stuffed an old towel in behind the light which is presumably still there after I sold it.
I often wonder if it's caused any issues.

bennyboydurham

1,617 posts

173 months

Friday 18th April 2014
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BMW dealer named after the thing Jesus wore his feet. AUC - a 19 month old E65! Glovebox trim scuffed so I asked for it to be replaced before sale. Rather than replace it (a bit of plastic) they simply sprayed the scuffed one a somewhat different shade of grey to the rest of the trim. It's now all peeling off too. Cheap f*ckers.

john2443

6,325 posts

210 months

Friday 18th April 2014
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Never seen this but rumoured to be done many years ago.

When cars had starting handles one test was crank it over and you could feel if there was compression on all cyls.
When one cyl didn't have any, take the head off and put a tennis ball in so that it felt OK on the handle, I guess this dates from when engines were side valve and taking the head off wasn't the major job it is now!

Silent1

19,761 posts

234 months

Friday 18th April 2014
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bennyboydurham said:
BMW dealer named after the thing Jesus wore his feet. AUC - a 19 month old E65! Glovebox trim scuffed so I asked for it to be replaced before sale. Rather than replace it (a bit of plastic) they simply sprayed the scuffed one a somewhat different shade of grey to the rest of the trim. It's now all peeling off too. Cheap f*ckers.
Flip Flop BMW? confused

Eagerbeaver

386 posts

198 months

Friday 18th April 2014
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Didn't know Jesus wore Bowkers.