So my parked car was in a collision with another parked car..
 

I took my car to the shop down the street from me to get the starter replaced since it decided to commit suicide.

They had to keep it over night because the part didn't get there until late, said they'd call me in the morning to have me come pick it up.

They called me this morning, good news and bad news.

Good news is, the starter is fixed.

Bad news - the battery cables are corroded.

Also bad news, my car needs to go to a body shop in order to get the front bumper fixed.

Apparently, they had the car up on the lift overnight, parked another car under it. The lift failed, down came my car (over the course of like 5 hours) and it fucked up the front bumper - well pretty much everything between the radiator and the front of the car. My OEM SS hood was saved though I believe, although it won't close anymore because the bumper is pushed up into the way lol.

I got there a few hours later after dicking with a rental car company (reason #048083406830468 why I should get a second car), and they hadn't even called the other guy yet. I went there laughing about it, I just wanted to see how bad it was. Yelling won't solve anything and before I could even ask how it happened he told me it was going to a body shop on Monday, I'd be getting a rental car and they would fix EVERYTHING that they damaged with zero out-of-pocket cost to me. The guy sounded like he was going to be fired, sounded like he had his tail between his legs and I guess was expecting me to start screaming. Somehow I don't think the other guy is going to be so understanding.


So there you have it, my car hit another parked car - with nobody in the building. Fun stuff!

I'll try to take pics of it Monday before it gets towed to the body shop, driving by before it looked fuuuucked up from a distance, but up close it's really not that bad.

Oh well, your car was a piece of shit anyway.

:1orglaugh Was? You retard it STILL IS :1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

You know I've always felt uneasy being under a car on a hoist... This doesn't help.

I'm sure it didnt fail completely in 1 second. Most lifts have backup safety stops.

I look forward to the photos. Hopefully they repair it correctly.

dude, a 5 year old could replace a starter.

Even when lifts fall normally, they take 10 seconds or so to go from max height to the ground. It's a painfully slow process. Considering this one was just leaking, it probably took 4+ hours to go from air to on top of the car under mine. Only thing that really fucked it up was gravity.

Unless you were completely asleep, or passed out drunk there's no way you'd get hurt in that situation. You'd get bored waiting for it to hit you before it actually got low enough.

It's 6:30 PM and 106* outside, I'm not working on shit in this heat. I would have to do it in the day time when it's about 5-6 degrees hotter. On my back, on concrete... definitely not happening. I'd rather just pay someone to do it. :1orglaugh

I think they did you a favor. your car sounds like a rust bucket.

seriously a starter is like 2 bolts and a battery connection. It can be done in less than 30 minutes on most vehicles. I guess I'm just not the type of person that depends on others.

I haven't worked in a dealership since the 70's, but the lifts we had had mechanical safeties to where they could not drop. The safeties were automatic, and you had to disengage them before you could lower the car. They must be made differently now.
Glad they are taking care of you.

Not really, I bitch about my car a lot but this is pretty much the biggest issue (the starter) I've ever had with it. It's never NOT run before. And I live in AZ, ZERO rust on the car anywhere. And anyway it's not like the totalled the thing out, they're just fixing something that wasn't broken to begin with. Gotta love guys like you that talk shit just to talk shit :thumbsup


Seriously, it's 100+ degrees outside and I bitch like a girl. Plus I don't have the tools anymore to work on my car because I stopped giving a shit. I grew out of the grease monkey thing when I was 19, I am still down to wrench but not when I absolutely have to.


They should, even the newer ones have the steel catches that drop down. I don't know how it happened but I have no reason to question it since they're offering to fix it without me even having to ask. They know they fucked up, no sense in asking a bunch of unneeded questions.

It's one thing that always worried me about leaving a car overnight underneath another one on a lift but never heard of it actually happening before.

You sound like a unique customer though not going mad at them.

I had to pull an engine to get at one once... The bolts were seized and the starter was located in such a way that you couldn't get any leverage on them no matter how many extensions and joints you used.

I don't really let shit get to me. If they were out joyriding and wrecked it that would be one thing, but the guy sounded upset enough when he called me I wasn't going to make his day worse. It's just one of those things you really can't foresee happening.

Yelling and screaming never accomplishes anything but putting people on the defensive. I just know that once it's fixed I should probably take my car somewhere else from then on.

You obviously have very limited experience in changing starter motors. :2 cents:

How about a Northstar engine? :1orglaugh

http://www.freeengineinfo.com/cadill...eplacement.htm

:1orglaugh

That is fucking awesome. They probably don't have cameras, though. It'd be fun to see your car pummel the other one.

:2 cents:

The repair shop story sounds like a crock of shit.
Why leave a car on the lift while waiting for a part delivery???

Is this some hick town with only 500 people and one repair shop?

There is a line at every repair shop I go to; they don't leave something on a lift to
wait for a part. Bullshit.

You obviously have nothing to add to any thread, ever...

Yes I'm well aware there are many starters that are difficult. That has absolutely nothing to do with this thread. If he owned a Cadillac, Porsche, Ferrari, BWM, etc.. it would be taken to the dealer not the "shop down the street".

backpedaling detected.

lol coming from someone who can't even change a tire. I still think you're a lazy moron if you can't change a starter...

Funny responses :)

That was the issue, they had a ton of cars staying overnight, so they put some up on the lifts to create room for the others.

Or they could be lying their asses off, problem is getting corrected so I don't really care what the deal is.

Bro that shit would be on Youtube and EVERY forum on the internet about 30 minutes after I got my hands on it.

Like I said a few times before - if the weather was cooler, I had the tools and even had another car to GET to a place to buy the part, I would have done it.

I don't, and I'd rather pay to have it done without busting my knuckles up - so off to a shop it went.

Don't see why that's such a big deal.