The Wheels Are Coming Off
I’ve been a mechanic my entire working life so far, and this is one of my favorite experiences. I had a customer come in complaining about a vibration. I put the vehicle on the lift and checked the front end. I found a nearly broken tie rod and a faulty rack and pinion. So basically, the passenger side front wheel was not fully secured to the steering system and would soon break and cause the wheel to be completely disconnected from the steering.
I told the customer how much the repair would be and told her it was unsafe to drive. She asked me to put it back together so she could leave. I told her that I could not do that because if it broke after I let her leave, I could be held liable. She started yelling and screaming about calling the authorities and suing me and how her cousin’s brother knows a guy who’s related to the chief of law enforcement.
She calls out the officers and they come out. I show them the vehicle and they understood the safety concern. They told me to just put the car down and let her leave. I did and even made her sign a statement declining crucial safety repairs. She left with the most “haha, I told you so” smug grin on her face…until she left the property, got pulled over, and got her car impounded. They also gave her a ticket for reckless driving. I was so happy seeing her car get towed.