[StarrySky]

A few years back, I was travelling to Cochin with my wife. On the highway, we spotted a Nissan Sunny which had a big dent on the rear bumper, the kind you get from hitting a lamp post while reversing. Me, to wife: "What kind of idiot would one have to be to hit a lamp post while reversing, in a car that has rear parking sensors?"

Hardly 90 minutes later: I was reversing my Punto after having stopped for some grocery shopping. I heard the rear parking sensors beeping and the lamp post in my RVM was still some distance away, but then BAM!! We went out to check what happened. A piece of metal was fixed to the lamp post, perpendicular to it. It was at the "perfect" height, just high enough to be missed by the parking sensors and low enough to be missed in the RVM. Result: a dent on the boot door. We get back in the car, and just as I was pulling out, my wife goes "What kind of idiot would one have to be to hit a lamp post while reversing, in a car that has rear parking sensors?"

[hifisharu]

Some Automotive Oops! moments I recall, though neither of which happened to involve me:

1) I think it was in 2006, me and my friends were on a road trip somewhere on the West coast of Karnataka, near Kundapura. We pull into a fuel station and see an Indica stranded there with a flat tire. The poor kid (maybe around 16y) in the gas station was giving it all his might and was unable to get the vehicle up on the jack. Though neither me nor my friends were the muscular sort, we thought we could help and approached the car and offered our help. The kid was more than happy to let us take over and the owner.driver of the car too was getting fedup as to why it was taking so long. In the meanwhile, I peeped into the car and I noticed a small kid sitting in the front passenger and three well built ladies sitting in the rear I approached the driver and said before we change the punctured tire, he has to empty the car of it's occupants and he looked at me as though I was asking him something crazy!! He was I guess somewhat astounded that he had to ask his esteemed passengers to get down in this dark, shabby fuel station, just to change the tire. Me and my friends have a good laugh even to this day when we recollect this incident

2)Our office colleague arrives in office one fine morning and is beaming with pride that he has bought his first car. Being the resident car nut in office (though we all worked for General Motors, not a majority of them are/were automotive inclined) I wanted to check out the then sort of new Chevy Beat and asked my colleague if we could go check out his car. He leads me and a couple of other colleagues proudly to a parking lot and is unable to find his car, which he had probably parked 15-20 min ago. He tries to find the car by locking/unlocking it with no result. By now, the colleagues are teasing him that it's stolen/ towed away, that he didn't pay the full money for the car etc. Then I ask him if he's sure this was the correct parking lot, as I was sure he couldn't have got a parking spot there, a s guest/visitor. He then says 'Yeah, this is the one, or something similar to this'. Then I convince him that we all go and check out the Visitor parking lot, which was about 50m away. Reluctantly, he follows us and Lo, behold, there was his car in the Visitor parking lot.

3) My friend had moved to Minneapolis, in 2009 and this was his first year driving there. It was his first winter and he had told me stories of the snow covered roads and some sliding in the snow driving. Then, it so happened one night, he left his car out in the road and it snowed heavliy that night. Early next morning, he was greeted to a complete white wash and the snow covered car mounds in the street. He starts to scrape the snow off and after a good 15 min, finally uncovers the number plate and it's not his car Turns out his neighbour had the exact same model (BMW 3 series), in the same colour. He was quite upset that he had to do the entire snow scraping process all over again and that his neighbour didn't even say thanks and just drove off! His advice to me was 'Always start with the snow on the number plate, make sure it's your car'

[bhp_maniac]

Now, this is another hilarious thread slowly unraveling Here goes my two cents.

It was more than a decade back in 2006, when we bought an Indica Xeta at home. It was primarily used by my parents (chauffeur driven mostly). One fine morning, I got a call from my unhappy father saying that the rear left door on his new car couldn't be opened from inside. He passed the phone to our driver and he confirmed the same. Also, he took that opportunity to pass on his comments about himself warning us about buying a Tata. I kept mum.

The next weekend I promptly took the car to the nearest Tata service center and informed an SA about our ordeal with the new car.
He immediately opened the door and flipped a switch and told me, "Sir, child proof lock was on".

[vivekgk]

This is an awesome thread to spend time in. It feels good to know that you're not the only one who goofs up!

I had been satisfied with the upgraded lighting setup on my Ecosport (130/100W Osram bulbs with a TVS Relay setup) and was very happy with it, until I happened to test drive a Baleno with LED headlamps. What impressed me more than the lighting and the pattern was the instant startup, especially when using the pass switch.

This set off a mad quest to upgrade all the bulbs on my cars to LEDs. I went to AliExpress and ordered a bunch of LEDs for the headlamp, indicators, reversing lamps, interior lamps and the numberplate. It was only after the bulbs arrived that I realised that I had gotten a lot of the parts wrong. The indicator bulbs I ordered were P21W, while I should have gotten PY21W, the T10 LEDs were poor quality, the headlamps were ill suited for my reflectors and threw up a lot of glare. Also, the poor quality of the items I ordered without checking up on reviews or seller rating, meant that most of the LEDs failed within weeks, leaving me with a flickering mess that also sent cracks and pops to my ICE.

One particularly embarrassing incident was when I fitted an auxiliary lamp in the car late in the evening, and decided to take the car out for a spin after about 10 p.m to check it out. I was pulled over by cops less than 20 minutes later, and had to stand around looking silly in my house clothes (it was meant to be a short drive), while the cops were writing out a challan for illegal modification. Had a couple of truck wallahs to keep me company though!

Another time, I fixed up a remote for the auxillary lamp so that I wouldn't have to install a switch on the dash or run wiring through the firewall. It was all wired up by myself, and the remote controller had a flash mode that made the LED aux lamp flash like a hazard lamp, with high frequency similar to a police beacon. I was on the highway, testing the setup, when it somehow got stuck in the flashing mode, and wouldn't turn off. I had to pull over to the side, open the bonnet, and yank out the fuse to make it stop. Thankfully, I was alone and had no one around to laugh at my misery.

Lesson: You get what you pay for when it comes to accessories. Never buy from the lowest priced seller, and always look at the reviews and ratings before buying. And if the item you're buying is inexpensive, make sure to buy multiples to ensure easy replacement. Also, always put in a fuse and kill switches for any DIY stuff!

[Miyata]

I've had two oops moment that I can recollect -

1) Going back and forth between left-hand-drive and the right-hand-drive; between auto transmission and manual transmission:

It was going alright, until one day it took me longer than a while (2-3 minutes) to figure things out. That was a very strange day. Hasn't repeated, but can just not forget it. I still try to come up with an explanation but nothing fits.

2) The "OnStar" support button on one of the rental cars:

I used to be more excited about rental cars since it offered a chance to explore yet another car and see for myself what it's about! As I am driving and simultaneously exploring things off and on, I stop at a signal. Still looking around for some novelty in the car and the OnStar button catches my attention.

Tried recollecting if I have read or heard anything about it - nothing strikes. Very hesitantly and cautiously I reach for it. Pressed it. I hear a deep male voice asking if I was alright and need any help. With confusion in my voice and apprehension in my tone I apologies for the inconvenience and tell him I was just exploring some features of the car and wasn't aware of what this "OnStar" thing was all about.

He was totally cool about about it. Very nice chap!

[sandeepmohan]

I once thought that in countries that use left hand drive vehicles, their ABC pedals are the other way round :-).

[self_driven]

Nice thread!

Sharing an experience of mine:

Lock or Unlock

As a child, I was used to the pull-type (inside) door locks. Understanding and operating them was simple - press down for lock, pull up for unlock.

In 2005, I had first-hand experience of the newer knob-type locks placed above the inner door handle in a friend's Swift. At that time, I was 8 or so. I wasn't allowed to be on the driver's seat and as a passenger, I always had this confusion in knowing whether the door was locked or unlocked by looking at the knob.



Operating the knob was quite simple. But at what position the door would lock or unlock was a mystery. By 2011 or so, I had travelled in many cars with knob-type locks such as Ritz and i20 but still couldn't get a hang of it. Poor me!

Getting out of a car remained a gamble in all these years. Rather indiscriminately, I used to keep flipping the door handle repeatedly while pushing that knob forward and backward. On an average, it took me three tries to succeed. What's worse? I had to pretend all the while that there was some problem with the lock.

Years went by. For me, operating the door lock knob was still a hit or miss experience. In 2014, it was time to search for a replacement to our Alto. This time around, I was determined. When someone asked me what all I wanted in our next car, my reply always started with knob-type door handles.

For this reason alone, we shifted our booking from the Alto 800 LX to the top-spec Maruti Swift costing twice as much. Finally, the car was brought home. It was time for me to put my permutation-combination classes to the test and off I went. It took me around 30 minutes of fiddling to completely understand the functioning of door lock knobs. Yes, I figured out the "secret" after almost a decade.

~~

Please don't mind the heavy exaggeration in the last paragraph

[LegalEagle]

Any Mahindra vehicle owner would know or would have experienced this one - starting the car when the vehicle is in gear.

Tried to start a Zoomcar KUV100 when the vehicle was in gear. Did not start. Tried again. Failed. Checked the warning lights. All ok. Battery was also ok. Lights working all good.

Prepared to call up the Zoomcar guys to inform them about the issue when accidentally, pressed the clutch, and viola, the car starts.

After , played back the entire sequence of events, step by step. Replicated everything, and then finally realized the concept that if the vehicle is in gear, it will not start.

Faced the same thing with my current ride, TUV300 once, even though I know about the system.

[drace]

Year 1991, I am all of 21 studying in Medical College in Kolhapur. I had a shiny gray Bajaj M-80 as my steed; I thought it was better than a Luna! Wonderful memories of it and umpteen friends learnt to ride geared bikes on it. Sometime in that year there was a truckers strike for almost a week and I dared to solo on my M-80 from Kolhapur to Hubli to surprise my beloved grandmother. Never told anybody, asking permission from parents was a No, No and potential absolute scandal. So I quietly planned everything for the big day.

So with whatever savings I had, got my bike serviced at Bajaj Auto the previous day, in anticipation of the long trip. Started at around 6 am, all was well, no traffic, very occasional ST buses and lesser cars and a decent enough highway to whet my appetite for riding the wind. My company was bullock carts and cattle and cyclists. I was cruising at 50-55 kmph, covered about 80 kms, into Karnataka and was happy to reach my native lands, when suddenly the bike died on me. Didn’t start after kicks, didn’t start after pushing and jump start, Nothing!

I was in the middle of nowhere on an empty Pune-Bangalore Highway, and this is year 1991. Not a vehicle or any habitat visible. My heart was pounding; I was tired, afraid and angry. I walked pushing the bike for about 2-3 kms, when I saw a village. Exhausted and almost in tears I asked for help and was shown the mechanics shack in the middle of a field. I explained my plight and he patiently listened to me and said he will try to help. Luckily M-80 is an uncomplicated bike and I hoped we could work some magic.

He checked fuel lines, checked the airfilter, cleaned the Mikuni carb, and checked the ignition coils, spark plug, all electricals were ok, fuel lines were ok and he too was flummoxed. He then removed the carb from its seating and lo and behold, a small black piece of plastic was wedged in the reed valve of the inlet port. He removed it, assembled the carb back in, attached all lines and my bike started again. Victory. I reached Hubli at around 5 pm, before dark thankfully and I took around 11 hours on the road to cover 210 kms. Solo.

Culprit… The air filter housing of the M-80 is a metal cylinder with a Plastic insert to hold the Foam air filter. The over enthusiastic Service technician had overtightened the nut while assembling the casing, leading to crack in the plastic insert, which fractured and lodged itself in the Reed Valve after traveling through the carb.

Anyways 3 lessons I learned. Never over tighten Screws and Nuts. Never ever service vehicles a day before a long trip. I remember this learning till date and follow it scrupulously. All innards of a basic 2 stroke engine which was pretty much dissembled and reassembled before my eyes. I did learn to service my bike DIY. Major oops when young, and fate has been kind to give me many more such leanings on the road. Some other day, some other time, shall share more. Thanks for listening in.
Wish you all Happy driving.

[SnakemanJohny]

Originally Posted by tharian

I did read some place that Yezdi's do have this 'feature' which happens from time to time.

It can happen if the ignition timing is set too close to the Top Dead Centre (TDC), instead of 15 degrees BTDC (norm) !
Starting from riding Jawas in Delhi in the 1970s, to Yezdi in Madras and different places In Orissa, finally in Calcutta till present day, I used to always scoff at people if they spoke of the bike going backwards. Till it happened to me in the first decade of this century, fresh on the road after a service & tuning. I was the first in line at a red light, with engine switched off. Moment the signal changed, I started with a mighty kick, engaged first gear, and roared backwards into the bike behind me, who had just zoomed forward ! With profound apologies, I pushed the bike to the side and kicked again with a thumping heart. This time it went in the right direction, and I did not switch off again till I reached home and the mechanic. The fellow just shrugged it off and reset the timing, and the freak incident never was repeated !

I believe the same could happen to the old 175cc Rajdoot !

[naveenroy]

Hahah, I think I am a motorcycle enthusiast who knows motorcycles quite well. When I purchased the Honda Africa Twin, I had to ride it back home for around 30 miles on unknown roads. I purchased a mobile holder for just this so that I could use the gps on my mobile to help me navigate.

There is no ceremony for new motorcycle sales here. They roll out the bike for you and bid you goodbye. So I put on my ATTGATT and my wife said she would start after I did in her car. I turned the key, tried to start the bike and wasn't looking at the buttons in my enthusiasm. Nothing happened, the button didn't do anything. I looked down and located the starter switch, pressed it and it worked fine. Slotted first gear and started off. Get on to the highway and cars in front were giving me way. I was feeling so high that they were scared of a large motorcycle and zoomed past them. Wife overtook me in her car and was gesticulating about something. I couldn't understand and she took off. After passing a few cars quite easily, I look down and see that both the "indicator indicators" are lighting up. I still didn't figure it out! I was like, is something wrong with the bike already? Looked for any other telltale signs and didn't see any on the dash. After a few miles, I finally figured it out and stopped at the shoulder. Located the damn hazard switch and turned it off! I'm still laughing as I type this.

Whoever heard of hazard lights on motorcycles? I hadn't!

[Rajeevraj]

Totally embarrassing moment. Only saving grace was I was alone. Had taken a car for rent from Zoomcar. It was the new swift. I took it at night and parked it at home. Today morning went to take it out, wanted to keep a bag in the rear seat and then was shocked- Cannot see a door handle. Lot of thoughts went through my mind, where did it go, how come Zoomcar is giving a car without a rear door handle, I did not mark it in the check list, now will they blame it on me!!. Went to the other side-No door handle there also. Again brain whirring- Does the new swift have some fancy 2 door variant??

Then the brain freeze lifted and there it was- On the rear quarter panel. Had read this but completely forgot. Felt extremely stupid.

[SnakemanJohny]

WowRajeevraj, that happened to me too, with the Chevy BEAT, the first car in India to have that oddly placed rear door handle !
After an evening get together, two friends were giving me a lift, in the BEAT owned by one, which was parked in a shady area of the street. The two of them got into the front, and were waiting for me to do likewise at the back. But I was standing stupidly on the kerb, wondering what kind of car was this, with four doors but only two door handles !
Realising my confusion, the front passenger got out and showed me ! it seemed that happened quite often when the BEAT was new, more so at night !

[BANDHAV]

A fellow model collector during one of his official visit to Middle East spotted a Rolls Royce Silver Serpah and share the photo of the same on our WA group. I had no idea about the Rolls Royce-Bentley Collaboration. I thought that some nut sheikh has gone ahead and sticked RR logos on his Bentley. I went on and on about "who would do such tasteless thing and all" only to realize later that what a fool I was making of myself in front of others.

I am still trolled on that group about it, now it is a shame I have to carry to my deathbed.

[BANDHAV]

Originally Posted by StarrySky

my wife goes "What kind of idiot would one have to be to hit a lamp post while reversing, in a car that has rear parking sensors?"

No amount of Burnol could have taken care of the burn, right?

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Then the brain freeze lifted and there it was- On the rear quarter panel. Had read this but completely forgot. Felt extremely stupid.

Attachment 1841079

Few years back my elder sister jolted me out of my sunday afternoon siesta to show me a two door hatchback, Beat. I wanted to throw her of the balcony though I kept those violent thoughts aside and explained to her funky placement of rear door handles.