I'm surrounded by idiots (Rant-ish)

"Logansteno: Bought a VW?" (logansteno)
08/28/2014 at 16:44 • Filed to: None

I'm slowly running out of patience for the people in my auto tech class.

First off, how can people in a class who's purpose is to certify you as a mechanic not...

A: Know that most hoods have safety latches.

B: Know most FWD cars have a transverse engine.

C: KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY TIGHTEN A TIRE.

D: Know how to attach jumper cables.

E: Know how long to hold a key and NOT grind the starter.

I feel like most car people just know those things... I've known all that since I was like five.

Then yesterday while the teacher walked away to go get a new code reader, they all started looking through this person's car! Like opening glove boxes and shit. Do none of you have respect for other people's belongings?

You know what, I can answer that questions myself because they've scratched the crap out of the front fender on all three of our teacher's trucks by letting the battery testers clamps slide along and scratch the living hell out of it.

I want to take my dad's truck in and do some maintenance work on it but I'm scared to have these guys around it in fear of scratching it, denting it, or doing who knows what.

-End rant-

Have a Silverado.

DISCUSSION (46)

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 16:49

Thats just ridiculous, I dont even have a license let alone my own car and I know how to do most of those things. How to attach jumper cables?.. psht

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
08/28/2014 at 16:50

This kid

For like 10 minutes

Was trying to look for the positive terminal

...There was a plastic cover over it

He then put the NEGATIVE clamp on the POSITIVE terminal.

thebigbossyboss > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 16:52

Then what happened? Did it spark or kill the battery? I am always curious, but would never try that.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > thebigbossyboss
08/28/2014 at 16:53

Luckily the other end wasn't attached to anything yet so it did nothing.

Or maybe it did do something, I had walked away at the point so I didn't start screaming.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 16:54

This is so much of a facepalm that Im sharing a photo of me actually facepalming:

thebigbossyboss > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 16:54

If it wasn't attached to anything it wouldn't do anything I don't think.

You are wise to go into mechanic-dom. Lots of jobs available, and a bunch of guys are retiring soon.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
08/28/2014 at 16:55

I had to walk away so I didn't start yelling.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > thebigbossyboss
08/28/2014 at 16:56

I feel like I'm making the right move. Let's hope so.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 16:56

I would have started a full on rant that would make people call security

thebigbossyboss > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 16:56

Also re holding a key and grinding the starter...uh wtf. As soon as the car starts stop trying to start it.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > thebigbossyboss
08/28/2014 at 16:57

This kid just held the key for a good three seconds after it had started.

YESHELLOITSON.

My girlfriend does it in her Taurus all the time and every time I say something then she does it again the next time!

thebigbossyboss > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 16:59

I have only done that because I thought a car was off when it was on. My car is very loud, and I was driving a Mazda 3 or something that was very quiet. I turned the car on, put on my seatbelt, then tried to turn it on again because it was so quiet I didn't think it was on.

BigBlock440 > thebigbossyboss
08/28/2014 at 16:59

I did it once in high school. After a few minutes the jumper cables started smoking, but no long term damage that I know of. It may have shortened the battery life, because it died a few months later, but it was 10 years old already so it could have just been age.

Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 17:00

At least you have an auto tech class.

thebigbossyboss > BigBlock440
08/28/2014 at 17:00

Interesting. I know nothing about electrics, but i do know black is negative on the cables, and that is important.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > thebigbossyboss
08/28/2014 at 17:01

I've almost done it in the Saturn before because you cannot tell that it's on when you're in it and the windows are up. Luckily I looked down at the tachometer.

Now I have zoned out and done it in the van. Not a fun thing.

PS9 > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 17:02

Who's 'Transverse'? And why does everyone who makes a FWD car get them to make engines for them? I though every car make made it's own engine...?

I also still do not understand Front Window Drive technology. Anyone want to explain? Why does it take an entire engine to drive a front window?

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage
08/28/2014 at 17:03

It's not at my school, I'm shipped about 10 minutes away to a school that specializes in teaching trade skills.

I go half day there then go back to my normal high school the other half of the day.

tc_corty > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 17:03

Its hard to soar like an eagle when you're surrounded by turkeys. Don't get mad with it, just realise how much easier it'll be to rise up in the field if that's your competition. This is how I deal with idiots, and it makes me feel better haha

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > PS9
08/28/2014 at 17:04

I'm pretty sure some of them seriously have this mentality...

I wish I wasn't being serious.

Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 17:06

Ah, I see. Ours is the same way, except the facility is like 40 minutes away. I'm always irritated that our school doesn't have an in-school auto class, while other nearby schools do.

lone_liberal > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 17:07

I imagine it's kind of like some of my computer networking classes. There were people there who were there because they liked to work on computers and thought it would be a good job, then there were others who knew nothing about computers but somebody told them that those were the kinds of jobs to have. The latter group usually didn't have any kind of motivation or curiosity about the subjects and almost all either quit or failed out. The part about going through other people's shit and scratching everything up is where you lost me, though. That's just being an ass.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage
08/28/2014 at 17:07

I wish it was at my school, so then I could actually have more than three classes a day.

I could go full day at the trade school, but I want to graduate with my class that I've known for years.

PS9 > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 17:07

Hey, I got another question; why does a car need a battery when the engine makes energy already? Can't we just use some of the engine energy to power the lights and stuff? And what's the deal with all the fluids? Antifreeze, oil, gasoline, Transmission Fluid...can't they just have one kind of fluid and use that for everything?

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > lone_liberal
08/28/2014 at 17:09

90% of them are in the latter group you described. There me and two other people who actually give a shit.

Oh yeah, I was so pissed off at them. Get the hell out of their shit! I wanted to tell the teacher, probably should have.

AM3R > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 17:09

Yeah most auto tech classes are filled with idiots. I remember in my freshmen year I toured the auto tech class during an elective fair at the end of the year and I was AMAZED by how clueless people were.. There was an old Lincoln in and one of them pushed down on it to test the shocks. It bounced up and down for a good 10 seconds (that means bad shocks, obviously) and he goes "wow the shocks must be new!" I ended up not taking the class because I just couldn't tolerate the people in the class. I have at least a dozen examples of how little they knew, and this was supposed to be the "advanced" class.

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 17:14

I know at least for modern GMs (I know my old 2000 Impala did it), you don't even have to hold the key. Just give the key a twist to start, and it will crank it just long enough.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 17:15

I was surrounded by idiots in my auto tech course, some thought it was fun redlining the cars in the shop for 5 minutes straight, Some didn't even know how to loosen lug nuts.

Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 17:16

Yeah, that would be nice. I'm probably going to end up doing that program later on, but our school would let you unless you are at least a junior.

What irritates me most about my school is that they don't offer classes that teach good life skills, such as auto class or woodshop. Yet, they offer things such as costume class, or tourism class.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
08/28/2014 at 17:18

I'm glad this seems to be a universal thing.

Redlining cars in the shop!? What the hell.

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 17:18

I guess I got lucky. Went to a high school of about 300 people, and since it was in the sticks most of the people in auto actually gave shits because they were hillbillies working on their own stuff. Hell, I left my Crapri in there for a few months working on the subframe.

twochevrons > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 17:19

I always wanted to take the automotive class back when I was in high school. Problem was, it was full of meatheads of the sort that you mentioned. In hindsight, I'm glad that I didn't, and just ended up teaching myself (with a lot of help from my petrolhead father). With the kind of people I'd have been in the class with, I think that I wouldn't have learned much anyway.

EL_ULY > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 17:23

they are there to learn man, it's better to not let it bother you. I had to teach a course at a Toyota training site once, patience is difficult but your only option

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 17:26

yup. Even some vehicles ran horribly, and they redlined those anyway. Take this '96 Sonoma 4x4/4.3 I pulled the engine out of for instance. I pulled the engine apart with my group, found a ton of damage to the main crank bearings.

Kinja'd!!!

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 17:27

I was going to do that. Now I'm kind of regretting not. I'm indecisive in classes. I might do it next year though.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
08/28/2014 at 17:27

That's ridiculous.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
08/28/2014 at 17:28

The only thing I'm disliking so far is my hour long bus ride in the morning.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 17:31

Only reason I didn't is because it takes up half my schedule and there were classes I wanted to take.

promoted by the color red > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 18:00

My friend claimed he could rebuild a single cylinder engine for a project faster and better than the rest of our group despite having no experience. Didn't stop him from kicking us off.

He spent an hour installing the valve springs alone and ended up miss-gaping the magneto. We ended up being the second to last group to finish.

shop-teacher > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 18:36

This is why I don't teach Auto shop. Guidance counselors like to dump kids like that into them.

Textured Soy Protein > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 18:49

I work at a tech school. I'm not a computer professional myself, but I'm at least reasonably competent with them.

We have many students here studying for their degrees in IT (mostly networking, system admin type stuff) who don't even know their way around a basic Windows 7 laptop.

Since I'm one of the managers, there will be times where I'm the only person around to help students with their computer problems, when the IT guy has left for the day.

These students, who again, are studying to be IT people, are routinely amazed when I show them things like Adblock, Avast and Malwarebytes.

That's just how tech school is sometimes.

spanfucker retire bitch > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 19:22

This reminds me of someone who was in my class when I was going for Drafting at Alfred.

He actually asked us how he could find out what the diameter of a line was. In AutoCAD.

We all just stared at him until he turned around again.

spanfucker retire bitch > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/28/2014 at 19:23

Sounds like BOCES.

At least that's what it was called at the region I went to High School in.

spanfucker retire bitch > PS9
08/28/2014 at 19:25

You fool, you forgot the blinker fluid!

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
08/31/2014 at 20:15

these are the people they invented starter buttons for, not for race cars.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > thebigbossyboss
08/31/2014 at 23:41

Depends on whether or not the other side of the cable was connected to anything. If it is, expect a shower of sparks.

Germans are usually quite logical, but some idiot thought it would be interesting to use a red cable for the negative connection to the battery on my 525i. I knew about it and always handled my end of a jump start, but you don't know how many times I almost connected incorrectly because of that damned cable.