300rag
It's Not Going to Shift Itself
Quick, grab the buffer and the white-out, then put it outside.
Fun at work last night
- Thread starter LocuMob
- Start date
Big name companies, but nothing good. We make all kinds of crap, mostly healthy, non GMO type that we package on site, and then a lot of stuff that gets further processing, an ingredient for a power bar is one example. We also make puffs for baby food/toddlers.
The line that went up was making a chocolate product that gets a chocolate dusting elsewhere (much better with the dusting on it!).
saylor
Senior Member
damn lol see nick, our stories are all years and years old and way less painful..
your story is what, 11 minutes old (lol) and you get to remember it forever
your story is what, 11 minutes old (lol) and you get to remember it forever
If only, I told my boss I would show him the carnage in the morning and expressed go absolutely horrible I felt about it. I started cleaning up because all month we are sharing our shop space with multiple crews of people doing different stuff, I figured it would be good if the shop was clean and tiddy
1Fury1
Slab Side Slacker
It was 7 years ago almost to the day in January 2012. I had only been working at this heavy oil upgrader for 2 months when a coke drum was inadvertently opened and 370 deg C hydrocarbon gas exited to atmosphere and spontaneously ignited causing a huge explosion and fire. We just happened to be sitting in a safety meeting about an hour before we were to board our 737 and head home for the weekend. The blast rocked the whole site and the building I was in, labelled a blast proof mobile structure, was maybe 800 meters from the location of the fire and it shook pretty good. The coker structure is 370 ft high and the flames rose at least that high again. I stuck my head out the door to get a better look and even from that distance could barely stand the heat on my face, so hot it virtually melted the overhead steel derrick and doghouse. Fortunately no fatalities, though a couple guys badly burned and shell shocked. Being in January the fire fighting effort used copious amounts of water that quickly turned everything into a block of ice. Rotating equipment seized full of product, electrical buildings flooded, it was a huge mess. The cleanup and rebuild process took 8 months and the plant was re-started in August.
This is a photo of the incident taken by someone a distance away.
This is what a coker structure looks like
This is a photo of the incident taken by someone a distance away.
This is what a coker structure looks like
I remember a friend of mine who worked in one of those upgraders telling me it was the scariest place he'd ever worked. Every body on site watched everyone else and if anyone started to run, everybody ran!
Carmine
Old Man with a Hat
It might be hard to find someone alive who can top that.
68PK21 440.6bbl
Old Man with a Hat
Yea I was going to post up a firecracker story... think I'll go with the crane tipping over story.
Another story.. Again, out working at a now closed factory...
I was in this place when some alarms started sounding. As usual, I looked around and nobody was running towards the door, so I kept on doing what my work. A couple guys said "What's that?" but nobody was concerned.
I was done a couple hours later and drove out along the factory. The old building was probably a half mile long but not very wide and made up of different sections that had been added on during its life. The driveway went the length of the building.
I got out front and there was fire engines sitting there. Turned out that there was a fire at the front of the building but word never got to the rear of the building except for the alarm bells that everyone ignored. From what I was told, the fire didn't get real big, but the fire department had a real hard time getting it to go out.
I was in this place when some alarms started sounding. As usual, I looked around and nobody was running towards the door, so I kept on doing what my work. A couple guys said "What's that?" but nobody was concerned.
I was done a couple hours later and drove out along the factory. The old building was probably a half mile long but not very wide and made up of different sections that had been added on during its life. The driveway went the length of the building.
I got out front and there was fire engines sitting there. Turned out that there was a fire at the front of the building but word never got to the rear of the building except for the alarm bells that everyone ignored. From what I was told, the fire didn't get real big, but the fire department had a real hard time getting it to go out.
70bigblockdodge
Old Man with a Hat
No mishaps here, the longer I keep the streak the more safety bonus $. If the worst one happens that will be the end of my posting.
I don't know if this is actually my biggest screw up, but it was the time I most thought I would be fired. A several weeks after starting to work at my first Benz dealer job, I had a small mishap emptying the oil drain tank. Every tech had their own drain, and we used them constantly... when I was hired, they were out of drains so they ordered one.
For weeks I had been borrowing everyone's drain that was near me and emptying them too so I didn't wear out my welcome. When mine arrived, it was a completely different POS... but whatever. The first time I went to empty it, it was completely full... trans fluid, gear oil diesel oil... just an awful blend.
We had an above ground tank on the wall of the shop where the detail guys worked. Big tank 3-4 foot high and deep and over a car length long. I hooked up the shop air and got the tank draining and turned to throw away my filters...
That is when the silly 10 foot hose on my drain decided to stand up... and look around...
I grabbed that hose and body wrestled it to the floor and then finally pinned the nozzle at the end, and disconnected the air supply. I stood up, covered in oil, and looked around to see if anyone noticed... One tech saw it, and he was wetting himself.
I turned and looked at the disaster... I had just painted the wall by the detail department with used oil... every inch I think...
Then backed toward me with the top down... was a SL500 and I couldn't see through the windshield. Turned out the car had 600 miles on it...
The car had this stupid banana cream colored interior that you would swear was lighter than white... and I had covered it very thoroughly too.
Conclusion coming...
For weeks I had been borrowing everyone's drain that was near me and emptying them too so I didn't wear out my welcome. When mine arrived, it was a completely different POS... but whatever. The first time I went to empty it, it was completely full... trans fluid, gear oil diesel oil... just an awful blend.
We had an above ground tank on the wall of the shop where the detail guys worked. Big tank 3-4 foot high and deep and over a car length long. I hooked up the shop air and got the tank draining and turned to throw away my filters...
I grabbed that hose and body wrestled it to the floor and then finally pinned the nozzle at the end, and disconnected the air supply. I stood up, covered in oil, and looked around to see if anyone noticed... One tech saw it, and he was wetting himself.
I turned and looked at the disaster... I had just painted the wall by the detail department with used oil... every inch I think...
Then backed toward me with the top down... was a SL500 and I couldn't see through the windshield. Turned out the car had 600 miles on it...
The car had this stupid banana cream colored interior that you would swear was lighter than white... and I had covered it very thoroughly too.
Conclusion coming...
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After I saw what I did, I went for the shop foreman... who was coming at me at a trot... and kept on going... "I'll be with you in a moment" 
He had caught wind of the mess I was, and was going for the camera from the body shop. He returned empty handed and a little dejected looking until he saw me... then he brightened right up, "Hey, Jeff, what happened to you?"
I pulled him around the corner and pointed at the SL... and watched his jaw hit the floor. The car had just sold a month or so ago and was in for something like a cell phone installation and a detail.
As I washed up and cleared my bay, the fore man went to talk to the service manager and the advisor... the advisor said "Leave town now... this guy is going to shot you" the manger helped him keep the car on some pretense, but IDK what that was...
We used bulk alcohol and sprayers to clean chassis when finished working on them. I filled a gallon jug and grabbed a bunch of rags and started soaking the oil out of that interior.
While cleaning the car, my brain started in on the math... I had done enough work on those SL interiors already to know some of the pricing... Those seats won MB some engineering award, they were made up of very expensive, but replaceable components... the stuff that looks like wood... is wood (veneer) and all from the same tree, so you get a mismatch if you replace only one piece.
I guessed the interior would be around $20,000, the car was around $100,000 and I had just signed paperwork when I was hired that I would be responsible for the $1000 insurance deductible for any damages I caused.
After soaking the oil out of the surface of the interior, I was amazed at how clean it was coming... IDK what kind of ScotchGaurd those Germans used, but it was from outer space. Then I opened the ashtray, full of oil... the instrument panel, a puddle of oil on the padding underneath... the map pockets in the doors had nearly an inch of oil in them...
Even the canvas top was soaked and it was under the boot...
Here's one in operation
I spent over 3 days dismantling and cleaning that car... cool thing, my being the FNG, several guys in the shop hadn't talked to me yet... every single one of them spent at least an hour helping me clean that car up. I had the interior out and back in, the top cleaned, the door panels off and on... the dash partially apart for cleaning... and we replaced nothing.
The detail guys scrubbed her several times and dooshed her with new car stank... you'd never have known it happened.
As for my job... the manager and foreman had figured out right away that someone had tooled around with the air regulator at the oil tank... instead of a few psi it was full 200+psi... They also were pleased with my willingness to solve the problem and not whine about it. This started Monday before lunch, I finish around lunch of Thursday and was going to go out for lunch the some of the guys... but the foreman stopped me. He started handing me tickets that were serious gravy work to do and kept coming by for me to sign off on others he had done himself... did the same thing Friday.
I had a 40+ hour week that week. I also bought that detail department pizza's every week for sometime afterward. They still would watch me like a hawk anytime I went near the oil tank.
The running joke was that car would never come back for a squeak 
I used about 40 gallons of that alcohol and every rag from the shop and some several of us brought from home in the cleanup... a far better memory than the experience was, I just made peace with the idea I was going to be fired and I knew where the last check was going.
He had caught wind of the mess I was, and was going for the camera from the body shop. He returned empty handed and a little dejected looking until he saw me... then he brightened right up, "Hey, Jeff, what happened to you?"
I pulled him around the corner and pointed at the SL... and watched his jaw hit the floor. The car had just sold a month or so ago and was in for something like a cell phone installation and a detail.
As I washed up and cleared my bay, the fore man went to talk to the service manager and the advisor... the advisor said "Leave town now... this guy is going to shot you" the manger helped him keep the car on some pretense, but IDK what that was...
We used bulk alcohol and sprayers to clean chassis when finished working on them. I filled a gallon jug and grabbed a bunch of rags and started soaking the oil out of that interior.
While cleaning the car, my brain started in on the math... I had done enough work on those SL interiors already to know some of the pricing... Those seats won MB some engineering award, they were made up of very expensive, but replaceable components... the stuff that looks like wood... is wood (veneer) and all from the same tree, so you get a mismatch if you replace only one piece.
I guessed the interior would be around $20,000, the car was around $100,000 and I had just signed paperwork when I was hired that I would be responsible for the $1000 insurance deductible for any damages I caused.
After soaking the oil out of the surface of the interior, I was amazed at how clean it was coming... IDK what kind of ScotchGaurd those Germans used, but it was from outer space. Then I opened the ashtray, full of oil... the instrument panel, a puddle of oil on the padding underneath... the map pockets in the doors had nearly an inch of oil in them...
Even the canvas top was soaked and it was under the boot...
Here's one in operation
I spent over 3 days dismantling and cleaning that car... cool thing, my being the FNG, several guys in the shop hadn't talked to me yet... every single one of them spent at least an hour helping me clean that car up. I had the interior out and back in, the top cleaned, the door panels off and on... the dash partially apart for cleaning... and we replaced nothing.
The detail guys scrubbed her several times and dooshed her with new car stank... you'd never have known it happened.
As for my job... the manager and foreman had figured out right away that someone had tooled around with the air regulator at the oil tank... instead of a few psi it was full 200+psi... They also were pleased with my willingness to solve the problem and not whine about it. This started Monday before lunch, I finish around lunch of Thursday and was going to go out for lunch the some of the guys... but the foreman stopped me. He started handing me tickets that were serious gravy work to do and kept coming by for me to sign off on others he had done himself... did the same thing Friday.
I had a 40+ hour week that week. I also bought that detail department pizza's every week for sometime afterward. They still would watch me like a hawk anytime I went near the oil tank.
The running joke was that car would never come back for a squeak I used about 40 gallons of that alcohol and every rag from the shop and some several of us brought from home in the cleanup... a far better memory than the experience was, I just made peace with the idea I was going to be fired and I knew where the last check was going.
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68PK21 440.6bbl
Old Man with a Hat
How you know the owner at the time isn't a member here. Now he knows! Ha Ha!
I'd say the shop was 51% at fault for having a stupid drain tank like that and having the detail shop and old oil tank in the same vicinity. I mean really how hard is it to have a underground tank, wheel your pot over, open valve, drain, If it's a above ground have a hand pump sucker or even a electric driven one to remove the oil. Heck when I was looking into repairing boat/yachts they would stick a tube down into the crankcase to suck the oil out.
F' if I was the owner of the dealership I'd give the customer a new car!
200psi vs new guy... sure you wern't Punked?
Wow, talk about making a first impression! LOL
A side track question, the car in the video shows a roll bar when the roof is down, but not when the roof is up; is the roof reinforced to eliminate the need for a roll bar?
A side track question, the car in the video shows a roll bar when the roof is down, but not when the roof is up; is the roof reinforced to eliminate the need for a roll bar?
300rag
It's Not Going to Shift Itself
If it is anything like the PT then it is not structural. It has something to do with wind buffeting in the back seat.
Curious, I've owned convertibles since 1968 and I can't ever remember ever riding in the rear seat.
Video of the self deploying roll bar in action...
If this is one the one I'm thinking of... the driver has a cigarette on the hillside looking at his accomplishment.
The driver has a switch to put the bar in the position of their choice, but when the car detects a rollover (switches on the rear suspension) the roll bar deploys. The springs that deploy it are VERY strong, it deploys with authority. It can be reset by cycling the switch if the car is intact after a deployment. The hydraulic systems of those cars were fun to work on. The top mechanism is complex and the cars were built from 89-02 with a number of upgrades along the way... the early cars had flash codes only for diagnostics and I think 11 switches to feed back to the controller... without live data, you had to find the right book and be able to read to diagnose them.
The relays were internal for the control module... fun failures there...
But the cars made your peepee bigger, so most owners paid to repair them.
There is a wind defusing screen available, it attaches to the bar and does cut down on turbulence for the occupants.
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In that shop, anything was possible. There were some out of control prank wars in the place... a number of guy's involved and several others as collateral damage. Many came in street clothes, there was a locker tacked shut, shoes soaked and put in the freezer, shoes glued to the floor... one guy got blown up in the stall while taking a dump (big firecracker), one guy stuffed street clothes (OP) and positioned them in a stall to simulate a sexual act (one sitting, one on it's knees) and had some homophobic folks very riled up. The guy who left at 4:00 every day to pick up his kids had a muffler full of gear oil, and on another occasion had expansion foam in his tailpipe (the foreman fixed his car by cutting off the last several inches of tailpipe)... The Quality Control Tech went home for the day when somebody dumped a small puddle of washer solution concentrate on the plastic seat cover (strong alcohol, minor chemical burns).
The place was a zoo... I liked a lot of things about that job.
After I saw what I did, I went for the shop foreman... who was coming at me at a trot... and kept on going... "I'll be with you in a moment"
He had caught wind of the mess I was, and was going for the camera from the body shop. He returned empty handed and a little dejected looking until he saw me... then he brightened right up, "Hey, Jeff, what happened to you?"
I pulled him around the corner and pointed at the SL... and watched his jaw hit the floor. The car had just sold a month or so ago and was in for something like a cell phone installation and a detail.
As I washed up and cleared my bay, the fore man went to talk to the service manager and the advisor... the advisor said "Leave town now... this guy is going to shot you" the manger helped him keep the car on some pretense, but IDK what that was...
We used bulk alcohol and sprayers to clean chassis when finished working on them. I filled a gallon jug and grabbed a bunch of rags and started soaking the oil out of that interior.
While cleaning the car, my brain started in on the math... I had done enough work on those SL interiors already to know some of the pricing... Those seats won MB some engineering award, they were made up of very expensive, but replaceable components... the stuff that looks like wood... is wood (veneer) and all from the same tree, so you get a mismatch if you replace only one piece.
I guessed the interior would be around $20,000, the car was around $100,000 and I had just signed paperwork when I was hired that I would be responsible for the $1000 insurance deductible for any damages I caused.
After soaking the oil out of the surface of the interior, I was amazed at how clean it was coming... IDK what kind of ScotchGaurd those Germans used, but it was from outer space. Then I opened the ashtray, full of oil... the instrument panel, a puddle of oil on the padding underneath... the map pockets in the doors had nearly an inch of oil in them...
View attachment 162018
Even the canvas top was soaked and it was under the boot...
Here's one in operation
I spent over 3 days dismantling and cleaning that car... cool thing, my being the FNG, several guys in the shop hadn't talked to me yet... every single one of them spent at least an hour helping me clean that car up. I had the interior out and back in, the top cleaned, the door panels off and on... the dash partially apart for cleaning... and we replaced nothing.
The detail guys scrubbed her several times and dooshed her with new car stank... you'd never have known it happened.
As for my job... the manager and foreman had figured out right away that someone had tooled around with the air regulator at the oil tank... instead of a few psi it was full 200+psi... They also were pleased with my willingness to solve the problem and not whine about it. This started Monday before lunch, I finish around lunch of Thursday and was going to go out for lunch the some of the guys... but the foreman stopped me. He started handing me tickets that were serious gravy work to do and kept coming by for me to sign off on others he had done himself... did the same thing Friday.
I had a 40+ hour week that week. I also bought that detail department pizza's every week for sometime afterward. They still would watch me like a hawk anytime I went near the oil tank.
I used about 40 gallons of that alcohol and every rag from the shop and some several of us brought from home in the cleanup... a far better memory than the experience was, I just made peace with the idea I was going to be fired and I knew where the last check was going.
It's a good thing that didn't happen to a good car!
68PK21 440.6bbl
Old Man with a Hat
Yea can't stand work environments like that, I outgrew the oilcan & grease gun fights when I turned 16.
Heard stories about dealership pranks, best one was new mechanic with the then coming up massive SnapOn toolbox's, guy was a dick, friend told me they'd drilled holes and screwed in grease fittings to the boxes... you can guess what they did next... power filled all the boxes with grease.
Last job I worked at in a Hospital Facility Operation was full of reject jackasses from up north & Katrina Refugees. Go to pull a box of electrical connectors off the top shelf, someone had opened the perforated cutout to make the box a open parts bin, closed it back up and put on shelf upside down. End result all on floor, retards.
Found out 2 of them could hardly read, I can understand the 50+ guy from Kentucky, but lil'Bobbie from Louisiana in his young 30's, no excuse in this day and age.
Only came across working at a dealership twice in my life, once at a Porsche dealership, plenty of perks, send me to school etc. I knew a Sales Manager(?), nice guy, I use to crew on his sport fishing boat, they were desperate to get mechanics. 2nd was at a Dodge Dealership, one that had been locally owned then swallowed up by a Mega-Dealer, old roommate bragged he was Service Manager, go in to talk, am reminded about Flat Rate pay, see that old roommate is not Service Manager but 'Service Writer'. I'm polite but, come too easily figure out that the new guys get all the warranty work and Chrysler at the time only paid $6.00hr per flat rate book, and being the new Mega-Dealer status, they got plenty of warranty work.
Only 2 people in the shop were on salary, Body Shop Manager & Service Manager, No Thank You, I was in my 30's by then and had 15 years exp (although not entirely with cars) and never worked flat rate. (hourly + overtime). Oh wait one more, rich family classmate opened a Kawasaki Dealership, (Parents owned Volvo Dealership in town), I was prodded by a business associate of mine (Motocross days) to go in and talk, when all hi how-do-you-do's remember me old times were done I did a head swivel around the place (look at) and politely said thank you very much but no thanks. All parties were happy... Dealership didn't make it past 1st year IIRC.
Crap like you describe at that dealership makes them wide open for a massive lawsuit. In fact the hospital I worked for at the time was going through a whistle-blower lawsuit that was finally settled with the Fed's for 100 million dollars which (at the time) was the largest Medicare fraud settlement in the country soon to be surpassed by a hospital up in Indiana(?). Lovely!
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