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Greatest Face Palm Stories of All Time

SnailPower

Autocross Newbie
Location
North NJ
Car(s)
2017 GTI MT, PP, LP
I threw this here so it isn't only VW related...

So I used to own an Srt4 about 15 years ago. I probably had it for about 1 month at this point. I had a habit of never parking with the e-brake and only throwing my cars in 1st gear to park them unless I was on a serious incline. Did it with my previous manual and kept it up...

I parked it outside of a Borders book store (no longer there) in the parking lot. I go inside, reading my usual car magazines and come back out. My car is gone. I'm like, WTF? I turn my head completely to the left and there is my car in some grass and half the car had jumped the curb, lol. I'm immediately thinking, HOLY CRAP! Like, what if someone was walking behind it when it began to roll backwards, another car was driving through the parking lot, if another car would have parked behind it in it's path, so many bad thoughts.

I did the walk of shame and got in and drove off the curb and away I went. Never again did I park in 1st gear only, lol.

I got more like that and not necessarily my own story but would start with this one.
 

Rojito

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Florida
Car(s)
2021 GTI SE MANUAL
I had a manual Mitsubishi Eclipse when I was in college. One day, I was at a mall, I went out and my battery was dead. Well, growing up hillbilly and having helped push many a dead hoopty to jump star it, I figured getting her started would be easy. I asked a couple of guys to help out and they happily obliged.

After 20 minutes and about 50 attempts, one of the guys asked if I had the key turned to the on position. I did not.

Had to get a new clutch not too long after that. Not my proudest moment.
 

sterkrazzy

Autocross Champion
Location
United States
Car(s)
Turbo. Blue.
I put a turbonator from ebay into my tiburon.
 

SnailPower

Autocross Newbie
Location
North NJ
Car(s)
2017 GTI MT, PP, LP
That kind of reminds me of when I went to the DMV for inspection on my Mk6 GTI after having a shop swap my DP for me. As I get out of the car and let the inspector get in to drive it through, the car turns off. It would not crank over at all. I'm like 🤯 They push me out of the DMV and I'm going through all worse case scenarios like the ECU fried on me or something. Thinking I have to get a tow truck just to get the car back to the shop just so they can then begin troubleshooting what is wrong and watching $$$ fly away from me.

One of the inspectors standing around on his break walks over casually while I have the hood popped and I'm on phone with the shop and he asks, what's wrong? I'm like, car is dead, it just died on me. He grabs each battery terminal and jiggles it and the one just slipped off like it wasn't even tighten down at all. He puts it back on and laughs at me. Tells me to try again and car goes on like nothing. I immediately am like, 😒 🤦🏼‍♂️ I wasn't sure if I should have been super pissed that the shop didn't tighten it down or how happy it was just that. The dude was cool and told me to drive through his bay after that and he would immediately pass me.

Just my usual always over thinking problems.
 

SnailPower

Autocross Newbie
Location
North NJ
Car(s)
2017 GTI MT, PP, LP

sterkrazzy

Autocross Champion
Location
United States
Car(s)
Turbo. Blue.
Holy crap, I forgot all about those, rofl.
It looks like the ones they make these days are a lot safer, just as useless, but hopefully not as much risk lol
The one I had arrived as just a flat piece of sheet metal with some notches cut into it. Then you folded it into shape and shoved it into the intake.
 

SnailPower

Autocross Newbie
Location
North NJ
Car(s)
2017 GTI MT, PP, LP
My buddy had just picked up his 2002 Golf hatch from a shop after getting some work done as the car was out of commission for some time. We agree to go get food about a quarter mile down the road. He's following me (I had the mk6 gti then) and I pull in first and as I'm swerving into my parking spot I hear a loud BONK behind me. I'm opening my door to get out and as I'm doing that I turn and see my buddy pulling in next to me real quick and in a panic. He gets out and says, crap! I think I just cracked my oil tank. I'm like, wtf?

He ended up driving up the curve into the parking lot rather than the actual ramp to go in and in the process, it cut his oil pan in half. There was an oil trail from where he hit all the way to where he parked. We had to go to the fire department and they showed up with the fire truck and all to clean it up, lol. Needless to say, my buddy felt like a jacka$$ that he just got his car back from a shop and in less than 5 minutes had f**ked it up again. He had it towed back to the same shop, rofl.
 

Jose_Gti

Autocross Newbie
Location
Philadelphia
I remember when we lived in Denver (2010) I had a 2007 Bmw 330xi it’s snowing and I’m stopped at an intersection and I though I’m going to turn left and floor it to let it slide, it’s an AWD car! Well I ended up going over the curve, breaking the suspension, the rim and I don’t know what else….
The worst it was the embarrassment when the people came over asking what happened? And I was like… I don’t know I lost control 😂😂😂
Believe me, $2899 later I learned my lesson.
 

SnailPower

Autocross Newbie
Location
North NJ
Car(s)
2017 GTI MT, PP, LP
Updated thread title so it is no longer things you may have done to your car or car specific related.

A buddy of mine went to home depot with his pickup truck and picked up loads of 4x4s. He apparently didn't secure them down and just left them in the bed and took off. He went on the highway to get home faster.

When he got home and walked around, the 4x4s were completely missing, lol. He said he was in shock because he wasn't sure if he caused all kinds of accidents on the highway. He went back out to check and said he couldn't even find the 4x4s anywhere on the route he took, lol. For all he knows, someone snatched them before he even pulled out when he wasn't looking, lol.
 

Diggs24

Autocross Champion
Location
de plains! de plains!
Car(s)
2015 GTI
Once I bought some rubber floor mats that didn't quite fit my car (not the MK7). Cut the gas pedal area down to fit better. One day I go to floor it and the gas pedal doesn't come back up, it had caught itself under the lip where I cut it. Thankfully this car doesn't have a ton of power (and is smart enough to kill the throttle when I hit the brakes) and also thankfully no one in front of me but still a butthole pucker moment.
 

gixxerfool

Autocross Champion
Location
New Jersey
Car(s)
2016 Golf R
When I worked at the Cadillac dealer customer brings in his CTS-V manual for some warranty work.

All kinds of money in this thing. Custom stereo with subs, wheels, custom interior. It was all well done. We do our thing and it goes outside in a parking spot waiting for pickup.

First thing next morning there’s a ton of commotion in the service department write up area. Come to find out the customer was pissed at us. We left the manual car in reverse when parked. This guy comes to pickup. Finds his car and pulls up to remote start it, aftermarket unit. Car starts lurching backwards so he jumps out and whacks the shifter into neutral…or third. Car takes off up and over the curb and jacks up the whole front end. I have to find the pics and post them. He was pissed we left it in gear and he remote started and we wouldn’t help him out.
F768BB10-2C6C-4964-8930-849118E6A491.jpeg
 
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SnailPower

Autocross Newbie
Location
North NJ
Car(s)
2017 GTI MT, PP, LP
Once I bought some rubber floor mats that didn't quite fit my car (not the MK7). Cut the gas pedal area down to fit better. One day I go to floor it and the gas pedal doesn't come back up, it had caught itself under the lip where I cut it. Thankfully this car doesn't have a ton of power (and is smart enough to kill the throttle when I hit the brakes) and also thankfully no one in front of me but still a butthole pucker moment.

Wasn't that the exact reason Toyota had a massive recall in early 2000s? Their OEM floor mats were catching the gas pedal and causing people to accelerate to their doom apparently? Just reminded me of that recall, was all over the news when it was a thing. I think that caused most manufacturers to start adding some type of clip to the floor mat to anchor it down so it wouldn't move or shift over time.
 

SnailPower

Autocross Newbie
Location
North NJ
Car(s)
2017 GTI MT, PP, LP
Updated my original post with pics

Damn that sucks. I would probably be pissed too lol. Though I'm not familiar with that many people rocking auto starts in a manual. I know it can be done but it's not as popular.

I know you said you couldn't help him out, so what did he do? Just drive it away bust up? lol
 
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