Last time I borrowed something it was a tractor. I discovered the steering box mounting plate was broken (no wonder the steering was so sloppy!), I removed the plate, beveled, welded and reinforced it, centered the steering etc. Talk about a happy owner!
Count me as another "fill the tank" guy. I'll do more if called for too but bare minimum its "fill the tank" my dad drilled it into me as a kid and I returned the favor when in HS he borrowed my Olds 98 which was on empty when he took it. He returned it with a 1/4 tank and it had a biiig tank but I was a smartass and he owned up and gave me $20 to go fill it (sigh, the days when $20 would fill anything...but I digress)
When I had my truck I've had people borrow it and return it on vapors, which is a real pain since there are no gas stations in my town. One more reason I'm kind of glad to not own a truck right now.
friedgreencorrado wrote: No, you're not the only one. I'm a weird guy, I get almost sentimental about cars. Once I told one of my childless friends who says .."my pets are my children.." that if pets can be children, cars can be pets. It was just supposed to be a thought experiment for her, but after I said it, it just kind of stuck in my brain. To me, seeing a vehicle with some problems is like one of the pet people seeing a starving stray on the side of the road. Can't quite let it go without giving it a decent meal, at least. Like you said, rebuilding something major is out of the question, but if it's just a matter of bulbs or fuses or adjustment or cleaning, I'm all over it. Hell, I've been known to borrow somebody's truck, hear the grinding brakes, and then replace pads & rotors *before* doing what I borrowed it for, just for the satisfaction I get from not injuring it any further.
I actually name my cars. They're my kids.
I agree with everything you said. I get really sad when I see a beat-up, older vehicle. Because once upon a time, someone bought that car new and was happy and excited to own it.
Like one or two others here, if I get a car I borrowed dirty, I clean it up before returning it.
In the mid '80s I rented a Ford Tempo and cleaned it up before returning it. To me, rent-a-cars are like hotel rooms...I don't like to leave them trashed as it says so much about you.
A few years ago, my mechanic gave me a car to use while mine was getting a re-built engine. It took way longer than we thought it would and since I put A LOT of miles on it, I replaced the tires on it. It had 4 low priced/non-matching tires on it, and I figured 5 weeks of use was worth something.
I am usually the loanee. I make sure anything I borrow has more gas than when I borrowed it.
My S-I-L stopped by the visit once on her way home. Her car was so nastly I got the shop vac out and cleaned up the interior.
A co-worker borrowed my truck once to move his wife to an apartment because they were separating (???). It came back with the front of the bed dented and I'm sure it was not filled up. I have rarely loaned it out since.
I am the keeper of the keys for a fairly new Ford Explorer here at work. Which means I get to clean it and keep maintenance up to date. It was the best vehicle we ahd unitl the brand new one just arrived. Everybody wants to use my vehicle. It is amazing what pigs some people are. I've had to pull a week of fast food bags out from under all the seats, used latex gloves, drink cups, you name it.
Sky_Render wrote:friedgreencorrado wrote: CONFESS!I actually name my cars. They're my kids. I agree with everything you said. I get really sad when I see a beat-up, older vehicle. Because once upon a time, someone bought that car new and was happy and excited to own it.
Should have known I'd find someone else like me on this forum! Yeah, they were all someone's baby once. I think that's why junkyard and abandoned vehicle pictures are so popular with many of us.
My BIL got a full tank of gas and a free oil change when he let me borrow his truck. So I not only saved him money by doing his needed oil change, I saved him the afternoon spent running down to Spiffy Lube. I also cleaned out the dozen empty big gulp cups too.
I did that with a friend's car.. while she was still in it. Years ago a friend of mine was dating his soon to be wife. She lived in OK, us in NJ. On her first drive out here, her white escort was so filthy it was gray. When we took it out to eat (I had only a 2 seater fiat) first stop was the carwash to get the crud off
When we borrow my father-in-law's car or truck, I'll usually vac it out and maybe wash it.
He smokes a pipe (old man, 1st gen Buick Lacrosse--the stereotype is true) and he lets his pipe tobacco land everywhere. It disgusts me, so I vacuum it out for my wife.
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