Stupid Car Questions
 

After an evening of philanthropy, I met a friend for dinner. Instead of our usual, almost routine discussions of why we can't meet women who'll do a2m and are down to cuddle after a night of violent slamfukcing, the subject somehow switched to cars. I was telling him about my Miata and how it's being turbocharged and whatever when he asked me the following question:

Does it have a Spoon engine?

I wanted to shti. I politely informed him that it did not and that I wasn't planning on installing one. Also, our date was over. :-)

What are some stupid car questions people have asked you? Do you even respond?

Your friend asked you a question from the fast and the furious. About an entirely different manufacturer.

I hope you busted out your penis and cockslapped him for being a tard.

A random stranger at a gas station asked how many ci the V8 in my FC was (it was still a rotary at that point, and with an aftermarket exhaust on it, I'm not sure how you mistake it for anything but).

When I worked at a parts store and people came in to get all the fluids I'd run down the check list: motor oil-check, trans oil-check, filters-check, turn signal fluid-...did you forget the turn signal fluid sir/ma'm? and just wait for a response. Mostly was bored and curious who'd fall for it.

Might not be on point, but did have a guy send his wife in with a "need to get" list and synthetic turn signal fluid was on it. It took me 10min to explain her that her husband was F---ing with her.

my friends

a) are smart enough to know they know nothing about cars and therefore do not ask any smart-sounding dumb questions.

b) respect me enough not to ask questions like that.

I go to an engineering school, and when I told a friend of mine who is a mechanical engineer and who is also trying to be a car guy all about my recent turbo-build, his very first question was not "how much boost is it making?" or "what kind of suspension?" or "what kind of turbo?" or any other question that would have been acceptable, but the typical stupid question of a non-car guy "What color are you going to paint it?"

I gave up on any further explanation of my project.

You spend so much time in the garage, is your car broken?
This _____ cost how much?

Now I just tell people I'm building a race car.

A kid at the gas station asked what size my turbos were as he stared directly at my itbs :/

idiots I dont befriend:

-douche #1 in my class complimented on the "Whoosh" of my blow off valve, and then proceeded to ask me how I got my vtec to do it (miata).

-douche #2 in my AUTO TECH. CLASS asked if I had specifically NOS because he could "hear it" as I drive. (miater still)

-douche #3 at that god awful autozone was bragging how he was going to turbo his car, and had every piece while I was in front of them in line paying to get a new PCV valve... then asked if my car was really turbo, while looking over my shoulder as I was installing the new PCV... (miata)

-Douche #4 (most recent) asked if my car was really a supra, and how come it didnt look like the ones in that one movie that had vin diesel... while insisting its not a supra and I was a total liar along with it being turbo as he egged me on in his V6 98' mustang.

I know a guy who claims his stock Mercury Mariner makes 350 hp. He also removed the exhaust on his Chrysler PT Cruiser because he thinks its the best sounding car ever. Mind you, this isn't the turbo PT Cruiser either.

which mercury mariner is it?
Love to drop one into the miata if I had the cash

Classmate, about halfway through first year of automotive eng: 'so did you convert your miata to rear wheel drive or something?'

On the topic of RWD, I find this to be somewhat common amongst those of the '60s-80s American Iron persuasion. They've been immersed in Mustangs and El Caminos and Camaros all their life, and simply don't realize that the Japanese have ever produced any RWD car.

Frankly, I can understand this, given the ratio of Miatas / RX7s / Supras / pre-1987 Celicas out there as compared to Civis / Integras / Preludes / '87+ Celicas / etc.

My favorite is still the water pump for a '74 Beetle.

We had a Grand-AM tech official freak out because our Acura RSX was FWD. He really and truly thought it was RWD before he crawled underneath it...

My coworkers and such always ask me for advice and hardly listen to it.

For example, last week one's timing belt broke. It was described to me what happened and I called it exactly before word came back from the shop. I looked up the motor and it was a non interferece focus motor. I strongly suggested it was to be taken to a regular shop and you shouldn't pay more than $500 for the timing belt with water pump. I looked online and Motorcraft pumps for that motor are $30.

Turns out the car was taken to the dealer, where they couldn't even confirm if it was a non-interferece motor, told owner that the way the motor is built isn't important to prevent damage and it's how the TB breaks, and wanted to charge her $950 for timing and waterpump and said the chances the motor was okay was slim.

Car was nearly donated after talks to the dealer and was even trying to work out a deal with them on a new car. I couldn't believe it. Owner was too worried the engine had internal damage since the dealer couldn't say if it would work or not after a new TB.

Eventually I convinced the owner to just replace the TB where, with my help, got it talked down to $450 installed without the WP. They wanted $300 more to install it. I highly urged the owner to buy a part online and tow it to a shop that would do the work for the same price with the WP to no avail. Owner couldn't believe I suggested having a run-of-the-mill shop do the work and what awe-struck by the idea of not using factory parts.

Now this owner wants to sell the perfectly fine, good condition, paid off, well kept car lease a new one. Owner is also moving soon into an apt of thier own and does not have the money for this. Of course, my input on leasing was no well received.



Same owner borrowed a car in the meantime and took out a side view mirror and asked where I knew where I could buy new factory parts. When it was finally told to me what/why it was needed, I looked up a few junkyards and found one color matched for $50. Owner shrugged me off, said wasn't confortable not using "new" factory parts and I'm pretty sure bought one through the dealer for ten times more.

Most people in TX seem to think the Miata is FWD, a coworked attempted to convince me someone did a RWD swap on my car because "Mazda never made a FWD car!!!"

People always ask if it has a V8 then provide their sympathies. lol

I still get heckled all the time for my percieved homosexuality that comes with driving a RWD, LSD, double-wishbone, 2200lb car which I do not understand.

"Oh your cars turbo? That's cool, what do you drive?"

A miata.

"Oh...I thought you drove something cool like a 350z."

"how much boost you pushing?"

common one probably most get as well. annoying to no end.

agreed.
I cant stand being asked this, im starting to reply "Enough."

Or "Enough to separate me from your car."

I reply 'I'm not sure exactly, something like 12-15psi, not sure. I don't have a boost gauge' which of course I don't, lol. And most of them a subaru/former subaru owners that lol that 12 - 15 psi isn't very much.