Fresh Cars Reviews: What's Your Most Abject Automotive Failure? [Question Of The Day]

What's Your Most Abject Automotive Failure? [Question Of The Day]

Yesterday, reflecting on Ken Imhoff's home-built basement Lamborghini, we asked what your greatest automotive achievement was. Today, we're going to look at the other, not-so-shiny side of that coin and ask what your most abject automotive failure has been. You know, things like forgetting to tighten up lug nuts after a tire change. Neglecting to reconnect certain vital hoses after a simple repair. Driving into a lake. Dropping a Torx bit into an intake manifold. Or, as Graverobber mentioned yesterday, smashing the windshield of a parked vehicle with your head.

As for us, one of our favorites has to be helping a friend in college fix a Dodge Dart he claimed was overheating. After replacing the water pump and belt, flushing the radiator and pressure testing the system, our friend started the car and pronounced it still overheating. Finally taking a moment to look at the gauge, it sat perfectly between C and H — exactly where it was supposed to be. Turns out the gauge had never worked before, then suddenly came back to life and convinced our friend the car was overheating because it had finally ventured off the C. Rule number one: Verify the complaint.

So what about you? What's your biggest automotive FAIL?

(Photo Credit: Chiefrobertownebro wn's Flickr photostream)

QOTD is your chance to answer the day's most pressing automotive questions and experience the opinions of the insightful insiders, practicing pundits and gleeful gearheads that make up the Jalopnik commentariat. If you've got a suggestion for a good "Question Of The Day" send an email to tips at jalopnik dot com.)