Worst Monday I ever had in the shop - 3 comebacks in one day

I had a day last month that still makes me cringe. I did a brake job on a 2012 F-150 on Friday, guy comes back Monday morning saying the pedal goes to the floor. I check it and the master cylinder let go internally, so I replace that too. Then another guy calls saying his alternator I put in on Saturday is whining like a supercharger. I get him in and sure enough it's a dud right out of the box. Then a third customer shows up with a check engine light on a Jeep I did a tune up on - turned out I left a vacuum line loose. I lost about 4 hours of billable time fixing my own mistakes and eat the cost of that master cylinder. Ended the day so frustrated I forgot to lock up the shop and had to drive back 20 minutes. Has anyone else had a day where everything you touched just fell apart?

2 comments

2 Comments

beth_butler755d ago

Happened to me with my own work van a couple years ago lol. Replaced the starter on my old Silverado, fired it up and the battery light stayed on, turns out I bumped the wire loose on the alternator when I was in there. Spent three hours chasing my tail before I popped the hood and saw it just hanging there, made me want to kick myself. Bad days like that just stack up until you gotta walk away and try again tomorrow.

finleythomas4d ago

So you're telling me you spent three hours chasing a phantom electrical issue (the worst kind, honestly) before you found the wire just dangling there? Did you at least have a moment where you seriously considered just selling the truck and buying a bicycle? I've had those days where you're so frustrated you start questioning your life choices. Was it one of those situations where you felt every single connector in your brain just click into place the second you saw the loose wire? Because that feeling of relief mixed with complete humiliation is something else.