Peter Vieira
Wow, you're reading this? Thanks! If you're into RC cars and I seem vaguely familiar, it's because I spent over 25 years writing and editing RC car news, reviews, and tech articles in print and online. What else, what else ... I have a degree in Film Studies (useless), most of a degree in Graphic Design (useful), and I'm married to a wonderful woman with horrible taste in men. Thanks to her, we have a terrific daughter who just earned her Journalism degree and is way, waaay more together that I was at her age. Or right now.
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electrics….I am always nervous doing that because it can set the car on fire. Have been thinking about wiring up remote starter/alarm for a while now…i have everything to do it except brains
If I have to do anything that involves a dial indicator or tolerances to the thousandths of an inch I get very nervous or do not try it at all and leave it to the professionals.
Literally any time I have to put a car in the air and get underneath it. I once had a crappy jack fail and rip the side skirt off a car. I wasn’t underneath it or anything, but ever since then I’m super anxious about putting vehicles up in the air.
Generally, having to grind off or drill out broken fasteners under the car. Combine the lack of easy access & movement of laying on your back with limited space, potential for sparks/glowing chips/chunks of cut-off wheel or broken drill bit flying around burning you or something else, the force that you need to put behind the drill or cut-off wheel and therefore risk if something slips or breaks, and just generally the level of need to really get this fastener/component out, NO MATTER WHAT, that necessitates this sort of repair makes this my top choice
I must have walled this memory off when putting my contribution up there. Now I’m just staring into space with a 1000-metre stare.
*twitch*
In addition to all the excellent choices presented here so far, I will add the damn pinch point that they put on the handle side of pliers that has given me more blood blisters on my palm than I can count. I’ve never actually had a use for it, but it’s caused me pain on a semi-regular basis. Unbelievably stupid design that somehow persists to this day.
I’m surprised there aren’t more responses involving spring compressors. Not many automotive jobs make me nervous anymore, but holding something inches away from my body with that much potential energy does. I at least have a pretty decent cup style spring compressor, so that helps.
I recently replaced the lower control arms on an R129, and that was truly terrifying. I had to compress the springs to a ridiculous amount before they would come out. If I never have to work on a Mercedes with sprung suspension components as long as I live, I will die a happy man.