Advice to the car guys:

[Kern Dog]

I'm a member of several car forums. I love the sharing of experiences and information. There is a staggering wealth of knowledge out there and I'm humble to be a part of that.
I see members post about their projects and I post about mine. I'm probably middle of the pack in terms of skill and money. There are guys that have ratty cars, they scrape whatever money they can find to do each part of their car. On the other end, we have the trailer queen crowd that often do more check writing than they do wrench spinning.
When a member starts a thread asking for assistance, I am glad to help if I have the right answer. If they ask for opinions, I'm glad to give mine.
It isn't always easy though. Some people make it hard to help them. I suggest the following:
1) When asking for help, please provide enough information to assist others in finding a fix. Starting a thread with My car runs bad. Is it the ignition or carburetor? while not even mentioning the type of car, engine, transmission, additional symptoms....What kind of help do you think you'll get?
2) If responses come in that fix your problem, be sure to thank the member. If the responses don't help, thank them anyway. Some of us have LONG memories and may scroll by you the next time if we think that you are not decent enough to show some appreciation.
3) If a bit of time goes by and you remember a thread you started, pop in and give a progress report. Sometimes a member suggests something that is a shot in the dark and it is nice to learn when a Hail Mary fix was successful. If you're still having trouble, mention that. Maybe someone will have a new idea for you.

Feel free to add to this list.

[Kern Dog]

There is a member here that has started threads and asked for help with some of the most basic of procedures. I could drive to his house in 5 minutes and solve most of his problems within 15 minutes.....
THIS brings me to another portion of this topic.
WHEN you ask for help from people and get it, SHOW APPRECIATION.
I don't mind giving up some time to help people out. Sometimes, I really enjoy it. If I'm going to help you, don't stand around watching or disappear while I am doing the work. I'm not a hired hand and not your kid.
IF I'm there in the heat and doing the work, OFFER something to drink. Don't make me ask for it.
Have the parts ready. Have tools ready. Have hand cleaner and towels. If I'm there and you have to look for things in drawers, under a tarp, in a shed in the backyard or in the house, it wastes my time. If the parts are dirty, damaged or incomplete, it wastes my time. If it is the wrong part, I don't blame that on you...stuff happens.

Here is an experience that some of you may have had in the past.

I met this guy in a car club. Years prior,  he tore down his car to restore it. It was a bold move because these cars are not cheap or easy to restore. This is his first restoration and this guy has only a basic understanding of cars. He is not an idiot but not a hard core car guy either. He would ask the advice of the club members and resist the advice that he was given. Being retired, he was not rich enough to pay anyone to finish the car. He asked for my help with his car and even though I didn't really like the guy much, I agreed to help. I told him that I would show him how to do things on one side of the car and that he would then do the other side. He made one excuse or another as to why he couldn't do it.
Months later when he was ready to install the engine, he called 3 guys over to help. This was on a Summer day where even by 10:00 AM, it was 84 degrees and climbing. He had zero skills installing an engine so it was best to keep him out of the way. The three of us installed the engine and headers while he just putted around. About 3 hours in, he finally offers us  some water. No mention of food, beer, Gatorade or even any thanks along the way. We are there sweating and working while he watches and he doesn't even think of how he should repay these favors.
That is some real inconsiderate shit.
I have done work for some older car guys that offer me some parts or something as a payment. I'm fine with that. This guy though....It isn't as if the guy has anything that I want.  In my own life and projects, He can offer me nothing in terms of help because of his lack of skills. He has no money to pay anyone for the help. If he were in a wheelchair or something, I'd feel different but this guy walks just fine.
Friendship is one thing. If a friend needs help, I give it without expecting money. I know that he would do the same for me.
A casual acquaintance like this guy needed to offer money, food or something to repay the favor. He did none of that until I spoke up as we were finishing up for the day. He acted surprised when I was pissed about it. He tried to make excuses but I wasn't having any of it. He used people to get work done, plain and simple. I know that I could have just walked away at any time but the other 2 guys were great dudes but not as familiar with these cars as I am.  I let him guilt me into helping. I learned my lesson on this guy. I am the only one to blame for allowing him to guilt me into helping. I will not make the same mistake again nor will I ever do anything else to help him.
Since then, I see him asking questions quite frequently. I smile and scroll on by each time I see them.

[nvrbdn]

I am in agreement with you. We used to have a member here that called out for help. I went to his house to aid him. 10.00 am I am at his house. He decided he wanted to get the engine started before we start on the job he asked help with. Then he pops a beer. I started checking everything to see that all was ready to attempt to fire the engine up. He says he needs gas to pour in the carb, but since he is drinking I will need to take a gas can to the gas station. he gives me a 20 and sends me on my way. When I get back he asks me for a receipt. I told him I didn't get one. He acted like I was trying to steal his money because I didn't get a receipt, so how would he know I was giving him the right change back. Well I made it through that and continued to get the car started. Every time I touched anything he would tell me I was doing it wrong, or what way he thought would be better. Since he was just watching from a distance while knocking back beers, I felt it was best to ignore him and do it my way. I get the car fired up and he was elated. He jumped in and drove it around the block. He played around so much that we never did the job we were supposed to do. So he calls me and apologizes and askes if I could come over again and do the job. I agree and run over there. As soon as I get there, he says, Let's get the car started again before we do the other job. Then he pops open a beer. We all know how this day went. I never went back again.

[Lennard]

You guys are much nicer than me. If someone asks me to help, and then they walk away and let me do the work... I'm out of there.

[tcs69rt]

I have been burned too many times working on other peoples shit cars and bikes that I flat out refuse anymore. My worst was getting a broken bike running for a worker who took 6 months to give me $80 for the parts I had to buy for it. He takes home about $3500 a month. During those 6 months he would come to work with new video games or Blue Ray movies. He had money for that shit but not to pay his debts? I told him how to do the general maintenance on it and to not leave the choke on long because it's fouling the plug. A year later the bike is in the parking lot and it's not running right, missing and stalling. I hear him tell a brand new worker that his bike is now running poorly because I'm the one who worked on it...a fucking year ago! Time to punch this kid in his fucking head  He sees me coming and the bike still won't start. He gets off but leaves his helmet on. My 1st thoughts were to kick the bike over hopefully on him. As I approach the new worker is watching me. That when I saw it...IT....the petcock was OFF. I turned it on hit the starter and the bike idled just fine now. Dumbshit turned his fuel off. Good for him, I probably would have lost a stripe since there was a witness but I did not.  I should have just let him kill the battery trying to start it!

[AKcharger]

I don't mind helping perople

[c00nhunterjoe]

All of us with the wealths of knowledge were once "that guy". I try to remember that in most of my replies.
My favorite is when someone says "you need to do this" and the guy says "no, im going to do this instead" and comes back the next day and says "its still broke what should i do?"

[AKcharger]

I remember my 1st post for help here in 2003 was "how do I get the shifter knob off"  I laugh everytime I see others post that same question 

[Kern Dog]

I don't mind helping perople

I like to help people that appreciate my efforts. I do NOT like the entitled or ignorant types that either don't think to show gratitude or don't feel that they have to.

[AKcharger]

I like to help people that appreciate my efforts. I do NOT like the entitled or ignorant types that either don't think to show gratitude or don't feel that they have to.

those people should burn in hell! even Hitler was appreciative for auto advice he got!

[will]

I don't mind helping perople

I like to help people that appreciate my efforts. I do NOT like the entitled or ignorant types that either don't think to show gratitude or don't feel that they have to.

I definitely enjoyed the a/c reroute thread you did. I was going to take my compressor apart and post on it, but I sold it to recoup some money. Still running with hoses. Might try tubing in the next house.