Excellent anecdote from a former Rover apprentice

mrtask

Well-Known Member
Over on the FB P6 club page a fellow asked what the knob marked 'PET RES' was for. Amongst the replies was a great anecdote. I hope the gentleman won't mind me posting it on here, because I thought it might make some of you chuckle.

"It's not obvious. As an Apprentice I got a free weekend in New York as a customer thought that was a place to hang her friends handbag on. Hers was on the choke!"

I pressed the gentleman for more info, and he elaborated;

"As a 19 year old with a passport (!) I was told to report to the British Commissioners residence in New York, as his wife's new Rover was only doing 9 MPG! After checking what I could (all good!) I allowed the vehicle to cool down. I then asked the Comms. wife to drive me on a short drive. That's when I found about the choke problem! I then asked why she didn't use the petrol reserve and was told that was for her daughter or friends . The next plane back was in three days. GREAT TRIP!"
 
That's a great story!

I seem to recall a thread on here many years ago noting that the Pet Res was a great 'curry hook'! In lesser cars you have to stand the bag in the passenger footwell, thus risking it toppling over & spilling; not so in a P6....

You see - Rover really did think of everything :cool::D
 
On a similar theme, when the SD1 first went on sale lots of cars came back under warranty with burnt out wiring looms requiring a new loom to be fitted, (no small job in itself). The cause was found to be women placing their handbags on the centre console, on top of the cigarette lighter element, holding it in premanently, overloading and melting the loom, which is why the later elements had the button in the middle to prevent this happening.

Mind you, probably just as many looms had to be replaced because they were assembled at the factory behind the heater unit, instead of in front of it, trapping the loom.
 
I am sure that i have read the handbag - choke control story a few times before, however involving a Morris Minor and an old lady, within mainland UK.
 
I've seen someone fill his engine to the brim with oil. He had it towed into a local garage and the mechanic just stared at him in disbelief. I was there about something else and the garage owner called me over to have a look. When questioned he said he checked the oil on the dipstick, then topped it up. Checked again, and kept topping up until it was full, but the dipstick still showed it was low.

They drained the engine, got it started after an hour or so, and then when the driver returned they showed him where the dipstick for the engine was. It was mentioned the car had three dipsticks :p Engine, auto box, and one holding onto the steering wheel. :D
 
Can't remember where I heard the story but along the lines of a guy who tried to top up his coolant but filled the engine with water via the oil filler.

You think these stories are made up but there are these third dipsticks. LOL
 
Demetris, I can't attest to the veracity of the story, but even if it is an old wive's tale, it's still funny!
 
Can't remember where I heard the story but along the lines of a guy who tried to top up his coolant but filled the engine with water via the oil filler.

You think these stories are made up but there are these third dipsticks. LOL

My uncle did that on his old grey Fergie. The oil and water caps were the same and next to each other though, so kind of an accident waiting to happen :)
 
Can't remember where I heard the story but along the lines of a guy who tried to top up his coolant but filled the engine with water via the oil filler.

I've seen that, and probably posted it on here before. IIRC it was a Cavalier with overheating problems, the garage that was going to fix it told the owner to make sure that it was filled with water before the trip, and it was filled to the brim, through the oil filler cap. It seized and I got to tow it the rest of the way.

I've also had an owner lose the oil filler cap, and stick a lump of stockinette in the hole to prevent the oil splash, and that got dragged into and around the engine, wrecking that engine as well.
 
I've seen someone fill his engine to the brim with oil.

A lady who lived over the road to us did exactly that along with her daughter to their MK2 Escort after someone told them to check the oil.
It wouldn't start so they came over to us & explained what had occurred. It was quite a sight when the filler cap was removed. My brothers drained it for them & ran it until the smoke cleared, it was fine after that. :)
 
A mechanic friend I used to use In London once told about a guy who was taking his car for its MOT.
It was burning oil and was never going to pass so, in his wisdom, he decided to drain most of the oil out so there would be less to burn.
He didn’t make it to the garage and had to be rescued with a tow truck!
I don’t think it passed.
 
The choke handbag hook happened in the little village I grew up in in South Africa...
One of the village "aristocracy" and her Austin Apache that used more fuel than her husband's Galaxie...:LOL:
 
I know one young person (not allowed to say young lady) who was asked to check her car oil level and top up if needed. Filled to the brim.
On another occasion I asked the new 'general assistant' to fill up the screenwash on the co. car I was using whilst I went to a meeting, he filled the radiator expansion tank with screenwash.

Dangerous to assume everybody knows what we take to be obvious.
 
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