How much do you know about your car? Are you someone who loves to change your own oil, change your own tires and spend your weekends polishing its body until it is spotless? Or does the extent of your car knowledge only include how to put gas in the tank and how to drive around? Somehow, many of us can manage to get by knowing the absolute minimum about the vehicles that we use every day because we rely on the experts at an auto shop. But no matter how polite they are to our faces, those experts might be laughing at our incompetence the second we’re out the door and sharing photos of our precious vehicles online…

We’ve gone through the Just Rolled Into the Shop subreddit to find some of the most hilarious and ridiculous examples of things mechanics deal with every single day, so you too can appreciate what goes on in the mysterious world of an auto shop. Some of these posts will require a basic understanding of cars to know what is happening, but if you are an auto enthusiast, you’ll be sure to get a kick out of some of these hopelessly confused drivers. Enjoy this list that will hopefully give you a greater appreciation for your mechanic, and be sure to upvote all of the pictures of situations that you would not have believed without seeing proof. Then if you’re interested in even more of these wild pics from auto shops, be sure to check out Bored Panda’s previous publications on this same subreddit here and here.

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#1 I Got $10 Off My Oil Change Because I “Fulfilled The Destiny” Of The Tech Who Had To Report My Mileage

Image credits: Pinfari13

Everyone’s idea of how much maintenance is required to take care of a car is different. Some people are fine with a car wash every now and then, filling up the tank when needed and an oil change when that dreaded light indicates that “service is required”. On the other hand, some people inspect every inch of their vehicles and work hard to keep them in pristine condition. They take pride in keeping the exterior looking sparkling and the internal health in tip top shape as well. But regardless of how well you treat your car, unless you yourself are a mechanic, you’re going to have to see one eventually.

Similarly to how doctors have horror stories of injuries you would have to see to believe, every mechanic can tell their fair share of stories about the stupidest things people have done to their vehicles. To provide a place where mechanics can share these crazy stories and laugh about the incompetence of the average driver, the Just Rolled Into the Shop subreddit was born. The page, which has 1.8 million members at the moment, states that it is “for those absolutely stupid things that you see people bring, roll, or toss into your place of business and the people that bring them in”. And clearly, there are infinite examples of those…

#2 This Stray Hung Out In The Yard Over The Weekend Then Rolled In My Bay. Now He’s Mine

Image credits: Duke_Meridian

#3 This Was On A Car That Came In Today

Image credits: Ok_Conference_9697

Cars are one thing that most of us can get through life knowing very little about. It would definitely be beneficial to understand the inner workings of our vehicles, and it could even save us some money if we could solve some of our cars’ issues at home. But the fact is that it takes effort to learn about them. There is no “auto shop” requirement in school, but that’s why the experts exist. So we don’t ever have to repair our cars ourselves.

But according to one study of 2,000 Americans, many people know an embarrassingly small amount about their vehicles. Well, that’s not necessarily true. They know something, but a quarter of them admitted knowing that their cars are in need of a repair yet they continue to take the risk of driving them every day. But shockingly, far more people have something wrong with their cars that they might not have even been aware of. 68% of the study participants’ cars had at least one thing wrong with them, and 36% of the participants did not know the first thing about changing a tire.

#4 Got To Work On The Wienermobile Today

Image credits: DeBray3

#5 My Lead Tech Has Finally Lost It

Image credits: imnotonmytablet

#6 My Husband Called Shortly Into His Half Hour Drive Home To Say The Tire “Felt A Little Off”

Image credits: thegirlthatmeowsalot

There are plenty of basic car care routines that many of the participants of this study did not know, from half of them not being confident that they could change their car’s oil to one third of them not knowing which oil their car requires in the first place. Even having to jump their vehicle’s battery would be a difficult task for a quarter of Americans, if their battery were to die. And about 20% of them could not confidently check the tire pressure on their car.

What’s hiding underneath the hood is a mystery to many Americans, with less than half of them being able to locate their car’s engine in an image. But despite their lack of understanding of their vehicles, many people still don’t feel comfortable dealing with a mechanic. Perhaps it is due to embarassment from not knowing how to take care of their cars, but 54% of Americans admit they are intimidated by mechanics. After seeing this list though, I don’t blame them. For all they know, they could be being mocked online for having snow under their car’s hood or going years without changing their air filters!

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#7 Found This On The Underside Of A Woman’s Car Today… Needless To Say She’s A Little Freaked Out. Rechargeable With 4g Sim Card In It

Image credits: delslow419

#8 What Do You Guys Use To Push No Starts Around The Yard? Behold; The Goat

Image credits: akbane

#9 Visiting A Buddy’s Shop And Spotted This Sign

Image credits: YouJustGotSmurfed

A common fear when taking your car to a mechanic is that you might be paying way too much money. How is it that any time you pop in for a simple oil change or tire rotation the mechanic mysteriously finds 5 other things that must be done immediately or the car will put you in immense danger the second you drive off the lot? You got to the auto shop just fine, so it does not seem likely that getting home will be a problem. It can be difficult to know whether a repair is actually necessary or if the mechanic is trying to pull a fast one on you, so we consulted BlueToro’s blog to find out some of the most common ways sketchy mechanics try to overcharge their customers.

#10 When A Car Sits On The Lot Too Long

Image credits: ConRadio26

#11 Im Scared

Image credits: mafuba420

#12 Nothing Stupid Here. It Is Actually Very Thoughtful Of The Customer To Leave A Note Like This On The Windshield. A Lot Of Time Service Writer Could Not Write A Proper Story…

Image credits: theminimalist2018

According to BlueToro, one practice some shady mechanics deploy is claiming that they replaced a part or performed a certain job, and charging for it, but never actually doing it. “It’s not uncommon for us to tend to a basic car service for a new customer where a major service was said to have been performed by their previous mechanic and yet the customer complains of a number of problems that simply shouldn’t be there if the car was serviced well,” BlueToro explains. “Usually it’s because the parts that were charged were not actually replaced.”

#13 I Present To You All The 5 Elements Of Tire: Fire Element, Water Element, Ice Element, Plant Element, And Bruce Willis 5th Element

Image credits: kambesama

#14 Operator Reported “S Shaped Tire”

Image credits: DOWNGRADED_BUTTHOLE

#15 Asked The Body Shop To Fix A Broken Bumper As Cheap And Fast As They Could. 20 Minute And 10 Bucks Later

Image credits: imzeigen

Another practice that certain mechanics will try to get away with is bumping up scheduled part replacements. For example, if a part needs to be replaced every 100,000 miles, some mechanics will tell a customer that it is time to be replaced when they’ve only driven 80,000 miles. Over time, this can lead to many unnecessary repairs and your auto shop bills can be through the roof. “Ultimately, these mechanics are not thinking about you as a customer for the long term, they’re just trying to make the most out of every service,” BlueToro explains.

#16 I’m Begging. Can Someone Explain To Me Why People Do This? Is A Seatbelt That Bad?

It feels similar to the mask thing to me. It’s like cool you don’t have to like it, so just wear it for the short time you’re in the store(car) and it could possibly save your life

Image credits: Consistent_Argument6

#17 Why Doesn’t The Heat Work On My Brand New Civic ??

So what happened here was, we had a really bad blizzard and customer came in saying that all of their lights were on and the car drove horrible (no heat especially) and when we popped the hood we see this terrific mess of snow like wtf ?? Customer never popped the hood, it was left outside during the storm so looks like it was all the wind that absolutely piled up. And it was PACKED. left it to thaw overnight. Ran normal after everything was dry, no problems since.. a mystery to this day maybe they really did leave the hood open lol idk man

Image credits: cellnivek

#18 We Share The Road With These People

Image credits: iseewutudid_thur

Because many people have had encounters with mechanics that they were not able to trust, ABC News actually interviewed one who anonymously agreed to spill the beans on what it’s like to work in an auto shop. “Joe”, as ABC refers to him, explained that most mechanics actually are honest, but there is often pressure from overhead to perform unnecessary work to increase profit margins. “The shop has to stay in business,” Joe said. “There are pressures to do things that maybe you wouldn’t do normally. I’m ashamed a bit to admit it, but when your boss tells you … ‘Either you do it here or the door’s right there,’ what are you going to do?”

#19 I Hate People

Image credits: 1_rngeesus_1

#20 Was Loading The Trailer With Tires When I Noticed This… Inspection Date Was 3/22/22

Image credits: Fergastancher

#21 Stop Doing This To Your Tech

Image credits: winfreddixon

Mechanics even have terminology for some of their more questionable practices, including “gravy work”. This is when a shop worker bills a customer for more time than a repair actually requires. “Most shops will charge you an hour and a half to two hours to turn the rotors and put pads on it,” Joe explained. “If you’re good and got good equipment, you can do it in 20 or 30 minutes… That’s gravy.” Another practice that I’m sure we have all suspected before was confirmed by Joe. “An $18 oil change — well, they lose money on that,” he said. “The idea is to get you in so they can sell you the coolant flushes, trans flushes, power steering flushes. … That’s where the money is.”

#22 This Is What Happens When You Change Your Oil Religiously. Bmw 335i 180k Miles. Beautiful

Image credits: OilBurninAudi

#23 Customer States Someone They Know Told Them It’ll Help Keep Rats Out Of The Engine Bay. Newer Model Toyota Camry

Image credits: HTAfM

#24 What Are They Hiding In Here?

Image credits: RickardBobby

Giuseppe Mendola, another seasoned mechanic and owner of AutoTech Diagnostic in College Point, New York, also told ABC that it’s important for car owners to just read the manual any time their car has an issue. The more drivers understand about their vehicles, the less likely they will be to get ripped off. “People don’t read the owner’s manual. They don’t know how to open the hood half the time,” Mendola noted. “I honestly don’t understand what they expect out of the car if they don’t know anything about it.”

#25 Hmmm

Image credits: Trip_Jones

#26 We Ordered 1 Tesla Model 3 Steering Wheel. They Sent 2 And Packed Them With 144 Children’s Toothbrushes. 12 Packs Of 12. Wtf

Image credits: Glittering-Clock-332

#27 Man With Dementia Was Coming To Our Dealership For A Low Tire. 2 Days And 200 Plus Miles Later The Family Was Able To Find Him And His Wife

Image credits: DevilsLattice

I’ll be honest, I don’t understand every image on this list because I know absolutely nothing about cars. And although I don’t currently own one, this article is inspiring me to do thorough research before I ever purchase another one, so I don’t get ripped off every time I go to the mechanic. We hope you are enjoying these hilarious and perplexing images, and be sure to upvote the ones that surprise you the most. Remember to clean out your backseat and check under the hood before you take your car into the shop, and if you’re interested in viewing even more of these pics, you can check out the Just Rolled Into the Shop subreddit right here.

#28 No Choice Can’t Afford Fuel

Image credits: bbull412

#29 It’s About To Be Towed To The Shop. I Was Cruising About 50mph And The Plastic Snapped

Image credits: GardenGnome25

#30 My Buddy Sells Used Cars And He Just Sent Me This…

Image credits: will-i-am-lit

#31 Living On A Prayer

Image credits: Philgo1980

#32 Customer Drove This All The Way From Mexico Because He Was Told Not To Pull Over Out There.

Image credits: lifeincolorgames

#33 Once In A Lifetime Puncture That Happened Right Outside My Shop. I Am Still In Disbelief To This Day

Image credits: ae112r

#34 Sticker On The Oil Pan That Scans To A Job Application At Another Shop Lol

Image credits: olimsamoth

#35 Brought My Car In For An Airbag Recall And Tried To Leave The Mechanic A Tip

Must Have Looked At My Clapped Out 20 Year Old Bmw And Decided I Needed The Money More Than Him Or Maybe They Just Aren’t Allowed To Accept Tips At The Dealership

Image credits: zoidbergin

#36 Tried To Knock The Ice Off My Muffler And It Freely Moved, Checked Under My Car And Saw This…

Image credits: Travelingdolphins34

#37 18 Year Old Tech Didn’t Close A Valve Overnight

Image credits: UrbanSteveIrwin

#38 Tech States “I’m Not Getting In That Car, You Can’t Make Me”

Image credits: Redclayroots

#39 Car Comes In For An Oil Change Smelling Like Gasoline And Burning. Customer Says She Got A New Engine Put In Out Of Town

Image credits: johnnyapplesapling

#40 I Work At A Kia Dealership That Used To Offer A 10 Year Unlimited Mile Warranty

This 2012 kia sorento finally had its warranty expire after 203 oil changes, 20 transmission flushes, 10 years, 9 engines, and 4 transmissions the warranty finally expired and the owner traded it in

Image credits: 600-shot-of-autism

#41 You Fking Dipst

Image credits: KiloLee

#42 So One Of My Customers Rents Out His Vintage Mustangs. This Is How One Was Returned To Him

Image credits: home_brew_machinist

#43 Rawlings Baseball Leather Seats In A Tundra

Image credits: Not-easy-being-green

#44 Officially One Year Of Tire Punctures, Approx 3 Pounds. Time To Release Them Back Into The Wild

Image credits: Inevitable-Ad-8597

#45 Found At A Local Service Garage

Image credits: boom_ouch

#46 Customer Came In Flexing Today….

Image credits: -_NaCl_-

#47 Pro Tip If You’re Unsure Of The Age Of Your Tire Just Cut Opening And Count The Rings

Image credits: huf72

#48 Just Found This On The Front Seat

Image credits: Rex-Kramer

#49 How Do These People Get A Driver’s License?

Image credits: suicidal_squirrell

#50 Toyota 4runner. Hey Look, Some Dumb A** Left His Snap-On Tools Behind. Wait A Second, That’s My Lube Sticker On The Windshield

Image credits: paulsservice

#51 Time To Buy A Lottery Ticket

Image credits: M3rsh

#52 What The H Does This Mean? Keep Seeing Weird Bumper Stickers Lately…

Image credits: Inevitable-Ad-8597

#53 Customer Asked If It Was Safe To Drive

Image credits: KillFace27

#54 This Custom Phone Mount

Image credits: Edit4488

#55 The Result Of An Intake Sucking Air Directly Above A Leaking Exhaust Manifold On A Diesel. That’s All Particulate…

Image credits: trvpdealer

#56 To All My Service Advisors, How Do You Write Stuff Up Like This And Keep Yourself Professional?

Image credits: Lobotomite430

#57 Not A Bugatti. But A Silverado

Image credits: Theworker82

#58 “That’s Why You Always Leave A Note”

Image credits: Slowvia

#59 This Happened While Doing 70mph On The Freeway

Image credits: Tgod1991

#60 Just Had A Battery Explode In My Face, Shaken But Still Alive

Image credits: Needanameffs

#61 Dropped Off For Fuel Tank Replacement This Morning. I Only Knew To Do This Because Of This Sub

Image credits: LiquidArrogance

#62 Lay’s Route Driver Dropped A Drive Shaft, Called The Shop Asking If We Have Free Tows…

Image credits: Cool-Swordfish7223

#63 I’m Not As Concerned About The Low Pressure…

Image credits: Mandersonned

#64 Thermostat Replacement On A Bentley Bentayga

Image credits: lottienonchalant

#65 Customer States Car Is Running Rough

Image credits: SnackMaster5000

#66 I’m Sure You Don’t Have This Model In English Speaking Countries: Peugeot Partner Fap

Image credits: dasdocktor

#67 This Really Just Happened

Image credits: Philgo1980

#68 You Know Car Prices Are Too High When This Kind Of Work To A Midtrim Outback Doesn’t Total It. This Is The 3rd Time We’ve Done This Level Of Repair To A Subaru Outback In The Last 3 Months

Image credits: JaySee3112

#69 So My Buddy Sends Me This Saying He Had Trouble Doing His Brakes

Image credits: rudbri93

#70 Absolutely No Where Else To Mount Your Phone Holder?

Image credits: SeventyB

#71 It’s Got A Hem… I Mean…

Image credits: ForumFamous

#72 What Bangs Like A Grenade And Gives You A Flat Tire?

Image credits: pnilz

#73 In Response To The Pistol And Shotgun Pictures From Earlier. Just An Oil Change Please…

Image credits: throwaway7439gfw

#74 Today, I’m The Winner. Fiancé Accidentally Spilled A Gallon Of Paint In The Truck

Image credits: meowinsideacave

#75 Everyone Is Showing Off Their Welded Art. So I Will Join. Behold! The Mirror Brackets I Made For My 68 F100

Image credits: EETFUK68

#76 Nobody Needs This Much Tint

Image credits: yourFriendlymechanic

#77 Salesman Just Drove Into The Shop. I Was Talking To A Coworker And He Motions Towards My Box

The Salesman Just Randomly Pulled This Car Into My Bay, Stopping A Whole 4 Inches Away From My Toolbox, Got Out Like Nothing Happened, Locked The Car, And Went Back To The Sales Floor

Image credits: MiataMarek

#78 This Audi Q7 Water Pump Is Nuts

Image credits: xsprocket7x

#79 Welp, My Rack Just Gave Out Fell On The Locks And Now This F350 Is Stuck On It. My Boss Is Going To [poop] Himself Today

Image credits: DarkAngel-309

#80 Just Towed Into The Shop? A Pair Of Cessna Citations, A Latitude And Longitude. Together, They Mark My Position

Image credits: MyName_DoesNotMatter

#81 Tell Me Your Alignment Is Fked Without Telling Me It’s Fked

Image credits: bauertastic

#82 Customer Didn’t Want To Buy Winter Tires From Us Because They Were Cheaper Elsewhere. I’m Sure They Were Cheaper

Image credits: GnrlDisarray

#83 I Don’t Even Ask Anymore

Image credits: Mrfrunzi1

#84 My Coworker Waited Weeks For A Used Transmission For A Hybrid Tahoe. It Finally Showed Up And He Tipped It Up And Water Ran Out Of It For A Solid 60 Seconds

Image credits: N_dixon

#85 My Coworker Used To Be The Only Master Certified Tech, And Was Always Really Cocky About It, So When I Got Mine I Had To Rub It In A Little

Image credits: uncle_bumblefuck_

#86 This Sticker Made Me Chuckle….

Image credits: Freeheel4life

#87 Just Rolled Outta My Driveway. Stealership Quoted Over $1200 For New Upper Control Arms/Ball Joints & New Lower Ball Joints. $300 In Parts/Tools & 6 Casual Hours Later I Had Done It Myself. They Quoted 6 Hrs. Labor

Image credits: CreepyAssPenis

#88 I Present To You The Most Expensive Piece Of Plastic Costing Us 8 Months And About 2000€ To Find

Image credits: sexygollum_

#89 “Why Do You Need The Expensive Tools? Just Get These Look How Much You’re Saving”

Image credits: TrexOnAScooter

#90 Power Steering Pump Az Sent Us That We’re Putting Into A Dodge Today

Image credits: CallOfDutyJackOps

#91 Manufacturers Need To Stop Having Dealers Perform Recalls That Involve Welding

Image credits: volvoguy

#92 I Bet This Rotor Was Hotter Than Two Mice F**king In A Wool Sock. Came Off A Freightliner With An Altec Lr56 Boom

Image credits: Neverenoughlego

#93 When Your Service Advisor Jots Down Any Stupid Thing A Customer Says

Image credits: Inviction_

#94 Previous Shop Charged Customer 90 Bucks To “Replace” This Hose…

Image credits: Ageniminsempiternum

#95 Just Found Gold In Transmission Oil

Image credits: P2GR

#96 Cs Coolant Line Broke, Used Qt Hotdog To Stop Leak. Been Driving For Two Weeks.

Image credits: CloseToCumming

#97 Result Of A Moose. 5 People In The Car And Only Driver Had A Scratched Elbow Due To Glass

Image credits: Lehmavasikas

#98 I Hope This Is Allowed, But I Justrolledintotheshop And Homeboy Snapped Four Of My Lugs Before He Realized He Had His Impact Reversed

Image credits: pateOrade

#99 Steering Wheel And Airbag Theft. Third One This Month. Has Anyone Else Seen A Rise In These Kind Of Things?

Image credits: Ears_McGee629

#100 Just Rolled Out Of The Shop…

Image credits: DroneBeats

#101 Here You Go

Image credits: MotorPuncher

#102 Just Rolled Into My Driveway. 287,000 Miles On An 07 Camry

Image credits: Jesuswasstapled

#103 Cs Ac Won’t Blow Below 60. Every Summer

Image credits: Fresh_Illustrator_33

#104 C/S “Why Is My Dash So Angry”

Image credits: TidusJames

#105 C/S: Accidentally Shot My Gun Inside My Car

Image credits: Cnote24

#106 No Jumper Cables No Worries

Image credits: slvglive

#107 We’re Scenting Gear Oil Now?

Image credits: viper8823r

#108 There, I Fixed It

Image credits: blackvr

#109 Safety Guy Waddled Over And Told Me To Shut Some Drawers So I Don’t Turn My “Box” Over

Image credits: HAHA_goats

#110 Rolled Into The Shop Just In Time

Image credits: BazoookaTits

#111 Theft Deterrents Are Creative These Days

Image credits: Tunerzcivic05

#112 It’s Always The Brake Pads, Never The Brake Pedal Pad

Image credits: mikeluscher159

#113 Customer Came In For Electrical Work, Says The Inverter Keeps Blowing Fuses

Image credits: PraetorianHawke

#114 Since I’ve Been Seeing Posts About Cars Being Hacked To Hell And Not Totaled, This Is The Kind Of Stuff They Do In Puerto Rico To New Cars

Image credits: Abazoreee

#115 Client States Just Purchased Vehicle And There Is A Weird Noise Accelerating

Image credits: the-sizzle

#116 Inside The Fuel Pump! Somebody Hates This Customer. Last Week The Car Came In For Water In The Tank. Today…not Sure What This Is

Image credits: keithfoco70

#117 Arrived Brand New A Few Days Ago. Wrongly Ordered, Scrap. Ballpoint Pen For Scale

Image credits: daHawkGR

#118 Just Removed The Plate Off Of A Trade In

Image credits: Boocles

#119 “You Want To Charge Me To Install A Battery?! Forget It, I Can Do It Myself “

Image credits: FatherOfGoblins

#120 Technician States: Forgot To Make A Triangle With The Chain

Image credits: LUBEy-Doo

#121 …ain’t Nobody Got Time For Dat