TheSamba.com :: View topic

Fri May 27, 2016 10:25 pm

So tonight, I was at work. I work swing shift at an Air Force base in Georgia. I'm a supervisor responsible for the heavy maintenance on cargo aircraft and have somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 civilians working out here. About 6 hours into my shift I received a text from a guy asking if I parked that way on purpose or did my car roll across the parking lot. My car is a '64 unrestored barn find Beetle. It's not a show car, but she's never been hit and has 68,000 documented miles on her. No rust, runs like a sewing machine. The paint is solid and everything works. Even the radio. It's a time machine for me, every time I get in and settle down in the seat and smell and feel what a VW felt like back then. It's a wonderful experience. But of course I said, "No, I parked close to the curb next to the street." So he sent me this picture:

I immediately went out to the parking lot. Someone had pushed the nose my car over about 10 feet. The doors were locked, the parking brake set and in first gear.

The skid mark is visible next to the passenger tire.

The nerve! I mean really, it's a 52 year old car, with 52 year old wheel bearings and King pins, and link pins, and tie rods. Why does someone do this? And Security Forces? What a joke! They came out looked at it and said, "Well, it's a sh**ty situation sir, but there is no apparent damage, so....there's nothing we can do."
I asked about fingerprints, since we are all fingerprinted who work out here. He just shrugged and said, sorry, but with no visible damage....oh yeah, and when you drive off base tonight we won't do anything else.

Happily, the car did not suffer any real damage that I can see. It drives just as straight and I saw no evidence of bent fender or tweaked hood once I got her under some real lighting.

It's just the principle of the thing. Sorry to vent, but I just felt the need. In case anyone cares, yes I am a civilian who retired from the Air Force in 2009 as a Master Sergeant. I value integrity in a person. And one thing I can't abide is cowardice. Maybe someone thought it would be funny. I am just disgusted by a general lack of respect for something as old as this car. Rant off.

Sat May 28, 2016 6:33 am

If you need help setting up a blanket party I'm in :lol: I have zero tolerance for low life's that mess with other people's property.

Sat May 28, 2016 6:58 am

A little "wall to wall" counseling session, heh heh

Sat May 28, 2016 7:53 am

I'm willing to bet there is no damage because, the person or persons that did this, likely lifted the front by the bumper and slid it over, that's why there are drag marks. Me and my buddy used to do this all the time to my '71 super beetle. Just double check that your bumper and the bumper brackets and mounts aren't screwed up. They likely aren't.

I mean, this is something people used to do as a joke back then.

Sat May 28, 2016 9:07 am

Quote: About 6 hours into my shift I received a text from a guy asking if I parked that way on purpose or did my car roll across the parking lot.

Ask him. The odds are he's the one who did it.

Sat May 28, 2016 10:21 am

Haha, no, not this guy. I've known him too long and I he's not big enough nor is his back strong enough to push the car that far. No, I suspect some day shift weenies got it as they were leaving for the day. I figure at least 2 big boys.

I considered wiring up an electric fence type setup on a Mercury switch to a capacitor in the car for the next time. My luck though, I'd shock myself one night getting in it, haha

Sat May 28, 2016 10:23 am

I know, Keith. I did check bumpers, fenders and hood today. It's all good. I'm cooled off today. Just a heat of the moment thing

Sat May 28, 2016 10:40 am

"Relocating" VWs is a time-honored prank. Just a couple of your underlings on break havin' a bit of fun. :lol:

Sat May 28, 2016 10:54 am

Actually its likely...and easier...that they simply hooked a tow strap to some pint on it and slung it onto the bumper of what ever shit box they drove and pulled it side ways.

Because of these types of stupidity and other items I deal with on site for work...I have been researching small cheap surveillance cameras. It started out as a whim....I rarely do long drives anymore for business without the GoPro mounted in the front windshield....just to catch cool snippets going through cool places...sunsets with tunes in the background.

Having caught a few interesting and unexpected things....I am thinking about getting one of the cheaper models....can be had for $125...some for much less....and just mount it at a wide angle looking at me and backward in the passenger side visor flap area.

You can also buy little cameras out there with motion sensor....almost all have blue tooth download capability. Buy a decent size SD card for it and put it on lowest or medium resolution and you can leave it on for 6-8 hours constant or more.

I also have an old spy shop "toy" that is just too much fun....its a light sensor cheap digital still camera. Put it in your desk drawer. Anyone who opens your desk drawer to dig around...gets their picture snapped. :lol:
Ray

Sat May 28, 2016 11:30 am

People have ZERO appreciation for other peoples stuff. I went to a Applebee's last week and parked behind the restaurant out of everybody's way. There were about 15-20 empty parking spots around my car so where does this knucklehead and his big 4 door truck full of kids decide to park?? Right next to me and REAL tight and proceeded to slam his doors into the side of my car. Thanks jackass. I often park way out of the way and some idiot will always park right beside me even though there are countless empty spaces around. It happens many times to me. :x I guess we all have a story like this if we have a nice car.

Sat May 28, 2016 2:53 pm

I was in my Beetle about to leave work the other day and a good friend of mine (he wasn't thinking I guess switched his brain off) came over to my car and walked around to the rear bumper and said "you know these cars are so light that two or three guys can pick up the back end?" As he was tugging on it another guy came running up real quick and helped him lift the entire back end off the ground...with the bumper... I heard several pops and groans coming from the old girl but everything looked ok afterwards. Why people won't respect someone else's property I don't know.

Sat May 28, 2016 5:05 pm

I like the camera idea, Ray. That's do-able. Motion Sensor activated maybe. Kind of like game cameras, but maybe not so bulky....hmmm...

Sat May 28, 2016 6:37 pm

flyboy161 wrote: I like the camera idea, Ray. That's do-able. Motion Sensor activated maybe. Kind of like game cameras, but maybe not so bulky....hmmm...
Now yer talkin'.
This is serious business.
Maybe even rig up one of them AK47s to it to scare the B'Jesus out of anyone that gets within 34 feet of it. :evil:

Sat May 28, 2016 7:08 pm

Haha, no! I'd never make it through the gate with that setup

Sat May 28, 2016 9:27 pm

A bunch of dashcams have a motion-activate feature.
Even my cheapie A118 does (thread); not sure how well that particular feature works though.

If you give it a big microSD card (can get a 64GB card off Amazon for $16 now..) you can get a decent amount of time (~9 hours ish with an A118 set to max) and just let it constantly record. I can't imagine it uses all that much power.

Good looking car, glad there doesn't seem to be any damage

Sat May 28, 2016 10:15 pm

There are two strongish guys there who are sore today. Walk around work and drop a 60lb sack of redi-mix in the hands of everyone. I guarantee two guys who are conveniently buddies are going to groan in pain. There's your perps.

Sun May 29, 2016 8:10 am

You didn't park behind one of these did you? :lol:
Share this video
http://youtu.be/eCC6ZbZvG8I

Sun May 29, 2016 10:33 am

enjoyther1de wrote: You didn't park behind one of these did you? :lol:
Share this video
http://youtu.be/eCC6ZbZvG8I
I lived in the flight path between Stewart AFB & where they would do parachute training. They would also train their pilots & there is nothing like hearing one of those powering out of a stall at a 45* angle.

Sun May 29, 2016 11:10 am

That's funny. The C-17 I'm working now is from Stewart! Back when I was active duty I was a flight engineer on C-141B's. We did formation airdrop, so yeah, I can relate to the noise and the smell of burnt jet fuel. I loved it.

Sun May 29, 2016 6:23 pm

I have a supplier near March Air Base, it's fun to watch the C-130's float by then see the f-16's come over sideways. 8)