If you plan to motor to the continent it is best to remember the tyre scam.
As the attendant is filling your tank he will bend down and examine the front tyres closely. He will gesture to you to look at one of the tyres to see the big nail which is bedded into the tread. He will commiserate with you and suggest that he can replace the tyre more cheaply than the necessary charges for calling out the motoring organisation when you are a few miles down the road. He might also point out that, because the police are very hard on foreign travellers, it would be best to replace both tyres so that they are a match.
In this case get SWMBOs nail file and prise the nail out. You might find that it is about 3mm long and carefully sharpened so that he can press it in easily. He might have gained your perfectly serviceable tyre and the profit from the new one.
Alternatively, he might point out that the tread is worn very close to the legal limit, and the police are very-very mean about that kind of thing. This one will not happen to Backroomers of course, because their tyres will be perfect.
He will be positively charming and helpful, and you will feel at the time that he is a very nice chap.
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Reminds me of the time in Kenya when an enterprising local throw oil all over the wheel and tried to make out a driveshaft, wheel bearing or brake calliper had failed. It was a Sunday, but his brother happened to have a garage just up the road and he could get him to have a look.
Our friends were sitting in the back reading the rough guide at the time, which said 'When in (name of town) beware the local scam which is to throw oil on the tyre and ...'!!!!
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I'm so glad it's only Johnny Foreigner that rips off motorists, and that it doesn't happen anywhere here. :-)
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I read about a similar UK based scam on a newsgroup. The person came out of the petrol station shop after paying for petrol to see somebody near his back wheel. The person said they had smelt petrol and on investigating the driver sees petrol all over the wheel arch. The bloke looks under and says "oh yeah, your fuel line is split". The driver says "oh dear, what am I going to do?" and the bloke says "hmmm.... well my mate runs a garage and can come down and fix that in a jiffy, let me give him a call".
In this case the driver stopped him just as he was going to call him - he said "there must be some mistake, it can't possibly be split!" - "oh, why?" says blokey, "because it's a diesel!"
Cue swift exit from bloke...
Gareth
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"If you plan to motor to the continent it is best to remember the tyre scam." The continent is a big place. Can you be more specific about where this goes on?
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Urban myth-land
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Terry
"You'll have to speak up I'm wearing a towel"
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Definitely happens where I live. Take your car to Ding-Dong's Motors for an oil change, go for a beer then go back to pick it up. That's your mistake. Never take your eyes off a guy holding a wrench in the Philippines.
Two days later you'll suddenly notice your rear tyres are bald.
Go back and remonstrate and all of a sudden no one speaks any English.
Been there, done it, but no t-shirt.
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What, they got the shirt off your back as well Growler? ;)
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Swines!
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No Signature at Imagos' Request
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LOL that was before the delectable Catherine aka Growlette took me in hand (as it were)....and advanced my education.
She said that\'s a common scam. Now I let her handle all this stuff, but we have the servicing done at Ford so it\'s a bit more expensive but honest.
(smirk) it was actually a company Honda Civic (I was still working then) so I got some new rubber at no cost to me. But it goes to show don\'t trust anyone. If there\'s a scam anywhere remember you heard it here first, in the Philippines.
Especially (to paraphrase the old saying) beware of mechanics bearing gifts (like free t-shirts. Which don\'t fit).
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I loved the jeepneys in the Phillipines - I'll always remember one which had two signs on the back - 'passing side' with an arrow pointing down one side and 'Suicide' with the arrow pointing down the other.
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Singer-G, car or sewing machine?
"The continent is a big place. Can you be more specific about where this goes on?"
I plagiarized it fron the Telegraph letters page a couple of years back. Several people/victims wrote in to confirm it. I think that it was the first filling station in France after leaving the ferry.
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LOL the Filipino jeepneys are an automotive sub-culture all to themselves. Those big mud-flaps on the rear carry inscriptions that would have Shakespeare scratching his head for inspiration in response.
My favorite is "God Help Us". That says it all.
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