“Shonky” is another Australian slang term you mightn’t be familiar with although our British and Kiwi readers may be. It means to be shoddy, of poor or dubious quality or, in some cases, to be maliciously dishonest. For example, our wretched current affairs shows will regularly run segments on topics like “shonky builders ripping off hard working Aussie battlers” (and inevitably chase one such builder through a parking lot with the cameras rolling).
Well, I don’t think a shonky mechanic ripped off the owner of this Pathfinder but this is certainly a shonky repair job. Can you spot what’s wrong with it?
If you zeroed in on that right-hand side headlight, you’re correct. It looks to have been procured from a 2002-06 Toyota Camry and hastily fastened to the car. I hope this is just a temporary fix.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAvODeSPCcM
Looking at it, I can’t help but be reminded of Homer Simpson’s attempt to build his own car from an old mattress, tires and flashlights.
Let’s hope this owner didn’t knit their own seatbelts.
Guilty as charged, sir.
Ed-
Your repair has well placed and well mounted headlight assemblies so let’s not equate it to the SUV.
While your repair was a bit unorthodox, it made for a serviceable repair. At worse, it’s “quick and dirty,” but there’s a level of workmanship that clearly separates it from the featured fix.
The S-10 headlights were $10 each at the junkyard. Honda lights from the same yard were $60 each!
Way to devalue the vehicle to nothing….
Take a chill pill, buddy.
I’m pretty sure Ed has told the story before, and it might have been written off otherwise – so no change?
The car had nearly 200K miles on it at this point – we had sold it to my brother for $500 a few years prior with about 165K on it, and he had rear-ended an Expedition. Insurance would have totaled it.
After our makeshift repairs, he drove it a few more years to 225K and sold it … for $500.
Resembles a Subaru Justy 🙂
Funnily enough, your quad sealed beams make the Civic slightly resemble my ’82 Accord. At least where the low beam meets the corner marker light.
It’s winking, or maybe wincing in pain. Could be worse.
If one is good, three is better.
Oh geez!
I would do this myself, if only in protest against an industry that walked away from simple, inexpensive sealed beam units that were offered under two part numbers.
My brother had a new wife, a new baby and no money. He hit something ( I forget what) that tore the splash pan out from under the bumper on his 1970 Pontiac LeMans, taking the turn signals with it. He ran the wires into ricotta cheese containers mounted under the bumper, used yellow cellophane to make a lense and taped it up waterproof using tape acquired from a guy that he knew who worked for the phone company that they used on the wires. This cheapo repair allowed him luxuries such as food and rent.
That sounds like a lot of ricotta cheese to have to eat on short notice…
He worked as a cook in a restaurant. It was enjoyed by many.
The time spent to make all that, could been applied to buy some $5 old worn and used replacements from ebay.
This sounds like it was likely in the 1970s or 1980s. Was eBay around then?
I’m thinking, based on the age of the vehicle in question, that this happened well before the internet era, and before the cheap self serve wrecking yards.
It was 1979 and he was broke financially. If 5 dollars can be saved when your broke then that is what you do.
My friend and I made a zip tie bumper using two steel truck bed bars and amber signal lights from a trailer and wired them up to make a bumper and turn signals for his 280Z
If it were me I’d get some zipties for each corner and get that thing positioned and aimed precisely. Gotta do what you gotta do!
blarg i am ded af (as a young person today might say)
I literally can’t even right now
What, you guys don’t have home improvement stores down under? For when the shonky builder wants to fix his car….
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtake/cc-outtake-1986-oldsmobile-cutlass-ciera-not-your-fathers-lighting-setup/
Do they have a New York in Australia? That’s what this picture looks like.
I wholeheartedly support functional repairs that fulfill the letter of the law but look ugly and cost a minimal amount out of pocket. If the car is old and doesn’t have full coverage insurance, why not? This is a big step up from the flashlights!
If Homer was smart he’d use the box springs under the mattress for torsional rigidity.
We have steering wheels on the other side too.
Despite the Aussie slang the photo isn’t from here
In Northwest Portland a few years back I saw a circa 2004 Corolla with circa 1995 F-Series Headlights. What a sight.
Circa 1997 and newer aero lights might have fit a Corolla of that vintage a bit better.
I think I’ve seen that Corolla you mention. There’s also a number of late 1990’s Subarus with LED driving lights in place of the still-installed smashed up head lights.
If it works, and doesn’t cause any sort of unforeseen problem, why not?
I am reminded of a school buddy who had the fuel pump fail on his Chevy Vega. The cure was to put fuel in a wine bottle; a lab cork; some tubing. The bottle was placed under one of the windshield wipers. True Story.
The owner of the Pathfinder should have used a matching set of the cat eye headlamps from the source Toyota.
The owner could have claimed it was a customization when it came time for an inspection🚘🚘
Shine on, you shonky diamond.
I have seen worse jobs. And better than a ticket
It has been my experience that there is a class of car owners who do-not-give-a-damn about aesthetics and will drive such a strapped-together beast until it ceases to work; so you are looking at all the attention the car will ever receive.