Worker Drops Bolt During Oil Change. Then She Dismantles the Car

An apprentice made a mess of a simple oil change: "That’s a lot of work for a cabin filter!"

Mechanic Drops Bolt

Photo by: Unsplash.com

Stacy Fernandez

By: Stacy Fernandez

Aug 28, 2025 at 9:00pm ET

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Sometimes, one tiny mistake can snowball into a massive project.

That’s what happened to this eager mechanic apprentice who was just trying to get the job done.

Mechanic Takes Dedication to the Next Level

In a trending video with more than 6,000 views, autoshop owner Norm (@mechanicofthestars) shared the surprising thing he walked in on in his shop.

“God[expletive] apprentices,” Norm says at the start of the clip.

In the video, Norm is walking around the shop when he notices something unusual with a car his apprentice is working on—the entire dashboard has been removed.

Curious, he looks in and finds his apprentice squeezed into a tight corner inside the stripped-down interior, actively working on a repair.

When asked what on earth she was doing, the sweaty apprentice sheepishly admits she dropped a bolt, and it seems this was the only way to remove it.

“It’s only here for an oil change; what are you doing?” he says, jokingly upset.

“Never a dull moment when working with apprentices!” Norm adds in the caption.

Is This a Big Deal?

For non-mechanics, removing a dashboard isn’t a small job.

It means unbolting the steering wheel, disconnecting the AC and vents, unplugging wiring harnesses, and pulling out the entire front of the car’s interior. It’s a task usually reserved for major repairs, not a single missing bolt.

A mechanic explained that the task could easily take six hours of labor.

“It's not usually difficult, but it can definitely be tedious figuring out what pops into where and why there's a screw in some dumb location,” a person in a car Reddit group said.

Commenters React

“I died when she said I dropped a bolt,” a top comment read.

“Hey she took the initiative to correct her mistake. I've seen too many apprentices that would of just done nothing,” a person pointed out.

“Poor girls sweating her butt off lol. Better her than me!” another said.

What do you think?

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Comments

“Ahh yes the elusive dropped bolt… Never did find the screw for that air filter retainer…” a commenter shared.

Motor1 reached out to Norm for comment via TikTok direct message and comment.

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