Automotive work inherently deals with oils and brake fluid, both of which are known to stain concrete. While there are no such thing permanent oil stains, the only surefire solution against stains coming to the equation is to simply prohibit any automotive work. Hence the original lease agreement, I’m sure. (As a side note, epoxy coatings are fairly inexpensive and do very well to keep oil from soaking in, but I’m under the impression an epoxy coating is out of the question, based on my conversation with @BenjaminGroves about the existing ESD coating)
I agree with @sunnyt: a lift is a basic necessity if an automotive group is going to exist at DMS, which has a basic focus around education. Simply, education about cars in any real depth is not possible with a car on the ground. There’s no way to get people underneath or at eye level to see the componentry and systems in question. All the same, I agree with the board members: there is no way to guarantee anyone’s safety under a lift here. And this isn’t just an automotive problem, it’s a matter of how people treat DMS tools. The chuck key went missing from the metal shop drill press (despite being tied down to it with a leather strap), and I’ve seen more than my fair share of mutilated tools in my short time here. A lift would be no different. A lift of any sort would be abused, no two ways about it. And unlike an angle grinder with a missing retaining nut, a car misplaced on a lift can really do some damage. Even certified technicians with years of experience have misplaced lift arms. Even excusing the scrawling on the automotive rules chart as a joke, that fact doesn’t build confidence.
Which all brings me to my point: it seems that the automotive committee’s needs are entirely at odds with what we can reasonably accomplish at DMS. There’s no two ways about it, automotive work will spill oil and cause stains, and you can’t much educate people about cars without them on lifts. All the same, the lease prohibits oil spills, and you can’t much trust the average member to put a car on a lift safely. I hate to say it, but it doesn’t seem like this particular focus has much of a place at DMS, for very valid reasons. I wouldn’t want to assume liability for the potential screwups of the other people involved.
Finally, as a side note to @Robert_Davidson, I’ve been with the car every day since I rolled it in. I have had to leave the space to get parts, drain pains, food, and sleep, but I’ve been with the car every minute that other obligations have allowed. Also, the big portion of that fluid that is next to the jack stand and isn’t covered with oil absorbent, was water that spilled out of the exhaust. (The car had been running with a warped head and allowing so much water into the combustion chambers that all 4 cylinders have rusted solid. There was considerable amounts of rusty water in the exhaust) I am taking steps to remove any stains, whether I caused them or not, in the automotive square. As I’ve asserted, there is no such thing as a permanent oil stain. It’s just a matter of drawing the oil out with progressively harsher methods.
