Rats ate my Spark Plugs

[threemeninaboat]

On a day to day basis I drive around in the company car, a 2006 white PT Cruiser, which I hate.
Friday morning, after the blizzard, I go to start my PT and it's not turning over.
"Broken." I say.
And leave it until it thaws.
Still Broken.
"It's out of gas. Put gas in it." My boss says.
"It's not out of gas, it has 1.5 gallons left, it's not even on 'E' yet."
"Go put gas in it!"
So I do.
Still broken. I go home.
This morning I jump it. (who the HELL hides the battery UNDER the air filter?!)
Still broken.
Which means I get to drive the bosses car around, the 2008 Scion xB. Hot.
I love it, tons of fun, a real looker. I wish I had some great hip hop cds.
The mechanic calls in. Rats ate my spark plugs, and wires, and most things in that area of the engine.
The rats in the office dumpster are the size of dachshunds, seriously, and there's only tropical plants in that dumpster. I think they eat the bunnies too.
So tomorrow I get the xB again. Woot.



Wow. I was just looking on the internets. My 13 year old 150,000 miles Subaru Impreza Outback Sport, is worth about the same as my PT Cruiser.

Comments

[gows.livejournal.com]

We had chipmunks go after the air filter in Greg's Tacoma last summer or the summer before.

[manintheboat.livejournal.com]

If his air filter was where my air filter is, they would have been fried.

[randomdreams.livejournal.com]

Not enough voltage. You'd have to lick both terminals to even feel a good tingle. What you need is to wire the spark coil to the engine somehow so that every once in a while it kicks up to 20,000V with respect to the frame of the car. That'd fix a rat or two.
Of course then they'd be lying dead on the exhaust pipe when you tried to drive the car and you'd find yourself simultaneously starvingly hungry and disgusted at yourself for being hungry.

[gows.livejournal.com]

Last summer, a friend of mine stayed at our place for a couple of days. Shortly thereafter, she wound up taking her car in for some work. The mechanic found a nest of fried baby mice in the engine.

[kitsunekaboom.livejournal.com]

As far as battery placement goes, you think that's bad? 2001 Chevy Lumina. There is one structural support that must be taken out with a socket wrench, the washer fluid supply, and if going by factory spec you should probably take the air filter apart as well. It's the Necronomicon of simple car repairs.

[manintheboat.livejournal.com]

I've been hearing some horror stories. Like that one.

I am sticking with my Japanese cars.

[kitsunekaboom.livejournal.com]

Damn well know I would. I like my car and all but it was not exactly built with easy self repair in mind.

[randomdreams.livejournal.com]

I think neuro42's Dodge Stratus required you lift the car and remove one of the front wheels to access the battery -- even, I believe, to jumper-start it.

American car designers are crazy. So are Subaru mechanical engineers, but they're crazy in a good, autistic kind of way, rather than the bad, annoying, zomgwtfwereyouTHINKING kind of way.

[ebourland.livejournal.com]

Oh, sweet.

[altamira16.livejournal.com]

Rats ate your spark plugs? Those are some ferocious rats.

[crossfire.livejournal.com]

Not really. It's a little-known fact that the spark plugs for a PT Cruiser are made out of Gorgonzola.

[randomdreams.livejournal.com]

*Maybe* American 'cheese'. There's *nothing* top-shelf about that car except the repair bills.

[lightning-rose.livejournal.com]

Last summer I drove a rental PT over I-70 from GJ to Boulder and I rather liked the way it drove. It was also very roomy.

So I'm glad to learn this before I considered buying one.

[ilmarinen.livejournal.com]

While I agree the xB is preferable to the PT, don't know that I'd think of it as desirable. It's...I've seen more aerodynamic Lego vehicles.