This article was originally published on RushExperts
If you think all car mechanics do is sell us auto accessories, change tires, repair brakes, or tell us that we're 10,000 miles late for an oil change, you're in for a big awakening. It turns out that mechanics routinely come across all kinds of bizarre things while on the job. So let's get under the hood and look through some of the weirdest surprises they've encountered.
She Wasn't All Smiles After This
This accident looks bad: a thin but sturdy tree trunk slashed through under the hood of this car and over the windshield. Luckily, none of the people in the car were injured. Maybe they were saved miraculously, but we can't say the same about the car. Then again, it's practically a miracle that the window didn't break. We are surprised at the durability of the glass, and we do expect broken windshields in such scenarios. We guess that's just the Audi quality guarantee!
We are wondering how on the earth that can happen? Did the car fall from the sky? Just a little to the right, and there would have been a completely different story. Life is unpredictable; live it to the fullest!
When the Car Mechanic Is Near the Coast
A turtle has made it to the shop. The person states that the little one just crawled out from under a broken lift. We don’t think the turtle is certified to work as a lift operator. It looks from all the dirt that he was stuck there for long. Poor baby! He couldn't get away fast enough. Now all this tiny animal needs is a good wash to get rid of all that dirt and grease.
That might be the cutest turtle we've ever seen. Look at his little face and those eyes! Little feet and shell! It doesn't look real; we hope they handed it to an animal rescue.
You'll Never Guess What Happened Next
This person asked the mechanic to let him know when they were about to pull the truck for service so that he could get his raccoon back. And once he got the animal out of the car, the two friends sat in the lobby until his truck was done getting fixed. How cute! Believe it or not, raccoons can make great pets. Just be sure to put garbage cans out of sight, or they will get into everything.
This human-raccoon duo looks like they are very close. The little thing is literally hugging him!
A Different Kind of Rabbit Hole
Someone just saved this little rabbit. They had to remove the vehicle's front end to remove him from there, but he is now free to move and is also alive and doing fine. We wonder how this happened, but we are glad essential measures were taken on time to rescue this cute fellow. We just want to thank them for their generosity in saving the poor bunny over their car. Not all heroes wear capes.
A rabbit can travel quite comfortably in a car, but one will need to work a little bit to keep them happy and cool. Maybe a pet travel bag can work.
When You Find a Demon in the Backseat
This demon-like doll is creepy stuff. Back away slowly and shut the doors. They can call a priest or probably burn the entire car. We sometimes wonder what these customers are up to! They should have put a warning for the poor mechanic. It looks like they do such stuff on purpose. The victim (AKA the mechanic) should return the creepy favor by hiding something strange in the glove box.
At least these people left their car sparkly clean (except for the doll). Just look at how clean those floorboards are, not even a crumb on them!
The Kids' Safety Is Their Top Priority
This has made us laugh way more than it should have. These parents sure have a great sense of humor; who else would have a bumper sticker that says, "Honk if a kid falls out?" Here's what the sticker would say if it was longer: "Depending on our mood and the kid's attitude/behavior, we might stop!" But we do wonder whether the parent driving the car gets nervous when a car honks behind them.
Kids are naughty, too, as they don’t sit in one place and keep on doing mischievous activities. Really, this bumper sticker is a great precaution.
Duct Tape, A Thousand And One Uses
The customer here said that her husband patched the tire, but it keeps leaking air, and we definitely know the reason for that: he "fixed" the tire with duct tape. We wonder why he would do such a thing. Not everything can be fixed with duct tape. Well, some would argue that if it can fix a spaceship, it surely can fix a tire. The husband lives by the duct tape mantra: It’s all anyone needs! Has he worked on her brake lines, too? We hope not.
Taking care of a car should also be included as a part of driving school lessons before passing and getting the license. Disclaimer: Please don't try this at home.
Out of All the Places a Four-Leaf Clover Can Grow
What's that? Oh, just a four-leaf clover that is rooting into a fender line. What a unique location for a plant to grow, right? While this is certainly a joyous surprise, it also brings bad news: the car obviously can no longer be driven because then the lucky clover might fall off. And a four-leaf clover falling off after magically growing on a car seems like a bad omen.
It's always good to appreciate life's small(est) things, and that's certainly what this mechanic did when they snapped this shot.
Consider Us Impressed
This person has been coming to the shop since 200k Miles and said he'd get to 1 million. He had been waiting for that day for years, and when that day finally arrived, he casually rolled up out of nowhere (perhaps he just came in to show his miles) to plug his tire at the mechanics'. If you ask us, the satisfaction of seeing those numbers on the dashboard is unmatched.
Not to mention, this is pretty impressive. Reaching this milestone takes not just luck but also good planning and maintenance.
When the Mechanic Exposes You for Knowing Nothing About Cars
It looks like someone had a lot of fun filling out this order after a customer - who was clearly not well-versed in car terminology - used some funny words to describe the issues with their car. The mechanic then quoted them in the invoice, writing things like "Steering is 'herky-jerky'" and "Tested unit and confirmed herky-jerky steering." At one point, something else is described as "honky wonky." We love how this mechanic met the customer at their level of knowledge.
The technician needs to do stand-up. There's a career in comedy writing in there somewhere. This whole paperwork cracked us up! No doubt, customer service is everything.
Can You Guess What They Named This Kitty?
Handsome kitty! A customer came in saying that a kitten was stuck in the dashboard, and one of the technicians there came forward and decided to adopt it when he saw this cute little fellow. A round of applause for the Kitty rescuer on the job! This is a life-changing moment for both of them. The mechanic named his new pet Dash because of obvious reasons. We can't help but wonder how the kitty got there!
We wish Dash has a wonderful forever home and doesn't find himself stuck in a car ever again (unless it's our car).
A More Specific Description Never Existed
Best description ever! This customer told their mechanic that their rear brakes sounded like "Dory from Finding Nemo talking to the whale." We bet that they easily understood the description. On the other hand, if we imagine a scenario in which the mechanic didn't understand the Disney reference, that might make things even funnier. What would the customer do? Talk like Dory-as-a-whale to show them?
Mechanics love it when the customers are specific with their notes. We just hope this mechanic was a Disney animation fan.
A Recipe For Disaster
Some people are crazy, and we can never understand their way of thinking or processing things in life. Here, the customer refused to change all four tires on a rainy day, and she also had to sign a waiver before taking her car back because of safety reasons. We are wondering what has made her do this. She’s putting her life in danger along with other innocent people out there. Sometimes, the surprises mechanics get aren't so fun.
When car tires may start looking like a mirror, it’s a sign to change them. In some European countries, they even have to have a certificate for the official yearly technical examination of the car.
How Did They Get That Far?
This person was trying to tow their car behind an RV. Free advice for people out there: when you are going to tow your car, you should remember to put it in Neutral. We guess the one who was driving this car never looked in the mirror or saw the smoke and eventually the spark flying off the rims. We are curious to know how long it takes to notice that half of the rim is gone?
They must be probably wondering why everyone kept honking at them! Life is hard when you don't know how to tow a car.
This Car Rolled up Looking Super Suspicious
This mechanic works at a rental company, and the police there returned this car filled with bullet holes. The nerve of some people! Was it a mobster? A car thief? Or maybe this cop was chasing any of the above. There must be a story there, more like a blockbuster movie. We are guessing the customer wasn’t around to take it back themselves. We are wondering how many bullets actually hit the intended target!
And the most important question of all: does the rental insurance cover this? Yeah, we didn't think so.
Just a Not-So-Friendly Reminder
Nowadays, many cars have a feature that automatically turns car lights on when it's dark out and off when you turn your car off. But apparently, this car doesn't have that feature, or the driver did something to mess it up. Either way, it seems that they need this not-so-friendly reminder: "Turn off lights dipsh*t." Well, at least it's straight to the point, and no one will get confused about what to do.
If we were car mechanics, we would definitely at least get a giggle out of seeing this sticker when we step into someone's car.
A Travel Buddy From Another Century
This car came in for an appraisal to trade in and get the mirror cap replaced, and the mechanic saw a hand-painted Pterodactyl. Anyone who doesn't know what a Pterodactyl is, it's a distant dinosaur cousin. Reports of living pterosaurs have come out of Papua New Guinea and its surrounding islands (Umboi island); if someone wants to see them for real, they can look around. We’re just kidding; they got extinct a long while ago.
Wonderfully painted and impressive detailing as well. Now it takes a hell of a creative mind to see a Pterodactyl hidden in the best possible artistic way where nobody else could possibly bring it out with paint. The artist should be an archeologist. We wonder how they got the perfect place for this art piece to draw, which was too well executed.
He's the Hero All Mechanics Deserve
While this surprise is far from unpleasant, the mechanic who encountered it was definitely caught off guard. After all, it's a Batman car seat, not something you see every day. So, now Batman is designated to be in the backseat; that's a really big change! Good to know that Batman’s drink of choice is Root Beer. The only drink that is used to quench the thirst after handing out justice. It seems like Batman is on duty.
We are curious to know who decided that it would be an improvement if car seats were designed to make it look like the kid is sitting on a grown man's lap in a costume.
This Person Thought They Needed a "Minor" Repair
This customer stated that the left rear tire was flat and needed a minor repair. But they had no idea what was inside the tire, which resulted in that. We thought we were looking at a crab claw for a moment there and wondering how a crab got in there. But at second glance, it's probably a wrench. How did that happen? There should always be an extra tire in the car for such unforeseen circumstances.
Luckily, it stayed in one part of the wheel because it would be seriously deadly at highway speeds if it bounced around.
New Regular Customer
This mechanic has a cute squirrel as their regular customer. Well, they got lucky as they are great (actually the best) with nuts. Why not just hire this little fellow and put it to work? About time they stopped living off of handouts and did some “Real work!”. Meanwhile, his buddy is probably robbing the cash register. Maybe they can teach him to grab those nuts and bolts that fall deep in the drivetrain, and in return, their wage will be peanuts. Training and domesticating a squirrel is easy if someone is patient and gentle.
Shop squirrels can help with the wiring as well. Glad to see the technician who’s feeding the little one, good job. But by this time next week, there will be 200 of them. Better be prepared!
The Right To Refuse Service Comes To Mind
This customer dropped off for an oil change but forgot or maybe neglected to mention the huge beehive that found a home in the back of the truck. What are these? Hornet or Bald-Faced Wasps! If disturbed, they will aggressively attack and can remember a person's face. They will fly past someone else to attack the person who disturbed their hive in the past. Scary! Maybe they are there for security reasons? No one would want to steal it.
We are hoping the technician is not allergic. But we're also hoping he just called the owner back and refused service - this is dangerous business!
Mice, You Better Be Nice!
This customer claims that the vehicle doesn't run well, and we can see it is because of Rat Power instead of Horsepower! These rodents might put a dent in the gas mileage, too. We have seen many times that mice cause such problems as they eat wires that cause damage. We wonder what these mice are planning to do. Maybe they'll chew the wires at the base of the connectors for dinner.
Rat teeth are ranked 5.5 on the Mohs scale, which means their teeth are harder than iron. The jaw muscles can exert up to 12 tons per square inch. By comparison, a great white shark bites with a force of 1.8 to 2 tons per square inch. They can chew through the steel of concrete given enough time. So, we can just hope for the best but better be prepared for the worst!
Things Got Real Steamy and Romantic
This looks like an example that some mechanics love their work too much. As if they want to understand the engine, then they have to become the engine. So, he might love cars so much that he became one himself! Or maybe the owner became a part of the engine after years and years of repairing it. A bit stiff guy but gets the job done. We can see the soon-to-be Transformer forming. Whatever it is, that's a magnificent piece of art.
Or Tin Man, Is that you? He has got some expensive boots on. Loving the engine job, but this masterpiece can only be the outcome if someone is madly in love with engines and is extremely creative to play with machines.
Who Doesn't Love Kittens?
It's not a random roll-in but more of birth into the shop because someone left a puddle of kittens out in the side yard a year ago, and the neighbor took this one home, and the boss there also took another one. This is so heartwarming to see. It’s always delightful to watch kittens being adopted and getting their forever-loving homes—more power to pet lovers and rescuers for doing the job amazingly.
Baby kittens do need extra attention. Glad they got them before being injured or hit by something. They look too young to be taken home separately. We wish they could keep them together so they can play with each other.
They Just Want To Have Some Fun
Okay, so this might be a case of mechanics surprising mechanics, not really customers' cars surprising them. Apparently, this car just rolled into the shop, and the boys wanted to pose like models trying hard to look hot and sassy as if they were making an advertisement to sell the car or shooting for some magazine. We have to say, they look good and probably attracted some new customers.
With these guys having to deal with so much grease, surprising animals, and who knows what else, the least they deserve is a little fun.
Only Really Mature People Will Understand
The little old lady must have seen this mileage on her receipt. No wonder why she has dropped off her Caravan for an inspection. Maybe, they should show this picture to that lady, and she'll probably die laughing, or probably, she already knows. It took us a moment about how a caravan could have an odometer and gearbox; then we realized it's a Dodge Caravan (which has frequent brake replacements due to them being massively undersized).
Well, does anyone else see a surprising number of caravans with this exact mileage? It looks fishy, but we can understand after staring at it for a good one minute.
What to Get Your Mechanic for Their Birthday
A dad got a gift from her daughter (who seems like a dentist). Looks like the dental hardware of the next Bond Villain's henchmen. No one would want to get 'bitten' by that. Conventional toolboxes are old nowadays. Why lug around a boring box when one can keep their stuff in a denture drill bit holder. Just as the name suggests, this storage device keeps all of the drill bits organized in a pair of realistic hinged dentures! This stylish bit holder can hold 28 standard drill bits held in place by magnets that are fixed into the gums, so there is no way to lose them.
The hinged jaws can be opened completely, giving easy access to all of the drill bits. It's made very well, all the way down to the nice hardware holding it together.
The Mice in Her Civic Don't Like the Mice in Her Mazda
A man who works as an advisor at a Honda dealer texted his brother about a weird request from his client. Well, mice like to eat wiring looms. So, it’s better to keep mice out of the car. Not to mention the smell one can never get rid of! However, the wiring harness issues only arise if one isn’t feeding their mice well enough, and they get desperate and then start chewing on the wire. Or maybe they chew on them because they chew on everything. Who cares about the wiring in such a case? They should be more worried about hantavirus and stuff.
However, the fact here is that she has separate Honda/Mazda mice. But that both these groups of mice have, at some point, interacted enough with each other group that she was able to determine that the Honda/Mazda mice did not get along? It seems like the mice have territorial issues. They don't want to share the wiring. She needs Universal Mice. Yeah, that'll work.
He Wanted To Land So Bad
Well, it looks like the aircraft pilot landed with the brakes on. Nice and smooth, but we bet the smell must be quite something. If someone is curious to know how old a tire is, they can count the rings! Maybe the pilot had some reason to do so. The pilot is lucky to be alive if the pilot is actually alive! We don't know what is more impressive, the tire or the breaks. The tires seem so solid; they must be super expensive. The tire pressure was immense on the plane, and the breaks did the miraculous job quite well.
We can imagine the vibration during take-off if it doesn't blow out entirely. Going to cost much, but if they can afford an aircraft, they can easily replace a tire. We hope no one got injured in this!
A Furry Surprise
The person is not condoned to stealing but after watching these little puppies, how do they control them? These are the happiest-looking pups (super cute too) having some fun in the car. Well, who would leave their puppies in the car at the mechanics though they look super comfortable and friendly? However, people don't deserve pets if their cigarette butts are going to be among their toys. Perhaps they are there to offer high-tech security systems.
The customer states there is something wrong with the twin sub-woofer. They don’t match audio from the radio. But who cares about any of that when these two guys are staring up at you? As we know "shop is not responsible for personal items left in the car." So, probably they should take them and run away.
Ricky's Car From Trailer Park Boys
Someone gave a prescription for a car. An accurate professional report. Straight to the point. At least an honest mechanic. They don’t want this person to throw thousands of dollars into the repair and services. They should follow the expert’s advice. Technically speaking, few cars are beyond repair. What car came into our mind while reading it? Or that might not be beyond repair, but there does come the point where it costs too much to keep them running, so better to get a new one.
Or it can't be that bad because the recommended service was wipers and a blinker on the inspection sheet under the note? Well, a few people do get a piece of advice to buy a new car, but they still want to get their 90s car fixed by spending a heavy amount.
This Person Didn't Understand Why Their Tire Light Came on
The customer claimed that the tire light came on, and they don't know the actual reason! The owner should be informed that it is wear and tear and not a sudden rip. How does it still have a rim? It looks like it's been knifed. How were they even still driving? Wouldn't they hear the loud grating? It's dangerous to drive such vehicles on the streets as it can endanger other people’s lives. People need to replace old tires as soon as possible before any big disaster.
Let's not forget to appreciate the picture that has been taken with a high-resolution camera that we can even zoom in and read the stamping on the dust shield too.
Poor Kitty Got A Home
The terrified kitten entered a mechanic's shop and then into their house. That's a great mechanic and, most importantly, a pet lover who gave this kitty a forever home. Whenever we see kittens getting pulled out of cars, we do wonder what happens to them? Is someone going to rescue them? Or do they just sit in a cardboard box? Taken to the shelter? Well, glad to see that the kitty got a new home in this case. We wonder what name the kitty would have got. CATalytic? Sparkplug? Or what?
Maybe, we should call everyone we know to come to check out any homeless kitten found, and one of them might end up adopting it (what’s better than that?). Also, cats often snuggle under car hoods, especially in Winter, because of the warmth. So, please do check for kitties before starting cars.
Meow Wants Attention
Got a complaint that the state engine is making "Pssst Pssst Pssst" noise and we know the reason Why! Cats are super adorable and loving. Maybe the kitty was just looking for some warm and safe place, and what’s better than an engine? No one is going to disturb them during the ride. So, why do cats behave in this manner? The answer is straightforward: to remain warm. Cats are drawn to the warmth of a car engine which takes time to cool down after a long ride. Cats can easily climb inside an engine and sleep beneath the hood - it's like having their heating system.
However, it’s dangerous for cats to live in the engine as they can easily get severely hurt. But we can’t deny the fact that most of the time, they do get adopted by any humble human being or any cat lover whenever they encounter a cat in such a situation.
Well That's One Way to Get the Post Down
Is anyone wondering whether it’s a good post or a bad post? Whatever it is, what we can say with surety is that it was a bad or untrained driver or maybe careless as well? Well, that's a really expensive way to pull a fence post. No wonder it takes a lot to puncture a tractor tire! It can be bad as it won’t be rolling into any shop now. Is anyone thinking about how in this World this happened? Not many people have seen the ugly side of Tractor jousting.
Puncture repairs are limited to the center of the tread area. If there are punctures or damage in the shoulder or sidewall of the tire, it is not repairable. Better be careful instead of paying it off a huge amount later.
Just Dragged Into The Shop
Here is a sad story of a car being towed with an E-brake on. It looks like the customer towed their car, or the tow company is going to pay for it. Was that tow driver blind, deaf, or unable to read the resistance in their vehicle load? Did no one see the sparks or the smoke? Or the car has Aluminum rims (they probably have) that don't spark, and there wouldn't be any smoke unless they were going fast enough to generate a fair amount of heat. Glad it didn't catch fire!
We are hoping that they have a warranty or insurance to cover this mess. Though warranty specifically excludes stupid acts. Honestly, we are impressed by the robustness of that E brake.
Engine: This Is Not Okay. Please Save Me
The car was in flood, and the driver asked if it was okay, and suddenly, the Dash answered itself. Short and to the point answer, it looks like the engine needed help more than the driver as it's a car, not a submarine! It’s a Honda Civic hybrid model. That generation Civic Hybrid was never okay to begin with. All the lights seem to be working fine though we have no idea whether it’s going to survive the flooding or not. Since modern cars are light in weight, maybe putting a huge bag of rice works well in a situation like flooding or their proper functioning.
Don't forget to appreciate the magic display dash, which has more lights than a Christmas tree. Or maybe it’s a trap by those shady lots that can stop the working of the car (as the cars have kill switches built into them) because of some due payment.
Moldy Ride
Someone found their late father's car full of mold after a year, and the mother wanted to take it to a garage like that. But that person remembered his late father and spent the day cleaning it before taking it to the garage. Dad must have been happy (wherever he is) after watching his son taking care of the car. That's so wholesome to see. It is quite moldy, perhaps it was placed outside with windows open, and mold can be highly nasty and dangerous for many people. We are glad it got a bit cleaned.
It looks spotless, but there are things we can’t see. The spores stay in; they embed themselves into the padding and grow back again unless it is cleaned and doused with chlorine. Better to put on a mask with windows open while driving.
A Game Changer
When everything else fails, we can look for Diagnostic Dice, which is a simple yet fun dice that can help figure out what's wrong with the car when the mechanic gets frustrated and can’t find out the actual error. The Diagnostic Dice have gained the interest and attention of a large number of people as they can make life easy. It should be a must-have in every toolbox as it can help us in many uncertain situations.
This is a perfect gift for someone who’s going nuts over unidentifiable problems with cars. As the name indicates, it will diagnose the issues with the vehicle. What's more, the dice have excellent performance and are easy to carry and use.
That Will Buff Out
Someone must have gone mad! Because they got a claim that the insurance company doesn't think this is totaled. It looks like a flesh wound as the axles are still pretty good. It looks like it’s structural damage, and insurance companies won’t cover much of that in general insurance. Or perhaps, the insurance company knows it can’t be fixed. So, they are buying themselves time to get it picked up. The frame is bent, so it will be much of a pain to fix it, and of course, that will be time-consuming. Well, it's time to find a new insurance company.
We are wondering if that car got hit by a train or something. However, there's nothing that can't be fixed with some duct tape and a hammer. Jokes apart, maybe they can get the plunger and replace the doors.