Have you ever had a day that made you want to disinfect your face?
Neither had I.
UNTIL TODAY!!!
But letβs go back in time to yesterday...
Yesterday I decided to go on a BIG drive. I have the week off of work (furlough) and I wanted to do SOMETHING fun. Between covid shelter at home recommendations and a recent influx of wildfire smoke, I was getting super sick of my own house. So I jumped into my car without a real destination in mind.
Two hours later I was deep into North Cascades National Park. The area is considered the Alps of North America. It is wild, beautiful and isolated.
About an hour into my drive I lost cell reception. Not a huge deal, but no one was really out yesterday due to the smoke and it being a Wednesday. I was mildly concerned because my 2007 Dodge Caliber hasnβt been totally reliable the past couple of years.
Lucky me, I made it to the mountains and about halfway home before my oil light blinked on and off. Hmmmm.... π€ With an hour left on my four hour round trip adventure I kept pushing forward.
Closer to home the oil light blinked on and off again. Then my car lost its ability to accelerate up hill. I made it back to the house in one piece but knew it was time to call the auto shop.
This morning I was able to make a service appointment, but not until September 28! Hearing that my oil light had come on, the mechanic suggested I stop by today to at least have my oil topped up. The mechanic is just a mile from home and I got there with no mechanical problems.
For some reason the oil top up took forever.
And by βsome reasonβ I mean some DISGUSTING reason.
RATS!!!!
My engine was filled with rat feces. ππππ
When the mechanic opened my hood there was rat π© everywhere. So he couldnβt change the oil until cleaning the crap... for fear that the excrement would fall into the oil tank.
GROSS!!!!!!
But even more disgusting, the air for the vents and AC get sucked into the passenger compartment via the engine! Which we have now discovered is RAT POO CITY!!!! π€’ And I spent FOUR HOURS in the car yesterday just letting it blow into my face!!!! Forget covid! I am probably catching Hanta Virus now. π
This is 2020.
Apparently with people not driving as much this has been a common problem in 2020. Rats spot a cozy car parked along side the house or in the garage and set up camp. I am told the sent left behind by the rats will keep attracting them to my vehicle.
So, what to do?
First off, SET FIRE TO THE CAR. OK, this option isnβt for everyone, but it was my first instinct. That and set fire to my lungs and face as they had been basking in poo breezes on my whole drive yesterday.
Next option, detail the engine. This will be happening on the 28th. The engine will be steem cleaned and disinfected. I suppose they will check to see if the rats have nibbled on wires and such too.
Finally, the internet suggests spraying the clean engine components with peppermint oil diluted in water. Doing this every six months is rumored to keep rodent interlopers away. Weβll see, or maybe itβs just time to buy a new car! π€£ππ
2020 truly is the Year of the Rat!
Hope your day is more like a long lovely drive and less like a rat poo breeze.
Mmm π€€ natural high.
I searched for "rats smoking pot" and this is what came up! XD
HOLY CRAP!
I apologize. It is out of my system now. I am so very sorry for this situation. We had this happen to us a few years ago. It blew our minds when we opened the car's hood. The shock is horrible. Here is a 100% upvote to help encourage you.
Thank you for an interesting and entertaining post.
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ππ€£ I get the laughing. It is sooo absurd! I still need to open the hood today to see if they are back! ππ
I hope those pesky rats are gone.
OK... I laughed !... I'm sorry.....
I hadn't thought about rats, but as long as my car has sit since "covid" started, I did wonder about wasp nests or the such.
No wonder your light came on, your car couldn't breath !
Now... go wash that face !
Ooo a wasp nest would suck too! I guess Iβd rather have them in my car than my house?
π€·π»ββοΈ
π€£πβΊοΈ Stupid 2020
Crikeys!
When we first went into lockdown here BOTH our cars crapped out. We figured we'd leave them until we were ready to break isolation anyways so they were dead for maybe a month or more....but we never considered this might be a problem.
I had heard of cats going under the car to keep warm, but never heard of rodents in the engine. I still have to open up the hood today to see if they came back over night!
I keep delaying! π€£π
π³ OMG @dfinney that's a new one on me!!! We live in the woods and mice are the problem.... Somewhere I read that Bounce dryer sheets help, and my Dodge truck has dryer sheets coming out of all inside air vents Lol!!! I need to remove them when I drive to Bellingham, I get strange looks!π
So you drove the loop over Highway 2, did you return over Stevens Pass? You were almost in our neck of the woods!! So glad you made it home safe, and also glad you used the SGSLIFE tag I try to always check this to find non-silver post..Take care!!π
The mechanic mentioned dryer sheets too and mothballs. But I donβt really get where I am meant to put them.
I just drove up to Diablo and back. Didnβt do the whole loop. I almost went to Bellingham. It was just sort of a follow my nose kind of day. I was going to do more of this, this week but the smoke and now maybe coming rain and poo car have just put the kaibash on everything.
Even with the smoke that is a beautiful drive!!! Usually when we do the loop I need to drive, or else I keep trying to put on the imaginary break from the passenger side Lol!π
I have an older Ford Ranger 4X4 that I use for firewood and a box of moth balls sits on the bench seat all the time......π
I completely understand! A couple of years ago, I had a mice issue in my car! I set a live trap in there and over the course of a couple of weeks, caught over 26 mice! Yikes! I didn't think they would ever be removed, but crossing my fingers and toes, so far it seems they are gone!
I recently had an adventure upstairs at work having to be the lucky soul to remove a dead rat that had gotten too close to a trap. Some of the rats had relocated from the spring flood we had and occasionally, one will stop by! Just my luck I was the one to dispose of it!
I hope you don't have any more trouble with them. It's a different thing when it's your car and your personal space! Take care @dfinney!ππ€
26 mice!!!! Dang.
It sucks because I like mice and rats as long as they stay outside. But they never do!
Yeah, well I've had pet mice and pet rats, but the wild ones are a bit different. I will take the mice way out into the woods to turn them loose, but we set rat traps for the rats. Fortunately, we don't have a rat problem as there are no chickens, hence no feed, hence no rats.
I hope you are able to get your car de-ratted! Take care @dfinney!
Ewwwwww... That sounds horrible π©
Hope you get it sorted our soon
I am glad I didnβt actually see one at least. I hope to get is sorted too!
My dads car had a similar thing a few years back with chipmunks. They made a nest and everything. Ate through the disturber lines and apart of the brake cable. It was over $1000 worth of damage.
I have no idea yet if there is damage. I donβt even know how long the rats have been in and out of my engine. The longest I have gone without driving is just 3 or 4 days I think. But I am certainly not driving everyday like pre-covid days.
This is one reason I have a cat, but teaching the cat to drive is a problem. πΊ
Oh don't you worry @kerrislravenhill, cats can drive alright, they just choose not to, and after all, why would they when they've got you- their own personal chauffeur! π€£
And when you wonder all of the fuel has gone....
You do know that cats have staff and Dogs have masters don't you! π€£
I am more convinced that they are actually an advanced alien race that came here thousands of years ago from out there in the Milky way. If they can operate a Jump Drive space vehicle thousands of light years away to a location anywhere in the galaxy with pinpoint accuracy why YES my Runt should be able to drive a prehistoric carbon fueled internal combustion car.
It's just the seat wasn't designed for Cat, though there is a slot on the armrest for a Kitty dish.
Haaa I am sure that you are right, after all, isn't that exactly why the Egyptians worshipped them- and rightly soo...???
And bearing in mind, I'm sure that Queen cat did demand that King cat design the seats for her, but then human came along and sat down in cats chair and then the cold war started.....https://www.facebook.com/TheCultOfCat/posts/2684416575148901
π€£ππ πππ€£ππ πππ€£ππ πππ€£ππ πππ€£ππ πππ€£ππ πππ€£ππ πππ€£ππ πππ€£ππ πππ€£ππ ππ
π We had a neighborhood cat, but it has disappeared. I fear the car might have reached his/her end.
Wow, what a huge day for you, in more ways than one!
Love the photos of the lake! That looks absolutely stunning and another destination to add to my travel list..
One thing that I do regret, is not making it to Seattle on the Green tortoise bus when I lived and the GT in San Fran and had a free ticket anytime...Too busy in San Fran...
Oh well next trip to the USA and hopefully in 2021/2022
And wow, You know, I knew about the filetrs in aurcons in cars, becaseu my brother is a mechanic, but I never thjought about animals- other than cats'''crawling in and sleeping on the engine.
So glad you said that cause I'm actually storing a friends car in my garage on request that I actually drive it when ever I want but we've been in lockdown for months, so I can't drive it anywhere anyway.
Must check tomorrow and maybe take it for a spin around the car park...to make sure it still works!
Thanks so much for sharing that eye opening story- eye opening in 2 very different ways! π
Good luck with your car, the fires and every thing and stay safe!
San Francisco is a delightful place to visit! I can see how you never got up here. Oh how I hope travel is back on the books in 2021/22. I was just in Australia November 2019. So glad because my husbandβs family are all there. It makes the closed borders a little more bearable since we had just been back.
Yes! Cats. People always warn you to make sure cats arenβt under the hood. I had never heard someone mention rodents!
I have heard about the lockdowns. You are in Victoria correct? My husband has aunts, uncles and cousins in Melbourne. Weβve been getting family updates about how they all canβt see one another. Such a rough year.
YIKES ... Isn't 2020 the most strange year ever.
Here a tissue for you!
Thank you for the tissue! π
Hahahahah the Etos
Oh my dear lord i hate rats and rat feces hahahah great write though
I am Ok with rats, as long as they stay outside living happy little rat lives in wood piles and forests. In my car... not so much! π
I heard of one that came up via the toilet
That would be my worst nightmare
Haha the ending gave me a laugh! But what a trip you had! Thank God youβre alive!
π€£π If I had died maybe the rats would have driven the car home? π π
Vaya que me ha gustado leer este post!!! Bueno, desde luego lamento lo de las ratas en tu auto... pero el post esta genial y la foto del parque es estupenda, gracias...
Be like everyone else on the internet and blame AntiFa for this problem, too.
π€ Ummmm. Iβd rather blame Mitch McConnell. π€·π»ββοΈ
Aiks!!! The drive itself sounded like an adventure.
What a gorgeous pic of the lake!!
But the second part... eek!!
The drive is gorgeous. I used to go camping there with my dad as a kiddo, so going back was lovely.
eeeeeuw!!!!! WTF with the rat faeces! Warm space I suppose... but still gross! lol - The place you visited... a LOT less gross!!! Absolutely AMAZING!!!
The universe works in mysterious ways lol!
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The crazy thing is I have parked my car in this same spot for 10 years! The ratties finally decided to come snacking. ππ€¦π»ββοΈ
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