Last Updated on August 25, 2023
I must be cursed when it comes to cars. I can think of no other explanation for the many disasters I have encountered with all of the vehicles I’ve owned. With my keys in the ignition, I went to turn on my car and watched as the engine struggled to rev up. That sure is strange, I thought to myself. How about we give that another try? I paused, removed my key, and reinserted it to try again. Once again, my car sputtered. The engine started running but my Honda Civic’s screen urgently flashed a message reading, “CHECK CHARGING SYSTEM.”
Check charging system!? But how? How could that be…? My Honda Civic isn’t even that old, I reasoned. My car is basically new. A 2015 purchased in 2016. I know it is winter time and batteries drain quickly in the cold but it simply couldn’t have died with such minimal usage. Impossible. The system must be glitching, I decided.
Foolishly, I tried to drive my car anyway. I only made it around the block before deciding how stupid it was to risk my life driving a car while something was clearly very wrong with it. My car was in bad shape. This was no small system glitch. In fact, it felt like I was doing more damage to my car in the short time I attempted to drive it. Although my knowledge of cars generally ends around the point of naming the color of the paint, I have enough experience with previous car failures to know that car charging problems are usually related to the battery or the alternator. To repair the latter can be costly, if not covered under warranty. I had to replace one in my old Nissan.
I called AAA immediately and arranged a time to tow the car back to the dealership for repairs.
As my car was fastened and loaded onto the tow truck, images flashed before my ears.
Memory Lane: Scion (2012-2013)
First to 2013, when my Scion got crashed into by a garbage truck driving in reverse while it was innocently parked on the side of the road.
Memory Lane: Nissan (2014-2016)
Then I flashed back to 2016 when my Nissan practically exploded as I was driving it and started dramatically smoking as I was driving in the center lane of one of the busiest highways in the whole state on a hot summer day. Without a doubt, it was the closest near-death experience I’ve ever had.
And these are but a few of the more significant incidents I’ve had with cars. I’ve also had door handles snap off, batteries die, alternators break, you name it.
Memory Lane (Honda 2016-2018?)
I intentionally bought a new car so I wouldn’t have to deal with car problems at least for a few years. What could possibly have gone wrong already!?! Ughhhhh
So you want to know what happened?
I get a call from the dealership’s service manager. “We have never seen anything like this before. It would seem some kind of mouse or rodent built a nest under the hood of your car. We took pictures of it. To be honest, sir, it is a miracle your car didn’t catch fire while you were driving it. The animal chewed on your wires and the damage seems extensive so we can’t promise that your car can be fixed but we will certainly do our best. We will start with the alternator and take it from there after running a system check. Oh and unfortunately, anything animal-related voids your warranty. ”
Amazing. A mouse built a nest in my car. Of course, my new car’s warranty is void.
How bad could it really have been? WELL WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE THIS “MOUSE NEST.”
THIS MOUSE BUILT A FREAKING FOREST IN MY CAR.
Can I also just mention that I got an oil change LAST MONTH? So this is new!!! You can also see the brush is still green so it couldn’t have been there for more than a few days.
I turned to Google and began looking at animals’ nests to figure out what could have caused this problem in the first place. To start off, I searched for a mouse nest.
Hmm, the pictures didn’t really look like what I had in my car though. The actual mouse nests look a lot more reasonable for a small mouse! I mean, my car had sticks so big I don’t even know how ANY animal could ever get them in there.
Birds are smart. Maybe a bird built it? But why would a bird want to be so low to the ground and hidden? That seems out of character. Birds do nest with twigs though!
Nah, not a good match. My nest was far too messy for a bird.
Then it hit me! SQUIRRELS!!!!!!!
THAT WOULD BE IT! YES!
It must have been a squirrel’s nest!!!! That would explain the heavier branches and the chewing of my electrical wires. Unbelievable, unreal.
Sorry, Mama squirrel but a car is no place for you. Hopefully, you and your babies found a different home that is safer and more suitable to rearing, wherever you and your squirrel family reside now.
Ugh, I sure hope my car can be fixed… I’m afraid to know what the damages will cost.
NO!! I live surrounded by squirrels. Oh my gosh, Rocky. All I ever worried about was cats sitting on my engine. Squirrels would never have entered my mind. Hope it is not too expen$ive!
Oh, I know! They’re everywhere around here. The mechanic says this will run anywhere from $300 to $5000.00 depending on the extent of the damage. Fingers crossed for a simple, quick fix. And that Mama squirrel doesn’t… return. o.o
Better you than me. I would have had animal control under the bonnet of my car in a heartbeat. I’m not a wildlife man! Naked hugs!
Oh neither am I! I’m afraid to lift my hood now because I feel like some rodent is going to bite off my fingers
🙂
How did it even get under the hood?
That’s what I was wondering too!!!! Supposedly rodents climb up the tires and there is an opening that goes under the hood of your car. They go in and out through that opening. I know nothing about the build of cars but that is what my dad and the car dealership explained to me haha. I still can’t wrap my head around how the squirrel managed to get such HUGE branches in through the opening.
I feel your pain. I have had several nightmare experiences with cars and animals. I will pray for you!
Thank you! Fortunately, I got my car back and it was okay. I only had to drop a couple hundred dollars. But that is much better than the thousands I anticipated.
So you’ve got a new car then? Or you go by walk?
I have a new car now, thank goodness. Where I live at the moment, it would be very difficult to do things without one.
Oh I’m happy that you drive a new car. 🙂
Thanks! Believe me, ME TOO! XD