Car Talk

[james]

For our members outside the U.S., Car Talk is a radio call-in program on NPR (National Public Radio, non-commercial radio), where two funny and very smart guys help people solve what's wrong with their car.

I have to pass this one along. A family owned an older Porsche and they lived overlooking a canyon. One day that got home from work and the car had driven itself off the driveway and the car was perched on the cliff, about to fall into the canyon. No one had been home or touched the car.

How did it happen?

They took the car to a garage, and found that pack rats had nested under the hood and chewed just enough insulation off the two lines running from the starter; enough to actually start the car -- and it was in gear so it took off.

Great story.

We had mice nest in our washing machine once -- they totally ruined the electronic control panel eating wires.

James

[nissanneill]

I can relate to that story,
We had heaps of water running out from under the dishwasher some years ago. Pulled it out and found that mice (I even suspected rats but never found evidence of their presence inside the house) had eaten the bottoms out of the rubber disposal hose. It must have tasted wonderful.
My other half had a cat that loved to catch rodents around the area, and bring them home to show off but they were still live and ready for play.

Neill

[Les]

Along this thread...

I had a friend that lived up the hill. For months his wife kept telling him she smelled something strange in the garage. After a while she was telling him she could hear noises inside the wall. He ignored it for some time until he got pissed off. One night, He said, There is nothing in there, and to prove it he hit the sheet rock with a hammer. BUCKETS of mouse poop came pouring out. A few thousand dollars later - problem solved.

James - I love Click and Clack, great program.