For over thirty years I’ve been a mechanic in Alabama and from time to time I come across some weird things that people bring their cars in for. Believe it or not, I’ve had more customers than I care to count put the weirdest stuff in their gas tanks! Here are some of the craziest:
“Powdered Sugar”
One time I had a customer who just returned from business abroad complaining that his car wasn’t running quite right. Well I start poking around his vehicle and soon enough come across some sort of powder all around his gas tank! He swore it was just powdered sugar as apparently he’s a pastry chef, but I’m not so sure… Whatever it was though at least he didn’t put it in his tailpipe!
Charge It
Now as a simple mechanic I don’t know what all the hubbub is about for electric cars (if we got gas why don’t we use it!), but I guess some folks are now attempting their own “DIY” modifications to turn their Toyota Corolla into a Tesla. One guy threw about a half dozen AA batteries right into his gas tank – unbelievable! If I’m not in a particularly good mood, I sometimes give these eco warriors a little extra “surcharge” for my service. If electric is as cheap as they say it is, then these folks won’t mind paying a little more.
Pick-Me-Up
Now, just because you may run on coffee or energy drinks, doesn’t mean your car runs on that stuff too. I’ve had not one but three different customers tell me they’ve spiked their gas tank with energy drinks to give it a little “pick-me-up”. The only thing these people are picking up now is the massive bill for my auto repair services. Maybe you shouldn’t try every TikTok “life hack” you see?
Watered Down
The following is a Public Service Announcement: water and oil (in this case crude oil) do not mix! One woman filled her gas tank up with water instead of gasoline. How? Apparently she was on her phone and wasn’t paying attention to which hose she had grabbed. Sometimes I pray on Sundays and thank God for putting people like this on Earth to keep me in business.
Will Work For Beer
Out of everything on this list, this is the only gas “replacement” that I can excuse. These frat guys came in with a buddy’s car that they filled with light beer as a prank for some sort of Friday night party. I love a good prank, I love a good party, and I love a good story. I did the work for free. And hey, if you could actually use a gas tank to store light beer, then that’s probably the only way you’d ever get me to live out of my car like most of these washed up college students will be doing anyway after they graduate.
