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50 Mechanics Share Photos Of The Strangest Car Repairs They Ever Encountered

Cameron Eittreim April 13, 2022

Being an auto mechanic is a rewarding job with challenging aspects. No two cars are alike, and every problem is different as a result. Sometimes it could be an easy fix and sometimes it could be something unexpected because of the job involved. Many mechanics can tell you a lot of strange and wild stories that happened on the job.

We looked at 50 stories from mechanics who encountered strange, unbelievable things while on the job. The mechanics came across things like a kitten in the engine bay and other oddities. The job is rewarding because they help get drivers back on the road, but it’s not always easy. Automotive repair is important due to the sheer importance we have on driving. Therefore, these stories will make you think twice next time you stop at a repair shop, so check them out here.

50: Kitten In The Engine Bay

Reddit user frank0ys worked a little overtime on a customer’s car while it was in the shop. There was a kitten in the engine bay of the vehicle. The good news is the kitten was not harmed as a result. The mechanics returned the vehicle to the customer in working condition (via Bored Panda).

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49: Hold My Raccoon

A customer brought his Toyota Tundra into the shop for a routine service. He told the two mechanics to let him know when they were ready for his truck because he needed to fetch his pet raccoon. He then sat in the lobby with a raccoon until the truck was finished being serviced (via Bored Panda).

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48: Two Sub-Woofers

A pair of mechanics in Arkansas were surprised when they performed an oil change and found two puppies hanging out on the floorboard as a result. These two pups, therefore, gave new meaning to the word “sub-woofer”. This was an interesting encounter for a mechanic, to say the least. Finding animals in a car being worked on makes for a strange day for mechanics because it shouldn’t happen all that often (via Bored Panda).

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47: This Made Me Laugh

Child abuse is not funny, nor is negligent parenting because they’re obviously both terrible. But you can’t help but appreciate the humor behind this bumper sticker. These mechanics were working on a Ford Transit 350 and noticed this unique bumper sticker on the back window (via Bored Panda).

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46: Nest Under The Hood

This mechanic’s day consisted of doing a routine tuneup on this Honda Accord. But when he opened the hood, he saw something surprising because of a carefully-built nest of leaves. Inside of that nest was an opossum, making that day a strange one as a result (via Bored Panda).

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45: “Herky-Jerky” Steering

This isn’t a joke, this is an actual work order that one Reddit user photographed at their shop. The words “herky-jerky” are repeatedly seen as well as a few other strange phrases, making this an odd work order as a result (via Bored Panda). It seems like this mechanic decided to inject some sarcasm into this repair because of the terminology used to diagnose it.

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44: A Million Miles

This customer is a regular at the shop, often telling techs that he will make it to a million miles because of his dedication. Well, one faithful day while going to get a tire plugged, the tech made a surprising discovery (via Bored Panda). He saw that the driver was only one mile away as a result of his due diligence.

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43: A Random Four-Leaf Clover

The four-leaf clover is a sign of good luck, so what are the odds you will find one in the fender of your car? This mechanic came across a special sight while doing a routine tire check (via Bored Panda).

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42: Finding Nemo?

It’s always great when your mechanic has a sense of humor, and in the case of this photo, the mechanic certainly did coupled with a dedication to the job. He stated in his work report that the car sounded like a character from the movie ‘Finding Nemo’ (via Bored Panda).

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41: Customer Refused New Tires

This mechanic detailed the day a customer came into the shop with bald tires and refused new tires even though there was an icy storm. The shop made this customer sign a waiver before they went back on the road as a result of their decision (via Bored Panda).

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40: Crawled Out From Under a Lift

This was a very random occurrence a mechanic saw in their shop. A small turtle crawled out from under a broken vehicle lift covered in dirt and grime. Needless to say, this mechanic was shocked to see this little creature (via Bored Panda). Hopefully, he was able to clean this little guy up and get him a good home under those circumstances.

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39: Bullet-Ridden Rental Car Return

This was a shocking rental car return for the staff at a well-known car rental company. The local police confirmed it was involved in a shootout (via Bored Panda). This was probably quite the interesting return at a rental car company that doesn’t see instances like this all too often.

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38: Bulldog Inside The Vehicle

This auto technician got a shock when a customer left an SUV to get serviced. In the backseat was a bulldog left in the car. Needless to say, this was a surprise (via Bored Panda).

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37: Accelerator Gets Stuck To Floor

Sometimes a car has a problem that’s so unique only the owner knows how to fix it. That was the case when a mechanic stepped into this Dodge Charger to service it. There was a note to let him know about the accelerator getting stuck – and how to fix it (via Bored Panda).

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36: The Self-Aware Prius Owner

Let’s be honest, owning a Prius isn’t the status symbol it once was. With that being the case, this mechanic got a fun surprise when it saw the bumper sticker this Prius owner had (via Bored Panda).

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35: A Flapping Noise

The owner of this car claimed it had a flapping noise coming from the driver’s side when it was dropped off at the shop. The mechanic was then in disbelief that the driver didn’t realize it was their flag (via Bored Panda).

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34: USSR Tire Still On The Road

It’s not uncommon for an ancient tire to still be on the road when a classic car is stored for a long time. This mechanic had a unique surprise when this car was sporting a pair of tires from the USSR (via Bored Panda). For context, the USSR was disbanded in the ’90s.

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33: Actual Gloves In A Glove Box

After 16 years of writing service contracts, this mechanic was surprised when there was finally a pair of gloves in a glove box. Up to that point, he hadn’t witnessed this. Mechanics rarely see this part of the car being used for its intended purpose (via Bored Panda).

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32: A Rare Jaguar XJ220

The Jaguar XJ220 is one of the rarest exotic cars ever built. So this mechanic was surprised when he worked on a mint-condition model that only had 3k miles on the odometer (via Bored Panda). It’s incredibly difficult to find one of these, let alone work on a pristine example, so it’s no surprise this mechanic was shocked as a result.

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31: The Easter Bunny Comes Early

You’ll often be surprised at what goes on in the automotive repair shop because of many things. But this mechanic was especially surprised when a rabbit found its way into the shop (via Bored Panda). Perhaps it was a sign of Easter coming early when this rabbit showed up beside a car in the garage.

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30: Some Repairs Never Disappoint

As a mechanic, dealing with user error is part of the job. But when someone came in because their windows weren’t working, this mechanic surprised him at how easy the fix was (via Bored Panda). Sometimes, the strangest repairs are that way due to the simplicity of the fix.

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29: How Didn’t It Explode?

Tire maintenance is something many drivers tend to miss, but when this car rolled into the shop, it was past the point of mere routine maintenance. This mechanic had to get this photo because he couldn’t believe this tire didn’t explode (via Bored Panda).

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28: Temperature Gauge Reading Full Tank

Consumers bring all kinds of strange problems into the repair shop. In this case, the customer stated the temperature gauge was reading a full tank (via Bored Panda). If you look closely, they aren’t necessarily wrong as the temperature meter has flipped all the way around to point toward the fuel.

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27: Sonic Worker Pays Her Repair Bill

A Sonic worker paid her repair bill with one and five-dollar bills that she got from her job as tips. Needless to say, this mechanic spent considerable time counting the money as a result (via Bored Panda). But hey, everyone has to get by how they can in this world, and at least this woman paid her bill responsibly even if it took a long time to count in the meantime.

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26: Bulletproof Tahoe

This mechanic was surprised when a bulletproof Tahoe came into the shop. The glass on the truck was two inches thick and the rest of the vehicle was armored (via Bored Panda). We’re certain the owner of this vehicle was able to avoid stray bullets as a result.

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25: Foolproof Transmission Repair Guide

If you didn’t know how to replace a transmission, these instructions are foolproof. These instructions inherently let the person doing the repairs know that failure to read them will result in having to replace the transmission over and over again (via Bored Panda). They also knew that reading instructions “wasn’t in their DNA,” so they lead them to at least read page 7 as a minimum.

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24: A Bird’s Nest Tucked Away

This strange repaid saw a bird’s nest tucked away in the engine of a Chevrolet Silverado. The eggs hadn’t even hatched yet, and the owner of the truck was unsure of what to do (via Bored Panda).

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23: A Kitten Behind The Grill

When it gets cold outside, a car is a great place for animals to hide and try to find warmth. This mechanic found a kitten that was wedged between the grill and the condenser (via Bored Panda).

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22: Million Mile Honda Civic

Here we have another case of a mechanic documenting when a customer rolled over a million miles. The Honda Civic pictured here was owned by the original owner (via Bored Panda). It’s also a great feat for any car to hit one million miles overall, and credit to this mechanic for documenting it.

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21: A Shocking Greeting

An owner who brought his Corvette Z06 in for service gave the mechanic quite the greeting on the dashboard. There was a custom odometer installed, and let’s just say it did the job (via Bored Panda).

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20: The Dog Who Helped Check Codes

This dog was in the car when the owner brought it in to the shop to read the check engine light codes. Needless to say, it helped the mechanic get the job done right (via Bored Panda).

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19: A Mint Condition 1986 Toyota Truck

No, this wasn’t a time capsule. The mechanic of this shop came into contact with one of the cleanest mint condition Toyota Trucks that he had ever seen before (via Bored Panda). It was worth documenting with this photo as a result.

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18: Someone Dropped Off A BBQ

This mechanic was told he’d be doing a brake job on a barbecue, he thought they were joking. Then the BBQ was dropped off at the shop and he had to snap a photo (via Bored Panda).

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17: Guy Drove In Like This

Here is another reason why mechanics are an essential business. First, this driver drove into the shop like this. The car had been through a crazy turn of events that caused this uniquely disastrous front-wheel scene (via Bored Panda).

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16: A Lexus Drove In To Pick Up Brake Pads

The owner of this Lexus was told they needed to drive into the store to pick up brake pads and they took it literally. The Lexus drove through the front of the shop (via Bored Panda). As much as the customer’s attention was appreciated, this was ultimately a destructive trip to the auto store.

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15: A Tesla’s Undercarriage

If you’ve ever wondered what the future of the automotive industry looked like, here is the undercarriage of a Tesla that this mechanic snapped a photo of (via Bored Panda).

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14: Ferraris Have The Worst Battery Location

There are few things worse for mechanics than a car with a difficult battery location, and this Ferrari is the epiphany of that. This mechanic was so frustrated with the location that he had to snap a photo (via Bored Panda).

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13: Driver Lost His Keys

This driver came into the shop complaining he couldn’t find his extra set of keys. Once the mechanics got behind the wheel of the car, they knew why (via Bored Panda). It seems this driver was quite a fan of nitrous oxide.

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12: Now That’s A Tailgate

There are some times when mechanics see a truly unique tailgate come through the shop. This mechanic shot a photo of a tailgate that came through, and it was indeed unique (via Bored Panda). You just don’t see an homage to the classic ’80s spoof “Spaceballs” on the road too often.

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11: Years Of Stickers

An old lady needed help applying her license plate sticker to her license plate because she couldn’t kneel anymore. The resulting image was a bit shocking to the mechanic (via Bored Panda). Apparently, she had many years of renewing her license plates adding up.

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10: An EDM-Influenced Car

This driver played EDM in his car, after that the dashboard was flashing like crazy. The mechanic had to snap a photo of the dashboard because it was shocking (via Bored Panda). He couldn’t tell if all of the warning lights had actually been triggered or if the electronic music caused this.

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9: Screwdriver Key

This mechanic was taken aback when a customer dropped off a few vehicles, one of which had a unique key. The screwdriver was used to start the car, and surprisingly the car hadn’t been stolen (via Bored Panda).

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8: Didn’t Have A Spare Tire?

This person came into the shop claiming they didn’t own a spare tire. The mechanics saw that. The result is evident as soon as you look at the car. You can’t drive a car with no tire on the rim or this will happen (via Bored Panda).

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7: Common Sense

A customer dropped a car off at this mechanic shop saying that it was vibrating at a high rate of speed. It was only when the tech got further into the story that he found out how high the speed rate was (via Bored Panda).

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6: Couldn’t See The Gauges?

This customer came into the shop complaining that she couldn’t see the gauges. The mechanic looked at her steering wheel and could immediately tell what the problem was (via Bored Panda).

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5: Overcompensating

This mechanic snapped a photo of his boss’s toolbox setup, adding the caption “I think he is overcompensating”. Indeed, this is an expansive toolbox setup (via Bored Panda). It’s so huge that the mechanic may just be onto something here.

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4: Punctured Tire Repair

This customer arrived at the shop for a punctured tire looking to get it patched. The mechanic was appalled by what he saw was lodged in the tire. After seeing this, he kindly let the customer know it was beyond repair (via Bored Panda).

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3: Rental Car Returned In Questionable Condition

A service team member at a local rental car company was shocked when a car was returned in this condition. The driver stated she had a plane to catch and was in a hurry, which led the mechanics to a state of shock (via Bored Panda).

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2: The Mysterious Red Line

These mechanics replaced the battery in a customer’s car a week before. When she returned, she had a strange problem. She said the red line had not been on the tachometer before, and she wanted a refund. Sometimes, there’s just no fix for a car problem. Perhaps this was actually a people problem (via Awesome Inventions).

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1: This Customer Was Robbed

This customer came into the shop stating that his car sounded a bit different when he started it. The mechanics told him he’d been robbed, although he didn’t understand what the mechanic was talking about, the mysterious disappearance of his catalytic converter. Catalytic converter theft is all too common, and it’s only going to worsen as cars become more expensive (via Awesome Inventions).

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50 Mechanics Share Photos Of The Strangest Car Repairs They Ever Encountered

50: Kitten In The Engine Bay

49: Hold My Raccoon

48: Two Sub-Woofers

47: This Made Me Laugh

46: Nest Under The Hood

45: “Herky-Jerky” Steering

44: A Million Miles

43: A Random Four-Leaf Clover

42: Finding Nemo?

41: Customer Refused New Tires

40: Crawled Out From Under a Lift

39: Bullet-Ridden Rental Car Return

38: Bulldog Inside The Vehicle

37: Accelerator Gets Stuck To Floor

36: The Self-Aware Prius Owner

35: A Flapping Noise

34: USSR Tire Still On The Road

33: Actual Gloves In A Glove Box

32: A Rare Jaguar XJ220

31: The Easter Bunny Comes Early

30: Some Repairs Never Disappoint

29: How Didn’t It Explode?

28: Temperature Gauge Reading Full Tank

27: Sonic Worker Pays Her Repair Bill

26: Bulletproof Tahoe

25: Foolproof Transmission Repair Guide

24: A Bird’s Nest Tucked Away

23: A Kitten Behind The Grill

22: Million Mile Honda Civic

21: A Shocking Greeting

20: The Dog Who Helped Check Codes

19: A Mint Condition 1986 Toyota Truck

18: Someone Dropped Off A BBQ

17: Guy Drove In Like This

16: A Lexus Drove In To Pick Up Brake Pads

15: A Tesla’s Undercarriage

14: Ferraris Have The Worst Battery Location

13: Driver Lost His Keys

12: Now That’s A Tailgate

11: Years Of Stickers

10: An EDM-Influenced Car

9: Screwdriver Key

8: Didn’t Have A Spare Tire?

7: Common Sense

6: Couldn’t See The Gauges?

5: Overcompensating

4: Punctured Tire Repair

3: Rental Car Returned In Questionable Condition

2: The Mysterious Red Line

1: This Customer Was Robbed

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