Squirrels Drive Me Nuts!

The check engine light in our car came on a while ago and the mechanic in town determined that the engine computer was telling a valve to stay open, which was causing the fume leak. They were sure this was a warranty fix. We just had to take it to a Toyota dealer.

The closest Toyota dealer is in Ontario, almost 1.5 hours away. I called a dealer and they said they could squeeze us in to Dylan and I ran out the door to get there in time. I mapped it on my phone once we were on the road......and I accidentally called a place in Ontario, CA, not Ontario, OR.

 Needless to say we weren't going to make it there in time. Dylan got a hold of someone in the RIGHT Ontario and set up a meeting for Monday. We didn't know how long it would take so we wanted to get there as early as possible. We set up our appointment for 8:00am. Not only is it 1.5 hours away but it is also another time zone. We had to leave at 5:30am to get there in time. Blah.

We get there and the problem wasn't the problem we thought it was. We still weren't sure what it was though. By 10:00am we had our answer. Small rodents had chewed holes in the hose that runs from our gas tank to our engine.

Seriously.

They didn't have the part but could have it rushed from Boise and get there by noon. They could have it installed by 4:00pm. It was still 10:00am. Luckily they took good care of us and gave us a loaner car, free of charge and full of gas, and we went to Boise. We walked around the mall, went to a bookstore, and drooled over bikes and tents at REI. However this just served to further depress us as we spent every last dollar in our bank account to fix our car that we couldn't afford any of the things we were lusting after. (Another remote control helicopter for Dylan, some new books for me, urban bikes for both of us, and a 2 man backpacking tent).

We got back to Ontario around 2:00pm and the first good thing that day: our car was ready! We drove it home without any hiccups or lights turning on. Thank goodness.

Now Dylan has his heart set on purchasing a pellet gun to discourage the stinking squirrels from munching on our car any longer. We haven't come up with a better plan yet.