150 STUART HAS MORE THAN A LITTLE TO ANSWER FOR...

Ever experienced that sudden jolt of panic when your engine light unexpectedly flickers on? That's exactly what happened to Carl, as he was happily cruising in to Cheltenham this weekend.  He messaged me to say the dreaded light had come on on his way down south, not long after he stopped for fuel at a 'dodgy petrol station'. 'Bert' was limping along, but he wasn't well.

After spending a few days down South, Carl was preparing for the long journey home by filling up Bert. He was forced to watch — in genuine slow-motion horror — as his freshly pumped petrol began streaming out of the car and onto the forecourt like the world's most expensive water feature. I can't repeat what he said!

He waited for the AA to arrive for three hours. When the mechanic finally turned up, he took one look under the car and delivered the diagnosis that he won't forget in a hurry: "Mice have eaten your breather pipe."

Apparently, some entrepreneurial rodents had decided that the rubber breather pipe on his fuel tank looked absolutely delicious — a proper Michelin-starred meal if you pardon the pun — and had nibbled it to oblivion.  

This meant that instead of carefully regulating air pressure in the fuel tank like a responsible adult, it was essentially letting the entire atmosphere rush in, like a drunk teenager with an empty house. Thankfully, the mechanic fixed it right there at the side of the road and the garage even gave him a free tank of petrol as they felt sorry for him.

The morals of this story are:

1. Engine lights are sometimes just your car being dramatic, but don't ignore them

2. Mice are agents of chaos

3. AA mechanics are actual wizards

4. There are good people out there

5. Always check for rodent damage (apparently, this is a common issue now).