Have you ever spent hours meticulously assembling your car in My Summer Car, only to find a stray bolt or tool mysteriously left behind, causing chaos? Well, you’re not alone, and it turns out this isn’t just a virtual problem! Real-life car enthusiasts and even seasoned mechanics have their own comical stories of leaving tools in the most unexpected places under the hood.
Dive into these hilarious anecdotes from a Miata forum thread, where users confessed their moments of absentmindedness, proving that forgetting tools under the hood is a universal (and often humorous) experience. You might just find yourself nodding in agreement, or perhaps learning a valuable lesson or two about keeping track of your tools during your next DIY car project – whether it’s in the game or in your garage!
Tales from the Hood: You Are Not Alone!
One user, ms1, kicked off the thread with a relatable tale of upgrading his MSM. After cautiously fiddling with his airbox, a post-maintenance drive turned into a comedy of errors: “As I was leaving my driveway, I heard a CLANK… Got halfway into the cul-de-sac and heard another CLANK.” The culprit? A pair of needle-nose pliers enjoying a new view next to the radiator. Sound familiar to anyone who’s ever worked on their own car, perhaps even in the virtual world of My Summer Car?
IFGD chimed in with their own clanking confession: “Yep. I left a ratchet in that space between the firewall and the windshield. It banged around for bit and I finally figured out what it was.” That cowl area seems to be a popular tool parking spot!
Duncanreally took a more optimistic approach, seeing the bright side of forgotten tools: “Are you kidding? I’m always finding tools in the cowl. Often very handy to find them there!” He even humorously linked to a story about driving a car off ramps, suggesting a certain level of… let’s call it ‘relaxed’ car maintenance habits.
Hoppy shared a more dramatic tale from his youth restoring a 1970 MGB. In his excitement to get his freshly painted car back in the garage, vice grips clamped to the throttle cable met an unfortunate aluminum hood: “I watched in horror as the adjustment knob on the vice grips created a nice nipple in my newly painted hood.” Ouch! A painful reminder that sometimes, the smallest oversight can lead to bigger headaches (and expenses).
Analogeezer recounted a brother’s wedding ring adventure. Left on the fender during a jump start, the ring took an unexpected 6-mile, 60 mph journey, miraculously surviving in the fender crack. Talk about a lucky escape!
Ocelot kept it simple: “Just a crescent wrench sitting on the side where the hood held it nicely in place.” Sometimes, tools just find a cozy spot to hang out.
slottcar has a long-term resident: “I have a 14mm socket that is riding around in the fender right behind the front wheel because I knocked it off the sill behind the firewall.” And the eternal question: “How can I get that out BTW without removing the fender?” A question many DIY mechanics have probably pondered at some point.
rloewy’s story involves a portable work light and an autocross event. Left on the upper wishbone, it caused handling issues: “I am driving around and can not figure out why right turns were fine but I can not get full-lock going left…” Sometimes, forgotten items don’t just make noise; they impact performance!
Kevin M. shared racetrack wrenching chaos, losing a 12mm gearwrench for over a year, only to find it “under the headlight retractor.” Another time, a socket wrench hitched a ride “hanging off the bottom of the car.” These tales highlight the frenzy of car work and the ease of misplacing tools in the heat of the moment.
EyeMaster humorously lists common hood-opening discoveries: “1. Open hood, see the oil cap there… 2. Open hood and see the ratchet there… or any other tool. 3. Open hood and see water cap there. 4. By far worse, open hood and see the empty gallon bottle of windshield fluid there… LOL” Relatable, right?
noofus’s mom’s Lexus mystery noise was solved by a “ratty grimey flashlight” left by a service tech, sliding and banging on corners. Proof that even professionals aren’t immune to tool-forgetting.
bayview’s neighbor’s Econovan hosted an unexpected passenger – a cat! After a 20-mile drive and strange “yowling” noises, the cat was found unharmed but dirty under the hood. Definitely not a tool, but certainly an unexpected find!
choo choo charlie and IFGD both found “free” tools in their Miatas – a 1/4″ craftsman ratchet set in the cowl. Perhaps Miata cowls are secret tool storage compartments?
Mike-in-Orange’s lost 12mm socket reappeared after 8 months during a deeper under-hood project. Patience (and more car work) sometimes pays off!
hobie237’s $210 Oakley sunglasses took a 6-hour, 80 mph valve cover road trip, surviving unscathed. Talk about durable eyewear!
Gort’s dropped wrench in a Mustang GT’s “nest of snakes” intake manifold became a permanent resident, lasting until the car was sold years later. Some tools are just meant to stay put.
davisinla’s humorous question: “Man, I hope you guys aren’t surgeons!” A lighthearted jab at the potential consequences of leaving things behind.
Lanny Chambers, a former law enforcement agent, topped the tool stories with a lost credential case and gold badge, found on the steering rack after a frantic search. A reminder that it’s not just tools that can go missing under the hood!
TulsaBoomer joked about car underhoods being “travel tool kits” and shared a story of lunch soup surviving a 23-mile Miata trunk journey. Smooth ride indeed!
Bob simply stated: “It’s where I get some of my best tools! ;)” Finding someone else’s tools can be a perk of car ownership, apparently.
Buildy recounted airplane tool mishaps, including a lunchbox in an F-111 and tools jamming flight controls, emphasizing the serious consequences of forgotten items in machinery.
xsoulbrothax kept it pedestrian with cowl-space ratchets and wrenches, but did manage to leave rubber tubing inside the car – briefly.
Father LeadFoot’s headlight socket story and the race car screwdriver-tire incident showcase the more extreme (and often rushed) environments where tools can be left behind, with more dramatic results.
UpShift’s dealership service department story highlighted even professional mechanics’ occasional lapses in tool management.
MoTim’s wife’s cat-in-Volvo story added another animal anecdote, proving engine bays are surprisingly attractive to creatures seeking shelter (or adventure).
JasonC SBB’s turbo install led to a tool discovery spree weeks later, including pliers for a potential Taurus buyer. And the bouncing maglite – a visual reminder of a forgotten item hitting the road.
Amesdb’s vice grips on a ‘72 AMX exhaust nut took 6 months to fall out. Talk about a long-term attachment!
BeerBurner’s “Aw, crap!” moments are relatable to anyone who regularly finds their tools exactly where they left them… under the hood.
ssrdotto’s “PO tools” (previous owner tools) and socket set-in-radiator support finds add a treasure hunt element to used car ownership.
Dave_W cited an F1 race story of a wrench jamming pedals, proving even top mechanics in high-pressure situations make mistakes.
miataboy990’s torx bit lost in an Audi transmission hole – a reminder that tools can disappear into the automotive abyss, never to be seen again.
Don’t Let Tools Become Permanent Fixtures: Tips to Avoid Under-Hood Amnesia
So, how do we avoid turning our engine bays into tool graveyards, or worse, causing damage or comical roadside clanking? Here are a few simple strategies, perhaps even applicable in your virtual My Summer Car garage:
- Tool Inventory: Before and after any car work, mentally (or physically) count your tools. Especially important for larger jobs or when working in a rush.
- Designated Tool Area: As RtB wisely suggested, “Get a bucket or shop stool with a tray or a whatever to place your tools.” Don’t make the engine bay your temporary workbench.
- Visual Reminders: Brightly colored tools or toolboxes can be easier to spot.
- Pre-flight Check: Before closing the hood, do a quick visual sweep of the engine bay. “No amount of looking before you close your hood will prevent this from re-happening if you’re in the habit of resting tools under the hood,” RtB warns, but a quick check is still helpful if you’re breaking the habit.
- Magnetic Trays: These are lifesavers for keeping nuts, bolts, and small tools from rolling away and potentially ending up in engine crevices.
- Slow Down: Rushing increases mistakes. Take your time, especially when finishing up a job.
Learn from the Laughter (and the Clanking!)
These stories are funny because they are so relatable. We’ve all had those moments of distraction or oversight. The key takeaway? You’re not a nitwit if you’ve left a tool under the hood. It happens to the best of us! But with a little more awareness and some simple preventative measures, you can minimize those “clank” moments and keep your tools where they belong – in your toolbox, ready for the next car adventure, virtual or real.
And hey, if you do happen to leave a tool behind, at least you might have a funny story to share on the forums! Just try to avoid the “nipple in the hood” scenario. Happy wrenching!
