Pickles by Brian Crane for January 08, 2025

Duct tape fixes everything, right?

Whenever I hear the car making strange noises while I’m driving, I turn up the radio, and it goes away.

I’m a mechanical genius, just like Earl.

I bought one of those analyzers, I plug it in and most of the time I can fix the fault because it is a minor issue

It looks like Earl is in the mood for a new car — At least until he discovers that cars are more expensive than they were when he bought his Studebaker. Is it possible to find mechanics that can work on Studebakers?

When I was delivering auto parts, the Employer I was with was using these old Geo metro littlethree cylinder cars . . One of the female employees was annoyed with a light that was always on in the dash lights, so she just put some black electricians tape over it.. The car ran just fine in spite of it all !

Old joke.

I think the light in Earl’s head went out a long time ago.

did Studebakers even have idiot lights back in the ’50s?

I can think of a good place Earl could slap some duct tape — to stifle an annoying noise

Simple solution to an akward problem.

Exactly what Click and Clack used to recommend

Earl is a real Mr. Nix It. He got right to … ignoring it as soon as possible.

I fear they’ll soon be looking for a new car!

If the women don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy…

I had a 56 Plymouth with a well worn engine, when you stop the oil light would come on, I just ignored it, I loved that car!

I’m reminded of Red Dwarf when the ship is in orange alert mode. Rimmer then announces ‘red alert’ and Kryten questions the order since it would mean changing the bulb.

I had a very reliable mechanic some years ago that recommended putting electrical tape over the check engine light. It’s never anything that’s going to kill the car.

It means you are low on “Blinker fluid”. :)

Only time light came on, it was the catalytic converter. Duct tape wouldn’t have allowed me to pass the pollution test, I’m afraid.

Early, baby, just a warning. . .last time I did that,, it cost me a thousand bucks. . .

Our Kai has a light for the one of the passenger’s airbag that is always on. Known problem that requires replacing the passenger’s seat, about $1600. It’s a 2006, so we just live with it and always use the seatbelt harness.

Last I checked, Studebakers don’t have a check engine light.

I thought only young women did that

I used a little sticky dot meant for covering bullet holes in targets. I knew it was just because a mouse ate the wire to my gas tank pressure sensor, so no big deal. It was going to be $400 to drop the tank and fix it and it was 20 years old with 250,000 miles.

Roscoe approves

Classic “click and clack the tappet brothers”. I miss that show

If duct tape didn’t fix it, you’re just not using enough duct tape.

I don’t think Studebakers had lights like that.

The Car Talk solution!

electrical tape would be more subtle

Now that is a winner…..attaboy Earl……..

Tim the Tool Man had to explain it to his wife- if you do nothing when the warning lights have been on for a couple of months, you end up with a very large door stop.

I don’t know why, but I hear things my husband doesn’t. Or, he’s just in denial.He doesn’t notice when the a/c isn’t working properly in the summer. He doesn’t hear breaks squeaking. I hear it all. On a trip to Cheyenne a few years ago, I kept hearing something wrong with the breaks. He kept saying it was dirt from the rodeo grounds. I disagreed. On the morning we left, we went thru the carwash and had the undercarriage spray. Still had the noise. Just outside of town, it was BAD. I made him pull into the first Ford place we saw.A couple of hours later, we had new breaks or shoes or whatever it was.

He drives a 1950 Studebaker! Lucky if there are any lights.

oh Earl, That’s not gonna fix the problem.

Red Green

The same thing works for annoying conversations in the car.

Had Check engine light come on, took it in, guy said it was something with transmission and recommended a transmission place. Took it there, they said they could do a fix for $$$$ or they could try draining and replacing fluid for less $ and to see if that worked. I sprang for the drain replace. Light went out then back on a month or so later. Started searching around internet about it and after trying a few things I found out about benign but annoying car computer glitches. Turned out I quit using cruise control the light went out and only came on again if I used cruise. So it was a non-harmful computer glitch that happens on some cars……well not harmful except to your wallet. I guess the car guys have a hard time telling if it’s a glitch or real. Or the trany guys have a deal with the car guy. Either way no more business from me and a warning on Yelp and Google for both.

Back when the speed limits were 55mph, we rented a U-Haul truck that had a bright amber light that would come on when you went over 55mph. After a hundred miles or so, it got ducted tape over. But don’t ignore the engine lights, those are the important ones.

Back in the days when those things were new & unperfected, so see you’d ads on auto shops like “Fix GM ‘Check Engine’ light”, my mom put a Band-Aid over hers.

The Homer Simpson approach, I see

You better take care of that old Studebaker!!

I had a Subaru Forester for about 14 years. The “check engine” light was on for about 12 of them. A bit of tape over the light and the car ran fine.

Reminds me of Big Bang Theory and her car.

Roscoe got a big laugh out of this one!!!!~!

you should open up your own shop!

From my mechanic, after the check engine light refused to go off: on a Prius, so I assume other hybrids as well, that’s an indicator of the emissions control. What he told me is, every time you fill the car click the gas cap at least three times. Otherwise it could be slightly loose and set off that light. He was right—that’s all it took!

My brother and I still have our mom’s 1968 Mercury Cougar, V8, power steering, power brakes, carburetor and no computer. She just starts up and goes. Two days ago I replaced the cabin air filter in my 2015 car… Me in 1968: Cabin filters??? What you talking about Willis?

I had a trunk-open light that would not go away. The trunk was firmly closed. I always use black electrical tape to cover a useless indicator.

Wait a minute, on that Hudson of theirs?

LOL! That’ll fix it for now, Opal!

The person who comes in and wants the mechanic to fix the horn. Why? Because the brakes are getting bad.

Out of sight, out of mind….much like Earl.

Better yet start with the music loud and remain blissfully unaware!

Duct tape, handymans do it all tool.

When Brian draws their car it’s an old Studebaker Champion. It doesn’t have a check engine light.

‘50s era Studebakers didn’t have engine lights.