One thing that we have learned while living on the island is that nice cars are no longer a part of your life....and neither are mechanics and shops and normal/reliable fix jobs (for the most part!). To accompany that, we have also become very accustomed to a LOUD, squeaky car each morning, bald tires, overheating engines, using abnormal amounts of coolant, and relying heavily on duct tape and zip ties to hold your car together - in emergency situations - nope! - all the time! Unfortunately, it is not just Brayton and I (both very inadequate mechanics) who use zip ties and duct tape, the mechanics and other people who have owned our car also do too! Must be something to do with the island life!
Today we decided to fix up the islandmobile and do some 'island repairs'.
Mission # 1: the drivers side window only went about half way down...when we took the door apart we soon realized it was hitting the window motor, which was in the wrong place, and stopping the window! The solution: Move the motor and zip tie it out of the way! Window works like a champ now!
Mission #2: Clean the brown water that has been squirting out of our windshield washer fluid lines and replace it with actual windshield washer fluid - that actually squirts out and hits the windshield...Seem simple right? Nope! Not when half of the parts are broken off, the lines are too short and the squirters don't squirt!
The solution: cut out the broken pieces, reconfigure the tubes, duct tape them together in the proper places, stick a needle in the squirter holes to clean them out and squirt washer fluid and readust until it squirts straight...No big deal!
Mission # 3 - A while ago, I thought it would be a good idea to LOCK the glovebox, to see if it locked, for safety precautions.. . It locked like a champ - but unlocking, not so much! All of our paperwork for the car was in that locked glovebox and there was no hopes of unlocking it. Luckily, a few weeks before, we had twist-tied the bottom of the glove box closed because it continually fell out so we were able to pull those out and go in from behind to get our paperwork out!
The Solution: Brayton was able to pick the lock with a safety pin and open the glove box! We were then able to zip-tie it in the proper places to keep it securely closed and will never lock it again!
Mission #4 - Vacuum out the sand...without a vacuum!
The Solution: Take the head of a broom that had broke, and sweep all the sand out! Worked for me!
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| Looks good to me! |
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| clean as the islandmobile has ever been! |
Mission #5 - Give the islandmobile a bath....without car soap
The Solution - Nothing works better than the broom head we had previously used as a vacuum, some windex and a hose!
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| Look at that - the islandmobile sparkles in the sun! |
Mission # 6 - Zip-tie some more 'loose' things in the engine!
The Solution - Hopefully our car doesn't break down in the next two years =)
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| Zip-tie number 1 - NOT installed by us! |
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| Zip ties two and three- NOT installed by us! |
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| Game: Who can identify the most zip ties and/or things wrong with the engine! |
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| Or maybe some wire type staples to hold the mud flap together - also NOT installed by us! |
To many of you living in America - this may make you laugh out loud at the ridiculousness you have just witnessed - to Brayton and I (and I am sure many other ppl who drive islandmobiles) THIS is a work of art, part of our lives, and our mode of transportation that allows us to avoid the fearful local 'taxi' drivers! I hope each and everyone of you has a chance to come visit and experience some true love of the ISLANDMOBILES <3
