These mechanics found too much junk in the trunk. A simple request to change out a tire led to a jaw-dropping discovery.
The honkytonknoisey (@honkytonknoisy) TikTok account posted the video reveal on Wednesday. Since then, it has garnered over 523,100 views.
The video starts in a repair shop, showing a damaged tire with a nail in it. The screen text reads, “Customer States: Nail in side wall. Put spare tire on for now.”
Too much junk in the trunk
However, that request immediately hits a snag when the mechanic opens the car’s trunk. There’s a lot of junk in there.
The trunk of the car is filled with water bottles, blankets, full laundry hampers, and a whole baby stroller. The camera then pans over to show more junk filling the car’s interior on the passenger side and back seat.
Needless to say, the video doesn’t show someone digging out the spare tire from the trunk. It seems likely that the “repair” stopped right there.
The video’s caption reads, “Gave us all a giggle followed by a ‘No…’”
A spare is rare these days
Even though the mechanic refused to dig out the spare, it should be noted that the driver was lucky to have one.
Spare tires are becoming a rare accessory in newer cars. And the reasons might surprise you.
A January article by Capitol One Auto Navigator noted, “There are several compelling reasons many vehicles, from the Dodge Charger to the Tesla Model X, no longer carry spare tires.”
For one, no spare means the vehicle weighs less and is therefore more fuel-efficient. Many car manufacturers now replace the spare tire with run-flat tires and inflation kits in many cases.
And, of course, no spare means less overall cost to the manufacturer. And, you know, less overall junk in the trunk.
Weird junk in cars
It’s doubtful this was the first junk in the trunk incident the mechanic has dealt with. Plenty of drivers use their vehicles as a default storage area.
A 2018 UK poll of 2,000 drivers found that people were keeping a host of strange objects in their vehicles, including “Mannequins, a bale of hay, 52 pies, and a false leg.”
Shockingly, “One in 20 admitted to NEVER cleaning the inside of their car,” and over 500 drivers admitted they were “embarrassed by the cleanliness of their car, with an equal number admitting to regularly losing items in their vehicle.”
Sadly, the behavior often is related to compulsive behavior such as hoarding. The Overcome Compulsive Hoarding website has posted multiple examples of cars stuffed with junk.
Viewer reactions
Most readers agreed that it was the driver’s responsibility to clean up their vehicle before asking the mechanic to change the spare.
One user commented, “Nah, I would patch that up ain’t no way I’m doing that.”
Another wrote, “I’m sorry we can’t touch any of your personal belongings so you’ll have to move them all out first.”
“I’d charge an hourly cleaning fee that’s twice the regular labor rate,” another added.
@honkytonknoisy Gave us all a giggle followed by a No… #mechanic #mechaniclife #toyota #autotech #toyotatech #mechanicsoftiktok #mechanictiktok #fyp #trending #lol #funny #meme #cars #bluecollar ♬ original sound – honkytonknoisy
The Daily Dot reached out to the @honkytonknoisey via TikTok messenger and comment for a statement.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
