H. W. Y. D. D.: DEAR TOYOTA,

I apologize for bringing this issue to you, but I have a complaint that I must discuss.

Please understand I am a very busy person, and I have a lot going on right now. I am getting a new job, I just wrapped up producing a big party at a film festival, I was up to my ears in models and lighting issues and hairstylists and makeup artists and the list goes on. I haven't slept more than 4 hours a night in weeks, and needless to say my complexion is a disaster from the bad food I'm eating and all this stress.

So yesterday, in a haze of weariness, I went to the gas station to fill my Toyota Celica. I put the nozzle in the tank, I pulled the trigger, I grumbled at the sky-high prices. And as I pulled away from the station....kaput. My car died.

Now I'm sure I don't need to tell you what this did to my nerves. Pulling over on the side of the highway, with cars zooming by as I dialed through my phone to find a friend ~~who wasn't high in the middle of the day~~ who owns a car to come to my rescue, was just too much to bear. And after paying $80 for the tow truck (why didn't I renew AAA membership?!?) to bring the car to the garage, as well as paying for the diagnostic test, it has been a considerable expense.

So the next time you build a car, please do the world a favor: make it compatible with both gas and diesel. Because sometimes when people are in a hurry, they may grab the diesel spigot and put that in their car by accident. And it's not their fault.

It certainly wasn't mine.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. Have a great day.

Sincerely,

Dan Renzi

Comments

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Apparently, it's worse when you put gas into a diesel vehicle... which I found out the expensive way when I borrowed a friends diesel pickup truck to move... the really bad part is I had a diesel Mercedes at the time, so it wasn't as if I had no clue... (although it might have had something to do with the fact that I WAS high in the middle of the day...) Great story Dan!! :-)

Posted by: Eric | May 04, 2008 at 07:46 AM

oh please hestephaion, move along.

i thought nozzles were different sizes for that very purpose?? guess not. you should write your senator about changing that dan!

Posted by: jjd | May 02, 2008 at 12:54 PM

If you have friends who are high in the middle of the day, it is time to reconsider who you are letting into your life.

Posted by: Hephaestion | April 29, 2008 at 03:40 PM

WOW! I have never done that but that is freaking hilarious! Sorry it happened at such a shitty time for you though.

Posted by: DPoe | April 29, 2008 at 01:09 PM

Blond moments can be so ugly, can't they?

Posted by: David | April 29, 2008 at 12:24 PM

haha! I've done that before, too! I mean, I had a FRIEND that did that. Yeah, a friend.

Posted by: Kevin | April 29, 2008 at 08:41 AM

Bad day for cars. My daughter's mother just put water in her engine yesterday, assuming it was her rad. But that really WAS a garage's fault.

Posted by: Dave | April 29, 2008 at 08:22 AM

HAhahahahahah Dan! You are the best storyteller!

Posted by: johnO | April 29, 2008 at 08:02 AM

Hysterical!

Posted by: Yoo-Win | April 29, 2008 at 06:59 AM

Bwaaaaaaaaahahahahahahaha! Thats great!

Posted by: Nadine | April 28, 2008 at 11:11 PM

1) Hahahahahahahahahahahahaaha ...

2) oy.

3) Of course it's Toyota's fault!

Posted by: PG | April 28, 2008 at 10:45 PM

Sometimes Life just has to stir the turd.

I hope it wasn't too expensive to fix. I bet next time you'll be alert to the difference. So sorry you had to learn the hard way. As a wise man said, "Constant vigilance!"

Posted by: Aidan | April 28, 2008 at 04:39 PM