I've actually seen a few aftermarket gadgets that tackle distracted driving pretty well. There's one called Cellcontrol that locks down your phone when the car's moving—pretty neat idea, honestly. Manufacturers tend to drag their feet on stuff like this, so aftermarket might be the quicker route. And hey, don't sweat the GPS story too much...I've heard stranger claims. At least yours didn't involve a rogue squirrel or something.
Cellcontrol sounds pretty handy, especially for newer cars. But as someone who mostly drives classics, aftermarket is usually my only option anyway. Manufacturers definitely take their sweet time catching up with practical tech like that. Funny you mention rogue squirrels—I once had a mouse chew through my ignition wires overnight. Took me forever to figure out why the old girl wouldn't start... rodents and wiring, man, eternal enemies.
Cellcontrol definitely sounds useful, but I agree—manufacturers seem to lag behind when it comes to integrating practical tech into vehicles, especially the older models. I've always driven older cars myself, partly because they're budget-friendly and partly because they're simpler to maintain. Aftermarket solutions have been my go-to for years. You'd think car companies would catch onto the fact that not everyone upgrades their ride every few years, but here we are.
Speaking of rodents and wiring, your mouse story hits close to home. Last summer, I parked my trusty wagon at a campsite overnight during a road trip. Next morning, it wouldn't start—turned out a family of chipmunks had decided my engine bay was prime real estate. They chewed through my spark plug wires and even nested in the air filter housing. Took me half a day at a local mechanic's shop (and more cash than I'd care to admit) to get back on the road. Now I always carry some mothballs or peppermint oil sachets when I'm traveling through rural areas—seems rodents aren't fans of strong smells.
On another note, congrats on scoring that insurance deal with your military ID. I've found that shopping around regularly and mentioning any affiliations or memberships can really pay off. A couple of years ago, I joined an auto club for roadside assistance and ended up saving quite a bit on insurance premiums too—unexpected bonus there.
Anyway, here's hoping our wiring stays intact and our insurance rates low...
Had a similar issue with rodents chewing wires in my garage last winter—cost me a pretty penny to fix. Peppermint oil worked for a while, but eventually they got used to it. Switched to dryer sheets tucked around the engine bay, and weirdly enough, that seemed to do the trick. Also, good call on the auto club discount; people often overlook those perks, but they really add up over time.
Had mice chew through my wiring harness a couple years back—insurance covered most of it, thankfully. Curious about the dryer sheets though...do you just tuck them randomly or is there a specific spot that's best? Might give that a shot myself.
