Workers at Hurlburt’s Auto in Castleton have seen a lot over their 20-plus years working on student vehicles.

From brakes literally falling off the car when they remove tires to so much trash and clothes piled up they practically had to dig it out to do anything inside, Bub Hurlburt and Trevor Hurlburt aren’t surprised by much.

Asked if they have ever had any interesting finds inside the vehicles, Trever said without hesitation and with a grin, “Besides condoms, underwear, liquor, and pot?”

He followed his comment closely with a hearty laugh.

Mechanics and local auto parts store officials say a lack of routine maintenance leads to many more issues with student cars down the road that sometimes leaves them on the side of the road. Letting these vehicles sit while on campus does not help, and is one of the worst things to do, the mechanics said.

Alex Lasante, a seven-year parts employee who has been at O’Reilly’s in Castleton for about seven months, mentioned a few things that students always replace or buy.

“Most issues are from sitting for a month at a time over there,” Lasante said, later mentioning that batteries and bulbs are the most common replacement parts for students.

Not everything mechanics and auto parts sales officials deal with is routine, and the longer you’re in the business, the more out-of-the-ordinary things you tend to encounter, they say.

“I had to put a heater core in a Jeep…he had a slight drug problem. A bundle of heroin fell out with a bunch of cups…” Trevor Hurlburt said of a Jeep Liberty – which the student then said was his mother’s.

And some cars apparently resemble dorm rooms or bedrooms.

“We’ve had cars come in for dash work, and there’s so much garbage on the floor you can’t even get under it without cleaning it. Without throwing it all out all over the shop floor,” Trevor said.

Workers at Hurlburt’s Auto in Castleton have seen a lot over their 20-plus years working on student vehicles.

From brakes literally falling off the car when they remove tires to so much trash and clothes piled up they practically had to dig it out to do anything inside, Bub Hurlburt and Trevor Hurlburt aren’t surprised by much.

Asked if they have ever had any interesting finds inside the vehicles, Trever said without hesitation and with a grin, “Besides condoms, underwear, liquor, and pot?”

He followed his comment closely with a hearty laugh.

Mechanics and local auto parts store officials say a lack of routine maintenance leads to many more issues with student cars down the road that sometimes leaves them on the side of the road. Letting these vehicles sit while on campus does not help, and is one of the worst things to do, the mechanics said.

Alex Lasante, a seven-year parts employee who has been at O’Reilly’s in Castleton for about seven months, mentioned a few things that students always replace or buy.

“Most issues are from sitting for a month at a time over there,” Lasante said, later mentioning that batteries and bulbs are the most common replacement parts for students.

Not everything mechanics and auto parts sales officials deal with is routine, and the longer you’re in the business, the more out-of-the-ordinary things you tend to encounter, they say.

“I had to put a heater core in a Jeep…he had a slight drug problem. A bundle of heroin fell out with a bunch of cups…” Trevor Hurlburt said of a Jeep Liberty – which the student then said was his mother’s.

And some cars apparently resemble dorm rooms or bedrooms.

“We’ve had cars come in for dash work, and there’s so much garbage on the floor you can’t even get under it without cleaning it. Without throwing it all out all over the shop floor,” Trevor said.

Lesante said he had seen the same.

“Some cars come in, and we have to find what they need for parts or check dash lights, and you can only see the driver’s seat. There’s so much garbage sometimes,” he said.

AR-Automotive, directly across from Hurlbert’s, has had similar experiences. Randy Dydo and Aaron Cassidy run the shop and shared similar stories concerning student vehicles.

Cassidy mentioned that the smell of “pot” seemed to be a theme among many student vehicles, and he wasn’t a fan of working on them when they reeked of it.

“And the clothes, it’s almost like all the students live out of those cars,” Dydo said with a chuckle followed by a full laugh.

Dydo also brought up the lack of maintenance on student vehicles.

“It’s always brakes, and when they come in for them half the time, they don’t even know when they have bad tires, then they wonder why it’s shaking on the highway. They just drive it until it falls apart,” he said.

“We’ve had students come in 10,000 miles over an oil change,” Dydo said.

All these parts workers and mechanics suggest consistent maintenance is the key and said they are completely willing to work with students with tight budgets in some cases. Lesante said he had seen the same.

“Some cars come in, and we have to find what they need for parts or check dash lights, and you can only see the driver’s seat. There’s so much garbage sometimes,” he said.

AR-Automotive, directly across from Hurlbert’s, has had similar experiences. Randy Dydo and Aaron Cassidy run the shop and shared similar stories concerning student vehicles.

Cassidy mentioned that the smell of “pot” seemed to be a theme among many student vehicles, and he wasn’t a fan of working on them when they reeked of it.

“And the clothes, it’s almost like all the students live out of those cars,” Dydo said with a chuckle followed by a full laugh.

Dydo also brought up the lack of maintenance on student vehicles.

“It’s always brakes, and when they come in for them half the time, they don’t even know when they have bad tires, then they wonder why it’s shaking on the highway. They just drive it until it falls apart,” he said.

“We’ve had students come in 10,000 miles over an oil change,” Dydo said.

All these parts workers and mechanics suggest consistent maintenance is the key and said they are completely willing to work with students with tight budgets in some cases.