Is the wiring my son's hamster chewed through "mission critical"?

Dear Car Talk | Oct 01, 1992
Dear Tom and Ray:
Beth
TOM: You may eventually see smoke, Beth. And it'll probably be coming from your husband's ears when you overheat the van some day and melt the cylinder head.
RAY: You do need to get the gauge fixed, Beth. It's important to know when the engine is in danger of overheating. By pulling over and shutting off the engine in time, you can save hundreds of dollars--if not more.
TOM: And while the mechanic is under the dashboard fixing the temperature gauge, I'd also ask him to take a good look around. Who knows what else that little mouse got into while he was out on safari?
RAY: And by the way, just like Eskimo mothers tell their kids not to eat yellow snow, tell your eleven year old not to eat any "raisinettes" he finds in the van for a while.
Beth
TOM: You may eventually see smoke, Beth. And it'll probably be coming from your husband's ears when you overheat the van some day and melt the cylinder head.
RAY: You do need to get the gauge fixed, Beth. It's important to know when the engine is in danger of overheating. By pulling over and shutting off the engine in time, you can save hundreds of dollars--if not more.
TOM: And while the mechanic is under the dashboard fixing the temperature gauge, I'd also ask him to take a good look around. Who knows what else that little mouse got into while he was out on safari?
RAY: And by the way, just like Eskimo mothers tell their kids not to eat yellow snow, tell your eleven year old not to eat any "raisinettes" he finds in the van for a while.
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