Originally Posted by G-Benz

Helped a guy jump start his BMW one wintry morning. Upon inspection of his battery terminals, I had noticed that about an inch from the negative terminal, the ground strap slowly morphed into duct tape, and then a 24-gauge lamp cord emerged from the other end of the duct tape!!! That end was loosely wrapped around a chassis bolt in the engine compartment.

I noted to the owner that the telltale cooked insulation on the homemade ground lead was an indication that an impending engine fire would result if not dealt with immediately. He actually balked at the $6 quote I gave him for a new ground strap!!!