“Hail spirit of the machine, essence divine, in your code and circuitry the stars align.”
Every mechanic eventually reaches the point where logic runs out. Compression checks fine. Fuel pressure looks good. Coils get swapped. And when none of it works, one shop working on a Mitsubishi decided to stop relying on mechanics and engineering and instead turn to witchcraft and mysticism.
The viral clip from mechanic Sinister Media (@sinister_media2.0) finds the creator at a point where it seems like he wishes the vehicle would vanish completely. Rather than calling a magician, however, he grabs a bundle of sage, lights it with a blowtorch, and comically begins trying to cast out the spirits or unseen forces keeping the Mitsubishi from running right.
“Getting the evil spirits out,” he says in the TikTok that’s been viewed more than 458,000 times.
The moment struck a nerve because it captured a familiar breaking point. Anyone who’s chased a stubborn misfire knows the sequence: test, swap, verify, repeat. When every normal diagnostic box gets checked, frustration sets in.
Viewers recognized that instantly, which is why the comments quickly reframed the ritual as diligence rather than desperation.
“If my mechanic isn’t saging my car to make sure we’ve checked every avenue, I don’t want him,” one wrote, echoing thousands of others who said they’d trust a shop more for trying something unconventional after exhausting the basics.
In a follow-up comment, Sinister Media explains that the shop eventually tracked the issue down after days of testing. Compression was solid across all cylinders. Fuel pressure appeared normal. Ignition coils were swapped to rule out electrical faults. Nothing explained the misfire, until they found traces of water in the fuel.
Suddenly, the sage joke took on a second life.
“So the sage worked is what you’re saying?” one viewer asked.
“Yes… yes it did,” the creator replied.
The exchange highlighted something many drivers don’t realize: contaminated fuel is a real, frustratingly elusive problem that can mimic far more serious mechanical failures.
Water contamination can enter a vehicle’s fuel system in several ways, including condensation in underground storage tanks, damaged station infrastructure, or poor tank maintenance after heavy rain or flooding. According to consumer guidance from organizations like AAA and the Environmental Protection Agency, even small amounts of water can cause rough running, misfires, stalling, and power loss, often without triggering immediate warning lights.
What makes it especially difficult to diagnose is that fuel pressure and delivery can still appear normal. The engine is technically getting fuel, just not fuel that burns correctly. In some cases, symptoms can resemble clogged catalytic converters or failing ignition components, sending technicians down the wrong diagnostic path.
That context makes the shop’s experience relatable to professionals and enthusiasts alike, because it was a genuinely tricky fault that only revealed itself after everything else had been ruled out.
The mechanic’s offhand line—“It’s a Mitsubishi”—did a lot of work in just three words. For better or worse, the brand occupies a strange place in modern car culture, shaped as much by internet lore as by real-world ownership data.
Reliability outcomes vary widely by model, drivetrain, and maintenance history. Some owners report high-mileage success with minimal issues, while others associate the brand with neglected fleet vehicles and cost-cutting compromises. Industry data from sources like J.D. Power and Consumer Reports tends to place Mitsubishi closer to the upper middle of the pack rather than at either extreme.
Comment after comment framed the sage ritual as proof of thoroughness, not superstition. Viewers joked about adding “spiritual cleansing” to their mechanic checklists and said they’d happily pay extra for a shop that treated diagnostics like a full-spectrum process.
That reaction speaks to a broader shift in how drivers relate to repair shops. Transparency, patience, and a willingness to admit when something is difficult often matter more than projecting absolute certainty. The sage didn’t fix the car—but the process did.
In the end, the Mitsubishi left the shop running properly. The misfire was resolved. And the internet got a reminder that even in an age of scan tools and software updates, automotive repair still involves human judgment, persistence, and the occasional moment of gallows humor.
Motor1 reached out to the creator via direct message and comment on the clip. We’ll update this if they respond.
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