In the engine bay of Alan Bates's Mercedes is a 204-horsepower engine considered to be the peak of German engineering — and a highly venomous red-bellied black snake.
Mr Bates discovered the beady-eyed boarder after lifting the bonnet on Wednesday to check for a different kind of unwanted visitor.
"The other car had some rodent droppings under the bonnet, so I thought I'd better check this one as well," Mr Bates said.
Both as surprised as each other by the intrusion on their mid-morning activity, Mr Bates and the snake retreated in kind.
The mostly black engine bay of the car, already crowded with serpentine hoses, then provided the perfect hiding place for the snake.
Even when a professional snake handler was called in to remove it, the "elusive" creature continued to thwart Mr Bates' attempts to get done what he needed to.
"We were supposed to use this car to pick up our other car from servicing but unfortunately we couldn't," he said.
Snakes seek warmth in obscure places
The Bureau of Meteorology's gauges in Mareeba this week recorded single-figure temperatures for the first time this year.
Hayley Hill, who runs a reptile relocation service and received Mr Bates's call for help, said snakes too felt the sting of low temperatures.
"Around this time of year, I get quite a few calls with snakes either in cars or in obscure places trying to get that warmth," she said.
"And it can be quite an ordeal trying to catch a snake from a car."
The Cairns Hospital has treated eight people for snake bites since the beginning of winter this year, some of whom were transferred from other hospitals in the wider Far North Queensland region.
Ms Hill said anyone who came across a snake in an unusual location should keep well clear to avoid being bitten and call a professional to remove it if needed.
"We have tricks of the trade where we go out and try different things to coax them out," she said.
Experience wins out
Mr Bates said he had never planned to tackle the serpent himself, having already dealt with several slithering trespassers over the years.
"It wasn't being aggressive … so it wasn't heart-stopping or anything like that, so I took a step back and told my wife 'There's a snake' and she did the same."
Ms Hill, who was bitten by a smaller red-bellied black snake during a relocation, said Mr Bates' decision to leave it alone was wise.
"I was quite sick, I had antivenin … but I still suffer now from nerve damage and a lack of smell," she said.
"I advise anybody out there not to try and catch a snake and relocate it themselves because it could end up not so good."
