Oh perfect, a creek is basically a campsite with more mosquitoes and wet socks, right? My kid's map reading once got us to a "scenic overlook" that was just a dumpster behind a ranger station. At least you found water!

What did the tool look like up close?

Pretty sure coolant smells sweet, cat pee is transmission fluid territory.

Yikes, that reminds me of when my buddy asked me to recover his ex's deleted photos (seriously?). I just said no way and told him to move on.

Try a plastic trim removal tool next time instead of metal. Heat the area with a hairdryer first to make the metal more flexible. The right angle and a gentle push from behind often gets it without messing up the paint.