Critters such as rats are nuisances that can destroy your car. Their sharp teeth can cut through just about anything, and they have no boundaries when it comes to setting up a home base. Plus, just the sight of them is enough to ruin your day.
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Rats are quick, sure-footed, and sneaky. Sometimes you might not realize that a rat has set its eyes on your car until it’s too late.
“Starting at street level, rats can and do climb up car tires and crawl into the front wheel wells, through the brakes, and into the engines of vehicles,” explains Cheapism writer Andrew Lisa. “They can build nests, squirrel away food and even have babies in the systems under the hood.”
Their most damaging and prevalent behavior is chewing, notes Lisa. And, their teeth can damage any and every vehicle wire. This destruction can instigate a fire.
“Rats can burrow through the firewall between the engine and the vehicle’s interior, leaving human passengers exposed to a rat-induced roasting,” he warns.
Although Lisa says the chance of a rat causing a pyrotechnic display is small, rats can cause severe damage to the electrical wiring in your engine. It’s not exactly a rat’s fault, though. Chewing is just what rats do, and since their teeth never stop growing, rats have to constantly chew so their teeth don’t overgrow. Your car’s electrical wiring system just happens to provide a perfect material to help rats sharpen their teeth.
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So, how can you help deter rats from infiltrating your car and causing irrevocable, costly damage, a mess, or a stinky, gross situation you never want to deal with?
Erie Insurance writer Justin Metz recommends not letting your car sit for too long. Regularly driving your car will send a clear signal that it isn’t a suitable environment for rats. Parking in the garage can offer some protection from rats, as does cleaning out food and trash from your car. Parking near garbage containers and bird feeders can attract rats.
“If you’re really worried or you’ve spotted some potential squatters in the area, spray rodent repellent or peppermint oil on and around the front tires and wheel wells,” he adds.
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Lisa also suggests doing a perimeter check and looking under the hood and inside the car for signs that rats have moved in. Signs include droppings, small bones, and nesting materials.
DeAnn Owens is a Dayton transplant by way of the Windy City, yet considers herself to be a California girl at heart even though she’s only visited there once. To get through the dreaded allergy season unique to the Miami Valley, she reads, writes, complains about the weather, and enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, and their newest addition, a Boston terrier puppy that is now in charge of all their lives. In the future, she hopes to write a novel and travel through time. See more articles by DeAnn.
