Yes, you heard that right – rodents! These pesky little critters can wreak absolute and utter havoc on your vehicle’s wiriing. We are not kidding!
Rats, mice and other rodents love to gnaw wiring and use insulation for their cozy little abodes. They also like to store their treasures (think nuts and bits of trash) in truck and car engines! The amount of damage these rodents can do is startling – and expensive!
If you live in a wooded or rural area, your vehicles are most at risk. But, there are a lot of “techniques” that may help deter these pests from giving you a financial headache.
- Consumer Reports discusses electrical tape that is specially treated with a pepper-like deterrant – you can look for this online.
- Consumer Reports also indicates, “Other suggestions for dealing with rodents under your hood include installing a metal mesh around wiring harnesses and rubber hoses and across any openings where rodents could crawl into your ventilation or intake systems.”
- If you store your vehicles in a garage, be sure that any pet food or bird seed that is stored in the garage as well is tightly sealed. Don’t leave anything out that is attractive to rodents’ super sharp sense of smell.
- Use a fragrance near your engine’s entrances that is unpleasant to rodents such as peppermint oil or a strong-smelling cleaner like Pine-Sol.
Lastly, it’s a good idea to routinely check your engine, wiring, etc., to look for any signs of unwanted visitors and, if you see any, take steps right away to get rid of the “guest” and prevent its return.
Continue checking back with M&G Body Shop — Cincinnati’s women-owned, family-operated collision repair center — for more helpful hints about taking care of your cars, motorcyles and trucks.
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