Rodents can be a real nuisance inside your house, but they can even do greater damage to your car engine. Since your car engine can be a nesting place, you must learn effective ways to keep them away.
First, you should understand why mice choose to stay in your engine bay. Then, look for ways to ward them off. It is not as simple as you think. Many car owners have had this problem more often now.
The manufacturing of cars today has leaned more on using biodegradable materials which are more attractive to rodents. Examples of materials being used for car manufacturing that are irresistible to mice include soy for making cushion foam, interior carpeting, and wire insulation.
Rodent Damage to Car Engines
There are many ways that rats cause damage to cars. The damage that causes the greatest headaches for car owners is damage to the car engine. Here are signs in the car engine that tell you about mice infestation:
- Plastic and paddings that have been nibbled>
- The sight of droppings, rubbish, and footprints inside and around your vehicle
- Presence of nesting areas of rats and possible reproducing
- Shortages in your car engine that have been caused by wires that were chewed up by rats
- Presence of health hazards caused by animal bacteria and dander in the air filter
Having a choked-up engine because of the presence of debris and litter that built up in the engine compartment
It can be expensive to repair the damage to your car engine caused by rats, especially when electrical wiring has been chewed up, paralyzing the proper functioning of your car engine parts.
Rats do not chew on electrical wiring for the want of food but to sharpen their teeth. So, even if they innocently chew your engine wiring, you might end up spending on repairs.
Moreover, a rat infestation can expose you to viruses and diseases like hantavirus, sole virus, salmonella, leptospirosis, and others from their dander and excrements. So, if you notice signs of infestation, you should immediately take action to eradicate them and prevent them from coming back.
How to Get Rid of Rats in Your Car Naturally
If you really want to get rid of rodent infestation in your car engine, there are many proven ways that can seal them off from your precious investment. If you want mice in your car engine to stay away, here’s what you can do:
1. Remove the sources of food
Do not keep food that will attract rats to enter and stay inside your car engine. Whatever type of food—garden seeds, leftover food, dry cat food, birdseed, livestock feed, and food droppings from snacks eaten in the car can attract rats.
Always remove food from your trunk and clean spilled food. If you need to keep food in your car, store it in a sealed container or bag.
2. Keep your car and its surroundings clean
It pays to keep your car and its surroundings free from clutter. Remove materials that can serve as nesting places or hiding places for rodents.
Check the area where you park your car and make sure that you don’t see anything that would attract rats to go near your car. It is best that you choose a parking area where there are no shrubs, fruit trees, garbage cans, and fallen nuts or fruits.
3. Do not park near shrubbery
Grass surfaces can serve as a hiding place for rodents. So, if you are thinking of fine green grass for a parking space, think again. If you don’t have any other areas without greenery, make sure that you regularly cut down any shrubbery where you park your car and in nearby areas.
4. Cover the openings of your car engine with copper wire screens
Rodents do not like the taste of copper, so if you use this material to cover your engine, especially small openings, they will most likely not chew on them to get to your engine.
The most common openings where they can get into your engine include the air ventilation system, the hood insulation, and the evaporation drain tubes. So you can talk to your mechanic about sealing these openings.
5. Use natural repellent fragrances
Apart from materials like copper that rodents do not like, there are natural fragrances that rats avoid, too. These are an ideal solution to rodent infestation because they can also make your car smell good:
- Peppermint oil
- Irish spring soap
- Laundry dryer sheets
There are other fragrances like cayenne pepper that you can sprinkle around your car tires to keep rodents away. You can also spray Pine-sol into your car’s engine compartment, but make sure that you do not spray on the battery.
6. Biological Deterrents
The most natural way to deter rats from getting into your car and into your car engine is to keep cats and dogs near your car.
Take care of cats who have hunting instincts. Just keep them away from getting inside the engine as well. Rat terriers are also great at keeping your car engine rodent-free.
However, since they love chewing on stuff, biting, clawing, and scratching, watch out for these signs from your dog.
So, if you are concerned about how cats and dogs may cause damage to your car, you may place animal fur or human hair around the car or under the car hood. This will send a message to the rats that you and the predators are just near.
Most importantly and inexpensive, keep your car and its surroundings clean. Cars that are regularly cleaned, maintained and used will naturally keep rats away. Rats will less likely get into your car engine when there is easy access to stuff that attracts them.
Consider these to keep rats from nesting in your car engine to prevent bigger problems that will cost you more.
If your automobile’s engine was damaged by rodents, don’t hesitate to bring it to a qualified auto mechanic like NOLA Automotive Repairs.
Resolving an issue with your car engine can be more difficult when you don’t know what you’re doing. Contact us now to know more!
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NOLA Automotive Repairs has been serving New Orleans clients for nineteen years, making us one of the trusted auto repair shops in The Big Easy. We offer a variety of services including engine repair, brake jobs, AC repair, and diagnostics.