Mouse tales: When critters seek the creature comforts of home…in your car

With cooler temps taking over, we’ve had to break out our fall and winter wardrobe to keep warm.

Outside, there’s another shift going on. Squirrels are busy gathering food for winter, and some of the more savvy—if you want to call it that—critters are seeking warm, cozy hideaways. Sometimes, much to our dismay, our cars become their fall and winter habitat of choice. And if you have ever seen the results of their “work,” you know first-hand that they’re not moving in mouse-sized sofas and cute wall hangings like they do in the cartoons. No, this is far less cute and far more costly.

Check out three examples of an animal invasion.

Mice seem to excel at leaving a path of destruction and, when it comes to vehicles, mice and their rodent relatives have been known to chew through random electrical cables and even entire wiring harnesses. This latter is a grouping of cables that are laced through your engine and passenger compartments to control all of the electronics in your engine and in your car. If you’re lucky, they’ll nibble on one minor wire and leave you thinking you have an electrical gremlin. If you’re not so lucky, you could be investing a few hundred dollars in a new sensor, wiring repairs or worse.

Similarly, squirrels may choose to stockpile their winter harvest inside your vehicle, and in one case, we had a client with a Ferrari whose tailpipe was completely packed full of nuts. If your exhaust system is restricted, your car may stall, perform sluggishly and consume extra fuel. In extreme cases, the backpressure caused by the restriction could cause the vehicle to overheat or could blow out a piece of the system.

Here’s what you need to be aware of:

• If you have a vehicle that sits for extended periods, it’s more susceptible to rodent roommate because, if the engine is never started and the vehicle just sits, there’s nothing disruptive to chase the vermin away. You may want to start and run the engine periodically, or at least, pop the hood and look for telltale signs of a stowaway.
• If you park in a garage, be careful not to store anything nearby that could be a source of food for them. Fido’s food, for example, is going to look pretty tasty when it’s sitting in a bag on the floor and there are negative wind chills outside. You may want to invest in a plastic bin with a tight lid for pet food, bird seed, anything that might appeal to a little rodent.
• If you park outside, look for sources of food here as well, such as a tree dropping acorns.

At Hong Kong Auto Service, we’ll look under the hood for any evidence of a critter, including fraying wires, materials packed together in tight spots and rodent droppings (unpleasant, but a surefire sign of trouble). Once we’re aware of an invasion, you can go on the defensive to keep them from re-establishing residence. Concerned about a stowaway? Schedule an appointment today.

Do you have any tales to share about mice, squirrels or other critters inhabiting your vehicles? Please share them with us!

For a humorous look at mice invasions, visit Car Talk and type “mice” into the search bar. You may be surprised how many tales of woe they’ve heard through the years.