Rodents can cause costly damages to your car. Who would think a small critter like a rat or mouse could cause you to have car problems? Throughout the years of being in the auto repair business our mechanics have come across all sorts of damage from a rat ,mouse or other small rodents.
Air Filter Shredded by rodent
Just the other day a car was towed in because it just died while the customer was driving it. Using our scanner the code that came up was for the mass air flow sensor. After some connection testing the air box was removed what we found was a rat had eaten and torn up the air filter into pieces ( picture of air filter). Some of the small pieces of filter ended up in the mass air flow sensor and plugged it up. Our mechanic was able to unclog the connector and the air filter was replaced.
Cars that are parked near ivy and other heavy shrubs can become a nice warm nesting place for rodents.The rats will tear up the insulation under the hood and use it for their nest .A mini van was towed in after not being used for some time.During the inspection under the hood we found that a rat had chewed on all the wires under the hood. This became a very extensive and costly repair. Luckily the customer’s insurance covered the repair cost of replacing all the wires under the hood.
Windshield sprayer plugged. A customer brought their car in because the wiper sprayer was not working. Upon inspection the technician pulled the connector hose to see if it was clogged and a horrid smell engulfed the whole shop. After further inspection a small scull of a rodent was found in the wiper fluid . The remains of the rodent had clogged the hose . It is a good thing this critter did not get stuck in the ventilation system!
It is a good idea to keep an eye out for signs that a rodent maybe using your car for nesting materials,or a warm spot. Look for droppings in the area where you park your car. Check under the hood if you see the plastic caps or the rubber casings on the wires have been chewed on it would be a good idea to inspect more Bring you car in and we can inspect it for critters before the damage can get to costly.