The increasing popularity of plant-based and organic materials in automobile and truck parts is good for the environment. Perhaps a little too good as these eco-friendly products are potential tasty treats for wildlife.
Vehicle manufacturers including Toyota, Kia, Mazda and Ford use parts made of organic materials like soy, corn, sugar cane and castor beans. Ford even came out with a cookbook in 2016 that includes recipes made with ingredients used in their cars and trucks.
These days it’s not uncommon for a vehicle to have fuel lines, foam insulation, headliners, floor mats, trim, panels and seat cushions made from bioplastics using organic materials.
But what makes a good bioplastic also makes a tasty treat for a variety of rodents common to Maine. Where there is something good to chew on can also be viewed by the rodents as a nice place to build a nest and take up residence.
At best it can lead to some annoying and costly cosmetic damage. At worst, it creates serious problems with crucial components such as sensors or connectors that can ultimately lead to crashes resulting in injuries or even death.
According to Consumer Reports, no vehicle fatalities to date have been connected to rodent damage, but mechanics seem to agree there is a possibility it could happen sooner or later. Especially if any damage is not repaired.
Chewing up hoses that carry vital liquids like brake fluid, transmission fluid or coolant creates leaks. These leaks can mean loss of breaks, steering or a vehicle’s overheating.
“The wires are the number one thing we see being chewed,” said Josh Reardon of Reardon Automotive and Diagnostics in Bangor. “We also see some of the tubing chewed up.”
So far, neither he nor his mechanics have seen any severe structural damage caused by rodents. But that doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
“There is always the possibility it’s an issue,” Reardon said. “But have we seen it? No.”
Plant-based materials also make great nesting materials and rodents will use a vehicle’s vents or any openings they can find to access a car’s interior. Once there, they can take up residence inside seats, under the floorboards or in filters.
The less a car is driven, the worse it can be, according to Reardon.
“During COVID we saw a lot of cabin air filters used as [rodent] homes,” he said. “It was to the point the nests were some of the biggest we had ever seen.”
In addition to finding chewed up or gnawed on components in your car, other signs there are rodents are vibrations coming from inside vents, the presence of seeds or other food, unpleasant odors and droppings.
Any driver noticing any one or more of these things should immediately get their vehicle checked out, Reardon said.
The best scenario is keeping rodents away from your vehicle in the first place. But that is often easier said than done.
Some people have had success using a commercial rodent repellent. Others swear by placing scented fabric sheets or peppermint oil throughout a vehicle as rodents allegedly dislike those smells.
As far as Reardon is concerned, there is no sure fire way to keep them out, though he advises starting and driving your car at least once a week as that may disturb any rodents enough that they move out.
“If I had the answer to the question of how to actually keep rodents out of your car, I’d be a rich man,” he said.
