If the rodents are going to chew up one car, why don’t they also chew up the other car parked next to it?
I consistently hear stories like this where the victim has multiple cars, but only one car seems to be targeted by the rodents. Why wasn’t the other car attacked?
Now there could be countless reasons for this, but hopefully the following will give you some perspective.
Rodents have been invading and chewing up cars for decades. Current materials that are being used in newer cars may be exacerbating the problem, but the general story is always the same:
Rodents initially go into the car for shelter. While they are there, they mark it up as “safe” by peeing everywhere, invite some friends over and find some stuff to chew on.
The reason your other car hasn’t been invaded is a matter of proximity to the rodent’s normal walking path in addition to available nearby options for alternative shelter. Rodents are very habitual and typically don’t venture away from their normal walking paths unless they absolutely need to. Seeking alternative shelter would be one of those reasons.
In this leap of faith to find new shelter, if the rodent discovers that Car #1 is providing sufficient alternative shelter, there is no need for them to continue exploring other options and/or Car #2.
With that said, rodents start to seek out alternative shelter when the weather cools down and when their nests become over populated.
This means that if there is an existing rodent population in your area, as time goes on and the weather shifts, Car #2 is more and more likely to be invaded.
So ultimately what I am trying to say is, don’t think your other car is immune to rodent damage since it hasn’t been attacked yet. It could be only a matter of time.
I would highly suggest taking a close look under the hood of every car you own at least once a week. This will ensure that you can detect a rodent presence in your car at the earliest time so that you can implement preventative measures.
If you find something, head on over to the Home page and take action asap.
I hope that this article has been helpful for you. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comments section below and I will respond as soon as I can.
Thank you!!
RKD
My understanding is that much of the damage is caused because rodents are attracted to bioplastic-coated wires, which they can smell and recognize as food. So, the wires in different models/makes of cars could have more- or less-attractive plastic coatings and so be more or less likely to be targeted.
Hi CC! Thanks for the comment. I personally agree that the usage of bioplastics to coat the wires has exacerbated the issue and may be attracting rodents to chew on the wires. I mean Ford even came out with a cook book that uses the same ingredients in their car parts! With that said, this notion is hard to prove since rodent damage to car wires has been an issue since long before car manufacturers started using bio-plastics in cars. Whatever the reason may be, it’s just important to keep an eye on your other cars, especially if you’ve had damage done to one. Anyways, thanks again for the comment and hope you are staying safe! RKD