Vehicle owners have a lot to worry about: increasing fuel prices… aggressive drivers… the cost of keeping a vehicle on the road… red light cameras… enormous potholes… even dibs when it snows. For most drivers, animal attacks of any kind would be at the bottom of the list of things they feel they need to worry about, but they would be wrong. We have been part of iATN (International Automotive technicians Network) for many years and have seen an increase in posts related to animal-related vehicle damage. This led us to wonder if it was just us or if there are more animal-related issues now than in the past. It seems that maybe it is getting worse.
Mice Eating Engine Wiring
It seems almost every auto insurance company has a page on its site that addresses whether rodent damage is covered and, if so, to what extent and under what conditions. Suffice it to say, the answer seems to be, “It’s complicated.” Here’s a good example from Allstate. In addition, most every vehicle manufacturer has published Technical Service Bulletins related to this topic and some vehicle owners have even sued manufacturers for changes to wiring specifications that they say attract rodents and invite damage.
We have found numerous articles on how to prevent rodent damage to your vehicle. There are many different suggested methodologies, but we found this one most interesting and from one of the most reliable sources. It offers such ideas as utilizing rodent deterrent tape, coating the electrical system in hot sauce or using wire mesh to create a barrier to keep rodents out of the engine compartment. Suffice it to say that if Consumer Reports felt it worthwhile to address this topic, it must be a quite frequent problem and something their readers view as a serious concern.
In the most extreme cases, rodent damage can go beyond chewed up cable jackets and frayed wiring. Here’s a crazy case of rats actually starting a car fire in, you guessed it, New York. The vehicle owner noticed a bad smell when he started the vehicle but began driving anyway. About four miles later, his car was in flames. He found rats throughout the engine and in other places in the vehicle.
Finally, when it comes to rodents, we have the case of the little bunny that could…
damage many parking lots full of cars. In the area around Denver International Airport, they have been having problems with furry vehicle vandals for years. Like mice and rats, it appears that rabbits also have a hankering for electrical system components. This has led parking lot management to take several steps to prevent or reduce rabbit access to vehicles, such as installing underground fencing and raptor poles. But pilot Robert Favuzza might just have the best solution: “I toss a rubber snake underneath [my car] every time I park. It costs me two bucks.”
All this vehicle damage caused by little rodents made us wonder about what types of other animal related vehicle damage was out there.
Peacocks and the Quarter Panel
It would never occur to us that peacocks could be a match for a modern vehicle, but we would definitely be wrong on that score. In Surrey, BC, aggressive male feral peacocks have been damaging body panels of luxury vehicles. Apparently, they are primarily attracted to shiny, dark vehicles that cast a good reflection, which they think is a rival. They then proceed to attack their reflected image, working their way around the vehicle for maximum damage. Very strange.
Bears Will Be Bears
I’ll See Your Bear and Raise You a Moose
It seems you don’t need to be at Yellowstone or in a safari park to have your car attacked by an animal. Do you have a crazy animal-meets-vehicle story? Please share it in the comments below.