September 24, 2023
If you park your vehicle outside, you are exposing it to all sorts of critters that would love to use it for nesting, food storage and shelter. There are plenty of pictures online of people who've discovered there was more than an engine under the hood. In one case, the driver of an SUV started to smell a slight burning odor when she was driving. Turned out to be 200 walnuts and a lot of grass had been stored there by some industrious squirrels preparing for the upcoming cold weather.
The SUV owners had their vehicle inspected not long before this happened, but it doesn't take some animals long to set up house in what they think is the ideal spot to make their winter home. Obviously, that can create problems. Squirrels, mice, rats and other small animals can chew through hoses and wires. Plus what they store as food and nesting material may prevent engine parts from moving the way they are supposed to. Imagine a radiator fan that won't turn because it's laden with heavy walnuts. Or the fire hazard created by flammable brush on a hot manifold.
Probably the best solution is to store your vehicle inside a rodent-tight building, but that's no guarantee. Unfortunately it doesn't take a very big hole or gap for small mice or other creatures to get in. Some careful sealing with materials like cement or steel wool can reduce rodent access effectively, but they're always looking for access so you can't let down your guard.
If you're not able to store your vehicle inside, you may try spraying lavender or mint essence around the engine or in the wheel wells. Rodents don't seem to like those odors very much. If you drive your vehicle every day, you're less likely to have unwanted residents than if you leave it sit for days. In either case, if you have experienced animal problems in the past, open your hood and inspect your engine frequently.
Check with your service adviser for recommendations on how to keep animals out of your vehicle. You're not the only one whose vehicle looks like the perfect winter apartment to some critters. Preventing animals from getting to your vehicle is worth some time and expense because damage from gnawing teeth can be very costly and difficult to repair.
Tuffy Grand Rapids (Fuller Ave)
1121 Fuller Ave. NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
616.458.8091
http://www.tuffyfullerave.com
December 22, 2024
If you've ever gotten in an unfamiliar vehicle, maybe a rental car, you may have pulled up to the gas pump and wondered, "Which side is the fuel filler on?" Here's a tip for you. There is usually a little arrow on the instrument panel near the fuel gauge that points to the side where the fuel fi... More
December 15, 2024
If theres one thing you should pay attention to with your vehicle, its the temperature gauge. Its the one that may say C---H (that means cold---hot). Or maybe yours has a picture of a thermometer on it and a blue and red zone. If you see the needle heading farther to the H or red area, that mea... More
December 8, 2024
Your vehicle gets its power from burning fuel, usually gasoline, and it counts on something called fuel injectors to send gas to the engine in a spray that is easy to ignite. Its a precise operation, and when its working well, you have plenty of power and an efficient engine. But after time, con... More