Are Mice Destroying Your Car?

It’s the time of year when the temperature drops and mice seek a warm shelter for the winter. This shelter could very well be your car. Mice can cause serious damage to your vehicle, but how do you know they’ve moved in? What damage are they causing while they’re in there? And most importantly, how do you stop them from creating expensive repairs? The good news is that Modern’s Anticimex SMART Garage can help!

SMART is Intelligent Pest Control for Your Garage

It’s easy to notice when you have mice in your living space. You can see, hear, and even smell them. But what about areas you don’t frequent, like your garage?

Mice can do costly and even irreparable damage to vehicles. With Modern’s Anticimex SMART Garage Monitoring, we’ll know if there’s a mouse issue before you do!

Anticimex SMART is the intelligent and environmentally friendly pest control solution that operates 24/7. If mouse activity is detected, SMART wirelessly communicates with our offices so we can send a Modern Pest Service Professional out to address the issue.

Need a quote fast? It’s FREE! Call us today at 1-800-323-7378

What are signs of mice in your car?

  • Visual sightings of droppings and urine, along with bad smells
  • Strange sounds, especially the heater or fan making a rumbling or vibrating noise that indicates a nest in the heater blower motor
  • Spotting food sources like acorns, dog food, and bird seed that rodents have brought into your car to eat. Seeing old snacks like French fries in unlikely places
  • Seeing a mouse jump out of or run around in your car

How do mice damage your vehicle?

The main ways that mice damage your car are through chewing, nesting, and depositing waste.

Chewing

Rodents need to frequently chew on things to sharpen their teeth. All rodents have self-sharpening incisor teeth that never stop growing. They will chew through almost anything they encounter, such as:

  • Wires
  • Hoses
  • Plastic panels
  • Power steering lines

Nesting

Mice need to build nests for shelter. They harvest the nesting material from:

  • Hood liner insulation
  • Carpet insulation
  • Interior upholstery

Common nest locations are:

  • Heater blower motors
  • Under the center console
  • Behind plastic paneling
  • Engine compartments
  • Trunks
  • Air conditioner ducts

Depositing Waste

  • Mice defecate and urinate everywhere they go.
  • In addition to a foul smell, this can be dangerous for your health.
  • Mice can spread hantavirus and salmonellosis to humans.

Seeing signs of mice in your garage?  Call Modern Pest today!

How to Keep Them Out

There are ways you can reduce the possibility of mice taking up residence in your vehicle:

  • If your car is in a garage, make sure all pet food and bird seed is tightly sealed so mice aren’t attracted to the area. Don’t leave food in your car, either.
  • Don’t let your car sit for too long. Mice will get comfy if you don’t start your car on a regular basis.
  • Install metal mesh around wiring harnesses and rubber hoses.
  • Use metal mesh to cover any openings where mice could access ventilation or intake systems.
  • Honda has even produced a rodent-deterrent tape to wrap around wires. The electrical tape is treated with capsaicin, the active component of chili peppers, thus making it very irritating to mice.

The Modern Solution

Modern Pest’s Homecare Green program protects against over 55 common household pests, including mice and rats. We can protect your garage like we do your home and keep them out. And with SMART Garage monitoring for rodent activity, we’ll know you’re got an issue before the damage can be done. Call Modern today!