WASHINGTON — Cold weather is often a foe of cars, but there's another enemy waiting to crawl in: Rats.
As they search for an escape from the cold, they sometimes migrate under a vehicle's hood toward the still-warm engine, mechanics warn.
Then, they can bring in some garbage, build a little nest, leave droppings, and as they're known to do, chew everything in sight. That includes the wires of your car.
“They really damage cars pretty badly," said David Pham, owner of DP Auto Service in D.C.
Multiple mechanics based in D.C. said they regularly see this kind of damage once winter hits. Most of the damage they find is concentrated around the wiring.
Pham and other mechanics said in the last 10 years or so, they've noticed car manufacturers changing the ingredients in the wire coverings to include more natural materials like soy.
“They want to get the taste of the soy that's in the wiring, the sheathing on the wiring," Pham said.
Pham and others believe that's part of what attracts the rats to the wires, while others believe it's just the fact that rats will chew anything in their vicinity.
“Typically, they chew the wires around the fuel injectors and the ignition coils," Pham said. "They chew on a lot of stuff, no matter what it is.”
He said repairs can range from $250 to thousands of dollars. He has seen quotes for up to $7,000 in damage.
"I had one customer she had like a truck, Chevy Colorado or something like that. I must have fixed her wire harness like four or five times and [it was] like the same spot, which is weird," Pham said. "Where they were chewing it, I'd fix it and... then I'd see her like two, three weeks later."
He said the problem was where she was parking her car.
“I see most cars that are parked in an alleyway or closer to the dumpsters, they get the brunt of the damage," he said.
He said typically drivers discover the problem when their car is running roughly, their check engine light is blinking, or it's not starting at all. Some customers have even reported a bad smell.
“If you smell things from the outside after you've driven it [and are thinking] that's weird, my car smells funny, you might want to open the hood and take a look," Pham said. "At that point, you probably have droppings around there and you want to get that cleaned up."
When it comes to preventing rats from damaging your car, Pham said it's a tough fight to win.
“Stay away from the dumpsters and if you need to-- traps? Get a cat, maybe?” Pham suggested.
He said he’s also had customers try some home remedies, like sprinkling mint or cayenne pepper over the wiring. Others have put a noisemaker in there that's supposed to deter rats.
There are also rat repellant sprays that some mechanics recommend spraying under the hood.
Pham also recommends keeping the air in your car on recirculate, because it keeps the "trapdoor" down to help block the rats from penetrating the HVAC system.
He said setting traps around your car could potentially work.
However, most mechanics said D.C. rats are particularly tough to fight and said there’s no guaranteed solution. They said your best bet is to find a new parking space if you can that’s away from dumpsters.