Will chipmunks and mice and other vermin
 

eat the wires on your car if you let it sit too long or is this an old wives tale?

It's possible. Although, I don't think it's all that common..

Here's a link to a story about a guy's car and a squirrel.. It's pretty funny.

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e....ix.netcom.com

no, its true. a mouse got into the tailpipe of my dads testarossa one winter, so now whenever a car sits we put tennis balls over the exhaust openings to prevent this. putting it on blocks also helps, but its not like mice cant climb.

Not a wive's tale at all. If you store a car for any period of time and your garage isn't air tight, you need to ensure that large openings are closed up. I wouldn't be as worried about chewed wires as I would be about mice nests, etc in tailpipes and hoses but chewed wires can happen. :)

-Eric

It is completely true. My wife has had her spark plug wires chewed by a rat, The car was never sitting more then a couple days too, doesnt take long to happen. and being in the service dept. we see it once in awhile. does not happen alot but it does happen, also we find animal parts in the engine compartment especially in the winter because they climb up there to get warm then the engine starts and whoosh. animal parts all over the place.

Had mice in a Datsun 280zx turbo I bought (not my best purchase). Could see them running around through a rust spot in the rear storage area.

It is possible, but i dont think you should have to much of a problem with it.

Well, speaking as a Boxster owner, who will be getting the car back next Friday after a major re-work of the loom after a rodent snacked on the wires, I can let you know it's true!!!

This goes all the way back to Christmas time - there was a mini-heat wave (Santa Ana) here and I drove the car on Saturday, 12/13 - top down (and heater blasting). Got in the car to move it to get some Xmas presents down on 12/17 - no start - turn over not start. Towed to local independent (part time) Porsche mechanic on 12/18. Lots of delay along the way, but finally in home stretch to get the car back - just in time for the nice spring weather.

Current estimate on work is $2000.

Have been carefully sealing up any and all holes and cracks on perimeter of garage to insure this NEVER happens again - to Boxster or - God forbid - my RX8.

I check the air filter in my wife's car one spring. Inside was a mouse nest under the filter. I can't believe and air was getting threw it. The mouse didn't eat threw the filter just built a nice nest under it. I found another under the air cleaner of my truck. This car was driven daily and put back in the garage. If you have any concerns of possible mice, put some Decon feeders around the walls of the garage behind something to kill them. It always works.

Chewing
 

Yes animals will chew wires , ground hogs, squirrles etc. Being a game warden I no this is true. Have taken many calls on this as well as ground hogs stuck under car hoods, hmmmmmm what to use buckshot or magnums :). A garden hose does work well most times.
ers

Chipmunk was apparently living in my Acura air filter intake and using the filter for nest building. Chewed right through the filter.

One day I heard this loud POP! Wonder what THAT was?? :eek:

ps that's why I looked in the filter!

My guinea pig gnaws on the cables going to my stereo's speakers.

I am waiting for her now to chomp into an electrical cord...should be quite illuminating - for her.

Just had the wiring in my fiancee's mercedes repaired and a nest taken out of that car. I also had a mouse die behind the heater core of my Alfa two years back. Man, was that just horrible! Met a guy who had an Aston Martin in storage for 30 years and got 25 pounds of rat shit out of the rear quarters.

In short, rodents are a huge problem for stored cars. They often nest inside the air cleaners of cars. I have personally seen that on five or six GM vehicles. If a rodent gets into your wiring harness, it can mean very very bad things for the runnability of the vehicle. I hate rodents.

True, had a buddy spend $400 8 years ago on his 325i from mice under his hood. Just about every hose was touched.

Did a climb up Long's Peak once, and when we got back to the cars, one guy's car had a huge coolant leak. An animal (porcupine is our best guess) ate a hole in the radiator hose. He coasted down into the next town.

Then my cousin spent a summer interning at a university farming project and left his car parked out all summer in a field. Couple of months later, he couldn't start it... grasshoppers ate the insulation on his wiring. Biblical, man!