Oh, Rats! Car Trouble Again

South Bay resident Mike Fouch said his car smelled bad for four months, all because a rat was trying to get warm and dry.

Wet weather is forcing rodents to seek higher ground, and in many cases that means a mouse or a rat climbing into a car or truck's engine compartment. It appears to be a bigger problem in the cold and wet winter months than in the summer.

Mechanics said Fouch's plight is a common complaint. People notice their car isn't running right, and it turns out to be a rodent stuck in the engine. Mechanics at San Diego Truck Stop said rat damage is prompting more customers than usual to visit the shop lately.

Anne Harvey of Carmel Valley said she heard that scented dryer sheets help to keep the rats out, so she tucks sheets of Bounce into corners of her engine. She thinks it has kept the rodents at bay.

It's a problem that many people don't know about until too late. Fouch said he didn't know the rodent was there until he turned on his engine.  
 

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