A DRIVER was stunned after the dealership slapped her with a $1,000 bill due to an unconventional auto issue.
As the weather gets warmer, dealerships urge drivers to get their cars checked sooner rather than later.
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The driver, Kathy Marshall, drove her Nissan SUV to the dealership after her engine light unexpectedly came on.
She knew the vehicle was overdue for an oil change and figured it would be fitting to take care of both issues that day.
“The check engine light came on,” she told NBC affiliate WRAL.
“I needed to get an oil change anyway, so I made an appointment.”
However, Marshall could not have expected the news her dealership was about to give her.
“The service guy came out and said you have a squirrel living under your hood,” Marshall said.
“He said when the service tech went to pull the nest out, it jumped out at him.”
The Nissan owner was informed that the unwanted rodent had bitten its way through a lot of the vehicle’s wiring.
In total, Marshall was expected to pay over $1,000 to repair the damage to her car.
Although this may come as shocking news, Tom Eppens of Courtesy Automotive said rodents often cause headaches for drivers.
Eppens said he frequently deals with mice and other rodents that have damaged vehicles, forcing drivers to pay for pricey repair jobs.
He also mentioned that drivers with older vehicles will pay more to get damages reversed.
“You’d have to replace the entire wiring harness,” he told WRAL.
“…so it may be tough to try to find one. It could be $2,000 or $3,000 depending upon how much time.”
How to keep rodents away from your vehicle
Rodents can chew through your vehicle’s wiring, resulting in expensive auto repairs. Here are some tips to avoid that situation:
- Don’t park your car next to woods or tall grass at night which is where rodents could be found.
- Check around your car for signs of nesting material or droppings
- Buy tape or pepper-based spray for your car’s wiring
- Routinely check under your car’s hood for any signs of rodents
Source: CBS affiliate KHOU
In another case, Eppens found a mouse nest that was set up next to the vehicle’s exhaust system.
The mice had chewed through a bunch of wiring from the car’s master cylinder sensor.
There are ways to avoid having to deal with these unwanted guests.
The auto repair manager said to keep a lookout for leaves — a sign that critters could be nesting under the hood of a car.
He recommends parking away from areas where rodents would most likely set up home, such as vegetable gardens or tall grass.
If you’re suspicious that rodents have already infiltrated your vehicle, you can check around for droppings or nesting materials.
Marshall said she will be checking under her hood for squirrels every month after the $1,000 repair job.
“They said the wiring covers on the hoses are made out of soybean,” she said.
“We feel like he wanted shelter and food so that’s why he was living in my hood.”
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