When it comes to your car, rodents can be a real problem. Whether it's damage caused by their chewing, or stains and odors from urine and feces, things can get expensive quickly. Further, they can destroy original parts on a classic automobile, and as the saying goes - "it's only original once". Health and safety issues can be created; More than one owner learned his airbags wouldn't deploy because a mouse ate through a wire harness, and people have become ill after being exposed to the Hantaviruses carried in droppings and urine.

Chewing seems to generate the most carnage. Because the teeth of mice, rats and squirrels never stop growing, the animals constantly gnaw on things to help keep them from getting too long. In many cases those things are the components within your car. Commonly damaged systems include electrical wiring harnesses, air conditioning and heating ducts, seat cushions, trunk and storage area carpeting, and various fluid containers made from plastics.

While all cars are susceptible, newer vehicles are even more so. Since the turn of the millennium automakers have steadily increased use of "natural" biodegradable materials as a substitute for the petroleum in plastics. Soy byproduct is a common ingredient, and is utilized in just about anything from wiring harness covers, to wire insulation, to seat cushion foam and interior carpeting and trim. These plant-based materials apparently smell and taste like a delicacy to rodents. So, lunch might be something as minor as a trunk mat, or something as important as the wiring to an air bag crash sensor.

Repair expense horror stories abound with reported wiring harness repairs ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. This author found many examples including a 2009 Tesla Roadster with $10,000 in electrical wiring damage, a 2013 Honda Accord Coupe with $2,000 in main wiring harness and fender liner damage, a 2009 Toyota RAV4 with $10,257 in damage to multiple parts including the passenger air bag, and a 1983 Porsche 928 that was a total loss. Apparently that rodent had a taste for German cuisine.

We at CarCapsule have learned that our products protect vehicles against rodents. It's not so much that they can't get to the vehicle stored in the CarCapsule or ShowCase, but it seems they don't even want to try. Maybe they don't like the taste of the PVC the capsules are constructed from? Maybe the faint hum of the ventilation fan, or the air venting out deters them? Whatever it is, our customers don't report any issues with rodents. Which makes the cost of purchasing a capsule seem minimal compared to the expense, heartache and aggravation of dealing with rodent damage.