I call it “car carnage,” all of the things that happen to a vehicle and damage the working parts. Fire, heat, water, operator error, mice.
I remember the first time I saw a vehicle come in with intermittent electrical problems. After some investigation, it was diagnosed as mouse damage. I was shocked, I had no idea that happened. Then we got the full story.
The vehicle owner had a dog. The dog's food was kept in the garage and so was the car. The winter was cold. A certain mouse was too. Then, he found the perfect place, the engine compartment of a warm car located seconds from an endless supply of kibble.
The mouse settled into the engine compartment and did what all mice do, chew on wires. A lot of very important wires. The story ended sadly. The mouse perished and the car had electrical issues – not to mention an engine compartment littered with dog food.
Not all carnage features a tragic end for a furry creature. Some damage comes simply from driving with worn parts. The worn part stops working as it should and all the other parts try to compensate. This usually causes the owner of the vehicle a higher repair bill because other parts – not just the worn part – need to be replaced now too.
So, while you can't always avoid damage or wear, you can avoid some of it via proactive repairs. Oh, and if your dog food is in the garage, maybe invest in a mouse proof container.