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Summary
  • To keep animals out of your car, start and drive your vehicle regularly, get rid of any food and bedding materials, and clean your driveway. 
  • Peppermint oil and dryer sheets can deter animals from entering your car. 
  • If you find an animal in your car, don’t touch it as it might have rabies. Instead, call animal services for help.

An engine bay is no place for an animal, but mice, squirrels, and rabbits are often found hiding there. They also like to make nests in undercarriage covers, between suspension components, and inside dashboards. These tiny critters might seem harmless at first, but they can cause a lot of damage to your vehicle.

They’ll gnaw on wires, leave nesting material in the engine that can catch fire, and excrete substances that can pose several health risks for you and your passengers. For your own safety, it’s best to do everything you can to keep them out of your car.

How To Keep Animals Out of Your Car Engine

Dealing with an infestation in your car can be a lot of work. The good news is that you can make sure it doesn’t reach that point. Here are tips on how to keep pesky animals out of your car’s engine bay, trunk, and other popular hiding places:

Start and Drive Your Car Regularly

Animals are more likely to take shelter in a vehicle that’s been sitting idle for months. To deter nearby critters, start and drive your car around the block every now and then.

Get Rid of Any Food and Bedding Materials

Food crumbs, take-out boxes, and leftovers are sure to attract hungry animals to your car. To keep them out, make sure to regularly clean your cabin. Get rid of tissues, towels, and clothes that animals can use for bedding.

Clean Your Driveway

Make sure to clear your driveway of leaves, feathers, and other trash that animals can use to build a nest. After all, how can you expect to keep mice out of your car if your vehicle’s always surrounded by their favorite nesting materials?

Use Peppermint Oil or Other Harmless Repellents

Most animals don’t like the smell of peppermint oil, which makes it a great repellant. You can soak cotton balls in peppermint extract and put them in cans under your car seats or in the trunk. You can also get a commercial peppermint repellent spray. According to some drivers, putting dryer sheets in your cabin can also keep animals out of your car.

Make a Lot of Noise

Loudly open and close your car doors, slam your trunk shut, and knock on your hood. You can even honk your horn. Loud noises will startle and awaken any animals hiding in your car. With any luck, the loud noise will scare them off for good.

Regularly Service Filters and Other Components

Be sure to replace your filter according to your manufacturer’s recommendations. Responsible for keeping debris out of your car, filters can also catch nuts, seeds, and other food that can attract hungry animals.

Fix Any Damaged Parts

Small animals can crawl into holes in your vehicle’s undercarriage or bodywork, so be sure to patch up cracks as soon as you see them.

Avoid Parking Near Food Sources

As much as possible, avoid parking near garbage cans, vegetable gardens, and other places where animals often scavenge for food. Some critters also like to hide in old furniture, stacks of firewood, and piles of leaves, so be wary of these too.

If you can, change where you park. Rodents are creatures of habit, so they won’t like hiding in a car that’s always changing parking spots.

Keep the Hood up at Night

If you’re parked somewhere safe, consider leaving the hood up at night. Animals are less likely to stay in your engine compartment if it provides zero protection from the cold.

Let Your Engine Run For a While

Before driving off, let your engine run for a minute or two. Not only does this give time for oil to flow to different parts of your engine, it also scares off any animals hiding in your car.

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Why Do Animals Enter Cars?

With how hot it can get, the engine bay is hardly the most comfortable place for an animal, and yet rats, squirrels, and raccoons are often found hiding there. There are two primary reasons why animals hide in cars, namely food and shelter.

Food

Those forgotten leftovers under your car seats are exactly what most animals are looking for. Rats and other animals will sniff them out and find a hole to crawl through just to get them.

Shelter

Most animals hide in engine bays, undercarriage covers, or inside the dashboard to seek shelter. During spring, rats and squirrels hide in quiet, tucked-away places to give birth. In the winter, they seek shelter from the cold in warm places, which is why you might find a mouse nest in your car’s engine compartment.

What To Do If You Find an Animal in Your Car

If you find an animal in your car, don’t panic. Here are some tips on what to do instead:

Don’t Touch It

Whatever you do, don’t try to remove the animal by yourself. It might have rabies and bite you if you try to get close. It’s also likely to climb deeper into the engine just to avoid you.

Call Animal Services for Help

Animal services can safely get rid of the animal hiding in your car. After they’ve thoroughly checked your vehicle and given the all clear, then you can call a mechanic to help assess any damage done to your car.

About The Author
Written By Automotive and Tech Writers

The CarParts.com Research Team is composed of experienced automotive and tech writers working with (ASE)-certified automobile technicians and automotive journalists to bring up-to-date, helpful information to car owners in the US. Guided by CarParts.com's thorough editorial process, our team strives to produce guides and resources DIYers and casual car owners can trust.

Any information provided on this Website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation with a professional mechanic. The accuracy and timeliness of the information may change from the time of publication.

File Under : Lifestyle , For the Car Owner
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