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Car owners across the country are getting into their cars these days, turning the key and finding their engines won’t start.
The hard-to-believe reason? An animal ate the car’s wiring.
Thousands of car owners in recent years have ended up like Woody and Mary Herald, who talked about how animals chewed through their car’s wiring two years ago.
“On the ground we found this connector, with six inches of wire on either end of it, that the varmints had chewed into completely,” Woody Harris said.
Now, a class-action lawsuit claims millions of Toyota cars, trucks and SUVs contain wiring that is attractive to animals like squirrels and mice.
Honda settled a similar suit a few years ago.
This new suit claims Toyota uses soy-based wiring which is better for the environment, but is as appealing to critters as wiring made out of peanut butter.
Repairs can be costly
And from the “doesn’t that stink” file: the high cost of repairs.
Replacing under hood wiring can cost up to $2,000, mechanics say.
If you park near mice-filled fields, they suggest products like Mouse Blocker rodent tape for wires, or a spray-on or wipe-on product like Vehicle Rodent Defense.
If you see any evidence of rodents under the hood of your car, you should buy a repellent immediately. before they cause hundreds of dollars of damage. That way, you don’t waste your money.
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“Don’t Waste Your Money” is a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. (“Scripps”). John Matarese reports on deals and scams so you Don’t Waste Your Money.
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