Those tiny animals that can ruin your car

There are lovely pictures of them all over the Internet, they are mostly harmless and friendly, or at least they are not regarded as immediate threats to our existence, and yet still waters run deep. How about a chat about those tiny animals that can ruin your car?
When one is thinking of the harm that can come to their car, they wouldn’t exactly think of a tiny animal as the main culprit. And yet, aside from accidents, wear and the regular minor issues, tiny animals that sneak into the car, engine or undercarriage pose a significant threat.
Rodents are probably the first in line in the category of tiny, insidious enemies of cars. Rats, mice and many other of their “cousins” can cause considerable damage if they invade the interior of a car. They can ruin the most part of the car’s wiring in under 24 hours, plus they find the plastic insulating material particularly tasty… The wires that connect the alternator or the battery can be chewed off, not to mention that car seats can also provide a substantial source of food if the little villain somehow gets inside the vehicle.
Squires are also fierce enemies, being reported to make secret stashes of nuts and acorns in hidden corners of the engine. As for martens, they are apparently the greatest animal threats to cars in Europe, especially in rural or mountainous regions.
So what can be done? Vehicle owners can be quite inventive in the methods they use to deter the tiny menaces. Some use electronic devices that disturb rats and mice, others go for the classic traps and baits; the most “cruel” of them use peppermint oil and fox urine (most drastic measures, really).
In the typically German style, the manufacturer Audi has decided to treat the matter with the utmost seriousness. After researching the issue (rigging an A3 with 8 hidden cameras and observing martens “at work” under animal trainer supervision), they have been working on ways to develop materials and solutions that protect the engine and under-hood elements from the threat of those tiny animals that can ruin your car.