A simple trick to keep martens away from cars: Avoid costly engine damage

Kuns are a big problem in cities and villages. My grandparents fought them while they were still raising chickens. Whenever they lost one from the coop, they blamed the marten, but besides that, my grandfather was also worried about his car. It happened to our friends that a marten chewed through the cables in the engine. Fortunately, none of them ever got into our garage. But how do you protect your car if you have to leave it in the car park at night?

In European countries, it is quite common for martens to attack car engines. In Germany, for example, over 200 000 cases of damage to cars are reported every year. Swiss statistics even report annual damage of 40 million francs. Although the animals do not usually damage the engine itself, they do chew through the cables to it, the cooling or washer hoses, and damage insulation and protective material.

What to watch out for?

Sometimes the damage is visible immediately. A friend who had his engine hoses chewed off by a marten sent my parents some photos. You really couldn’t miss the damage, nor the feces the animal still left a short distance from the car, as if it was laughing. But damage is not always visible at first glance. It is therefore necessary to be on the lookout for signs that something is wrong. Such complications can include the fact that:

• the engine won’t start, or starts only very badly
• the car is leaking fluid
• engine power is low
• the brakes are not working properly

Of course, if you find paw prints or hairs on the bonnet of your car, or have any other reason to suspect that your car’s engine has been warmed up by a marten, have your car checked before driving. Some people, however, have no idea that an animal has taken up residence under their hood until the lights alert them while they’re driving.

How to prevent a marten attack?

There are several ways to protect yourself from martens. Of course, if you have the option of locking your car in the garage overnight where the animal can’t get in, this is the best option. However, people who are not so lucky can use other options. There are cable sheaths and devices that will give a marten an electric shock if it tries to bite into them. However, this is more expensive equipment and you must always have it installed by a professional.

“Electrical protection is not dangerous to the animal, but it does create enough contact to deter it,” explain the experts at Carvolution. My grandparents are afraid of martens. And they call them different words. However, they still understand that the animal doesn’t realise it is destroying property and is just trying to survive. That’s why even mild electric shocks seem drastic to them. There are other ways to get rid of marten.

For example, ultrasonic devices that scare predators by emitting alternating high-pitched tones that are inaudible to humans are practical. But the easiest way to deter martens is to keep the engine clean. If one marten hasn’t done any damage, the next one will be very aggressive because these animals can’t stand the smell of competition. If your engine smells of martens, it will attract other animals. So make sure that it is always tidy under your hood and rid your engine of any hairs from the original visitor.