MICE IN YOUR CLASSIC CAR:MORE THAN A NUISANCE-IT'S A BIOHAZARD
Most car guys store their cars over the winter- more specifically, most car guys that live in areas with real winter. Then there are cars that have been stored in nice climates for extended periods of time.
In both cases, the biggest single threat to the car’s interior is a mouse problem. These little rodents can spell disaster for an otherwise pristine vehicle plus they can have a serious effect on your own health.
For more information on this problem, we talked to Walter Cooledge at Diablo Auto Detail and he gave us some serious insight into why this can be an extremely serious issue.
The biggest issue with a mouse problem is that it is officially a “biohazard”.
A biohazard takes on a life of its own because it is a health risk for the owner and the detail shop. For that reason, the process is painstaking, long and very complicated.
Walter advises owners to be prepared to leave your car at the shop for a few days and up to month.
In fact, Walter had a Mazda Miata in his shop for four months because Mickey, Minnie and all their offspring had literally infiltrated the car from top to bottom. Mice are opportunists and they are extremely flexible, so this little Japanese sports car had rodents living on the inside of the rocker panels-an area with an entrance that was just a little bigger than a dime.
That had to be addressed because mice in areas like rocker panels leave a bad smell plus they also tend to destroy wiring.
The problem is that these little pests at that level of infestation leave an aroma that permeates a car to the point that it’s not drivable.
Not only that, it’s not safe-mice carry many nasty and easily transmittable diseases.
Typically a mouse-ridden car involves stripping the interior out of the car, seats, carpet and all and getting down to the metal. The floor pans are scrubbed to remove any trace of odor and then the seats and carpets are brought to the cleaning party.
They are initially disinfected before cleaning to eliminate the risk to the employees at the shop and insure that the risk of disease has been eliminated. After disinfection and drying, the seats and carpet are then shampooed to work on the cleaning and odor issue.
This can be a fairly lengthy process (a full day per treatment), because it involves comprehensive shampooing, then air-drying.
Typically, this step will be repeated at least 3 times and many more if the odor clings to the material. The smell that a mice infestation can create is on a level with a skunk odor and it is every bit as tenacious as anything Pepe Le Pew can do to a vehicle.
Walter will not let any vehicle leave before the mouse odor is completely eliminated-as a result he’s never had a call back from a customer. That’s not surprising-Walter fights mice odors like the serious enemy it is to a vehicle. Make sure that your shop has the same high standards, because a mouse infestation is not only a smell problem-it’s a serious health risk.
There are some mice issues that are beyond a detailer’s control. For example, if you have a mouse nest inside your headliner, start shopping for a new one because the original headliner is done-it can’t be saved.
There are degrees of difficulty when it comes to mice. In other words, a recent infestation will likely be a lot easier to solve than working on a car with 6 or 7 generations of Mickey Mouse’s grandchildren spread throughout the vehicle
Walter likes to stress that a mouse problem is a serious and complicated problem and it’s not a cheap fix. If it is, then it’s either not a real mouse problem or the shop you chose simply won’t do an effective job. Walter advises customers to ask many questions and get a complete understanding of the process beginning with a detailed analysis of the extent of the damage.
Bear in mind that this kind of damage from mice can be similar to a crash in terms of costs and extent of the problem-it can be far worse than a simple bad smell...
just ask Walt.
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