Road Rats! - MSNewsNow.com - Jackson, MS

Road Rats!

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MIRA MESA, CA (NBC) - All the recent rain in southern California has left some car owners with an unusual problem: Rats.

Mechanics say they're seeing a flood of cars that have been damaged by the rodents apparently looking for warm and dry places to hide. Sometimes that means the engine of a car.

"They end up disabling airbags, leak coolant as they chew through hoses, check engine lights will come on, car will run funny, will shift funny depending on what they chew through," says mechanic James Ederer.

So what can car owners do about the problem?

One mechanic says he leaves the hood of his car open when he's away. He says rats don't like the light.

One woman suggest putting scented dryer sheets in the engine compartment. She claims the rats don't like the smell and will leave.

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