Drive martens away from the car properly!

In the spring again begins the season for martens. There are various ways to drive them away. Especially stone martens like to roam around inhabited areas and mark their territory. In addition, they also like to use engine compartments as a place of retreat. However, this does not mean that they immediately destroy parts of the vehicle. This actually only happens when the vehicle "marked" by the animals enters the territory of another male stone marten. Then, as part of the territorial fight, the vehicle is often affected as well. In our blog post you can learn more about the following topics:

How to recognize a marten damage on the car?
What measures should be taken to drive away martens?
Is marten damage to the car insured?

To the complete marten repellent assortment to drive away martens

How to recognize a marten damage on the car?

Since martens like to seek the engine compartment as a shelter, many components are in danger, as they are not designed to withstand the marten bites. This makes it easy for the animals to bite or destroy hoses, cables and various plastic parts. Particularly affected are:

• Ignition cable
• Cooling water hoses
• Windscreen water hoses
• Other plastic hoses
• Bellows on the steering and drive shafts
• Insulation of the power cables and also the power lines themselves
• Insulating mats

If the marten damage remains unnoticed, the catalytic converter and, in the worst case, even the engine can be damaged. This then leads to high repair costs and also costs time and nerves. So that you are not affected by this, we offer numerous high-quality and effective products of marten repellent for the car.

For martens, the active period begins in spring. On the one hand, the young are taken along by their parents in search of food, on the other hand, it is a matter of finding a suitable partner for reproduction. From the end of June, the real mating season then gets underway. For this reason, the ADAC records the most breakdowns due to marten bites in the months from April to August.

Whether a marten was on the car, you can tell from the following clues:

• Marten tracks on the hood
• Puddles under the car
• Engine does not start or runs out of round
• Electronics shows warning
• Hanging down cables
• Food remains or dead animals or other abnormalities in the engine compartment
• Brakes do not work during testing

If the vehicle is no longer roadworthy, it should be towed directly to the workshop. If only panels are affected, it must be ensured that no parts can fall off while driving. This damage should then also be repaired promptly. It is then advisable to carry out a thorough engine wash. In this way, you can have existing scent marks thoroughly removed.

What measures should be taken to drive away martens?

The first thing to do is to wash the underbody to remove the smell of the marten. After that, the following products can be used against the marten infestation on the car. We have compiled these for you in a compact overview and show the advantages and disadvantages of the individual measures:

Home remedies to drive away martens in the car, on the other hand, are effective only for a short time. Comparable to the biological and chemical products, their scent quickly fades or are washed away by the rain.

Which of the above products is right for you to drive martens away from the car depends on the budget, the possible time and the environment. For example, if there are many cats running free or there are newborns and dogs in the neighborhood, you should rather rely on cable sheathing or electric shocks to drive away martens. Other animals and babies can also perceive the sounds.
If there are too few metal parts in the vehicle, ultrasonic devices can be used against marten infestation.
Cable sheathing protects sensitive parts of the vehicle, but does not prevent animals from approaching. A step further to this, the complete underbody casing, ensures that no animal can enter. This method is gentle on animals, but the most expensive in the long term.

The one perfect and 100% safe marten deterrent does not exist. The animals are similar to us humans individual and react to the measures differently strong. With the combination of different defense methods you have the most effective protection against martens in the car. With a mix of electric shock and ultrasound will be demonstrably driven away almost every marten. This variant thus offers the best price-performance ratio against the marten infestation.

Is marten damage to the car insured?

The cost of a good marten protection on the car starts already around the 10,00€ and only a few are more expensive than 200,00€. Thus, the purchase of effective marten protection for the car is worthwhile in any case, because in the liability insurance, the costs of a marten damage are not insured with. Even with a partial casco is to check exactly what damage is covered by the insurance. Mostly consequential damages are not covered, but only the direct marten damages.

Often, a deductible of at least 150.00 € is included in the comprehensive insurance, so that the insurance companies do not often pay for the damage caused. However, it can happen that your insurance premium increases nevertheless. In most comprehensive insurance policies, however, consequential damages due to marten damage are also insured. No matter what insurance coverage you have, it is worthwhile to take care of the marten protection in time. The effort is not nearly as high as the removal of incurred marten damage.

Play it safe and protect your vehicle from martens! If there are martens in your area or you are driving to an area favored by martens, it pays to take preventive measures. In the assortment of Stop & Go and K&K are many suitable products to drive away or keep away the martens from your car.