VAB reports more and more marten damage to vehicles. In the past year, the VAB Emergency Center received 43% more calls for damage caused by martens. The region in which the bugs are active is also getting bigger. The stone marten is increasingly the cause of the breakdown service investigations in the event of vehicle malfunctions. The animals seek shelter under the hood. Since 2015, the number of breakdowns has more than tripled. There was an increase of 59% around Lier. But also in the region around Leuven, where they have known the phenomenon for some time, there were again 62% more calls for marten damage.

Weasels and martens appear to be attracted by, among other things, the fish meal or the fish oil that is used in some cables or the insulation material. Every year they incur hundreds of thousands of euros in repair costs for the vehicle fleet. There are several tricks that can be used to keep those intelligent creatures out, but they rarely offer a 100% guarantee. The most effective (and the most logical) way to protect your car is to lock it up in an enclosed space or garage. Devices that generate high-frequency sounds. You can find such devices on the market. This remedy is not always effective because weasels or martens turn out to become used to the sound after a while if the frequency remains unchanged. The most effective devices therefore work with variable strength and frequency. 

The damage these gnawing animals can do can be quite serious. Especially for electric vehicles the bill quickly increases. The CEO of VAB Groep experienced this himself. A stone marten gnawed the insulation of the engine compartment and the high-voltage cable of his hybrid car. Cost of the repairs: € 3117. The installation of a marten hunter (between € 25 and € 200) is therefore certainly worthwhile if you live in a risk area. The weasel (Martes nivalis), the  stone marten (Martes foina) and pine marten (Martes martes) belong to the mustelids. They are animals that usually lead a solitary existence and are active at night. In Belgium, the marten is a protected species.

Also read: The Netherlands has a heavy electric truck richer

costly marten damage to cabling
Print Friendly, PDF & Email