Article ( Losses and Lessons: Bats cover stored cars in guano )

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Out of sight shouldn't mean out of mind when storing your cars.

Bats batter stored cars

Hagerty / 2009-10-21

VEHICLES COVERED: 1976 El Camino, 1957 Ford Ranchero and 1939 Studebaker President

WHAT WENT WRONG: A Minnesota man stored his vehicles for the winter in a barn, hoping to keep out the elements. Little did he know the elements had a way of finding a way inside. Hundreds of bats made a home in the barn during the long winter, unbeknownst to the owner. Come spring, he opened up the barn doors only to find his cars coated with bat guano – a caustic mix of feces and urine.

DAMAGE: The droppings ate into the paint job, and without a clear coat, caused significant damage requiring an entire repainting. To make matters worse, the Studebaker was a convertible, and the top was left down. The guano covered the interior resulting in a total loss of around $10,000.

CAUSE: Guano consists of ammonia, along with uric, phosphoric, oxalic, and carbonic acids, as well as some earth salts and impurities. Leave it long enough on anything and it will start to eat its way through.

LESSON: A dedicated storage area doesn’t mean you should ignore covering your collectible, especially if you’re storing your car for a long period of time. Indoor car covers would have prevented the guano from settling directly on the paint. And even for those without a bat problem, indoor covers prevent dust from settling on your paint and safeguard your finish from accidental bumps and scratches. Also make sure your storage area is sealed tightly; bats aren’t the only critters that can make their way into garages and wreak havoc.

BOTTOM LINE: Out of sight shouldn’t mean out of mind.

Article Comments

Fabric softner sheets work well for mice

I have stored our 65 Chevy in the same storage garage for 6 years or more, always covered. This year a shelf let go damaging the trunk lid. Make sure any brackets, hanging parts, shelves are secure, just because they have been up there forever does not mean they cannot work themselves loose.

A way to keep mice out of a storage garage? Try peppermint oil. It'll make your car smell nice and keep the mice at bay. Put it in small bowls or on rags. Just be careful not to spill it. The mice wont come near it. You can use it in the trunk, interior and engine compartment.

A cover is a partial solution (no brainer) but when it comes to rodents some people can't even keep them out of their house let alone storage areas.You have to be selective on what poisons you use some are a pellet type some are grains and such that can't be carried and have to be consumed on the spot so to speak.If you have any source of water like snow for example the varments will just pack the pellets away for another day and it will take a good long time before you finally are rid of them, oh I ment till the next hatch moves in.I would recommend glue boards or traps don't forget the peanutbutter.Then your vehicles won't smell from dead rodents rotting and stains from the bloody varments.Don't forget to plug your air cleaner inlets and tail pipes.It's crazy how much dog food can be stored in a muffler or air cleaner filter housing.

I had mice get into my 68 Mustang. The doors were closed and the windows up. I think they got through the firewall as I first saw one staring back at me from a gap in the sheet metal in the passenger-side, rear corner of the engine compartment near the hood hinge. I set a trap there and got three of them. They had moved about 2-3 cups of bird seed into my heater plenum! Lesson learned? Seal up your garage best you can to keep the critters out and do not attract them in the first place with food (like bird seed).

Not that best collection anyway.

Pigeons, cats, mice, rats, starlings, love barns and cold winters make cars great places to hang out: even with covers.

Yup, keep it covered. Those car capsules do a great job of keeping out pests and recirculating air to keep moisture out.

Besides a conventional cover, make several car width "tents" of bent cardboard. Place them accross the car in several locations. Then place a piece of plastic drop cloth over these "tents" which hold the plastic off the car cover by several inches. Also put a sheet of plastic under the car before driving it in place. These drop cloths will keep dust/and most undesirables off and out of your Baby.

I store my Mustang in my own garage when not in use and it STILL gets two covers on it when not in use. Would not think of anything less.

Who stores their convertable in a barn with the top down???? Come on....

I don't mean to be critical, but there were some obvious mistakes made here and the owner should have taken more care to avoid it. If he had the top up and covered- it only would have only cost him a new car cover.

Does ANYONE have a way to KEEP mice AWAY from my STORAGE GARAGE ? I HAVE TRIED moth balls , Irish Spring SOAP ,Hedge apples , garlic, Poision , TRAPS and EVERY PLUG IN item I've seen . BUT THEY STILL COME BACK!!

I to have a garage just for my ride and even in the summer months it has its cover on, it just makes for a added bit of protection year around and good sense'

All 5 of my cherished possessions are covered as soon as I park them. first I wipe them down then cover...It is a lot of work but it is what it is. My cars dont sit all Winter. when it is dry I drive them. That is the best thing for any car. No such thing as storing to me. I rinse the bottoms of any sand collected. I still have my car from High school. I have owned it 38 years...no cr...here! Be Well and remember SH happens!

This reinforced something I already practice but is also a very good reason to purchase a good cover even when your prize is stored inside a building! Just when you think everything is taken care of CR** HAPPENS!

Hmm... I think I'll be double checking my storage garages...

Wow, that is unfortunate...