Protect your camper against martens

Martens are often the cause of a lot of damage to the engine of your car, campervan or motorhome. The creatures may look cute, but they have the teeth of a piranha. They chew cables and pipes or gnaw on the insulation rubbers. It could be that your camper no longer wants to start just before you leave for that long-awaited holiday. Not only will your holiday be ruined, but the repair costs for such damage can also amount to several hundreds of euros that are not covered by the warranty. Whether the insurance intervenes depends on what type of insurance you have: civil liability insurance does not intervene, but comprehensive insurance does.

There is still a lot of debate about what exactly attracts martens to motor vehicles. Is it the odorants in the engines, are they attracted to the smell of others of their own kind or are they simply looking for a safe and warm place to sleep? Since there is still a lot of uncertainty, there are also many sorts of remedies, the effectiveness of which is not guaranteed.

Prevention is key: keep the martens away from your camper. Our experience shows that the most effective and cheapest way is to park your vehicle in a closed space, preferably a garage. However, the dimensions of our campers usually do not allow this. You probably store your camper in your driveway or in a hangar, where they are very vulnerable to martens. In such a situation we can offer some systems that have proven successful so far:

• Anti Marten Ultrasonic + Tension System. This system repels martens by means of: a double defense system and has proven to be the most successful system so far. On the one hand, a sound box emits an ultrasonic sound that will deter the critters. If a marten passes the ultrasonic sound and still crawls into the engine compartment, it will quickly flee due to the electric shocks from the sensors. For optimal operation, it is best to have this system installed in the engine compartment by our specialists. Please note that the ultrasonic system could also cause nuisance to pets

• You can also purchase the Anti Marten Ultrasonic System separately and install it yourself. The system runs on batteries and makes a high-pitched noise at irregular times that animals experience as unpleasant. Please note that the ultrasonic system could also cause nuisance to pets.

• Anti Marten Scent Spray or Anti Marten Scent Disc: both emit an odor that repels martens. The spray works for short periods (for example, if you go on a weekend to a region where many martens reside) and the disc works for 6 months (for example, during the storage of your camper).

Visit one of our shops or click here and order the product online.
(Sources VAB, Natuurpunt and Ruwelka.)