Your car’s lost its pep? Pop open the hood, maybe a rat’s to blame.

Summary

<p>A rat scampers across a grassy patch next to a paved lot at a shopping center in north suburban Niles, picks up a crab apple and carries the bitter little fruit under a parked car and upward — into the engine compartment. </p><p>Soon, the rodent emerges empty-handed and repeats the drill while the vehicle’s owner is inside a nearby storefront, oblivious that a creature is piling up a food source under the hood where there’s also likely a nest — all of which could wreak havoc on expensive auto components over time.</p><p>Not oblivious to this kind of dynamic are local auto mechanics who say…

Description from Chicago Sun-Times.