Seems like they are primarily a thing of Europe. They have a special love-relationship with cars, especially the warm engine after stopping the car during the cool and wet season. After a rain and when my car is dirty outside, I can see their footprints all over the chassis. With modern cars and their enclosing of the engine (because of sound pollution) they have a much harder time to find their way into the engine bay where they would readily gnaw at any wiring and hoses they find.

There are super-sonic devices to be installed in the engine bay to shoo them.