Porsche Hartford
Last month, I contacted Porsche Hartford Service Manager Matt Pikul to discuss the upcoming September monthly meeting. Matt is new to the Porsche Hartford team, and I explained to him how the event works and what to expect. I also asked him if he had something he wanted to talk about for the monthly meeting topic. We chatted, and he indicated that not a lot was going on with the Porsche factory and the dealership remodel was now complete. We pondered what we could have as our topic for the evening. I explained that our only requirement was that the topic be “automotive-related”. Then it hit him! Last year. Porsche Hartford had three vehicles totaled due to rodent damage. Since then, he has partnered up with the local company MouseBlocker and so far, has had great success keeping the rodents at bay. With the off-season around the corner and many Porsches going into storage, we figured this would be a great and timely topic, so it was set. I told Matt that in my 10 years of working the CVR programs group, this was the first time we would cover this topic.
Registration for the meeting was strong (thank you to those who registered). When Tuesday night of the meeting arrived, the weather was pleasant and we knew we would have a full group. About 100 CVRers showed up for the meeting. As you most likely know, Porsche Hartford is Connecticut’s only Porsche dealer that reflects the new Gen 5 architecture, and it is beautiful. As the CVRers arrived, they visited the showroom, checked out the Porsches in the service area, and socialized.
One particularly interesting site in the service area was a very large project refurbishing a 2020 Taycan battery pack. It was quite fascinating, and Matt provided us with some of the details on what was taking place. Hartford has only one technician who is trained for this complex task. I’m not an EV fan, but I have to admit, it was something to see.
Dinner arrived and the hungry CVRers filled their plates while the socialization continued. Once dinner was complete, we moved on to our CVR business meeting. President Bob introduced a couple of new members, and the board members that were in attendance gave their updates. The CVR 2025 calendar is coming to a close, but there are still a number of great events to take part in, so check our website for all the details.
Then it was time for our presentation. Matthew Swift is the owner of MouseBlockers and went on to tell us the history and challenges of dealing with the problem of rodents in our cars, and the new technology that has shown such great success. Matthew went on to explain that it is a multifaceted approach to dealing with rodents. First, you need to get them out of your car. Mouseblocker uses high-pitched soundwaves to do this, which we can’t hear but the rodents do. A device placed in your car does the job of keeping them out. Next up, keep them out of the garage. The company sells a device that does this, as well. Once they are banished to the outside, nature takes its course and the cats/hawks/foxes do their thing. Matthew was pleased to share that no dangerous poisons are needed in their solution. The CVRers asked many questions and were quite fascinated by the presentation.
With the meeting complete, we held our door prize raffle. Matt from Porsche Hartford had dug up several neat items, including a sharp Diecast 911 turbo, and Matthew generously donated a couple of MouseBlocker devices. That said, Matthew had brought devices with him to the meeting, and many of them were purchased by the CVR attendees. Rodents, beware! Your time is limited.
We concluded the meeting and wished everyone safe travels home. It was a great and informative event. Thank you, Matt and the Porsche Hartford team, and thank you, Matthew from MouseBlockers. As always CVRers, please utilize our sponsors. If you need a Porsche or service work, be sure to visit our friends at Porsche Hartford, and if you find you have a rodent problem or want to avoid one, be sure to check out MouseBlocker.com and say hello to Matthew. He will take good care of you.
We’ll see you at our final monthly meeting of the year on Tuesday, October 14th, so watch the CVR calendar and your email inbox for the announcement and invite, and be sure to register.
Thanks, Jeff Coe, CVR Programs.
