Rats!

[tyler velarde]

Can rats do damage under the hood of your car if it's not sitting around? I've defiantly heard that can do damage, but I've only heard it about cars that sit around. I found some rat droppings on my battery today. I park it in the same spot every day and I defiantly see rats around.

 

[rallytaff]

Have the same problem occasionally. Just like you, nuts or remains of on top of the battery. try some "Mighty Mint" rodent repellent from Amazon. They do NOT like that smell. It's strong and all natural and safe for pets.

 

[Intuit]

It's much more common with motorcycles because for most people they do nothing but sit. They're the bane of people with garage queens in general. They chew wires and store stuff in odd places (like your intake) that cause problems.

 

[rallytaff]

My car is parked on the street because I can't get it in the garage. I'm too low!

 

[M-Sport fan]

It's much more common with motorcycles because for most people they do nothing but sit. They're the bane of people with garage queens in general. They chew wires and store stuff in odd places (like your intake) that cause problems.

They are attracted to the non-plastic wire harness binding materials, as well as to some of the actual wire casing material itself.

For some reason it smells like acorns, or other nuts to them.

 

[tyler velarde]

Do they do damage damage to a car that gets driven everyday?

 

[Dpro]

Do they do damage damage to a car that gets driven everyday?

if they car gets driven everyday chances are they might not have time to cause real damage. Though if it sits ya wiring harnesses can get all screwed up or I should say chewed up.

 

[Intuit]

They are attracted to the non-plastic wire harness binding materials, as well as to some of the actual wire casing material itself.

For some reason it smells like acorns, or other nuts to them.

Well, perhaps spreading owl droppings all over the car will help... 😁

 

[Tnort]

Park it with the hood open, they wont like to hide there if they are exposed.

 

[Mike King]

They are attracted to the non-plastic wire harness binding materials, as well as to some of the actual wire casing material itself.

For some reason it smells like acorns, or other nuts to them.

Wire manufactures now use vegetable based oils in manufacturing because it's "better" for the environment. Rodents love the taste. It's the same with plastic fuel lines, engine covers and intake parts. I have seen a groundhog total a vehicle.

 

[vivix]

Just had my lawn tractor ruined because I didnt mouseproof the shed well enough. Fuck rodents. If theres signs under the hood it's safe to assume they were in there long enough to mess something up. Or at the very least stuff every nook and cranny with nuts etc. The mint stuff mentioned above helps. If you werent street parking I'd say get some traps and poison

 

[SPhilli911]

My parent's garage has a bad mouse problem. I've had them in the engine bay and in the headliner when I parked in the garage over there. In fact, they chewed through the wiring to my mom's car and we had to replace the sunroof motor.

I've since put up traps and tried peppermint spray/ soaking cotton balls with mint extract and placing them inside the engine bay and interior. Seems to work.

 

[M-Sport fan]

 

[PhoenixM3]

I‘ve had two cars chewed up by mice. First was was the under hood insulation on an ‘02 M3, second was a coolant hose on my wife’s ‘08 Mini Cooper S. Fortunately, no wiring harness was eaten.

 

[flbchbm]

My car is parked on the street because I can't get it in the garage. I'm too low!

But at least it looks cool, right?

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[Filandro]

Soy has found it's way into wire insulation and other related component.

Rodents eating wires is a thing. I believe that Toyota and Honda were the faster adopters of soy-based wire insulation, and the most prone to rodents eating the wires.

A friend did have some rodents eat his Alfa Romeo wires.

Rodent Repellent is a thing for cars. However, it is a mild deterrent. Starving rodents will eat your wires if desperate enough.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71Dj-wHAElL._AC_SL1500_.jpg

 

[Mike King]

I tell customers to put dryer sheets or mothballs in an old stocking wherever they have a rodent problem. It seems to work on all but the most hardcore groundhog. I saw a plastic fuel tank leaking at the edge where a groundhog chewed through it. Needless to say, I shoot every groundhog on my property.

 

[Intuit]

...and so the escalation begins...

 

[Makvanaket]

Rats can definitely cause damage, even if your car isn't sitting around for too long. It sounds like they've made themselves quite at home around your parking spot ! If you're looking for ways to deal with them, I've got a suggestion you might find helpful. Have you considered checking out flea pest control methods? I know it might seem a bit unrelated, but trust me, those methods can work wonders for dealing with rats too. It's all about finding what works best for your situation, right? Anyway, hope that helps! Good luck getting those rats out of your car – and hopefully, out of your parking spot too.

 

[rallytaff]

This is a version of what I bought for both of our cars. No more problems since installing. It sits anchored on top of the battery where it appears they used to dine!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D118ZR...165&s=hpc&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWwy