Rodents ate my car!

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Topic Author
Church Lady
Posts: 817
Joined: Sat Jun 28, 2014 7:49 pm

Rodents ate my car!

Post by Church Lady »

Well not the whole thing .. but they did do $1000 of damage to my fuel tank and evap line. ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS :!: And there's no assurance rodents won't do the same thing next week.

I asked the Toyota service manager why rodents would want to eat a fuel tank and evap line. He claimed to have no idea but said it is quite common.

A little internet searching showed that rodent damage to recent model Toyotas is quite common. Apparently Toyota has switched to soy based plastic, a sort of rodent delicacy.

A relative told me to get on board a class action lawsuit against Toyota. I tried searching the web for such a thing. Whereas it is trivial to find articles such as 'Joe Sixpack initiated a class action lawsuit against Toyota for rodent damage', I can't find anything about how to join an extant class action lawsuit.

Any ideas? Thanks for reading!
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
chevca
Posts: 3473
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 11:22 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by chevca »

That's kinda funny! :happy But, stinks for you and other Toyota owners for sure.

One way to avoid it would be replace the lines with non-soy based plastic. Have you looked into that, if it's possible, and if you might be able to do it yourself? I'm thinking that would be much cheaper than the dealer sticking you with the same lines that could be eaten all over again.
livesoft
Posts: 85972
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:00 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by livesoft »

My neighbor loves rodents though they damaged 3 of his cars. He won't park his cars in his garage anymore, but he doesn't want to kill the rodent either.
Wiki This signature message sponsored by sscritic: Learn to fish.
User avatar
fizxman
Posts: 410
Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2011 9:44 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by fizxman »

Joseph Carter the Mink Man. Or get your own mink. But seriously, probably best to replace with the non-soy parts and get rid of the rodents as well.

https://www.youtube.com/user/josephdcarter
Hockey10
Posts: 1108
Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2016 12:20 pm
Location: Philadelphia suburbs

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by Hockey10 »

Trade the Toyota in for a Honda
Grasshopper
Posts: 1208
Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2010 3:52 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by Grasshopper »

I have a barn owl that lives in the barn where I garage my truck. :beer
Rupert
Posts: 4122
Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2012 12:01 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by Rupert »

Buy a cat. Seriously.
Topic Author
Church Lady
Posts: 817
Joined: Sat Jun 28, 2014 7:49 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by Church Lady »

But seriously, probably best to replace with the non-soy parts and get rid of the rodents as well.
Oh, it's on! I know I have cute, fluffy bunnies and fat squirrels in my driveway. Locals are remarking on the squirrel population expoThere may be mice or scarier things that I have not (yet) noticed. I plan to ask the insurance man this PM if he any idea which type of rodent ate my car.
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
PVW
Posts: 806
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2014 10:01 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by PVW »

Church Lady wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 11:47 am A relative told me to get on board a class action lawsuit against Toyota. I tried searching the web for such a thing. Whereas it is trivial to find articles such as 'Joe Sixpack initiated a class action lawsuit against Toyota for rodent damage', I can't find anything about how to join an extant class action lawsuit.
You usually don't need to be proactive to join a class action lawsuit. You are a member of the class because you own the defective Toyota. If the suit settlement requires Toyota to pay out, then you might need to proactively seek out the administrator or they might already know about you and send you a notification.

Be sure to keep any documentation about cost and cause of the damage.

A possibly easier path is to ask the dealership to cover this under warranty as a defect in materials. Since this is the subject of a class action suit, maybe Toyota has decided to cover this under warranty to limit their damages in the class action.
User avatar
oldcomputerguy
Moderator
Posts: 17878
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2015 5:50 am
Location: Tennessee

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by oldcomputerguy »

Rupert wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 12:21 pm Buy a cat. Seriously.
No. Go to the local animal shelter and adopt one.
There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way. (Christopher Morley)
User avatar
oldcomputerguy
Moderator
Posts: 17878
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2015 5:50 am
Location: Tennessee

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by oldcomputerguy »

Church Lady wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 12:31 pm
But seriously, probably best to replace with the non-soy parts and get rid of the rodents as well.
Oh, it's on! I know I have cute, fluffy bunnies and fat squirrels in my driveway. Locals are remarking on the squirrel population expoThere may be mice or scarier things that I have not (yet) noticed. I plan to ask the insurance man this PM if he any idea which type of rodent ate my car.
It was an ROUS. :twisted:
There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way. (Christopher Morley)
User avatar
Nate79
Posts: 9355
Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2016 6:24 pm
Location: Delaware

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by Nate79 »

Been there, done that, got the insurance check as it was covered under our car insurance.
fourwheelcycle
Posts: 1965
Joined: Sun May 25, 2014 5:55 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by fourwheelcycle »

Rodents ate my car too - twice! So far, I'm up to $4,350. I would ask "Can anyone beat that?", but I bet someone could.

My first experience was the same as the OP's. I left my Honda S2000 at the dealer one day because my Check Engine light was on for no obvious reason. They called me at work and asked if I was sitting down. They said I had mouse damage, and then they asked how much my insurance deductible was. I said "$1,000, but mouse damage could not be that much". They said a mouse, or more probably a mouse family, had made a nest next to my emissions evaporator canister. When they needed more space they ate through the canister and all the lines leading to it. Everything needed to be replaced, at a cost of $1,100 - and this is the less expensive story!

After the S2000 I bought a BMW 135i as a retirement present. Turn the clock forward five years. One morning I headed out for a meeting and found my car would not start. The battery was fine, there was plenty of gas in the car, and no history of starting problems - big mystery. First I paid $230 to have my car flat-bedded to the dealer. Two days later the dealer called to say the problem was that a mouse (or another mouse family) had built a nest under the engine cowling (that BMW puts over their engines to hide the thin electronic ignition wires that have replaced traditional spark plug wires). As with the S2000, as the mice needed more space they just expanded the nest, until one day they chewed through the wiring harness. The dealer said the cost to replace the wiring harness would be $1,000. They thought I would be shocked, but I explained I had previously paid $1,100 for mouse damage to my previous car parked in the same garage space - right next to the woods - duh!

I thought I was done with that mouse episode, but a day later the dealer called to say when they got the wiring harness replaced the car still would not start. Next they discovered that when the mice chewed through the wiring harness they caused a short that blew out a circuit in the engine control chip, which would also need to be replaced. That's when I learned the control chip is one of the most expensive components of the entire car after the engine itself - it would cost $2,000 to replace it. The total cost for flat-bedding and replacement of the wiring harness and the engine control chip came to $3,250. I called (wonderful) AMICA and asked if I was covered for mouse damage, and how much my rates would go up if I submitted a claim. They called the dealer to verify my story and then issued a check for $2,250 directly to the dealer. They said my rates would not go up at all since the mouse damage was just bad luck, covered under my comprehensive coverage rather than my collision coverage.

Needless to say, I never replaced the engine cowling on my BMW. Now the engine looks naked, with lots of skinny wires, but I can do a quick visual check to make sure the mice have not come back. Also, my wife has a great party story about how her husband has purchased every mouse trap and sonic mouse deterrent sold on Amazon.
Last edited by fourwheelcycle on Tue Jul 03, 2018 1:15 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
Frugal Al
Posts: 1736
Joined: Fri May 28, 2010 10:09 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by Frugal Al »

Hockey10 wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 12:14 pmTrade the Toyota in for a Honda
Sadly, as with most auto mfrs, Honda also uses soy based plastics--at least on the electrical wiring insulation. I think my bill was about $300 for new tranny wiring on a Honda CR-V. While rodents have always been problematic with automotive wiring, I think the soy based materials are too attractive to them. The readily available food source encourages them nest there and they subsequently chew on other components as well, creating collateral damage. The answer is to keep rodents out of the garage and/or to not let cars sit undriven for extend periods outside.
Last edited by Frugal Al on Tue Jul 03, 2018 1:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
SurfCityBill
Posts: 547
Joined: Tue May 01, 2012 10:15 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by SurfCityBill »

This forum is full of information. I have never heard of rodent damage to a car before and amazed that some have a recurring problem. If it were me, I'd leave a whole bunch of snap traps along the perimeter walls of my garage. Out of the way so I don't step on them. Bait them with a planters peanut, something that will last a long time. Or a glue trap.
User avatar
jesscj
Posts: 139
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2014 3:51 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by jesscj »

I'm an automotive technician working at a dealership all vehicles no matter make or model can have rodent damage and do. We repair rodent damaged vehicles throughout the year. I have seen major wiring damage, evap line damage, airbox packed with a nest, exhaust filled with dog food, interior damage. We have customers that have repeat damage. It's best to do rodent control where your vehicle sits the most, its not the vehicles fault.
"Gonna Make It"
GW208
Posts: 117
Joined: Sun Jan 17, 2016 10:53 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by GW208 »

jesscj wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 1:32 pm I'm an automotive technician working at a dealership all vehicles no matter make or model can have rodent damage and do. We repair rodent damaged vehicles throughout the year. I have seen major wiring damage, evap line damage, airbox packed with a nest, exhaust filled with dog food, interior damage. We have customers that have repeat damage. It's best to do rodent control where your vehicle sits the most, its not the vehicles fault.
It's not just newer vehicles either, my father had problems with rodents eating the rubber hoses on his truck back in the 60's.
SGM
Posts: 3341
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:46 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by SGM »

An alarm signaled a problem with the exhaust system. A local mechanic misdiagnosed the problem as to do with some sort of sensor. It was the most expensive fix and I suspected it was out of this mechanic's area of expertise. I went to Track Auto and they checked the computer system for free. I wrote down the error message and looked it up on the internet. The most common problem was an improperly fitting gas cap. Tightening the gas cap did not help. I bought a new gas cap but kept getting the alarm signal.


I went to a state certified exhaust inspection mechanic and they showed me where varmints had chewed into the exhaust system. Apparently gasoline tastes sweet and the mechanic said it was quite common a problem. My vehicle is not a Honda. The mechanic replaced the tubing and gave the old eaten up tubing. When the car was due for inspection the state did not even inspect the vehicle as it had been fixed by the certified mechanic and I just had to show the inspector the receipt. Cost was $750 and about $50 for a brand new gas cap. This was still less than what the first mechanic estimated for his incorrect diagnosis.

There are a variety of methods of discouraging varmints. I live on a farm and have experience discouraging deer and now smaller animals.
GrowthSeeker
Posts: 1071
Joined: Tue May 15, 2018 10:14 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by GrowthSeeker »

I had a car parked outside on the driveway for months. Mice were living in the trunk. Yuck.

One can apparently make a barrier to they can't get into the area where the car is. This probably would not work inside a garage: they could just jump down from above. But it is an interesting idea.

See this link, it was just the first one I pulled up on Google; but I considered doing it after I had that previous problem. I just sold the car instead.

https://ucnrs.org/mice-barrier-cars/
scroll down about half way
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're NOT out to get you.
User avatar
arcticpineapplecorp.
Posts: 15014
Joined: Tue Mar 06, 2012 8:22 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by arcticpineapplecorp. »

we had a friend who had her brake lines eaten through by squirrels. it happens, unfortunately.
It's hard to accept the truth when the lies were exactly what you wanted to hear. Investing is simple, but not easy. Buy, hold & rebalance low cost index funds & manage taxable events. Asking Portfolio Questions | Wiki
User avatar
JoMoney
Posts: 16260
Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2013 5:31 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by JoMoney »

Toyota Facing Class Action Over Soy-Based Wiring Insulation
https://www.classaction.org/blog/toyota ... insulation

Toyota Knocked with Another Class Action Over Soy-Based Wiring Insulation
https://www.classaction.org/news/toyota ... insulation
"To achieve satisfactory investment results is easier than most people realize; to achieve superior results is harder than it looks." - Benjamin Graham
pennylane
Posts: 290
Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2018 10:22 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by pennylane »

Hockey10 wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 12:14 pm Trade the Toyota in for a Honda
This.
Boglegrappler
Posts: 1489
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2012 9:24 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by Boglegrappler »

I've had mice chew through the thermostat wiring for a large air conditioning unit. Also chewed through the solenoid wire in an irrigation system box. Also built a home in an outdoor lighting transformer and chewed up the transformer wiring.

I'm not sure what the cure is.
User avatar
heartwood
Posts: 2683
Joined: Sat Nov 23, 2013 12:40 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by heartwood »

Several years ago chipmunks ate the wiring in my neighbor's garaged Mercedes. I recall a couple of thousand dollars worth of damage, perhaps over a couple of days.

Around the same time our air conditioner stopped cooling. The HVAC tech opened the condenser housing, came to get us to show us the dead chipmunk that had started to gnaw through the 220V power cable. It essentially became a fuse that shorted.

I understand that most/all rodents have to gnaw continually since their teeth keep growing. We also had several squirrels that would daily gnaw at the aluminum gutters around our house. It went on for months, waking us most mornings.
PVW
Posts: 806
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2014 10:01 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by PVW »

pennylane wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 3:22 pm
Hockey10 wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 12:14 pm Trade the Toyota in for a Honda
This.
Apparently Honda has the same problem.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/ ... it-n504746
Topic Author
Church Lady
Posts: 817
Joined: Sat Jun 28, 2014 7:49 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by Church Lady »

Rupert wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 12:21 pm Buy a cat. Seriously.
Hmmn. We have feral cats in my neighborhood. Maybe they can't keep up?
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
User avatar
Doom&Gloom
Posts: 5398
Joined: Thu May 08, 2014 3:36 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by Doom&Gloom »

Church Lady wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 5:12 pm
Rupert wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 12:21 pm Buy a cat. Seriously.
Hmmn. We have feral cats in my neighborhood. Maybe they can't keep up?
Feed them a little bit so they will hang around your house more often. Put the food near your car.

And trap them, get them fixed, and turn 'em loose. No fix; no food. That's our program for them.
megabad
Posts: 3638
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2018 4:00 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by megabad »

Church Lady wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 11:47 am Well not the whole thing .. but they did do $1000 of damage to my fuel tank and evap line. ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS :!: And there's no assurance rodents won't do the same thing next week.

I asked the Toyota service manager why rodents would want to eat a fuel tank and evap line. He claimed to have no idea but said it is quite common.

A little internet searching showed that rodent damage to recent model Toyotas is quite common. Apparently Toyota has switched to soy based plastic, a sort of rodent delicacy.

A relative told me to get on board a class action lawsuit against Toyota. I tried searching the web for such a thing. Whereas it is trivial to find articles such as 'Joe Sixpack initiated a class action lawsuit against Toyota for rodent damage', I can't find anything about how to join an extant class action lawsuit.

Any ideas? Thanks for reading!
Very common. Not sure if the comments to buy a Honda are supposed to be ironic as they are the original defendant in the first major class action lawsuit for soy based wiring and other components. Solutions that I have found in order of cruelty:

1)If your car is parked outside, park it inside if possible. Clean out your garage to make room for it. If it is inside already, make sure your door is closed all the time (but you have other problems if you have rats inside your house).
2)Anti rodent tape. There is an official Honda OEM part for this. Or you can buy knockoff stuff for less money but make sure it doesnt melt. Tape the crap out of everything. Wiring, firewall, fuel lines, air lines, etc.
3)Pet snake in the garage. Get a young snake that still has a prey drive. The bigger the better. Most cats don't work. Cats play with mice. Snakes eat them. A snake in the garage really never bothered me.
4)Rat poison. Stick it in a jar if you have pets or children so it isn't reachable. I think the result of this one is pretty apparent.
User avatar
MJS
Posts: 1309
Joined: Sat Aug 05, 2017 10:55 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by MJS »

One suggestion is to leave your hood up to make the space less cozy, especially on cold nights when a nice warm engine is very inviting.
You can also, um, invest in predator marking: wolf or coyote urine sprays are available through Amazon & other Internet stores. A little spray on the floor every once in awhile if your cars are munched much.
Ipsa scientia potestas est. Bacon F.
CedarWaxWing
Posts: 883
Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2014 11:24 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by CedarWaxWing »

An coat the rodent tape with the hottest pepper spray you can get.. or with extract of the hottest peppers available.

https://www.google.com/search?q=the+hot ... fox-b-1-ab
mouses
Posts: 4217
Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2015 12:24 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by mouses »

I guess I'm lucky they just made nests in the upholstery. I had no idea this was such a common problem. I felt like one of the Great Unwashed :-)

Do not adopt a cat unless you're going to keep it inside. Not only are they vulnerable to predators outside, but if your neighbors are putting out rodent poison, the cat can die a horrible death from eating a poisoned rodent.
User avatar
Miriam2
Posts: 4383
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2014 10:51 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by Miriam2 »

^^^^ user name checks out - mouses don't want cats outside 8-)
surgdoc
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 8:34 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by surgdoc »

I had rodent problems with two of my cars. I live next to Potomac river and rodents are big problem.

Two winters ago, I did not drive my Boxster for couple of weeks and kept it covered with a cover in a car port. On a sunny weekend, I decided to take the car for a drive and started my Boxster. A message appeared indicating that oil pressure was low. I checked oil level and it was good. I called dealer and he asked me to drive the vehicle to dealership without stressing the engine. I drove not exceeding 4th gear to dealership. It felt odd driving Boxster at no more than 40 miles per hour on a highway. I got a a call couple of hours later stating that they found a nest and wires leading to oil pump were chewed away. They either can repair for $1700 or replace the harness for $3000. I chose to have it repaired. The car has been working fine for the last 18 months. I believe a rodent felt very secure next to warm engine in winter with darkness provided by car cover. The car was not driven for two weeks and the rodent never felt obliged to leave even though the engine became cold.

Three months later: my Mazda 3 started vibrating while driving. I could feel the engine was not balanced. I took it to the dealer and I was told wires leading to one of the cylinders were chewed away. Only three cylinders were firing causing imbalance and vibration. The bill came to $1500 with new harness and engine cover.

I researched the topic on the web and came up with the following useful tips:
1. Do not leave your car undriven for extended period of time. It only increases chances of a squater to settle in.
2. Do not park it next to woods, if you can avoid.
3. I read that anti-rust spray is NOT tasty for rodents. I sprayed it on the wiring of one of my cars. (Boxster is a mid engine car and wiring is not accesable for spray or taping)
3. Anti rodent tape is sold under Honda brand name. It is expensive and I am not sure if it is worth the cost. It is basically chilli powder infused duct tape.
4. Rodent control. I used rat traps.
5. Some amount of luck they do not decide to make my car their home, instead go to my neighbor"s :)
User avatar
LadyGeek
Site Admin
Posts: 95466
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 4:34 pm
Location: Philadelphia
Contact:

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by LadyGeek »

Same here. Back when I owned a 2000 Volkswagen GTI, I went on vacation and left my car in the garage for a week.

Upon return, I smelled gas and the check engine light threw a code that the fuel gas evaporation system had a low pressure leak. The usual cause is a loose gas cap. Nope, that wasn't it.

After calling the dealer and explaining that I smelled gas, they said to bring it in a few days later. (I'm still wondering why anyone would think that a gas smell does not deserve immediate attention...)

After ripping the car apart, the mechanic finally took an inspection mirror to the last place one would ever look - the small space under the back seat passenger compartment and above the fuel tank. What was in that space? A mouse nest and a chomped on fuel gas vapor circulation tubing.

Everyone in the shop thought it was hysterical. You found what? Really?

The mouse nest was also filled with cloth from various rags left in the garage.

After I got home, a number of mouse traps were set under each tire. I don't remember if we ever caught anything in the traps, but it was a lesson learned about leaving your car alone for week.
Wiki To some, the glass is half full. To others, the glass is half empty. To an engineer, it's twice the size it needs to be.
Swansea
Posts: 1528
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2016 4:16 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by Swansea »

Mice ate vacuum lines in my BMW, causing the icon with a engine block with a red line through it to come on. It caused a loss of power.
The dealership figured it out on the second visit.
Now I put traps in my garage.
Carefreeap
Posts: 3881
Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2015 6:36 pm
Location: SF Bay Area

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by Carefreeap »

Ha, well at about $5k in 2004 I can problem out cost the lot of you. :oops:

I was on a cycle trip to Western Ireland with my mother and had to park my car outside because we were in the process of doing a kitchen remodel and the new cabinets were worth more than my then 12 year old Jeep Grand Cherokee. DH came to pick us up when the car caught on fire just as he was pulling into Sky Harbor Airport. As he likes to tell the story he got to meet the nice people from TSA, Phoenix Police and Fire.

Turns out a pack rat had built a nest on top of the exhaust manifold. During the time it took driving from N. Maricopa County to the airport, the nest had heated up and caught fire. DH hadn't noticed until a person exiting the garage told him that his car was on fire.

It was not great arrival news to be told that we would have to ride the Blue Van in 115 degree heat with our bikes, jet-lagged and take an hour plus to get home since we were last on the delivery route. :annoyed

At least no one was hurt.
Every day I can hike is a good day.
User avatar
abuss368
Posts: 27850
Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2009 2:33 pm
Location: Where the water is warm, the drinks are cold, and I don't know the names of the players!
Contact:

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by abuss368 »

We experienced mice eating certain cables under the hood of a vehicle. It was winter and cold. Thus the mechanic stated this can occur when the rodents are looking for heat and warmth from the elements.
John C. Bogle: “Simplicity is the master key to financial success."
User avatar
CaliJim
Posts: 3050
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2010 7:47 pm
Location: California, near the beach

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by CaliJim »

Google "Rolling Log Mouse Trap".

Maybe better than a cat?

https://www.amazon.com/Original-Rolling ... B071ZF2VZJ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SIlYiiCGLI (squeamish warning - images of dead mice)
-calijim- | | For more info, click this Wiki
AlwaysWannaLearn
Posts: 230
Joined: Mon May 28, 2018 8:37 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by AlwaysWannaLearn »

.....
Last edited by AlwaysWannaLearn on Wed Jul 18, 2018 10:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
youngpleb
Posts: 343
Joined: Mon Oct 16, 2017 7:06 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by youngpleb »

Yeah, a squirrel chewed through some of my Jeep cherokee’s fuel tank wiring about 10 years ago. Ended up costing about $600 IIRC. I contemplated the rodenticide route afterwards, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it to the cute little furry suckers. :mrgreen:
GoldStar
Posts: 959
Joined: Wed May 23, 2018 10:59 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by GoldStar »

Hockey10 wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 12:14 pm Trade the Toyota in for a Honda
I had the same problem with my Honda (they use soy based rubber as well) so not sure this would help.
CurlyDave
Posts: 3182
Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2016 11:37 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by CurlyDave »

Boglegrappler wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 3:28 pm
...I'm not sure what the cure is...
The cure involves dead mice.
Answering a question is easy -- asking the right question is the hard part.
GoldStar
Posts: 959
Joined: Wed May 23, 2018 10:59 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by GoldStar »

PVW wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 3:43 pm
pennylane wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 3:22 pm
Hockey10 wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 12:14 pm Trade the Toyota in for a Honda
This.
Apparently Honda has the same problem.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/ ... it-n504746
Found this boglehead story too:

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=192459
Nicolas
Posts: 4886
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:41 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by Nicolas »

Deleted
Last edited by Nicolas on Wed Sep 05, 2018 8:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
afatcat
Posts: 68
Joined: Sat Mar 28, 2015 9:17 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by afatcat »

Rodents love my Subaru. I've had a squirrel pack the engine compartment with straw, a mouse nest in the engine air filter box, and twice had a mouse nest on top of the cabin air filter in my Subaru. The filter got soaked with urine so the smell coming from the vents was the sign of trouble. I covered the inlet with steel mesh to hopefully keep them out.
birdy
Posts: 376
Joined: Sun May 02, 2010 7:31 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by birdy »

Had placed some ketchup packets in my glove compartment. One day opened up compartment to find ……..well you know! Have had mouse bait stations all around ever since!


birdy
rgs92
Posts: 3436
Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2009 7:00 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by rgs92 »

This stuff works well. It's just clean little sealed packets you place around the bottom of your car near the tires. It has a nice aroma like a strong scented cedar chest. I had an issue and I never had another problem.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008R ... ge_o03_s00?
pshonore
Posts: 8205
Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2009 2:21 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by pshonore »

afatcat wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:05 am Rodents love my Subaru. I've had a squirrel pack the engine compartment with straw, a mouse nest in the engine air filter box, and twice had a mouse nest on top of the cabin air filter in my Subaru. The filter got soaked with urine so the smell coming from the vents was the sign of trouble. I covered the inlet with steel mesh to hopefully keep them out.
Someone, most likely a mouse ate into the electronic parking brake mechanism on our Subaru Outback (which we never used but still cost $1400 to fix)
mouses
Posts: 4217
Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2015 12:24 am

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by mouses »

LadyGeek wrote: Wed Jul 04, 2018 12:52 pm The mouse nest was also filled with cloth from various rags left in the garage.
They really are kind of inventive with nest material. A lot of work goes into building one of those nests.
lazydavid
Posts: 5124
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2016 1:37 pm

Re: Rodents ate my car!

Post by lazydavid »

The class action lawsuit was dismissed:

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/07/05/toy ... dismissed/

I get why they might want to use soy-based looms and hoses. But there are all sorts of foul-tasting deterrents that can be applied to stuff to make them unappetizing. If you have a Nintendo Switch, go ahead and lick a game cartridge. No reason they couldn't treat the wiring/hoses.
Post Reply