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Old 2nd July 2021, 10:09   #1
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Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector

I have seen rats nest in the engine bay but never seen them convert a car to a rat mansion.

What's more pathetic is how these manufactures adds provisions for these rodents to freely move all around inside the car and the number of entrances available from the outside are countless.

What's more funny is that MG dealerships insist you buy their "rat mesh" add-on when buying a new car which makes it all the more evident that they're well aware of these issues, to a point I feel this is intentionally provisioned.

The rodents entered the vehicle making a hole under the rear seat (still no idea how and they say it can't be covered now) and made its way all the way to the sunroof chewing pretty much everything on the way.

I should probably let the pictures speak for itself.

Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector-whatsapp-image-20210702-09.36.43.jpeg
Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector-whatsapp-image-20210702-09.36.44.jpeg
Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector-whatsapp-image-20210702-09.36.44-1.jpeg
Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector-whatsapp-image-20210702-09.37.04.jpeg
Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector-whatsapp-image-20210702-09.37.02.jpeg

Apart from the rat mesh and sprays and what are some other humane ways to keep the rodents away?
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Old 2nd July 2021, 10:52   #2
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re: Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector

Rodent menace seems to be a never-ending issue for us Indians who mostly park our cars on the streets. Each time there is a warning sensor on, the credit, most of the time, goes to rat bites and this followed by shelling out the hard-earned money depending on the extent of the damage. I recently came across a post in the forum where a fellow bhpian SedanGuy had ECM failure and the ASC claimed it to be a consequence of a rat bite.

That said, this intentional cheap play by MG comes as a shock. The dealership insisting their customers buy a rat mesh as an add-on is quite annoying when, in fact, they are trying to cover up the manufacturer’s fault of having allowed so much space for the rats to become easy inhabitants.

Though many posts on the forum in relation to rat bites can be found, the first best thing is to park indoors (and ensure rodents cannot enter), avoid any food items or spillage in cars, using rat traps (although this does not help much because of the ever-growing families of rats), using a repellant spray or opting for an insurance that would cover the damage caused by rat-bites. Nonetheless, it is in the interest of the manufacturers to change the components of the wirings which would hopefully reduce the extent of damage at least, lest the rat bite.

It is high time the manufacturers understand the gravity of the menace caused by these little invaders and the agony consumers are facing and do something about it.
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Old 2nd July 2021, 12:46   #3
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re: Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector

Buy a very potent pesticide, buy few air tight plastic containers. Fill the containers with pesticide and keep them lid open under your car, in engine bay when parked, when taking your car out, store the containers securely lid closed.

I was managing with one container in the engine bay but for your problem you need more than one. I don't know the pesticide name but it was very potent, horrible smell, and was used to kill crabs in our paddy fields.
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Old 2nd July 2021, 13:10   #4
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re: Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector

Quote:
Originally Posted by soji View Post

Apart from the rat mesh and sprays and what are some other humane ways to keep the rodents away?
Rat mesh & Sprays can help to keep away rodents to some extent.

However, the best solution is to actually use the car.

I know it's lockdown etc., however, the best we can do to keep away rodents, is to regular start the car atleast twice a week, and take it for a 10-15min spin, inside the apartment complex.

Also, it is best to never eat food in the car or leave food droppings in it.
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Old 2nd July 2021, 14:06   #5
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re: Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector

A very pathetic sight those images show. Feel sorry for the brand new car becoming a favourite enclosure for the rodents to play with.

If your car is in a closed garage, please use an electronic rat repellant. These are available plentifully at affordable prices. Secondly, you can keep dried tobacco leaves in cotton cloth in the vulnerable areas including, inside the engine bay when you park the car. Its pungent smell is among the best known rat repellants.

On a lighter note, January 25th 2020 to February 11th 2021, was the 'Year of the Rat' in China.

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/int...zodiac/rat.htm
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Old 3rd July 2021, 08:42   #6
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Re: Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector

Quote:
Originally Posted by soji View Post
What's more funny is that MG dealerships insist you buy their "rat mesh" add-on when buying a new car which makes it all the more evident that they're well aware of these issues, to a point I feel this is intentionally provisioned.
Horrible, just horrible. If there is a known solution, MG should wake up and provide the mesh from the factory itself. Manufacturers always talk of making the car "India ready" by raising the GC, beefing up the air-con & cooling system, rough road packages etc. But another top priority should be making the car rat proof. Honda was also careless where they were using some kind of rubber (for pipes & wires) that rats used to feast on! They actually got sued in the USA for this. I remember my City Vtec & Civic were the most affected by rats.

Quote:
Apart from the rat mesh and sprays and what are some other humane ways to keep the rodents away?
Here's what appears to be working for me (7 years, no rat damage):

- Varna Suraksha. I put two of these in the 5-Series & Superb.

- AutoShine rat repellent spray (Protecting cars from the RAT menace - Autoshine Rat Spray (Mumbai)). Won't stop the rats from coming to your engine bay, but will stop them from biting. I spray it every 60 days or so.

- Honda rat-repellent tape on all wires.

- Spikes around the parked car:


- Keeping the building clean, sealing up all rat holes / burrows and placing rat poison every fortnight.

Last edited by CrAzY dRiVeR : 3rd July 2021 at 15:59. Reason: RP
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Old 3rd July 2021, 10:38   #7
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Re: Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector

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Originally Posted by nandrive View Post
Buy a very potent pesticide, buy few air tight plastic containers.

I don't know the pesticide name but it was very potent, horrible smell, and was used to kill crabs in our paddy fields.
If you could ferret out the name of this pesticide, probably some of us would find good use for it.
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Old 3rd July 2021, 10:43   #8
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Re: Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector

Thank you for sharing these GTO.

The honda rat tape looks intriguing. I did a quick search and couldn't find any Indian listings though.

I'm currently using a rat repellant spray but can't say if it's effective yet. I'd also try the Ultrasonic repellant you have mentioned.

Unfortunately, the spiked enclosure is not an option for us since we have our pets (2 dogs and 3 cats) running around all the time. You read the irony, don't you These cats aren't doing their jobs right.


Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Here's what appears to be working for me (7 years, no rat damage):

- Varna Suraksha. I put two of these in the 5-Series & Superb.

- AutoShine rat repellent spray (Protecting cars from the RAT menace - Autoshine Rat Spray (Mumbai)). Won't stop the rats from coming to your engine bay, but will stop them from biting. I spray it every 60 days or so.

- Honda rat-repellent tape on all wires.

- Spikes around the parked car:


- Keeping the building clean, sealing up all rat holes / burrows and placing rat poison every fortnight.

Last edited by soji : 3rd July 2021 at 10:45.
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Old 3rd July 2021, 10:46   #9
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Re: Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector

Quote:
Originally Posted by soji View Post
I have seen rats nest in the engine bay but never seen them convert a car to a rat mansion.

The rodents entered the vehicle making a hole under the rear seat (still no idea how and they say it can't be covered now) and made its way all the way to the sunroof chewing pretty much everything on the way.
Very sad pictures on a brand new car. I can understand the pain.

Quote:
What's more funny is that MG dealerships insist you buy their "rat mesh" add-on when buying a new car which makes it all the more evident that they're well aware of these issues, to a point I feel this is intentionally provisioned.
I do understand your point. But rat problem is a common issue in our country and many people have had their cars ruined. This is not vehicle specific and can happen to anyone. So it is not intentional by any manufacturer.
At least MG is providing this at a cost. Many manufacturers don't. I'm sure the cost of the mesh is peanuts as compared to the car itself.
For my vehicle, I got a mesh fabricated and installed by one of my friends. But this is only to prevent rat entry to the cabin via the AC suction. Cannot do anything for entry into engine bay area, except for rat repellent sprays, tobacco etc.

Last edited by ruzbehxyz : 3rd July 2021 at 10:48.
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Old 3rd July 2021, 11:01   #10
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Re: Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector

I have been spending a lot of money on controlling the rat menace. I have tried every trick but nothing seems to work on a long term basis. The current thing that seems to work is spraying the area with black phenyl (Warning: this thing has a notorious hospital smell). Rats detest anything with an overpowering smell.
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Old 3rd July 2021, 11:04   #11
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Re: Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector

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Originally Posted by ruzbehxyz View Post
I do understand your point. But rat problem is a common issue in our country and many people have had their cars ruined. This is not vehicle specific and can happen to anyone. So it is not intentional by any manufacturer.
At least MG is providing this at a cost. Many manufacturers don't. I'm sure the cost of the mesh is peanuts as compared to the car itself.
For my vehicle, I got a mesh fabricated and installed by one of my friends. But this is only to prevent rat entry to the cabin via the AC suction. Cannot do anything for entry into engine bay area, except for rat repellent sprays, tobacco etc.
We've had numerous other cars parked in the same spot but this has been a problem only in the recent Harrier & Hector. I understand rodents entering the engine bay is not preventable but how they find their way inside the cars is what's shocking. And it's just not rodents; my dad says he keeps seeing mosquitoes coming out of the air vent in the mornings.

In my harrier there's this compartment right underneath the windshield which houses bundles of cables with no sleeves on them. Last week it underwent a repair when a rodent chew the clutch high pressure tube and these wires and damping materials in that compartment and it all happened overnight when the vehicle was parked in the porch.

Manufactures adding soy based insulations is common lately and it's welcomed too as it's more environment friendly but without proper measures taken to prevent rodents from entering inside the car it's just additional burden on the owners and this whole initiative is futile.
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Old 3rd July 2021, 11:05   #12
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Re: Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector

I have multiple cars with different usage patterns. The most important thing I've noticed is that I have no rat problem in cars which I use frequently (at least once in two days). If the car is parked for more than a month, no amount of rat protection sprays or devices can protect.
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Old 3rd July 2021, 12:57   #13
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Re: Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector

Quote:
Originally Posted by soji View Post
Apart from the rat mesh and sprays and what are some other humane ways to keep the rodents away?
Check out this thread here on Team-Bhp too : https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...-rats-105.html

Sad to see such a new car having suffered such destruction by rats. Like most have said, one of the best measures is to make sure the car is started rather than sit idle for too many days at a stretch. Most of the recent cars launched have them and I believe the MG too comes with support to start the car via an application. Do ensure to use that or ask family members to start the car every two or three days if your away.
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Old 4th July 2021, 08:53   #14
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Re: Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector

I do have a very basic question, do pardon my ignorance on the same.
How do you folks source the Tobacco? Is it cigarette tobacco that you get by opening up cigarette packets/cigarettes, or is it the less expensive chewing tobacco type, or something else? Also, how many packs are usually needed to be effective (if at all, in general)?
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Old 4th July 2021, 09:20   #15
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Re: Rats destroy the interiors of my MG Hector

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Originally Posted by SchrödingersCar View Post
Is it cigarette tobacco that you get by opening up cigarette packets/cigarettes, or is it the less expensive chewing tobacco type, or something else? Also, how many packs are usually needed to be effective (if at all, in general)?
Hell no! Cigarette tobacco is the michelin star food grade tobacco of the tobacco family. It is treated to be as non-offensive as possible.

You should source the gnarly black cancerous-at-first-glance stuff that's used for preparing khaini(google it). Gnarlier, the better. It's pure poison, to humans and rats alike. Usually found at roadside khokhe with the tobacco all laid out to dry like Medusa's hair.

Also I have found 'gudaku' to be useful. It's a similar gnarly disgusting tobacco product consumed by humans. Gudaku is sticky, jaggery infused with cancer-grade tobacco that gives off an offensive smell. It sticks to surface and hence I had lined up the rat highways in my car with gudaku. None of them had dared to taste the gudaku since I used to find rat carcasses around my car.
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