[carzone]

Originally Posted by SDP

Fill up with water+colant mixture again and take it to the service-center/garage. As per my understanding, the coolant pipes are made up of metal. So don't think the coolant leakage has a connection with rats.

Originally Posted by DeepakMenon

Coolant pipes are generally rubber or silicon; But i doubt the rats would do that..

They have a affinity to wires; maybe more chewy and with a tinge !!!

Sorry guys. Had checked the coolant from just outside in bad light. There is coolant in the tank but then too the car gets heated up.
Further investigation revealed that the rats have chewed up other wires and 1 of them has something to do with the radiator fan I guess. Hence the radiator fan does not work and may be this may be the reason for the overheating. I am no techie in this field and hence would like your help.
Does the radiator fan not turning on can overheat the car even if there is coolant present.
Need to get the car to the service center ASAP now.

Also attaching some pics of the engine bay.


The wires that have been cut.


A closer view.


The rats have left some paw marks on the engine cover.

[vishwaschettri]

Originally Posted by GTO

In addition to the wires, rats attacked the Tufkote bottle itself!

Attachment 984511

Attachment 984512

HAHAHAHHAHAHA... I logged in today with a strong resolve to order atleast a dozen of these bottles for all my vehicles after reading about this magic product on TBHP some time back.

Spent 20 mins searching this thread only to see your verdict.

Now what, All my vehicles have been attacked by rats this month. I had to put mouse trap in one of them to catch a really big notorious one!

Any pointer?

cheers
vishwas

[byomjeet]

A friend of mine gave this solution to get rid of rodent or keeping the rats away from car:

1. Make small sachets/pouches (about 5-6) made of think cotton cloth.
2. Put 5-6 naphthaline balls into each of these pouch.
3. Tie these pouches in different place inside the engine bay preferably at the lower end.

Avoid tying these puches close to moving part of the engine like fan.

Though I havent tried, the friend told me that he has got good results in this.

[babu.sundaram]

Originally Posted by vishwaschettri

HAHAHAHHAHAHA... I logged in today with a strong resolve to order atleast a dozen of these bottles for all my vehicles after reading about this magic product on TBHP some time back.

Spent 20 mins searching this thread only to see your verdict.

Now what, All my vehicles have been attacked by rats this month. I had to put mouse trap in one of them to catch a really big notorious one!
...

Spraying diesel works usually. Or.. Have you tried it already?

[Thad E Ginathom]

There was certainly a reduced amount of rat crap around the place when we first judiciously placed Tufkote repellent bottles near gates and their favourite holes. It's being coming back. Either the effectiveness has worn off, or they have become resistant.

I guess we'll try another batch, and see if the pattern repeats.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by carzone

Does the radiator fan not turning on can overheat the car even if there is coolant present.

If the fan does not run the coolant would not get cooled (since no air draft is there, as the fan is stationary)

Cheers!

[GTO]

Tufkote sent me a replacement as the older bottles got eaten up by rats! If yours have too, I suggest complaining to them. They've now put cages over the bottle to prevent damage

Not at all confident of Tufkote working again, but will try. I'm going full guns against the rats now. Enough damage to the cars already!

- Complained to the BMC to take necessary steps in my building
- Brought on Pest Control India with their rat treatment. They are going to treat the entire building
- Plugging all holes, soil etc
- Rat traps across the building (cage and the sticky sheet).

The rats could have stayed happily in the building. By messing with the cars, they've messed with the wrong guy. It's war time folks

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by GTO

The rats could have stayed happily in the building. By messing with the cars, they've messed with the wrong guy. It's war time folks

I can already imagine the rats in your building holding an emergency meeting and making their own war plans!

Complaining to the local civic authorities might actually work. Our area has lots of empty sites with shrubs (Parthenium plants) and bushes - an ideal home for rats. Because of these rats, our area was infested with snakes. Somebody complained to the civic authorities and they brought out JCBs to clean up all plant growth in empty sites.

The rat/snake problem came down drastically.

[yogi1771]

Originally Posted by GTO

Tufkote sent me a replacement as the older bottles got eaten up by rats! If yours have too, I suggest complaining to them. They've now put cages over the bottle to prevent damage :

Think it is a complete waste,it will only protect the bottle but not the car.One way it is better without the cage at least they are busy chewing up the bottle than the wires

[carzone]

I am at the MSIL workshop. The service guy tells me that due to overheating, the A.C. gas has leaked and hence the A.C. is not cooling.
Can someone please clarify that is this possible or is it the rats that has cut some A.C. wires hence the problem?

Please refer my above post for the heating problem. Cannot quote it right now from my phone.
Need your help.

EDIT: I have been quoted around 800/- for the AC gas and some 850/- for the wiring repair. Your views.

[nitnab]

I would like to share my experiences of the rat menance in my car and how I have overcome it. I have a solution which has

worked for me for 3 consecutive moonsoons without a wire or tube being snipped. In my old Maruti Zen I had tried all the

typical solutions such as dry tobacco , wet tobacco, napthalene balls, wire brushes (floor scrubbing type) placed at strategic

locations etc. to no avail. Almost every monsoon I had either the wires or the windshield wiper washer tubes cut. When I bought

my new Estilo in January 2010 I decided to invest in an ultrasonic repellent (automobile model). Unfortunately the current

drain of this unit was so high that if I did not use the car for a few days the battery would go flat and would need a jump-start.

So I disconnected the unit within a month. As soon as the monsoon arrived I had the rats cut the wires going from the engine to

the ECU and it had to be towed to the garrage and the cut wires rejoined. This happened repeatedly three more times wihin a

month and the garrage guy warned me that the next time he would have to completely change the wire harness and it would

cost me a bomb. I then decide to try out covering all the exposed cables and tubes with what is known in the electronics

industry as the MX Easy Cable Cover. This is available at most electronics shops in the large cities or it could be obtained

directly from www.mdrelectronics.com. Info available here : http://www.mdrelectronics.com/Produc...y.asp?PID=3225 These cable covers come in diameters from 10mm to 34mm with 1.5 metre lengths (don't go by the cost mentioned on the website, they are available much cheaper than that at the dealers place) and can be cut to required sizes and put over all the cables and plastic tubes. I used the 22mm or larger size for all the cables and tubes though these are available from 10mm to 34mm sizes. Even for the thin / single wires I used the 22mm diameter size. Ever since I put this in July 2010, touchwood, I have no complaint of wire / tube cutting. This is already my third monsoon. I notice that the rats do enter the engine compartment but no wire / tube cutting issues as yet since then. Given below are some photogarphs :

[nitnab]

An important point which I missed out in my earlier post is that the wiring / tubing under the engine (which is not visible / accessible from the top) also should be covered by these cable covers. For this you will need the help of your local garage guy to slide under the car and complete the work.

[dj7777]

I had tried most of the common solutions like putting tobacco, getting wire steel meshed from Sai Service but eventually what worked was Naphtha.

Try this buy a steel wire mesh used for cleaning utensils, fill the pockets of the mesh with naphthalene balls (4-5 should be enough), now with help of a cable tie or a wire tie these mesh to pockets in your bonnet where rodents might sit and nibble.
Keep replacing it once in few days as the Naphtha evaporates.

I have been using this for last 4-5 years and since have never experienced any issues with rodents.

[kablu]

Hi Friends,

I need some urgent help. Here is my problem.

I've left my car untouched (under cover in my covered car parking)for the past 1.5 months as there was no opportunities to take the car (I use car in limited circumstances such as family trip, hospital runs for parents etc.,).Yesterday, I thought of taking parents to temple and hence was about to do a cursory check of the car. There came the first shock for me when I opened the door.. Rats made my car as their residence and u know what the result would be. Totally messed up interiors!!. I somehow cleaned all the mess and brought back the interiors to a decent condition.

I was trying to operate all the electricals to check whether the rats have played with the wires. In the sequence, I switched ON the blower and then the a/c. There comes the second shock. an unbearable smell at full blast which might be because the rat's used the a/c ducts and air outlets for their bathroom rituals :(.

Now comes the problem. My newborn kid (2 months old) along with his mother is coming back to my house next week. I was planning a lot of short trips to temples with my family. Now that, the car's interior is ruined by rats, what are all the precautions I should take to ensure that the infant is not affected by the rat excretes and stuffs?. I just cleaned the interiors myself with the cleaner sprays (sonex dashboard cleaner, Formulaone leather cleaner). The bad smell from the a/c is still there. should I do a a/c duct cleaning or sort of a/c servicing? I'm deeply worried.

[Arunshek]

Originally Posted by kablu

Hi Friends,
I need some urgent help. Here is my problem.

The bad smell from the a/c is still there. should I do a a/c duct cleaning or sort of a/c servicing? I'm deeply worried.

That's terrible indeed Kablu. It's a relief that the rodents didn't mess up the wiring. Still be to sure, take it to a mechanic and double check all wrings. There can be chances of a short circuit (I'm not scaring you, but to be one a safer side). For eg, When my car got a rodent attack, it bit off the wire connecting to fuel pump, resulting in incorrect fuel indicator. I found it the hard way when my car went standstill on Mumbai Western Express Highway.

Regarding interiors, Since it's your baby's Homecoming, I'll say Vacuum clean, shampoo it, wash the seat covers with some antiseptic/anti-bacteria (Dettol). Another option is Hydrogen Peroxide, which you can get from Local medical store, which can be used to wash your fabric cover and floor mat. I have a month old baby, and like you, I'll be doing all to safeguard her from such situations.

One Q which baffles me, how did rodents get inside your car? Please let us know.