[RoadMonkey]

Has anyone here tried the TOM CAT Rat repellant spray? How effective is it vis a vis other products? I currently have 3M's spray sprayed on in my car and I have unfortunately seen the foot marks of rodents, luckily no damage yet.

The product I'm taking about is this one - https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07KCCSJG8/

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by RoadMonkey

Has anyone here tried the TOM CAT Rat repellant spray? ...

Thanks. No, but I have noticed this spray. Marked for trying if rat situation worsens.

I imagine actual tomcat spray might be effective! But it tends to repel humans quite effectively too!

[GTO]

Here's a cool video on blocking the entry points:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHJh...ature=youtu.be

[vidyHyd]

My rat damage story continues...

On my Jetta, noticed the coolant warning flash. Since I delayed the annual servicing by a month, initially I suspected the coolant level to be low. As shown in the image noticed there is sufficient fluid in the tank and I could not notice any leak.

Surprisingly the wires connected to the coolant tank are cut! I think they are wires connected to the coolant sensor. Can anyone please confirm? All other wires are intact except for these two These are pretty high in the engine area for a rat to reach them. So, I am not sure what could have happened! Any ideas?

[vickzkool]

rats are a ongoing issue as we have 2 cars in Hyd with parents predominantly using the hatch back for daily ride and the sedan being used occasionally or regularly during me and my brothers visit to India , whilst both are parked on our driveway the sedan has issues with rats at regular intervals which i believe is due to lack of daily usage , cannot use chemicals as we have pets in our house and still looking for a long term solution for the past 2 years , any products recommended will be greatly appreciated as this will make my dad's life easier

[RoadMonkey]

I recently bought the much recommended Autoguard rat repellant spray. It's listed as non toxic and has sandalwood smell. A lot of members in this forum use it and have not read any complaints regarding it unlike the 3M spray. You could give it a shot, or try the tar-brush boundary a few people have done.

[RoadMonkey]

People who have sprayed the Autoguard spray in their car, how long till the smell goes away? The AC also keeps spraying it in even in recirculation mode and I can't help but feel it's harmful. I couldn't figure out the air intake of the new Polo for its AC but tried to strictly spray only on the exposed wires. It's making the car undriveable and the AC unusable. I've asked the seller about possible toxic content of it but he has not responded with anything. I'm worried about being exposed to potentially harmful chemicals as the ingredients aren't mentioned on the can. What can I do about this?

Also, while application I was wearing a surgical mask and spectacles, should one take more precautions? If yes, what could they be? I'm thinking it's better to risk the car's health than yours.

[gotoguru]

Can setting up some small light source inside the bonnet like the attached pic deter the rats from entering?

[motorguy]

One more remedy I've heard of on the Internet and used myself is to take a sprayer bottle with clean water, add about 40-50 drops of peppermint oil. Shake the bottle and using the spray setting, spray the engine compartment. The smell of the peppermint oil supposedly repels rodents. Also since 90% is water, it is harmelss.

The only downside is that you probably have to spray one or two times a week. I use this now instead of Autoguard (which incidentally I've found effective as well).

There are several Youtube videos as well on the peppermint remedy.

[sjcherian]

Had the rat issue for years during the rainy months from Oct-Feb . The solution that really works is rat poison -something that is locally available in the form of a biscuit/cake (no brand name ). The rats eat it and then go away and die. Had to do that for a couple of times and now no more rats !

[Indian2003]

I dont have a problem with rats but mice. I used moth balls and managed to keep them away. I left about 500 grams of them inside the car.
Now the moth balls are gone and the mice are back.

At first I used a humane method to trap them in a plastic bucket. When I trapped them I let them go a distance away from the house.

Finally I had to kill them using snap traps. Once in a while I leave 4 traps inside the car.

So far no damage has been done inside the car.

Inside the rear bumper there is a flap to release pressure when I close the door. I am going to cover that with a steel mesh. There are no holes in the engine bay.

Once I found that they had made house inside my airfilter.

[whitewing]

Originally Posted by Indian2003

I dont have a problem with rats but mice. I used moth balls and managed to keep them away. I left about 500 grams of them inside the car..

That is quite a mass of mothballs. These are not exactly nice to the human body. Something I would avoid in quantities. You switching to traps seem to be the right choice. You can consider a mouse trap that locks in the mouse in a compartment rather than killing it.

[any23]

https://www.amazon.com/3M-24-1X15FT-...9863451&sr=8-2

In any case such kind of tape can be used on wiring exposed to rats in the engine bay area? If it is a YES then may be such an tape can be sourced and with help of glue or automotive tape can be used to save original wiring, or simply we can buy metal mosquito mesh/net and cut it as per standard tape width.

Year 2018, rats chewed wiring in my Polo and also gave birth to new ones

I use 3M anti-rodent spray in engine bay area, and ensured garage is rat proof by blocking any opening/entry points using mosquito mesh (metal one).

One such kind of tape -
https://metexonline.com/product/mete...tape-5mt-roll/

[pcpranav]

Originally Posted by any23

https://www.amazon.com/3M-24-1X15FT-...9863451&sr=8-2

In any case such kind of tape can be used on wiring exposed to rats in the engine bay area? If it is a YES then may be such an tape can be sourced and with help of glue or automotive tape can be used to save original wiring, or simply we can buy metal mosquito mesh/net and cut it as per standard tape width.
....

refer THIS (Pics: Honda's Rat-Proof Tape! Protect your car from rodents) post wherein I have put details to source the special anti-rodent insulation tape. I did not pursue buying it yet, maybe in near future will get it.

The 3M-Rodent-spray : this is really a nice product. I have sprayed on the engine bay of my car, and also on all susceptible parts of my bike. The spray needs to be renewed (re-done) every 6-8 months, and a nice coating is formed on the parts - washing doesn't affect its efficiency.
Infact, just the other day I ordered another can from Amazon.

regards,
Pranav

[ArunRam]

Hi,

I have had rat issue with my old car CAPTIVA. The rats would sneek in and cause all sorts of damage - bitten wires, gnawed linings etc. I tried many solutions listed here - rat sprays, naptha, Ultrasonic repellent inside the bonnet et al. I found some success with pepper powder and chilli powder. Chilli powder was particularly effective when it was freshly sprinkled on the ground below the engine bay of the parked car. ( Sprinkle first and park the car later). But the problem never really went away.

When I replaced my car with a Polo, with a two month gap of no car in the garage. The rats problem returned again. Thankfully they haven't had decided to chew through wires, but the markings were all there. Droppings below engine bay of the parked car and little paw marks on battery and engine cover. It got me perplexed again! If they were habitual, they could not have returned as soon as they find a new car in my garage.

I decided that they were looking for something, that something could be water drops from due to AC of car. So I started to keep, to the amusement of my house members, some water filled low height containers ( lids of plastic container boxes in my case), at one or two places on either side of car, after I parked my car. To my surprise rats stopped visiting my car's bonnet! I tried to do this for weeks and its was successful. To test my theory, I stopped filling water at nights and presto! rats were in my bonnet again. So my theory is still working for me, from past two months.

So, could anyone try this out and give a feedback? At the most this could merit a few chuckles