Rat damage to cars | Protection, solutions & advice

VJ_MAVRICK · 6th October 2008, 09:32

Recently,I have been a victim of rat menace under the hood with both the indicator lights wiring properly chewed up. Read on this thread itself about placing some tobacco pouches @ the possible entries those little fellas venture into the bonnet space and interestingly haven't seen any chewed up wires under the bonnet and surely the tobacco smell warded off those little fellas period.

Thad E Ginathom · 6th October 2008, 17:34

Good thing you didn't give them some areca nut and betel leaves.

I can just imagine them sitting there, chewing and spitting!

Steeroid · 6th October 2008, 17:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by VJ_MAVRICK

Read on this thread itself about placing some tobacco pouches @ the possible entries those little fellas venture into the bonnet space and interestingly haven't seen any chewed up wires under the bonnet and surely the tobacco smell warded off those little fellas period.

So your car smokes...rats?

dwaraka · 6th October 2008, 19:04

Hi All,

I had the rat problem in my new Chevy - UVA. I observed that my petrol indicator is in empty. I was taking my family for a drive. Out of panic i rushed to petrol bunk to fill. I could only 10 ltrs. , became full. I checked the fuel gauge, still empty. I thought something wrong. Finished my drive and went to mechanic.

He opened the rear seat and opened the corpet to expose top of fuel tank. What we see is a big rodent sitting over the tank and munching over the harness of wires. There are atleast 6- 8 wires and all are torn naked. Fortunately none were in contact with each other. Other wise whole electrical system would have short circuited.

The mechanic put fresh wires and covered the whole wiring with a metalic mesh.

However, inside my bonnet, still the rats live. Once, it punctured the Wiper water tank.

Rat is a menace, no idea how to tackle the issue

Dwarak

inder_s1 · 6th October 2008, 19:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Good thing you didn't give them some areca nut and betel leaves.

I can just imagine them sitting there, chewing and spitting!

ROFLMAO ... too good!!

Coming back to the subject, I have some issues with a rat ...err. sorry Bandicoot ... yup...terrorizing my garage. The guy chewed up a wire in my Bimmer engine bay and when I started the car , saw the ABS light still in ON position.

Scared the hell out of me thinking of the expense because of this guy. Anyways, scanned properly and found the chewed wire and connected it back. Light is gone. But the terror isn't.

He's eating rat cakes , <8 of 'em till date> as if it was appetizers. and still lives to terrorize. I really had made up my mind to mesh the complete Garage gate. Hope he doesnt do anything till then.

My dog is working overtime. He knows when the Bandicoot's in the garage and chases it out . But at night , he's not in garage and this guy is having a field day er.. night. hehe!!

zipzapzoom · 6th October 2008, 19:29

hey guys
i guess everyone has faced rats problem,
In my case my car is all wrapped up and packed when i am out of town so i have faced this problem many times. worst was when one morning i was driving suddenly my baleno started missing. first i thought it must be some adulterated fuel but then for better i took it to maruti service center they could not give me an immediate answer so kept the car in.
next day i was told that the wiring was chewed off....heavy bill......rats...
i asked around, got a few tips from friends.. this is what i do now..and touch wood no problems so far.

as regards to protecting interiors spread around some nafta balls not only they smell clean but keep rats at bay. just take care not to place them on upholstery as they stain the upholstery.

as regards to engine bay under the bonnet most simple and cheap...
tobacco... not cigaretts ( ofcourse you may use cigarette ) but the cheapest option is to buy a pack of tobacco from any roadside panwala. 50 paisa for a pack, smellier the better....
the one that gabbar keeps chewing in "sholay"
spread it around liberally...
viola.. no rats...
I do not want to give justifications as regards to why?.. but that's what worked for me. i hope this helps ...
regards

Raccoon · 6th October 2008, 19:30

Which dud rat cakes are those? Why dont you try Mortien? It worked kewl for me... though it takes about 3 days to kill.

inder_s1 · 6th October 2008, 19:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raccoon

Which dud rat cakes are those? Why dont you try Mortien? It worked kewl for me... though it takes about 3 days to kill.

Those were Mortein itself dude ..

This guy just doesnt seem to die. Maybe he borrowed some lives from a nearby cat

VJ_MAVRICK · 6th October 2008, 20:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steeroid

So your car smokes...rats?

Jai ho to "Tobacco Pouches" Steer

. Seriously, it works as the little fellas do find the pungent smelling Tobacco leaves not to their liking I suppose and i am not finding any chewed up wires. Thought of baiting them with rat cakes but there are some stray puppies who might feed on them and i did not want that to happen.

@Thad: That was a good one but definitely in my case it worked for sure.

@inder: Do try putting on some Tobacco pouches, I bet you will thank me ...hahaha....Since its a beemer dont try to put in some Benson&Hedges or Marlboro packs there

. However, trying to find these is a bit tricky.

Shakensoul · 6th October 2008, 20:14

Those mortein rat poison cakes are useless, god knows how many "cakes" I bought and fed to get rid of a rat from my kitchen. Every weekend in my grocery shopping list, there was always a mortein cake present. I think the rats got used to it and started feasting on it, they gracefully accepted my offering and thanked me by leaving rat goo all over the place.
Finally had to resort to a local juggad. Bought a rat cage for 30 bucks, left a peice of fish inside the cage (that was a expensive fish) and presto, I can see the bugger in the morning trapped inside.
I thought, gosh I could have been a millionaire by now if I had not bought all those mortein cakes.

gd1418 · 6th October 2008, 20:42

3 days??? In my Scorpio the Mortein rat cake did the needful overnight...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raccoon

Which dud rat cakes are those? Why dont you try Mortien? It worked kewl for me... though it takes about 3 days to kill.

Must be a divine bandicoot or else a mutated creature that must have escaped from one of the secret defence research labs..

Quote:

Originally Posted by inder_s1

Those were Mortein itself dude ..

This guy just doesnt seem to die. Maybe he borrowed some lives from a nearby cat

Thad E Ginathom · 6th October 2008, 20:42

I still have the mental picture of the rat, taking its leaves, making the paan. Glad you enjoyed.

But if I need, I may well try the tobacco. In fact, might even try it for the washing machine.

But what if, as an exsmoker (even though that was over 15 years ago, once an addict always an addict), I start lying in bed at night dreaming of the tobacco under the washing machine? Dangerous!

Nobody have the company for the electronic gizzmo?

gd1418 · 6th October 2008, 20:45

Yet to find one that operates on batteries...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Nobody have the company for the electronic gizzmo?

inder_s1 · 7th October 2008, 12:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by VJ_MAVRICK

Jai ho to "Tobacco Pouches"

. @inder: Do try putting on some Tobacco pouches, I bet you will thank me ...hahaha....Since its a beemer dont try to put in some Benson&Hedges or Marlboro packs there

. However, trying to find these is a bit tricky.

VJ_MAVRICK

good 1 . Will try

1. tobacco formula - Either he steers clear or chews himeself to death for high dosage tobacco intake

2. pepper formula < earlier posts> .. Hope he sneezes himself to death

Will post the results after a couple of days ..hehe

Raccoon · 7th October 2008, 16:32

I'm very surprised that Mortein hasnt worked for some of you guys. Hope the pack wasnt expired or counterfeit or something.

Also the fact that it takes about 3 days or so to kill is also mentioned in the litreture (if I remember correctly). And it seems to be true... as most of the devils have died outside (I assume, as they never returned)... a couple died inside, and that was after 2-3 days of baiting them with Mortein.

One doubt, when you said Mortein didnt work - are you sure it was eaten? Its important that the rats dont find anything else to eat when you bait them with cakes. Else obviously, they may not find the cakes intresting enough! Also, just because a cake was missing from its place dosent mean it was eaten - they have a habit of carrying it off to places...

6th October 2008, 09:32	#151
VJ_MAVRICK Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,239 Thanked: 34 Times View My Garage	Recently,I have been a victim of rat menace under the hood with both the indicator lights wiring properly chewed up. Read on this thread itself about placing some tobacco pouches @ the possible entries those little fellas venture into the bonnet space and interestingly haven't seen any chewed up wires under the bonnet and surely the tobacco smell warded off those little fellas period.
	() Thanks

6th October 2008, 17:34	#152
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 10,989 Thanked: 26,373 Times	Good thing you didn't give them some areca nut and betel leaves. I can just imagine them sitting there, chewing and spitting!
	() Thanks

6th October 2008, 19:04	#154
dwaraka Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,240 Thanked: 229 Times	Hi All, I had the rat problem in my new Chevy - UVA. I observed that my petrol indicator is in empty. I was taking my family for a drive. Out of panic i rushed to petrol bunk to fill. I could only 10 ltrs. , became full. I checked the fuel gauge, still empty. I thought something wrong. Finished my drive and went to mechanic. He opened the rear seat and opened the corpet to expose top of fuel tank. What we see is a big rodent sitting over the tank and munching over the harness of wires. There are atleast 6- 8 wires and all are torn naked. Fortunately none were in contact with each other. Other wise whole electrical system would have short circuited. The mechanic put fresh wires and covered the whole wiring with a metalic mesh. However, inside my bonnet, still the rats live. Once, it punctured the Wiper water tank. Rat is a menace, no idea how to tackle the issue Dwarak
	() Thanks

6th October 2008, 19:29	#156
zipzapzoom BHPian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 54 Thanked: 16 Times	hey guys i guess everyone has faced rats problem, In my case my car is all wrapped up and packed when i am out of town so i have faced this problem many times. worst was when one morning i was driving suddenly my baleno started missing. first i thought it must be some adulterated fuel but then for better i took it to maruti service center they could not give me an immediate answer so kept the car in. next day i was told that the wiring was chewed off....heavy bill......rats... i asked around, got a few tips from friends.. this is what i do now..and touch wood no problems so far. as regards to protecting interiors spread around some nafta balls not only they smell clean but keep rats at bay. just take care not to place them on upholstery as they stain the upholstery. as regards to engine bay under the bonnet most simple and cheap... tobacco... not cigaretts ( ofcourse you may use cigarette ) but the cheapest option is to buy a pack of tobacco from any roadside panwala. 50 paisa for a pack, smellier the better.... the one that gabbar keeps chewing in "sholay" spread it around liberally... viola.. no rats... I do not want to give justifications as regards to why?.. but that's what worked for me. i hope this helps ... regards
	() Thanks

6th October 2008, 19:30	#157
Raccoon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Poona Posts: 1,851 Thanked: 116 Times	Which dud rat cakes are those? Why dont you try Mortien? It worked kewl for me... though it takes about 3 days to kill.
	() Thanks

6th October 2008, 20:14	#160
Shakensoul BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: AS01 Posts: 498 Thanked: 241 Times View My Garage	Those mortein rat poison cakes are useless, god knows how many "cakes" I bought and fed to get rid of a rat from my kitchen. Every weekend in my grocery shopping list, there was always a mortein cake present. I think the rats got used to it and started feasting on it, they gracefully accepted my offering and thanked me by leaving rat goo all over the place. Finally had to resort to a local juggad. Bought a rat cage for 30 bucks, left a peice of fish inside the cage (that was a expensive fish) and presto, I can see the bugger in the morning trapped inside. I thought, gosh I could have been a millionaire by now if I had not bought all those mortein cakes. Last edited by Shakensoul : 6th October 2008 at 20:15.
	() Thanks

6th October 2008, 20:42	#162
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 10,989 Thanked: 26,373 Times	I still have the mental picture of the rat, taking its leaves, making the paan. Glad you enjoyed. But if I need, I may well try the tobacco. In fact, might even try it for the washing machine. But what if, as an exsmoker (even though that was over 15 years ago, once an addict always an addict), I start lying in bed at night dreaming of the tobacco under the washing machine? Dangerous! Nobody have the company for the electronic gizzmo?
	(1) Thanks

7th October 2008, 16:32	#165
Raccoon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Poona Posts: 1,851 Thanked: 116 Times	I'm very surprised that Mortein hasnt worked for some of you guys. Hope the pack wasnt expired or counterfeit or something. Also the fact that it takes about 3 days or so to kill is also mentioned in the litreture (if I remember correctly). And it seems to be true... as most of the devils have died outside (I assume, as they never returned)... a couple died inside, and that was after 2-3 days of baiting them with Mortein. One doubt, when you said Mortein didnt work - are you sure it was eaten? Its important that the rats dont find anything else to eat when you bait them with cakes. Else obviously, they may not find the cakes intresting enough! Also, just because a cake was missing from its place dosent mean it was eaten - they have a habit of carrying it off to places...
	() Thanks