[hanzt]

Originally Posted by Shan_Kmu

Hello everyone, Our Bolero was rat infested for at least 2 years now and I have tried multiple options as listed below and none of them seem effective. They are coming only during the night.

1) Rat cake on all 4 wheels - They treat it like a snack. The following day I see the cake leftovers on top of engine head and battery and they kept on coming. Battery and engine seems like their dinner table

Rat cakes are useless, they arent potent enough. Have you tried using 'Ratol' ?

[LearnerForLife]

Saw this Indian solution for the rat problem recently. While it looks promising, it also looked very dangerous incase the screws come out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hZ3j31eNro

[saisree]

Seltos Parked inside steel frame to safe guard from Rodents.

what this Kia Seltos owner has done is something that we’ve never seen before. After parking his vehicle, he uses a car cover for protection against weather. Next, he wraps the lower portion of his SUV in steel! Through this, he saves his vehicle from rodents entering the internals of his Kia.

Read here

[Thad E Ginathom]

The second picture shows another car with same barrier.

What is not shown is how he closes the join. What a pity this is not a BHPian! An informative pic of the steel used, the bending to shape, closing the join, and general use would be most interesting.

If that is steel, it must be stainless, else it would be rusting almost immediately. Just a thought: I wonder if it could be aluminium? That would be a lot lighter and easier to handle, and does not rust.

Another of my guesses is that it must be used also to reserve the parking space.

Especially for stainless, the material cost must be high. I'd be worried about theft, as this is apparently on the street.

[shankar.balan]

Good stuff this Bitter repellent.
Be cautious. Use only with gloves and mask.
Its got a horrible bitter taste and when you breathe it in, it really is miserable.
The rat cakes too are good
Can be kept near the parking spaces.

[Vasuki]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Good stuff this Bitter repellent.
Be cautious. Use only with gloves and mask.
Can be kept near the parking spaces.

How frequently should we use this product for desired results? Also is it practical? Do you have first-hand experience? Thanks in advance.

Also, is there a chance that this foul smell percolates to the car's interior? Then it will become more headache than a boon.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Vasuki

How frequently should we use this product for desired results? Also is it practical? Do you have first-hand experience? Thanks in advance.

Also, is there a chance that this foul smell percolates to the car's interior? Then it will become more headache than a boon.

I have used this only twice so far.
I spray this anti rat spray in the engine bay once a month.
Earlier I used to just spray savlon or safe hands home surface disinfectant aerosol on the wires and rubber bits. That also used to work.
However, a squirrel or a rat had bitten my windshield wiper spray’s hose inside the bonnet and that has caused me to go for a stronger repellent like this rat bitter spray.
Wear a mask and gloves when spraying. Try to not breathe else you will feel that horrible bitterness.
After spraying and allowing the car to sit for 30 mins, I did take it for a drive and there was no smell
Inside the car.
To keep the insides of the car fresh-smelling I use a few camphor tablets scattered about the floor, under the seats and in the hatch/ boot spaces. Typically I scatter some tablets in the car once in 2 months or so. Camphor slowly dissolves over time.
This helps greatly in keeping insects and other creatures away. I dont think rats and other animals also like to hang around in places which have this camphor smell.
The main thing that one should always be mindful of is never to eat and drink when in the car for fear of dropping crumbs and food bits. Also never leave food packets in the car ever. Like biscuits and chips and all that stuff. Thats a surefire attraction for all sorts of creatures.

[Shan_Kmu]

Originally Posted by hanzt

Rat cakes are useless, they arent potent enough. Have you tried using 'Ratol' ?

Not yet hanzt. Bought Ratol from a shop just now. Need to see how it works

[thanixravindran]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I have used this only twice so far.
I spray this anti rat spray in the engine bay once a month.

Thanks for the information. Is there any precaution on the engine bay side (of course car switched off and not hot) to be taken for using this spray? Do I have to keep the bonnet open for sometime?

With the onset of monsoon and rains in Chennai and my Kushaq only being occasionally used, rats are now attracted to it. I took the car yesterday for diwali shopping and rat smell filled the car once AC is turned on

Pleasant weather saved me during the trip and upon checking the engine bay, found generous rat excreta and till now damage is limited to chewed washer pipe. There is no cabin intrusion as I don't allow any food inside the car Have to wait for few days to take it to service station to get the engine bay and AC cleaned and looking for solution to keep the rats at bay. I will try this solution and report back.

[gadadhar]

Originally Posted by thanixravindran

Thanks for the information. Is there any precaution on the engine bay side (of course car switched off and not hot) to be taken for using this spray? Do I have to keep the bonnet open for sometime?

Don't spray when the engine parts are hot. There is no need to leave the bonnet open after spraying. Hope that spray does the trick for you. Another tip is to change the parking position, try to park in the opposite direction if you don't have an alternate slot

[thanixravindran]

Originally Posted by gadadhar

Don't spray when the engine parts are hot. There is no need to leave the bonnet open after spraying. Hope that spray does the trick for you. Another tip is to change the parking position, try to park in the opposite direction if you don't have an alternate slot

Luckily the car was used like 10, Downing Street aka short stay by the rats. No long lasting damage to the car or wallet. Just AC disinfection and cowl top cleaning is all needed. I have ordered the Bitter spray but went on travel before it was delivered. So like you suggested, kept the car facing the gate rather than the wall hoping the rats get disoriented in the direction change

And more importantly, added the tobacco in engine bay area. I didn't stop there and added some rat cakes and glue traps on the wall edges too. Finally, trained wifey to open the bonnet and inspect while I am away. Entire last week my mood was sombre but after all of this felt confident of victory over evil and travelled

[candywhite]

Today, after returning from my daily run, I noticed a connector under the hood of my 2022 Polo TSI MT on the RH (driver) side with naked wires sticking out of it. Upon comparing the images with those from the internet I figured that there is supposed to be a wire connected to it (duh!). Found the wire ripped from the connector. I don't know how it happened. Rats maybe!

There are no tell-tale lights on the dashboard. The car behaves absolutely normal too.

Can someone tell me what function does this connector serve?

I'm going to the ASC tomorrow, but I am sure I won't have good sleep at night unless I know what connector this is.

See images for reference.



Thanks!

[JMaruru]

Originally Posted by RavSam

Peppermint oil would cost Rs. 200 tops and lasts for a year.

Where do you get this peppermint oil? Do we have to buy of a particular strength?

[RavSam]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

Where do you get this peppermint oil? Do we have to buy of a particular strength?

I bought this "Organix Mantra Peppermint Mentha Piperita Essential Oil" from Amazon (not affiliated in any way).

Put 15-20 drops in 1litre of spray bottle for diluting. Used to spray it on wheel well.

I also made tobacco pouches and placed them inside bonnet and removed before driving.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by RavSam

Put 15-20 drops in 1litre of spray bottle for diluting.

Did you add anything else apart from water? Idea: some detergent to emulsify it, shake before use.

Just an idea.