[Shrek8421]

My SA from nexa advised me to mix 50% Dettol and 50% water and spray in the areas where rats are likely. I am not sure if this method works but he seemed confident. I have sprayed the solution but yet to find out how effective it is.

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by Shrek8421

My SA from nexa advised me to mix 50% Dettol and 50% water and spray in the areas where rats are likely. I am not sure if this method works but he seemed confident. I have sprayed the solution but yet to find out how effective it is.

I follow this practice but I not do spray on the engine components. Dettol may be mildly acidic and in the long term will damage metal parts so please stop spraying. I pour diluted Dettol mixed water on the engine plastic guard at the bottom and try not to splash the water on the components. This removes the traces/smell etc of the rats droppings etc and prevents them from littering on the engine guard. I use this (Protecting cars from the RAT menace - Autoshine Rat Spray (Mumbai)) for other components and is working fine for more than 6 years.

[Shrek8421]

Thanks for the suggestions. Yes I did not spray on the engine components, only on the edges and below the windscreen. I will also check out the rat spray

[Maverick Avi]

Pepper spray once a week has done the trick for me after trying all other alternatives without much success. Rats doesn't seem to like pepper. I create a mixture of red chilli and black pepper powder and sprinkle it inside engine bay. Then use pepper spray once it week. Have been successfully been able to keep rats away for 5 years using this method!!

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Sent it out to a few friends. Here was one response from a BHPian.



Make of it what you will.

DAMN! I guess it's a hit and miss. I spoke to the trainer who suggested this. If there is already a rat smell in the engine bay then the rats will still get attracted. You need to be completely rid of the smell for it to work as per him.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

DAMN! I guess it's a hit and miss. I spoke to the trainer who suggested this. If there is already a rat smell in the engine bay then the rats will still get attracted. You need to be completely rid of the smell for it to work as per him.

How does one do this? Any suggestions on such a clean up effort?

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

How does one do this? Any suggestions on such a clean up effort?

I guess thorough wash and maybe a anti rat spray to start with?

Complete assumption on my part though.

[r0rshack]

Originally Posted by papr23

I have been parking my car in the open for the past few months at my holiday home and a month back I noticed the rat footmarks in the engine bay. I thoroughly inspected and did not find any chewed wires. I went through this thread immediately and the only option which I felt could give 100% protection is a short fence around the car. Pic from opening post:

Footmarks

Went to the market and purchased a thin metal sheet 1.5 feet x 46 feet. Costed around Rs1100. Called the carpenter and he was not ready to come that day. Out of desperation I just wrapped the sheet around the car! And I have been doing this for a month now and it worked. When the ground is uneven, there will be tiny gaps below the sheet and the rat can not sneak through it as the sheet is too heavy for it. Also the sheet is too smooth for the rat to climb.

Attachment 2164671
Rolled sheet

Attachment 2164672

Though it gives 100% peace of mind, it takes around ~4 mins to roll back the metal sheet and take the cover off. I am OK with the time but it makes me sweat in my humid climate. As this is metal, it is heavy and weighs 3-4 kg.
I even considered stitching few dining table runners made with bamboo similar to the sheet but I was afraid the rat can find some grip and climb over it. So settled for this as a temporary solution and when I go back to Hyderabad, I have no such problems there.

Many thanks to this post, i have been using this method as a defense against rodents at my apartment and has been working fine for 4-5 months so far.

I have been a victim of rat menace at our earlier place of stay at Erode, where our Altroz parked in a shed surrounded by wild vegetation was regularly visited by rats, early 2022. Somehow, me and my wife couldnt realize that the faint urine odour in the cabin was one of the major signs of a space being - i would say marauded by rats. We drove a few hundred kilometeres with this, thinking it would have been a stray dog urinating/a dead lizard somewhere in the engine bay, only to park it back at the same shed again.

A few weeks later, the car wouldnt start and only after it was towed to the service center, post diagnosis, the rat infestation was revealed - fuel line cut, hard plastics chewed aplenty, a cut seatbelt, with all sorts of foam padding remnants. Fortunately, we could recover costs covering the seatbelt assy under insurance and some other things, costed us around 6K i think.

Fast forward to 2024 April, we bought our Baleno MT Delta and using it in Chennai. It is being used sparingly - only on weekends and holidays and is parked most of the time.
We did know about rat presence at our apartment, which is a small block consisting of 4 Houses with basement parking. Once, there was an intrusion at our 1st floor house, but in 2 days - after careful tracking and baiting with glue pads, the threat was eliminated. Time and again we have tried to tell the landlord about keeping the basement clean and free from stray food items, but they just dont get it, even as their own verna gets hit by rats multiple times. There are two eateries and fruit stalls nearby with an open plot adjoining our place which adds to the woes, so i realized that attack was not a solution at all. Btw we do have cats as well which help to an extent, but there was a lean period with no cats around and thats when our Baleno got hit.

Gladly this time, the problem was detected soon enough, with damage to the front fender padding revealing stray foam particles near the driver door. Since then, multiple options were tried. The second step being tobacco leaves. You can get it from the shops selling pooja articles and medicines and a "strip" costs 10 rupees. Bought three of them and these shouldn't be in the fully-dried state. Only then you get that odour and would last for about a week and you need to replace it. I hung them at various areas in the engine bay alone.

The first step was to get back at the rats - traps near the tyre area, glue pads and zinc phosphide paste as toppings on tomato pieces and dried prawns. There were 1-2 initial small kills and then after 2 days a monster about a foot long was taken out, and from then on, the baits were undisturbed. The baits and the traps were used at a time when there were no cats around our place.

Another method that one of my colleagues suggested was the use of strong bleaching powder. I bought a Kg of this for 80 rupees and spread it around the car and on the floor under the bonnet area using an old talcum powder dispenser. The smell is strong and will require frequent cleaning and recharge for a lasting effect.

Then i went forward and bought the Steel Coil as @papr23 had suggested. You will get these at metal marts, some hardware shops etc. This piece is usually used in roofing at the apex, and is available as a single coil of 0.47 mm thickness. The piece that im using is of around 50 feet length and with a height of 1 foot. Rats are known to jump over heights of one foot, hence, just having fingers crossed.

Ive included a small video of the setup:

steel coil 50 ft.rar

Benefits and drawbacks:

+ Peace of mind, and the car feels safe - mostly, since we also have some cats around now.
+ Quite useful for people who park their cars on even surfaces, for long periods.
- Bulky. If you plan to use it on a daily basis, you would tend to do it under motivation only, since the coil weighs around 12-15 Kg. If you go for thinner steels, you would run the risk of it bending easily and causing frequent cuts. Higher width coils would add to the weight. I start uncoiling the sheet from the front number plate, run a full course around the car and the sheet ends at the rear left tyre. Ideally, a metre or two lesser would also suffice most hatchbacks. The sheet is held in place by placing bricks around it and also with some binder clips. Covering the car and setting up the steel coil complete around the car would take around 8-10 minutes max. This much time i can easily afford.
- Since the edges of the coil are still sharp, they tend to cause scratches and also have caused a tear on my car cover. This could be negated by use of some tape/rubber. I was just lazy to try anything.


Junior is still learning his way with mice, so the steel coil is here to stay.

[prasanth DIYer]

I can't agree more on keeping the hood open; for the past 2 years, I haven't faced any issues by doing so.

I have been nailed by rats multiple times, but after this, I have peace in life. Rats just come for warmth and protection from wind, so they can make a living. If you want more security, just sprinkle camphor around the car; will repel most pests and rats.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by r0rshack

Many thanks to this post, i have been using this method as a defense against rodents at my apartment and has been working fine for 4-5 months so far.


Junior is still learning his way with mice, so the steel coil is here to stay.

Another quick recommendation.

Allow your cat to enter the car with you, allow him or her to sniff around and rub her scent wherever possible - EVERYWHERE. Do this as regularly as you can. The scent the cat leaves is a massive alert to rats.

Second, and this is something I should have realised much earlier. Collect cat urine if you can from your cats at home. Allow them to use a litter tray in which they poop and piss. The piss will.clump and is easily identifiable. Simply collect and throw it around near your car. The stench is an absolute alarm bell for rats who will avoid the area like.plague. Do remember, rodents live their lives through their sense of smell and NOT their vision.

Truth be told, one can simply hang these piss balls in a bag inside the engine bay. You will not even need frequent replacement! Being a cat person I can handle these things by hand...but i understand that people who dont have pets might not take to this too easily

Bonus, the piss balls will attract more cats to the vicinity thereby improving the odds in your favour!

[PearlJam]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Simple, park your vehicle with the bonnet open. Thus, you remove the cozy environment for the critters.

Nice solution! Would work only in secured parking areas though, otherwise you would also end up making this cozy enough for thieves to steal your valuable parts

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

The ingenious solution was to remove these factors. How to do it? Simple, park your vehicle with the bonnet open. Thus, you remove the cozy environment for the critters.

We did that and not one vehicle had any issue for the ten days that we did our exercises in the desert. This was compared to a year before where atleast 5 cars had rodent damage and a few cars snakes were pulled out of the engine bay.

In our environment this method could work only in a secure location (and maybe covered from top in monsoons).

Hope this helps.

Infact I was checking with CarMed Bangalore on installing Rat mesh in my car as a preventive measure (touchwood no rats for now) and he suggested the mesh are waste and rats can enter from drive shaft.

He suggested too the best method is to keep the bonnet open. Looks like it’s a good method, though keeping it open even in a safe open parking is kind of mind block.

[turbodude]

Well, I have used Ponds powder & sprinkled it all over the Engine area. Now both rats & Maruti service centre advisors hate this . However, this solution worked for me till date. Rats don't like the good smell of Ponds powder & stay away. You may have to apply the powder after 2-3 months again as the effect goes down after some time. I can't keep the bonnet open as there is a possibility of battery theft in our area.

[ashivas89]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Another quick recommendation.

....
Bonus, the piss balls will attract more cats to the vicinity thereby improving the odds in your favour!

Tried this once in a society I used to live in where the basement parking was quite dingy.. Also, I have cats at home.

This just ended up attracting every stray to come and spray near our parking. Place started reeking after a while. Anyone with cats at home will know how potent their piss is.

The upside is that you wont have any critter come within in a 100 ft radius. But the obvious downside is the headache inducing smell of cat piss.

Got the society to clean the place with bleach and hose it down to put an end to it.

Best solution is feeding stray cats some kittie treats every once in a while near your parking bay (avoid leaving food though, because the food may attract rodents).

[Ruibash]

Hey All,

After my Mahindra 3XO's (parked on street) turbo charger and injector wires were munched off by rats/bandicoots, had to replace the whole wiring harness set which costed around 20k.
So far, I have tried these passive approaches:
1. 3M anti-rodent and blue raptor bitter sprays on wires.
2. tobacco leaves wrapped in cotton cloth and hung in engine bay along with naphthalene balls.
3. carcat ultrasonic device installed in engine bay
4. applying phenol beneath the car in rectangular shape covering entire car area
5. sticky traps beneath and on the engine cover. They get stuck, fight against it and run away.
Final option: 6. Mortein rat cakes in engine bay and on sticky traps.

Nothing has worked.
They visit my car everyday, piss and shit on top of engine cover, battery and air intake manifold, eat rat cake and leave. It has literally become their toilet room. They are not biting wires because its bitter due to 1. sprays.

I haven't tried SS mesh because I believe there will still be some space for them to come in. Also, it's a mess to remove them during service and perhaps not effective after removal and reinstalled.

I tried 5 non-dangerous means to prevent them but now killing is the only option I can think of. Placing rat traps that kill them instantly. Two of them have been killed so far, yet there are more in the neighbourhood.

P.S: how to sanitize the engine without pressure wash? so that I get rid of their shit smell.