[PGA]

Well, I have had some success in managing the issue. My car used be be parked near manhole of a storm water drain and steadily I started noticing tell tale signs of these terrible visitors in my car. Couple of standard sprays and tablets proved completely ineffective. Then I went to shop selling agricultural insecticides and asked for rat poison. He gave a a pack of 1kg, it had very strong smell which I poured around the manhole and tied small amounts in engine bay and rear axle housing. Cost of pack was Rs 80/-

That has taken care of them for last four months but cannot say for how long. Maybe will use it once again once summers are on their way back.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by saion666

I remember replying to this thread long time back on how to get rid of a lizard from the car( see page 49 of this thread). As luck would have had it tgeres really a lizard inside my car and its driving ne nuts. I spend an hour everyday jumping around the car only to see it disappear under the dashboard. It pops out at odd times from nowhere...please help. Can the workshop do some magic to get rid of this reptile.

A live lizard in the car is no hassle. It will eat the insects that might otherwise hassle.

A dead lizard ...will stink.

So, my advice: don't worry about it for now!

[Chetan_Rao]

Beginner's luck most probably, but my car's engine bay bore no marks of an overnight visit after fitting the ultrasonic device.

I'll give it a week, then open up the air-filter housing to check for tell-tale signs of a house-warming party. Hoping I don't incur any damage in the meantime.

I saw a gutted i20 at the service centre yesterday. Burnt down to the metal shell. Reason? Rat chewed the fuel line going into the engine bay, leakage ignited while running, passengers escaped before the blaze worsened. Pretty disturbing to realise something as small as a few rat nibbles causing a life & death situation.

[nishantbhatia84]

Originally Posted by PGA

Well, I have had some success in managing the issue. My car used be be parked near manhole of a storm water drain and steadily I started noticing tell tale signs of these terrible visitors in my car. Couple of standard sprays and tablets proved completely ineffective. Then I went to shop selling agricultural insecticides and asked for rat poison. He gave a a pack of 1kg, it had very strong smell which I poured around the manhole and tied small amounts in engine bay and rear axle housing. Cost of pack was Rs 80/-

That has taken care of them for last four months but cannot say for how long. Maybe will use it once again once summers are on their way back.

This is the same insecticide I'm using in all my cars. It's super effective and keeps rodents away!
Plus it's cheap too! The only downside, it smells like hell!

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

I'll give it a week, then open up the air-filter housing to check for tell-tale signs.......

Time for a review:

I plugged the device to my car battery last Saturday, and the car wasn't driven since. I checked on it today. Some good and some (relatively) bad news:

Effectiveness: There were no visible signs of rodents having been inside the engine bay. No rat-poop, no hair or paw marks. No chewed wires or leaking pipes/hoses either. Also checked inside the air-intake box under the filter (where I found a well stocked rat holiday-home last time). No damage.

Battery usage: The seller's claims of minimal power usage notwithstanding, this device seems to be a battery hog. I use an Exide Matrix 45Ah maintenance-free battery in my car, and my battery status indicator went from 'OK' to 'needs charging' in the week the device was plugged in. I could still crank the engine, and the battery wasn't damaged (got it tested and left it to charge overnight with my battery dealer), but I suspect it can flatten the battery totally in about 10 days. So I can't use this device for longer durations (while I'm away on a 2-week vacation or a work trip, for example), ironically when my car would need most protection.

Should pose no battery problems for cars driven daily. This IS NOT suitable for weekend/rarely driven cars. If one's parking spot has an electrical outlet close by (people with independent houses/parking on porches, for example), investing in a pluggable version would be more sensible in my opinion.

Effects on other animals: The device seems to bother dogs within close proximity, again the seller's claims otherwise notwithstanding. The device doesn't seem to bother cockroaches or large insects at all.


Observations and further action: It's only been a week, and all the research behind ultrasonic pest control (and first-hand experience at my dad's factory) says that rats tend to get used to it over an extended period of time. This device does claim to have a 'sweeping' frequency generator (20-50kHz range) to bypass that issue, but I'm not convinced yet. The battery usage is also a concern. I will try this for another week, and not park the car for the whole time to test out both the continued effectiveness and battery usage with 2-3 days of idle storage. If either proves unsatisfactory, I have no option but to return it and seek other options.


If anyone has specific questions about the device or usage, I'll be happy to answer them.

[nishantbhatia84]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Time for a review:

I plugged the device to my car battery last Saturday, and the car wasn't driven since. I checked on it today. Some good and some (relatively) bad news:

Good to hear the device worked. The battery drain issue is big concern! I suggest you try out the pesticide discussed in the last post as it's by far the most effective technique of keeping rodents away!

[S_U_N]

Rats have attacked our Cedia the second time since November.
In November while we were returning from a trip to the south, our AC started smelling bad and proved ineffective in cooling. Somehow the problem fixed itself after few hours of not using the AC.

After coming back, the cooling was fine, but the smell was horrible.
The service center opened up the dash and found 3 dead rats near the cabin AC filter.
After that clean up, I put an new AC filter and went on another trip in December.
The car was not used for about 10 days after that.

Two days ago, I opened the hood and found it to be really dirty inside - almost all the hoses, engine parts, etc were smeared with mud.
Last night, I spend around 90 minutes cleaning the engine bay with soapy water and then rinsed with clean water hand sprayer.
Sprinkled some floor cleaner on the edges and the plastic parts in the engine bay.
One wire has been chewed. I am not sure what it does, but probably electrical tape should suffice.

Photographs here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post3337805

The preventive measure of putting naphtalene balls in the engine bay have not worked for me, I suppose.

[nitnab]

In my earlier posting I had mentioned how I had rat-proofed all my cables and hoses under the bonnet using the MX-Cable cover. This had prevented my car vitals being chewed by rats for 3 years. However the rats did keep entering the engine compartment leaving behind a lot of dirt, grass, various paper packets and last but not least their droppings. I had ignored this as a nuisance which could not be avoided because I had tried all methods which were suggested in various fora. Then one day I noticed a pepper spray (the one used by ladies for protection against human vermin) in my daughter's purse and decided to give it a try as a rat repellent. I first went out and gave my car a thorough wash to clean out all earlier traces of the rodent's entry. I then opened the bonnet and started spraying the pepper spray very liberally as I was not sure what would be the correct "dossage". Fortunately the wind was blowing from behind me so I did not get a whiff of the pepper fumes. But after I closed the bonnet and went to lock my car, I found the smell was so overpowering that I had to run coughing all the way to my house. I then kept a watch for a week and found that the rodents had stopped visiting. Next week I again I sprayed the compartment with the spray, this time much more cautiously, but this time the wind was blowing towards me and I had to abort the job within a few squirts and rush back with eyes streaming and coughing badly. Ever since then I have been more careful when spraying by wearing some cloth around my face and ensuring that the wind is not in my direction. I now spray every 3-4 weeks or so and have to only spray at some typical locations which are the rodent's favourites. BE WARNED THAT THE SPRAY, THOUGH NOT FATAL, IS HIGHLY IRRITATING FOR THE "SPRAYER" AND IT IS BEST TO WRAP SOME CLOTH AROUND YOUR FACE TO AVOID HAVING TO RUN AFTER SPRAYING. Maybe others can try this inexpensive "repellent" and report on it's effectiveness. The cost of this spray is around Rs 300/- and could be good enough for maybe 6 month's worth of spraying.

[dinitrol]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

To avoid the rat menace near my building, I rented a parking spot at another apartment block close by, but rats found their way into my car's engine bay anyway

Originally Posted by ganesc

So, rats are interested only on petrol vehicles? Asking this as I have noticed long time back that our Diesel Amby wouldn't be touched by those culprits but our fiat and Merc 190 Fintail's wires and interiors was always damaged That might also be due to the fact that Amby was running daily while Benz was not that much.

Rodents often return to the the areas they have visited prior, they normally leave a trail of urine demarcating the location of their earlier visits. This is why you will see them attacking particular areas or vehicles only

[Puneet.S]

Originally Posted by nitnab

In my earlier posting I had mentioned how I had rat-proofed all my cables and hoses under the bonnet using the MX-Cable cover.

Thanks for the update. Btw, how are those cable covers holding up - rats managed to chew through them or still intact?

Based on your advice I am also thinking of using those covers in my cars as rodents have started visiting their bonnets (paw marks are visible on various hoses and engine cover).

[saket77]

I laid a mouse trap in my car last week to catch the notorious rodent that was 'visiting' my car everyday leaving behind a foul smell. The rat was caught and disposed at a far-off location. Then the car was parked all day in the sun with windows open. All mats were cleaned thoroughly and some pleasant room freshener was sprayed to wind up all.

I don't think that there are any more rats frequenting my car during the last few days (touch wood). The foul smell is gone. Thankfully, no wires were cut.

[DeClutch 4X4]

There's an effective desi medicine for that. Black pepper powder are known to keep rats away from unwanted places. Sprinkle pepper powder at places where they are mostly found. I don't get time to use my jeep during weekdays, hence sprinkle pepper powder around my jeep and keep them away from chewing wires/leather. Pepper works well for me!!

[nitnab]

Originally Posted by Puneet.S

Thanks for the update. Btw, how are those cable covers holding up - rats managed to chew through them or still intact?

Based on your advice I am also thinking of using those covers in my cars as rodents have started visiting their bonnets (paw marks are visible on various hoses and engine cover).

Cable covers are working absolutely fine! It is now my fourth year. No cutting of cables / hoses though the rodents kept visiting the engine compartment. For these nocturnal rodent visits I have also subsequently tried pepper spray (go through my posting dated 12th January 2014) which presently has kept them away for the last few months. The cable covers are for ABSOLUTE safety and the pepper spray to keep them away from creating a nuisance.

[S_U_N]

Tried white vinegar wash (diluted with water) on Monday morning after wiping down with diluted Dettol antiseptic.
Also added four-five naphthalene balls to the lower part of the engine bay.
Plus kept a bottle with around 50 ml of white vinegar with a few slits made in the plastic bottle and kept it below the engine bay on the ground.
As of this morning, there are no rats. This has been the longest period so far ever since their first attack.
One additional thing I have done is remove the ambi-pure air freshner from the car glovebox.

[S_U_N]

Update: After about a week the rat was back. I cleaned the engine bay again and sprayed vinegar mixed with water again. This time I used more of it.
But looks like the smell is no longer a deterrent for the rodent now.

I found some hair stuck on the engine bay and also on the insulation material under the hood.
Attaching the pictures of the hair. I hope I am dealing with rat and not something else.

The hair has white and brown bands.