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-   -   Rat damage to cars | Protection, solutions & advice (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/2729-rat-damage-cars-protection-solutions-advice-76.html)

Then you would have to drive through it. Getting grease on the tyres might be like driving around with your own personal oil patch. Not a good idea!

Rat's are very smart. Really. They will probably, one day, be able to build ladders (Actually, we know that crows use tools, but do rats?). For now, though, they will probably just stand on their hind legs and hoist themselves up

My Solution after trying various methods : Keep the bonnet open at night in all my cars


Rats prefer dark environment and engine bay is the ideal place. So I keep bonnet open and did not encounter any rat problems in last 1 year. I had enough with these creatures. A rat got into AC blower unit and crushed in my Alto K10 and that smell wouldn't go for 2 months (even after cleaning).

Below are couple of solutions which I do in my cars,

1>I put tobacco leaf(Hogesoppu in Kannada ) inside the bonnet where ever possible. Rats really hate the smell of the leaves. I change/clean the bay every month and put new leaves.

2> This solution was tried by uncle and was successful in avoiding the rats entering the engine bay by putting some hot pepper around the area where the rats are living(Engine Bay).

But, aren't you providing a lot more easier access to engine bay? And there and still many dark places inside even if you keep it open.

PS: btw how usually these rodents get into engine bay? Via tyre>axle>engine bay? Its not tat easy to climb into tyre and axle

For Rats getting into the cabin is actually a matter of luck. Most cabins are well-insulated, but there are spots like the fresh-air vent of the AC or the rubber holes on floor-mounted pedals that can let rats in. Sometimes a rat will simply walk in and enter the car (when the door is open) when you are not looking. They may also gain access from the wheel well along the axels and into the engine bay. :Frustrati
Just ensure you clean the car after a long journey, do not leave any food for long time in the cabin which is a big temptation for a rat to enter the cabin by the smell of food. :)

We used a new kind of rat catcher recently- it traps the rat in a strong glue. We used it in our home but it should work if placed under a car at night as well.
I am sharing this because I think it is a good solution as a concept- I don't have any intention of promoting a particular brand.

No buddy. Bonnet open or closed do not make any difference to entry of rats. Rats enter the engine bay from below and climb up. If you notice my garage, there are lights above. I keep the bonnet open and lights on. I usually happened to see foot prints of rats every morning in engine bay. Since last one year, I am following this procedure and no traces of rat entry.

Cant we simply buy a AA battery operated LED light and simply place two or three of them inside the bonnet instead of keeping it open. Forget theft, the feeling of exposed car is something i hate to live with.

My attempts in the order of preference and highest effectiveness have been

1) Get Cats. 100% works and there are no rats or rat poop in the 100m radius of my car
2) 10-15 socks filled with tobacco placed at all possible places where rat can enter and basically occupying the space the rat would. Not sure if its because the entry is clogged or the smell of the tobacco
3) LED lights got from road side shops. Small, simple and runs on battery. I usually pop the rechargeable batteries which makes it efficient on the long run. I am trying this for last few days it seems to be a simpler solution and so far works.
4) To avoid bites, i ensure the car is moved once a day atleast. Meaning no stationary car for over 10 hours. Just move it from its spot.


I would never keep the bonnet open and instead get a cat and let it protect the house :)

Even I would never keep the bonnet open if car is parked outside home or anywhere where it is prone to theft. My garage can accommodate 3 cars. It is grilled all around and 2 strong big gates too. Also there is another gate to enter the compound. Since my cars are safe, I don't mind keeping the bonnet open :).

Maybe there's no nice way to kill a rat, and I do agree that sometimes it has to be done, because without control, they will not only damage our cars, they will take over our entire environment.

However, I do consider these sticky traps inhumane. We also do not allow pest control people to place them in our garden because they catch other creatures too. The one time it was done, it caught a crow. It was a tough job to rescue the bird.

@Thad E Ginathom completely agree. The glue traps are inhumane and the only thing it achieves is causing the animal excruciating pain as they try to escape the glue and tear their skin :( Humane rat traps are available that are catch and release, but that is quite rare in this neck of the woods

One of my relatives too does this and suggested it to me. I have two issues with leaving the bonnet open

1) If you have kids around, there's a chance they may put their hand in for say, a ball that fell in. Or they may just touch something out of curiosity. If you are parking the car after a reasonable drive, the engine will be very hot and there's a risk of burn injuries if somebody touches anything.

2) If you have cats moving around the area, what if one of them decides to jump onto a hot engine bay? In my compound cats roam about freely. They often use the car as a platform to jump onto higher ground.

Rats can do some proper jumping stuff. They can jump directly into your engine bay from the ground (for sedans and hatches atleast).

By the way, just imagine the state of your tyres and garage after smearing them with grease, :uncontrol

You're only getting good excercise. Tobacco is in fact cured with fire after harvesting.

So even though the heat in the engine is going to make it dry, it won't catch fire as it still has moisture in it.

Only the exhaust components of an engine get hot. If the whole engine got hot then all the wires and rubber hoses would have melted.

Due to engine heat the volatile oil or whatever is giving the aroma will get vaporized after a couple of months.

You need to wet the tobacco with water whenever you open the bonnet for periodic inspection.

Won't work Naren. It was effective only in older cars which had simpler engine bays. Today's cars offer enough hiding places (e.g. under the engine cover) even if bonnet is open.

To those still looking for a solution, see my post here. Touch wood, 3 months up and seems to be keeping the li'l rascals away.