[soji]

I once owned a 2005 Hyundai Tucson which gave me absolutely no problems for almost 10 years, until one fine day in the morning when I took the vehicle off the driveway and onto the road it wouldn't respond well to my inputs. The Tucson had a remarkable Turbo boost kick in around the 1500 RPM range which I felt wasn't working for some reason; no engine lights, warnings, whatsoever.
I immediately took the vehicle back home and decided to inspect the engine bay only to find out a couple of wires cut open. Not having to worry about warranty on a 10 years old car I decided to just fix the wires myself and insulated it well and post that the vehicle drive just fine.

It was during then someone had recommended I do a diesel wash of the engine bay which would keep away rodents from that area due to the smell. Well, I wouldn't know the impact it has on the rubber components but I should say I never had any rodent trouble post that.

[nibedk]

Originally Posted by soji

I once owned a 2005 Hyundai Tucson which gave me absolutely no problems for almost 10 years, until one fine day in the morning when I took the vehicle off the driveway and onto the road it wouldn't respond well to my inputs. The Tucson had a remarkable Turbo boost kick in around the 1500 RPM range which I felt wasn't working for some reason; no engine lights, warnings, whatsoever.
I immediately took the vehicle back home and decided to inspect the engine bay only to find out a couple of wires cut open. Not having to worry about warranty on a 10 years old car I decided to just fix the wires myself and insulated it well and post that the vehicle drive just fine.

It was during then someone had recommended I do a diesel wash of the engine bay which would keep away rodents from that area due to the smell. Well, I wouldn't know the impact it has on the rubber components but I should say I never had any rodent trouble post that.

Mate! How and where can we get this diesel wash done?

Rats have been creating havoc in my car. First they completely chewed off the water pipes for front wiper sprays. Few days back they found their way into the car glove box and chewed everything inside it into tethers. I have been fortunate enough that till date they have not chewed something which could stall the car.

Planned to get iron mesh wires fitted so that they at least are not able to enter inside the car. But that would require the dashboard to be taken out for the wire mesh to be fitted.

My car would turn 5 the coming May and there is not a squeak yet. Don't want any as well. If the dashboard is taken out and not fitted properly there is a good chance that it may result in some annoying squeaks.

Planning to get one of those ultrasonic rat repellant and fit it in the engine bay. But to be frank I am not a fan of any sort of connections to the car. Most fires in cars are related to such external connections.

The diesel wash seems to be a solution which would be great if it really works.

[soji]

I get it done from the car wash service center right opposite to my apartment. But I believe this is something every service center offers and you just need to ask them to perform a diesel wash of the engine bay. They usually use a spray or a cloth soaked in diesel to reach all the nooks and corners which would also ensure that all prevailing odors which could lead these rodents back in are removed. I'd also recommend you inspect your engine bay once in a while for any indications of a rodent entry, usually dry leaves, rat excreta etc.
It was when I was looking for a solution which did not involve killing these tiny ones I came across this solution and it has been working well for me; My XUV is often parked for 2 or more weeks without usage and hasn't detected any intrusion yet (Been 5 years now).

Originally Posted by nibedk

Mate! How and where can we get this diesel wash done?

Rats have been creating havoc in my car. First they completely chewed off the water pipes for front wiper sprays. Few days back they found their way into the car glove box and chewed everything inside it into tethers. I have been fortunate enough that till date they have not chewed something which could stall the car.

Planned to get iron mesh wires fitted so that they at least are not able to enter inside the car. But that would require the dashboard to be taken out for the wire mesh to be fitted.

My car would turn 5 the coming May and there is not a squeak yet. Don't want any as well. If the dashboard is taken out and not fitted properly there is a good chance that it may result in some annoying squeaks.

Planning to get one of those ultrasonic rat repellant and fit it in the engine bay. But to be frank I am not a fan of any sort of connections to the car. Most fires in cars are related to such external connections.

The diesel wash seems to be a solution which would be great if it really works.

[Swapnil4585]

Well, not a rat, but a trapped dog story. Sorry if this does not belong here.

Car - Corolla Altis.

Since this is a harsh summer, stray dogs in our area find places underneath cars to find shade, and they sleep there for hours during day time. One such medium sized animal slept beneath my car (don't know how it got inside the compound). Its place was approximately below the gear lever. Since our car was parked under a shade, the surface below the car was more cooler than cars who were parked under the direct sun. So may be the animal may have enjoyed the sleep - rolling and yawning

Problem started after it woke up. During its sleep, it managed to stuck its foot somewhere. It could not get out of the car. When I returned home in the evening, I found it weeping. I immediately called a dog handler. The dog handler and his assist went beneath the car and informed that they need to cut a wire to set it free. I allowed them to cut the wire. The animal was freed and we took him to a veterinary doctor.

The question now is - what wire did they cut? Since it was dark, I could not click pictures. I clicked in the morning. Attaching one with this post. One wire is white and the other is blue, and the location is like below the gear lever. I have not started the car. Toyota ASC is closed today as such. Should I get this done from Toyota or Bosch ASC? The photo is shot from behind to forward. For reference, the tyre seen in the photo is the front left tyre.

[SpideyBoy]

I always park my car in my apartments and never saw any rats coming in. There were some road works happening and I had to park the car outside for a few days. I believe my Nexon became a victim of the rat bites then, I had identified an issue with my left tail lamp. It doesn't glow when I apply breaks. Took this issue to the service center and they casually started asking me to get bulbs replaced. I insisted to check further on the connections and that's when they found wires got chewed by rats .



I've been told this costs me more than 1000 bucks and left the car in service center for a day. I'm skeptical on how they fix this but have no other option for now. Any recommendations to prevent this in future? Is the anti rat coating any helpful? How often should we get it done and how much does that cost?

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by SpideyBoy

I always park my car in my apartments ....Any recommendations to prevent this in future? Is the anti rat coating any helpful? How often should we get it done and how much does that cost?

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/mumba...ne-mumbai.html

This does work for me touchwood .

[GTO]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/mumba...ne-mumbai.html

This does work for me touchwood .

+1 to the recommendation. The can is expensive / overpriced, but it seems to be doing the job for me too. Better to spray this than end up with cut wires which can lead to a breakdown or complex repairs.

[SpideyBoy]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

This does work for me touchwood .

Originally Posted by GTO

+1 to the recommendation. The can is expensive / overpriced, but it seems to be doing the job for me too. Better to spray this than end up with cut wires which can lead to a breakdown or complex repairs.

Thanks both I will definitely try this one out. Yes, it's better to shell out a few bucks on this than spend more on a complex repair. I was lucky those rats had a snack only on the cables to lights, something else not only would've costed me more but also would've disrupted my peace of mind forever.

[Vikalp]

I put pieces of rat poison cakes in the engine bay and they disappear daily. Don't know if its the same rat or different one feasting on the cakes and whether the poison cakes are even working on them or not.

[boniver]

Originally Posted by Vikalp

I put pieces of rat poison cakes in the engine bay and they disappear daily. Don't know if its the same rat or different one feasting on the cakes and whether the poison cakes are even working on them or not.

Same thing happened with me and one fine day after a week or so, I found a huge rat lying dead right in front of my car. The menace then stopped for a couple of weeks before resurfacing again, so I guess there are quite a few. I don't do anything now because these rats are kind of harmless. They just leave garbage in the engine bay, and have never nibbled on any wires (real reason: I'm too lazy to go out and place rat cakes everyday ).

However, you should see atleast one dead rat around, soon. Keep your eyes peeled

[Vikalp]

Originally Posted by boniver

Same thing happened with me and one fine day after a week or so, I found a huge rat lying dead right in front of my car. The menace then stopped for a couple of weeks before resurfacing again, so I guess there are quite a few. I don't do anything now because these rats are kind of harmless. They just leave garbage in the engine bay, and have never nibbled on any wires (real reason: I'm too lazy to go out and place rat cakes everyday ).

However, you should see atleast one dead rat around, soon. Keep your eyes peeled

Yes, same here. Luckily haven't found any wires cut by them so far, but still the fear persists.
And yes they leave too much excreta in the engine bay, that's the only problem. Haven't found any dead ones so far, maybe they die someplace else. Guess there isn't any solid permanent solution.

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by Vikalp

I put pieces of rat poison cakes in the engine bay and they disappear daily. Don't know if its the same rat or different one feasting on the cakes and whether the poison cakes are even working on them or not.

Apply Ratol poison gel on top of the Roban poison cake and try. It used to secure me a kill within two days. Be careful with gel though, the fumes are not to be inhaled and touching the paste causes a burning sensation of the skin.

[self_driven]

While cleaning the cabin air filter today, I found a lot of shredded foam, paper pieces and rat poop on the filter.

There's no damage to the filter element but I suspect that rats have chewed up some insulation or padding on their way to the filter.

Is there any opening in the engine bay that I can seal (with a mesh) to prevent rats from reaching the cabin air filter?

Previously I had the problem of rats entering the air intake under the hood which was solved after using a wire mesh to cover the intake.

I am not keen on placing gels, liquid, leaves etc. under the hood as these solutions present a fire hazard and do not seem to work everytime.

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by Vikalp

rat poison cakes ..and whether the poison cakes are even working on them or not.

Originally Posted by boniver

..The menace then stopped for a couple of weeks before resurfacing again, so I guess there are quite a few. ...

Rat poison cakes may not be a good option.
1. Even if the cake is effective as a poison, the rat will still come, eat the cake, possibly nibble the wires, cause damage and die elsewhere, not effective since it doesn't keep the rat away.
2. The poison cakes may act an incentive for more rats to visit the engine bay and nibble the cake increasing the risk of damage to the car during their visit.

A deterrent/repellent would be more effective in theory. Something the rats don't find pleasant and keeps them away in the first place. I've tried tobacco (fire hazard), naphthalene balls etc, not really practical with that nauseating smell. In reality, none of the deterrents/repellents have been 100% effective in my case.

Originally Posted by SpideyBoy

Is the anti rat coating any helpful? ..how much does that cost?

I even opted for the expensive rat treatment (at Rs 950) for the engine bay during service, but after 20 days, I see rat footprints all over inside the engine bay. Quite alarming and I'm left without any real solution to this menace.

[nitnab]

Originally Posted by boniver

I don't do anything now because these rats are kind of harmless. They just leave garbage in the engine bay, and have never nibbled on any wires (real reason: I'm too lazy to go out and place rat cakes everyday ).

The rats start chewing on things when their teeth start to grow and so you have been lucky so far. You should try out various options right now to ensure the rats don't enter the engine compartment. The first bite could be too costly.
After trying out many things, I have settled for the "No Entry" rat repellent spray once in 15 - 20 days. It works fine for me.