They showed me other vehicles like Innova Hycross and Fortuners where they did similar work and that is when I also went ahead with this.

BHPian narayanang76 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I came across this 'Engine Bay Rat Mesh Installation' solution as a prevention for rat damages to cars. Basically covering ALL potential 'bitable' wires, cables with mesh, and also installation of mesh in the inlets/outlets to cabins. It is a comprehensive installation work and also time taking and expensive. I think it will most likely prevent greater damages in case any future rodent attacks:

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

This is a fabulous solution! If done well (right material + fitment), it will eliminate the problem. Plus, no headache of periodically spraying rat spray etc.

Please share full details + contact of who is providing this. I'd be very interested.

BHPian narayannang76 replied:

Thanks GTO. I got it done at Nandi Toyota, Whitefield Bangalore. They showed me other vehicles like Innova Hycross and Fortuners where they did similar work and that is when I also went ahead with this. It takes approx 1.5 days of work and cost me 18K + Tax. I thought that any rodent damage can set us back way more than that amount, so it would work like an insurance, hopefully.

Materials used are good quality and it is also labor intensive, as they need to wear some strong gloves, and even after that their fingers start bleeding due to the sharp edges from the mesh used in this installation.

However my worry is future cleaning/services in the engine bays will have this additional meshes to be worked around. Also I feel it is better to still keep spraying repellent in future also (maybe less frequent), to deter rodents away from our vehicles.

Here's what BHPian HighOnSpeed had to say on the matter:

I have never seen this before. This looks like a nifty, one-time solution.

However, it would make maintenance a bit difficult. Some caution needs to be taken while working with this as the person handling this has a good chance of nicking themselves on some of those sharp edges, and you also mentioned how the installers even cut themselves while putting this on with safety gloves. We should also wait and see if it is possible to put all this back neatly together after dismantling the setup during regular checkup/maintenance. And I noticed that some bits are touching the engine components. This may cause the mesh to heat up, which may in turn lead to damaging some of the insulation/harnesses, so please do confirm with the technician in charge of this installation if this is not something to be concerned about.

Here's what BHPian Maverick Avi had to say on the matter:

Rats are really stubborn and some of them with weird personalities can really wreak havoc even with all these iron mesh coverings as so many parts still remain exposed. I have had 2 horrific instances which made it clear that the best defense against them is not allowing them to enter your engine bay. If they do then believe me you are at their mercy.

Things I do regularly nowadays is spray pepper spray once a week in engine bay. Keep changing my parking area once a while. Spray a strong termite insecticide (forgot the name) with a revolting smell around the car to keep rats and lizards away. I also keep inspecting the engine bay and even one rat poop or urine is a big red flag for me.

I am fine spending 20k to 30k if the rat proofing solution is foolproof. But this doesn't seem like it. Plus the added complexity of removing and refixing them during mechanical jobs. No. Not for me at least.

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I showed the video to one person; he said that rats may have eaten wires related to the petrol tank. As per him, he has to remove the petrol tank and get it fixed.

BHPian DarkErarser recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I am facing am issue with my Renault Triber. The fuel level indicator keeps blinking and the engine refuses start (Check the attached gif). This is very strange. I showed the video to one person; he said that rats may have eaten wires related to the petrol tank. As per him, he has to remove the petrol tank and get it fixed. Is it true?

The car has completed 3rd service (2nd year service) in Oct 22. I have extended warranty. So if I gave him the car to fix the issue, will that create problem with warranty? Or should I call the Renault service center?

Please help.

Here's what BHPian vrprabhu had to say on the matter:

What does the user manual say about this?

When did you last fill fuel - any possibility of fuel contamination?

If the fuel pump primes (buzzing/whirring sound when the ignition is switched on, before cranking/starting) and the car doesn't start, it points to no fuel supply reaching the injectors.

A shot in the dark - try to disconnect the battery mains (so as to reset the ECM) and reconnect; if it was a wrong signal, may be it will disappear!

Error could also be the result of faulty sensor.

Here's what BHPian Jeroen had to say on the matter:

Have a good look at what vrprabhu wrote!

It might be rats, but there could be other causes too. Not sure why the tank would have to come out. It all depends where the rats, if it where rats, have bitten through. If accessible you can just splice it!

But all sorts of other reasons can cause this problem, in leuning a bad ground/mass connection.

Did you check the manual? Make sure this is not a legitimate error indication mentioned in the manual!

Good luck.

Jeroen.

Here's what BHPian DRIV3R had to say on the matter:

Yep, that is a rat bite, wiring to fuel pump to be checked. Can easily make out when you turn on ignition, the pump will not prime. (You hear no buzz).

Here's what BHPian TorqMaster had to say on the matter:

If the car is in warranty please do NOT go to a garage walla. Better to wait it out and go through warranty process.

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After visiting the service center, they checked for errors using OBD tool, it showed an error for “Urea System”, cleared the error, but the warning message didn’t go away.

BHPian 992TurboS recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

My Tucson has been a victim of rat attack!

Background:

Yesterday, while commuting to work, within 1km, I noticed “Check Engine” light was ON, only to realize that “Check Urea System” was highlighted later in a minute, quite surprised that the car is driven barely 2700km and mostly on highways. Could not clear the error message (like you can, for low tire pressure) or scroll through the menus to check for AdBlue levels:

Inspection:

After visiting the service center, they checked for errors using OBD tool, it showed an error for “Urea System”, cleared the error, but the warning message didn’t go away. As none of us couldn’t identify the AdBlue levels due to error message, they managed to top up only 1 liter of fluid, only then we realized that “Check Urea System” might not be for AdBlue levels, but some issue with the sensor or hardware. After checking the engine bay and underbody for possible issues, the AdBlue line tube was observed as tampered by a rodent and the fluid starts leaking once the engine is ON. The picture below shows that the line tube has been bitten off by a rodent.

Possible Solutions(?):

The service center has placed an order for the AdBlue line tube, hopefully that should solve the problem, the advisor mentioned that the part costs approx. Rs. 16,000 and may need up to two weeks to arrive. I hope that’s the only problem, or am I missing something here?

People over here have mentioned various ways to protect car’s engine bay from such attacks, this attack is underbody. Need really good solutions to protect my other cars from rodent attacks too. Admins and experts, please advice! Super frustrating as my travel plans have been stalled and won’t be able to use the car until the replacement parts have been installed.

Here's what BHPian vinodvayyat had to say on the matter:

Please claim insurance cover for this, instead of spending from own pocket. With labor cost added, it will be worth getting covered under insurance.

Here's what BHPian KrishKallapur had to say on the matter:

Sorry to hear that. Some years back I had similar problem. Rats had bitten off the fuel overflow pipe so fuel was leaking. Bosch service centre near my house gave a good solution for that. There is a Hydraulic Hose protection wrap available in the market. 2 types - HDPE and Metal sleeve. Both protect well.

I am not sure Hyundai ASC will fit it though. You may have to get it done at a multi brand service. Ask them to check all the exposed soft pipes and get them wrapped. It does not require the pipes to be disconnected.

Also try to use a repellent.

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The parking camera didn't pop on the screen, and the steering felt heavier than usual. We drove it around and realized everything wasn't right, so we stopped and called the service center.

BHPian MismatchD recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello everyone! I was planning to do an ownership review/mini travelogue of the experiences with our Taigun here, but something else was in store for us to face.

A few days back, after having it idle for around a week, we turned on the car, and heard a loud beep followed by continuous beeps, with (almost) every single warning light on the instrument cluster on and the following messages:

Of course we were flabbergasted, as the car isn't even 2 months old. Hopeful that it was just a glitch, we started the car, and everything seemed to be normal, until we put the gear on reverse. The parking camera didn't pop on the screen, and the steering felt heavier than usual. We drove it around and realized everything wasn't right, so we stopped and called the service center.

In 15 minutes, two people from Volkswagen Madurai arrived and checked the car, and came to the conclusion that it's not possible for all parts to fail and the same time. They open the bonnet and look around and behold, a RAT NEST!

Here's a picture of the rat nest. Sorry for the blurry picture, the nest was inside the wiper frame, and I couldn't capture a good picture.

Our SA told us that we could tow the car to the service center or have one of their service people drive it there. I didn't want to tow the car nor risk someone's life on a faulty vehicle, so the SA told us we could book a flatbed through roadside assistance. Did the same through the toll-free number and the flatbed arrived the next morning.

And off it went to the service center! (Couldn't click a picture as I was away, dad took care of everything)

Both, the sales advisor and the Service Assistant were very responsive and informed us of every step they were doing. This car being our first German, I was quite scared thinking about the bill after reading countless horror stories about German car service costs.

We were informed that only the wiring was damaged, and the final bill amounted to around 6000 Rupees, including additional requests like wire protection, rat repellent coating and car wash. This was a BIG relief, as I was expecting a way bigger bill. Looks like VW 2.0 is doing well on that part.

We had the car delivered to us by this evening, with a perfect job done everywhere, especially the cleaning. Oh boy, I could never match that shine with my cleaning, experts are indeed experts. A big shoutout to Ramani Volkswagen, Madurai for their amazing and fuss-free servicing.

Now that our Taigun is back to its former glory, is there anything I could do to protect it from future rat infestations? I would love to hear some ideas from the community.

Here's what BHPian prabhu7944 had to say on the matter:

Nice to read about the responsiveness of service center. Time-tested idea is placing small bunch of tobacco leaves which you can get from bunk shops and maybe you can change the parking place of your car a bit every now and then.

Here's what BHPian kaushiksudra had ro say on the matter:

Had the same issue a few years back. And it had made a nest in my Ecosport and got simliar issue wherein almost everything stopped working. Not just once, but thrice. Used tobacco as suggested by Bhpian Prabhu. But even that wasnt of much use. The best way is to shift your car to a different location for a few days (if you've an alternate car park that, though not stationary) and park it in reverse one day and other day facing front. Hope it helps. But be careful and vigilant as once they find they just never go away.

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