How To Prevent Rats Entering Inside Car?


#106
Prads

Prads

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#106
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I have seen rats leave debris under the hood of my car but nuisance started in my Santro Xing they had chewed the top of the windscreen washer & was leaking water.

Around 6 months ago my workers poured water & cleaned a rats nest which was in my car garage,the next day i found the rats had chewed clean through my Sparco mud flaps !

But a week ago had my most pathetic experience until date. I was in my other home which is in a very secluded area. I noticed the previous day after a while of parking my dog was running around the hood of my car. Since it was cold outside i assumed the rat that came in decided to build a nest in the bay. When i started the car next day ,car sounded like it ran on two cylinders,i immediately knew the rats must have chewed some thing & the engine malfunction light also was on.
Hyundai assistance said they would come the next day as i am safe at home & it was late evening.
When they removed the plastic cover off the engine the wiring that runs into each cylinder of which two were literally stripped. Service guys patched it up & used a G scan to clear the light & see if the malfunction re appears.

The solutions -
An acquaintances S class use to have expensive repairs thanks to rats,he uses tobacco but you need to wet the Tobacco once in a while & then replenish it .They claim its working.
But i guess i found the ultimate answer which did seem to work until i dint follow it.
I left the bonnet open at night,since rats want warmth & cozy area they will avoid an open engine bay Two days i followed it but on third day since i was leaving early morning i dint bother to leave bonnet open(also mom was objecting i mite be tempting my workers to steal car battery) & third day i noticed dog was running around engine bay in the morning ,i opened the bonnet & left the engine running hoping to flush out the rat before it did any damage.

I stumbled on this solution when i was surfing online a few days ago.Seems to be a good option if you have secure parking.
Now i kinda figured why i use to see a Laura parked with the hood open in a house in Bangalore. It was not Skoda's usual car trouble as me & my friends use to joke [:)]

The most ridiculous rat damage story i heard was from a friend.
They have an old Mahindra jeep which parks in a garage earshot distance away from their home.
Apparently the rats chewed & tripped some of the old wiring which made the jeep start & run straight into the garage wall ! The engine kept running & even the headlights had switched on. The jeep engine ran all night(apparently in gear,classic diesel torque must have helped) until my friends father got curious in the morning & went to investigate.
I imagine they must have assumed a thief or something supernatural must have happened. Apparently they figured the rats had played with the aged wiring [lol]
 
#107
D

dearrohit

V2
#107
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Dec 31, 2012
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Yeah rats have been a nuisance for me as well as they keep chewing stuff in my engine bay. Prads post reminds me of an incident that happend about six months ago.
I was driving in the morning in heavy traffic when I noticed smoke coming out of my engine compartment and could smell something burning. [confused] Initially i dismissed it thinking it was dust or the smoke was coming from somewhere else. Once out of traffic, I parked and opened the hood... I saw that a rat had chewed through the engine compartment insulation and left lots of jute on the engine. The engine heat caused the jute to start burning... No damage was done apart from a small burnt patch on the engine.
For once thanks to the Mumbai traffic that I wasnt driving at a higher speed, else the heat combined with the breeze could've easily burnt my entire car.
 
#108
swiftshashi

swiftshashi

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#108
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Earlier when we were in apartment,we had to cover up the car so that kids don't Scratch it. During that time,everyday rats used to chew some wire or the other in the engine bay. It was mostly indicator wires,so it wasn't major.
What I've learnt from all incidents of rats.
1.Never park too close to wall if possible. Rats trajectory include wall edges and they will most probably enter your car if they find it too near to their way. Rats don't prefer to walk in empty spaces.
2.Rats enter from front tyres.Keep Rat kill or something like that near inner wheel wall.
3.Inside engine bay,keep naphthalene balls+camphor.It's really effective.
4.While parking,never keep fresh air mode of AC turned on.It allows rats to enter cabin through a vent.
5.Rats love dark places. by covering your car,you are giving them just that!!!
 
#110
D

Devu

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#110
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Bangalore
How to get rid from Rats

Can any one please suggest how to stop rats from entering in to car. Last week rats have bite water tank lid.
 
#117
Prads

Prads

V10
#117
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My aunts Vento was sitting idle for some 40 days & Rats had gone through the wiring.
I heard the damage is around 16000. Guess if you give them time they will leave a hole in your wallet.[anger] Dont have the details on the work done by VW yet.
 
#118
G

gadeokar

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#118
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Pune
I had this problem when my car was idle for 3-4 days.
I sprayed phenyl mixed water in the engine bay and around the car and the issue was solved. Basically, it's strong odour helps to keep these creatures away.

Next time(after 4-5 weeks) when my car was idle for a week, I found footmarks of rats on engine cover and I sprayed the phenyl+water again, but this time I used a rat repellent too.
2pcs RAT Repellent Organic NON Poisonous Drive Away Rats Without Killing Them | eBay

Best solution is don't keep your car idle for more than 2 days.[;)]
 
#119
M

motorlover

V6
#119
Joined
Oct 29, 2013
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Goa
Re: My "Silver Beauty Xcent" Ownership Review

In my parking lot, rats entered my neighbors car and seems to have done some wiring damage.How can I prevent this?
 
#120
DJ bro

DJ bro

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I am using Napthalene balls and camphor to prevent Rats and squirrels from entering my LUV!
It's quite effective!
Napthalene balls at every available socket in cabin. One ball for each cubbyhole.
A medium size Camphor cake in the big cubbyhole in front of gear lever.
Also some napthalene balls stuffed behind the insulation pad on the bonnet and at every possible and safe socket in the engine bay.
I started to follow this method after my previous car (2002 Indica LSi) was completely ruined and almost all wires had to be replaced! The bonnet insulation pad was almost hanging out.
This method is very effective as I have been doing this in my LUV since 2012 and almost no damage. The smell might be weird to some people, but it is worth it.
 
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