Rat/s destroyed some of my van wires--In an airport parking lot.
May 18, 2022 09:45:30 #
Soul Dr., We have squirrels fried on major electric lines at intervals. Not from chewing, just "shorting out". Causes electric failures throughout the neighborhood until the linemen make the repairs.
May 18, 2022 10:10:17 #
genocolo
Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island
I stored my car last summer in a 10x20 storage unit. Everything was fine when I returned.
The manager had told me to put Bounce strips around car and under the hood and put steel wool in exhaust. Don’t know whether those were the reason I had no problem, but I’ll do it again.
The manager had told me to put Bounce strips around car and under the hood and put steel wool in exhaust. Don’t know whether those were the reason I had no problem, but I’ll do it again.
May 18, 2022 11:15:06 #
May 18, 2022 11:22:59 #
Najataagihe wrote:
“Bounce” dryer sheets work just as well and smell a whole lot better.
Great for RVs.
Great for RVs.
That’s what we used living in Tucson. Used a whole box - engine compartment, trunk, interior.
May 18, 2022 13:06:03 #
skylinefirepest
Loc: Southern Pines, N.C.
Hey Barn Owl...I don't think it's rats...my guess would be mice or possibly some in the squirrel family. I know that people hate glue boards but I worked with them for almost forty years and they are very effective. I used to bait them with a single sugar coated gumdrop ( if you can still find them anywhere ) and when you catch a mouse on it then leave him there...his squeals will attract others and I have seen a glueboard with six mice on it. It sounds nasty, it is nasty...but it beats the hell out of a several hundred dollar repair. And if you just can't stand the idea of them being on the glueboard then you can release them back to the wild with mineral oil...just remember that mice do bite and they do carry diseases.
May 18, 2022 13:09:55 #
May 18, 2022 14:33:27 #
May 18, 2022 15:31:35 #
I use peppermint oil, several drops in a spray bottle with water. Spray everywhere under the hood, wheel wells, around the entire vehicle. I even spray around my doors, garage door. I guess it works, never had a problem. Plenty of YouTube videos on the subject.
May 18, 2022 18:07:06 #
jerryc41 wrote:
Rats and mice cause thousands of dollars' worth of damage to cars. Their teeth never stop growing so they can never stop chewing. There's not much you can do to protect a car from them. Well, if you hire a bunch of cats to stand guard, that could work. : )
Insulation on wires is made with a soy component. Therefore the rodents love it.
May 18, 2022 19:12:49 #
Funny, that's what I said and someone accused me of starting a conspiracy theory. It's true only of newer cars and trucks.
May 19, 2022 13:37:53 #
genocolo, Looks like several UUH have had success with Bounce. I will test it. The steel wool in the tail pipe sounds good also.
May 19, 2022 13:39:00 #
May 20, 2022 06:11:27 #
Tdearing
Loc: Rockport, TX
Sorry for your trouble, they can cause horrible damage. Living on a boat you must always be on alert for the rodents as apart from electrical damage, they when thirsty will chew through water lines very possibly sinking the vessel.
May 20, 2022 11:19:40 #
Had my vehicle in for service at the local Toyota dealership, was called by the service manager to see what they found under the hood. The mass was about the size of a volleyball. Best guess was squirrels building a nest while the vehicle was parked on my driveway. Fortunately Toyota found no damage ti any wiring then.
May 20, 2022 13:13:21 #
Barn Owl wrote:
Had an experience I thought might be of interest t... (show quote)
I read the reason they chew the wires is that those wire casings are soybean based. A friend had the same problem here and State Farm paid for the repair...however, the next week, same thing happened and 'The Farm' said they would not pay again.
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.