[aslyfox]

I had heard about rodents, squirrels, mice, rats chewing on the wiring of an automobile

well, I just had to have wiring relating to my fuel system repaired on my 2016 Acadia SUV [ and it wasn't cheap ]

they suspect mouse/rat because of a nest being found among what was left of the wires back near the fuel tank

vehicle is kept outside

but that doesn't really matter because the house/garage built in 1978 and mice have always found a way into the structure

I just put 8 mice size glue traps on a carboard sheet and place it under the vehicle near the affected area

any thoughts or suggestions

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Last edited by aslyfox; 03-18-2021 at 01:52 PM.

[lesmore49]

My MIL's Nissan's wiring was damaged by gray squirrels and SIL's Toyota was damaged by mice and squirrels. My MIL was told to start her car's engine up at least once a day. Glue traps are good. So are old fashioned mouse traps. Peanut butter seemed to work well as bait. Good luck.

[Fenwoodian]

.
When you park the car, even in winter, turn on the A.C. and shut off the outside air. That will keep them from getting behind the dashboard and possibly into the car.

Stuff dryer sheets into every nook and cranny where they might be found. Replace all dryer sheets in a couple months as their chemical vapor disapates.

Finally, have your mechanic do a thorough inspection for mice twice a year - sooner if you see (or smell) rodent sign...

I know it can get expensive if they damage electrical; however, my bigger fear is that they leave their bodily stuff inside the air/heating ducts. That could lead to your breathing in vapors/particulates from decaying rodent fecies.

I speak from years of experience on this matter.

[bertwert]

We had mice in a vehicle a year or two back, and were continuously trapping them (with regular traps), but there was always more. We did find a surefire way to get rid of them however, totaled the car by hitting some big horn sheep and buying a new one

[Fenwoodian]

My MIL was told to start her car's engine up at least once a day.

I would have thought just the opposite. Here in Northern Wisconsin, it's the heat of the car engine during cooler months (especially in the fall) that actually attracts the critters because they are looking for a warm place to spend the winter.

[aslyfox]

We had mice in a vehicle a year or two back, and were continuously trapping them (with regular traps), but there was always more. We did find a surefire way to get rid of them however, totaled the car by hitting some big horn sheep and buying a new one

what

no bagpipe serenade as a preventative ?

You Tube

You Tube

I do love the pipes

[gaweidert]

The problem is that the plastic used to insulate the wires is soy based. Food for rodents. One of the unintended consequences of getting away form petroleum based plastics. I discovered this in my Nissan Frontier just before they chewed all the way into one of the main wiring harnesses. If they had chewed much further I would have had a four figure repair bill. I got some Decon and a trap and stuck it in the area with double sided tape. No more mice.


I discovered this after my truck stalled out one morning. Just died on the road. Still under warranty so I had AAA tow it to the dealership I purchased it from. The tech found that mice had built a nice nest in my air filter box and lined it with material torn from my air filter. Some of the paper got sucked into the engine but some got stuck in the mass air flow sensor causing faulty readings. An unhappy sensor caused the engine to shut down. The tech was able to clean out the sensor and get me going again. Oddly enough the labor to do this was not covered under warranty. I discovered the wiring harness damage while looking for any other things the critters did.


I solved the nesting problem by placing some metal screening over the air intake. So far so good for the last three years.

[lesmore49]

I would have thought just the opposite. Here in Northern Wisconsin, it's the heat of the car engine during cooler months (especially in the fall) that actually attracts the critters because they are looking for a warm place to spend the winter.

We're in Manitoba, northwest of Wisconsin (beautiful state I must mention ) where our winter temps are a fair amount colder than Wisc....but that's what the company that fixed the wiring told us to do.

Now in older car's such as our '07 Buick sedan with it's iron block and iron heads large V6.....heat was retained in the block for significantly longer. But in the newer Toyota and Nissan, which each had smaller 4 cylinder aluminum block and head, the aluminum construction engines would dissipate heat faster, than a cast iron block, which would retain the heat for a longer period.

In both the case of the Nissan and the Toyota, they were not run every day. In fact they were parked, with maybe a drive once a week. The Buick on the other hand was driven every day.

My understanding from the guy who rewired the cars after rodent damage, was that cars that sit for longer periods of time, are attractive to rodents for precisely that reason.

[lesmore49]

The problem is that the plastic used to insulate the wires is soy based. Food for rodents. One of the unintended consequences of getting away form petroleum based plastics. I discovered this in my Nissan Frontier just before they chewed all the way into one of the main wiring harnesses. If they had chewed much further I would have had a four figure repair bill. I got some Decon and a trap and stuck it in the area with double sided tape. No more mice.


I discovered this after my truck stalled out one morning. Just died on the road. Still under warranty so I had AAA tow it to the dealership I purchased it from. The tech found that mice had built a nice nest in my air filter box and lined it with material torn from my air filter. Some of the paper got sucked into the engine but some got stuck in the mass air flow sensor causing faulty readings. An unhappy sensor caused the engine to shut down. The tech was able to clean out the sensor and get me going again. Oddly enough the labor to do this was not covered under warranty. I discovered the wiring harness damage while looking for any other things the critters did.


I solved the nesting problem by placing some metal screening over the air intake. So far so good for the last three years.

I didn't know that...soy based insulative wiring cover material. That makes sense. My son has a Nisssan Frontier Pro4X , that he parks outside. He drives it everyday, but I will mention your post to him.

Thx for the info,

Les

[lesmore49]

.
When you park the car, even in winter, turn on the A.C. and shut off the outside air. That will keep them from getting behind the dashboard and possibly into the car.

Stuff dryer sheets into every nook and cranny where they might be found. Replace all dryer sheets in a couple months as their chemical vapor disapates.

Finally, have your mechanic do a thorough inspection for mice twice a year - sooner if you see (or smell) rodent sign...

I know it can get expensive if they damage electrical; however, my bigger fear is that they leave their bodily stuff inside the air/heating ducts. That could lead to your breathing in vapors/particulates from decaying rodent fecies.

I speak from years of experience on this matter.

Good points. Never thought about the rodent feces.

[aslyfox]

in my situation, I live in Topeka Kansas and it has been uncommonly cold this year

the SUV is kept outside the wife's car and the Audi are in the garage

generally the SUV is driven daily or close to it, not a lot however

the area where the rodent (s) chowed down is between the chassis and the fuel tank

which makes it very expensive to repair because to reach the affected wiring, the tank had to be removed

a nest was discovered among the fragments

not sure how quickly the damage occured

I have never had any such problems before

[35mmfilmfan]

what

no bagpipe serenade as a preventative ?


I do love the pipes

Thank you, Allen - brilliant.

There's this, too :

You Tube

You Tube

which I may have mentioned before.

[pepperberry farm]

I stopped parking my car in the garage - that's where the mice were at....

[DeKay]

Nuke the site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.

[gaweidert]

I didn't know that...soy based insulative wiring cover material. That makes sense. My son has a Nisssan Frontier Pro4X , that he parks outside. He drives it everyday, but I will mention your post to him.

Thx for the info,

Les

I would have liked to go for the Pro4X when I got mine, but I did not want to go the extra expense. In retrospect I should have as locking read differentials are handy in a pinch. I skipped the Toyota Tacoma an Chevy Colorado and saved thousands in the process. I am very happy with mine.