[freewheelburnin]

Try tying tobacco leaves inside engine compartment.Inside the car this is not advisable but still try it cos tobacco is better than having rats shitting inside your car.Also try parking at a different location for some time.Use Rat traps inside the car when you park at night.Also try talking to some pest control people near your place to find if they have a solution

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

Guys, my Safari has been attacked by a rat/s. I have no clue where the chap is coming from and where it is hiding. It was first discovered when I had parked my Safari for over a month when I went overseas. The rat had shat all over the seats, the dashboard and every damn place he could find and also dirtied the whole car. And stains all over. Then there was a repeat attack when I again parked the Safari for a few days. Note: my Safari is parked in a stilt parking with a cover on always.

This is the first such attack ive faced and ive planned to declare war. Problem is im unsure if the chap is already moved his house inside the vehicle or breaks & enters only in the night. Also, What could be the entry point for the rat. I was suspecting he comes from the gap in the handbrake lever.

So far I dont think he has chewed any wires. but has attempted to chew the bottles, tissue box and all other bag n loose items he could find.

Question : What could be the point of entry ? and if he is hiding inside.. where is he hiding..?

Solution??
Ive got a large stick pad for the rat so I can beat the life out of him(like this - ) once I catch him. The rat poison is not a good idea since it may be difficult to locate his carcass after he dies.
help with any ideas and solutions. This is a special mission > Mission Safari Rat.

[bj96]

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

Guys, my Safari has been attacked by a rat/s. ... help with any ideas and solutions. This is a special mission > Mission Safari Rat.

Try ultrasound repellent device. Here is one, I Googled for you, made in India, for auto use: http://www.maserindia.com/pdf/AUTO_MODEL.pdf

Some interesting tidbits on Rat audio What do rats hear?

-BJ

[tsk1979]

Ultra sound devices do not work. They are a short term solution, after a week or so the rodents get used to the noise and its just like any background noise.
Moreover, ultrasound cannot pass through walls etc., so car is actually a very bad location for such devices.
I found the solution in a rat trap. Put some bread inside the rat trap, and wait for the rodent to come. After that drown or burn(your choice of torture).

[smsrini]

One more Safari under the Rat attack! Mine! Help! desparate to find a solution!

If there are some rat poo / pee in the AC ducts how do is that cleaned ? Blow air inside out ? Water wash ? I have bad odour although mild, coming thru the vents..

[ItMyLife]

Refer to the below mentioned post. Sounds good to me.

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Ok here's how i got rid of the rat problem.
I had to kill those ugly creatures as i could not keep them away.There are two kinds of poison's that are available .. a tube filled paste (Ratol) and the poison cake.Each of them on its own i found very ineffective in killing the rats.
So i simply bought both the poison's applied the tube paste poison on the cake and kept it inside the hood of the car.The result killed the rat
in just one day.i guess a double dose was too much.
However be very very careful with the tube poison as it stings and should not be touched by hand.Also avoid inhaling the fumes.

Btw I also read in one of the posts to sprinkle Pepper Powder in the engine bay. Seems it has worked for a few people.

Other suggestions included buying a cat , using a wire mesh with pouches that hold naphthalene balls etc.

[sidcruise79]

Lucky me. I enjoy the services of a stary cat that sleeps on the rear tyre every night.

[ItMyLife]

Originally Posted by sidcruise79

Lucky me. I enjoy the services of a stary cat that sleeps on the rear tyre every night.

Sid,
Can you check if that stray cat has a sibling who is ready to relocate.

[smsrini]

Originally Posted by smsrini

One more Safari under the Rat attack! Mine! Help! desparate to find a solution!

If there are some rat poo / pee in the AC ducts how do is that cleaned ? Blow air inside out ? Water wash ? I have bad odour although mild, coming thru the vents..

Some insight into the rat menance :

Mr. Pack Rat - Rats in Cars

[tsk1979]

The ideal solution would be to identify all the places from where rats can get into the cabin.
In safari here are the ones which are possiblities
1. Rubber flap above RHS wheel(for air pressure thingy)
2. Pedals
3. AC ducts

[smsrini]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

1. Rubber flap above RHS wheel(for air pressure thingy)

Tanveer, is this front or rear RHS tyre ? Is this flap easily visible ?

thanks
Srini

[tsk1979]

Dadu has the details, its near the rear

[sidcruise79]

Originally Posted by ItMyLife

Sid,
Can you check if that stray cat has a sibling who is ready to relocate.

Guess what. You are in luck. The cat has a litter that stays in a store room nearby. And i'll be more than happy to ship them off to fellow bhpian's.

[VTEC_Rocks]

I've had the rat trouble with
1. Esteem - Fuel pipes & vacuum pipes are chewed off.
2. OHC - Engine bay wires skinned, rear seat under part chewed off, Fuel gauge cable skinned.
3. Swift - I can see a lot of foot prints in the engine bay. No damage yet. Thank god.

In my OHC, the fuel gauge cable was once chewed off. Due to the wires being bare, there was a short circuit and the O2 sensor fuse went bust. The car did not start. Had the car fixed by the honda service guys. Thankfully I was this happened when the car was at home. If it was else where, I would have been stranded on the road.

Keeping bundles of tobacco wherever you suspect the rat would move around is one of the ways. Not quite sure how effective it is.

My mechanic said change the place of parking everyday. I'm still trying to convince my neighbors :P

[scorpio_fan]

I had this problem in my Zen. The Suraksha people fixed it and now I do not have a problem. What they did was

1. Cover all possible entry to the car properly (I meant small holes)
2. In the Engine bay, cover important wires with the iron mesh
3. Cover the MPFI distributor side with bottle brush like stuff

Moreover make sure the AC has set to the circulation mode, if you set it to take the air from out side I think it opens up to the rat!

If needed i can post few pictures.

Regards,
Vijay

[bdutta]

Faced this issue once with my Wagon-R, almost 3 yrs back, when the car was parked for 3 weeks, and we went on vacation. Came back and found a terrible musty stench in the car, and on turning the fan/AC on aggravated the stench. Also the seats and car floor, and the parked area, underneath the car were full of rat droppings, pieces / tiny-bits of plastic/rubber all over, and was in a mess. Car did start fine, but called MASS folks, who took the car away for service. They did reiterate what few others have said, i.e. when leaving vehicle for long, make sure air-circulation is set to inside-air-circulation, which does close off few of the open holes, and also got similar mesh-wrapping done on distributor pipe and some electrical wiring.

- BD