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-   -   Rat damage to cars | Protection, solutions & advice (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/2729-rat-damage-cars-protection-solutions-advice-64.html)

My Car looks like the HOT Favorite of rats. Today was the 7th time they got me into trouble.
However, this time, the trouble was a little different.

I generally check everyday if all the wires look good beneath the bonnet. Today I didn't and paid the price. :Frustrati
If the car refuses to start or struggles to go beyond 1kmph, I realize that at least one of the wires has been bitten by the rats. But today, the car did just fine.
After running fine for the first 3 kms, the car started shuddering and gave up.

My best bet as to what really happened is - The rat was still there chewing his own version of tobacco / chewing gum (wires!) while I was driving.
When it could not bear the engine heat, it must have had a final big bite and ran away from the car. I was in the middle of the Goregaon East-West Flyover. With great effort, I got the car to the side and opened the bonnet to find a lot of wires cut. Luckily, I have a few tools in the car, so cut the wires a little, and opened up the sockets, reconnected them and got the car to working level. However, one more connection could not be done without more tool. So had to do the rest of the work in my office's parking lot.

Is there a real good solution for this problem. Experts, please: help!

I have been trying the tobacco therapy, but it has not been able to eliminate the problem.

I will have to try something else now.

I have tried that too. In fact that has failed terribly. I'm planning to get the rat poison and apply it to the engine by. A guy from the same colony has tried it and was able to get rid of them. Cost is 600 for the poison. Let's see how effective it is.

Guys,
Please try - http://www.varnasuraksha.in.Im using the same in my Fortuner.

Our car, a 2003 Indigo GLS, was attacked by rats over the last month. The car has been parked at exactly the same spot for the last 10 years, but this is the first time that we have had this problem. There is absolutely no food or drink kept in the car when it is parked. The rats chewed parts of the seat belt, and a plastic water bottle kept in the trunk. Then I kept tobacco wrapped in cloth, napthalene balls, and a whole packet of Mortein Rat Kill (distributed everywhere). The rat kill vanished overnight. (Their advertisement says that rats eat the poison, gasp for air, and go and die outside in the open)

The next day, I found a baby rat near the pedals, in a semi conscious state which I removed. The day after, the blower gave up after a brief sputter. I knew that it had to be another rat in there. Had to get the dash opened, and the dead rat removed. (Cost us Rs2300, and half a day at our FNG) :Frustrati

Lesson learnt: Never keep rat kill or poison inside the car, use a strong repellent instead.

Yes, you are right. The thing that I am planning to try is more of a repellent as per what the neighbour told me. It has a strong odor (however, he confirmed that the odor does not get into the cabin. This is his personal experience.) that repels the rats and discourages them to use the car as their permanent home. So, I am hoping that this would not kill the rat inside the bonnet. Moreover, I am making it a habit now to open the bonnet everyday, check the wiring and only then start the car. I hope this helps me. :)

If the rats still do not behave properly, imagine a rat in this emoticon.
:deadhorse

Picture 1 -> These wires were all cut by the rats.

Picture 2 -> these small bottles have been put at two places in the engine bay.

Let us see if they make any difference. I shall post later about my experience with them.

I tried the tobacco and vinegar thing but it seems these monsters are now immune to it :Frustrati

Recently got the Autoguard treatment done on my car by Parag from Autoshine. Really good guy and thumbs up for his work.

Lets see how it goes. *fingerscrossed*

For all those interested, you can reach out to him on +91 9821048334

Linky: http://www.noratsincar.com/


P.S: I do not work for him nor one of his marketing guys

3 month review of Varna Surakha ultrasonic repellent device:

I've not had a single rat-related issue with my car since i started using the ultrasonic repellent device in early Jan 2014. I drive the car at least once every 3 days now (driving it to office once a week takes care of mid-week running; weekend driving as usual), and haven't had any battery issues after the initial days when I left the device connected for a week straight.

I also figured out a nifty trick to protect the air-filter from rats. Turns out the molded plastic cap on the battery (+) terminal is a snug fit in the air intake opening. Protects the air-filter from the little fellas, and keeps me from losing the terminal cap too when the car's parked and the device is connected.

All in all, happy with the device and worth the money invested.

Hi Guys,

I was not expecting rats in my 1.5 years old Safari. It is parked in a closed garage but there is a little space below the shutter and now I suspect it as the only entry point for rats.

I keep checking my engine bay once in a month. The frequency of using my Safari is also very low i.e. once in 10-15 days. When I saw (last month) a rat running down the engine bay, I immediately put naphthalene balls (packed in socks) at three different places inside the engine bay and also sprinkled black pepper at all places. They have already started chewing the wires at few places.

But guys, it seems like these two things are also not worth. Today when I started my Safari, I saw a rat running out of the engine bay. :Shockked:

Are the repellents (Autoguard, Varna Surakha etc.) successful as discussed in this thread? Please advise the repellent with best results. I need to take an immediate action against these creatures otherwise I might get stranded anytime on a highway or at the garage itself.

Cheers!
Irish :)

The way to deal with this problem is to close that gap somehow. You probably don't want rats in your garage whether they get into the engine bay or not.

Buy low cost "noodle mat" pieces of enough length and place it below the shutter. Or perhaps you can use thermocol sheets instead. If that doesn't work, close the gap with cement.

Hi everybody
Beat has 2 flat places where rats can sit. I have kept a brush having a wooden platform on which steel wires are stuck. Same as what people used to use for cleaning their bathrooms so that it did not become slippery. Cost rs 15 a piece.In each of these I keep 2 pieces of camphor and a naphthalene ball. Last 3 months I havnt seen any rat problem.
Try it.It may help.
A picture of the brush is in my mail box but I don't know how to upload here.Technologically challenged :)
Smartcat/Thad if it is alright with you please PM me your email ID and will mail it to you and you can upload on the thread.
Regards
PS: Tobacco, blackpepper did not work.

The wires of the oxygen sensor on my one year-old Polo have been chewed by rats. Both sets of wires have been chewed in fact, the one coming from the sensor and the other from the ECU. There's also a set of connectors in between, and the one on the ECU side has fallen off!
The SA claims that the wires are made of aluminium and cannot be soldered. He's asking me to replace the sensor. And the parts are crazy expensive: sensor is 4.5k, the wire harness is 3k, and the connector is 2k.
The only silver lining is that it's the downstream (post-catcon) sensor, so it's not affecting my engine performance (read fuel efficiency) so much.
Is the workshop taking me for a ride? I posted this on the official Polo thread and some members think I'm being robbed. What are my alternatives?
Help please.

Get a second opinion from another service centre in your city or else visit some FNG to get an opinion. Accordingly act forward.

Would shooting a mail to the heads @ VW help?

Anurag.