Rodent Chewed My Trucks Wires

[ATA]

Owkay, Thats new to me and happened for first time, couple nights ago I was driving from target to home at 11PM and suddenly my engine light and electric trothle control light turned on and I smell fuel in cabin, all happened at once.

to make story short I just got a call from mechanic, The reason is rodent chews your wires, Including in fuel line. Damage is not covered by my insurance and warranty, So we talking $2500 for freaking rat ?.

Ok now I need help from you guys that if you faced same issue, How did you fix it and how can I prevent this from happening again?

[Team9nine]

Has happened THREE times to me on my Honda Ridgeline - all within a two year time span. As you said, warranty wouldn't cover it, and I didn't want to claim it against insurance. New wiring set at the time was $1200 a pop, or I could have them try to just repair the damage for $500 - I went with the latter and paid out of pocket each time. Honda put out a service bulletin to have the wiring harness and related components wrapped with anti-rat tape in these instances. It is tape coated with capsaicin, the active component of chili peppers. The wire coating/insulation on many newer vehicles is made of a soy-based product in order to be more environmentally friendly (and cheaper). Naturally, the critters think it's just a nice thing to try and eat. There were several threats of, and possible class action lawsuits against the companies for not covering this under warranty and basically hiding the problem. See link

 

Chewed Wire Issue

[N Florida Mike]

[A-Jay]

That is a real downer.

A-Jay

[TnRiver46]

I’m a rodent’s worst nightmare, but I’m a far ways off from your locale. Drive your vehicles as often as possible and kill as many rodents as possible. 

[DogBone_384]

A chipmunk chewed through my Mom’s VW’s harness a few years ago. 

 

Turns out that VW uses soy in their wire insulation.

 

A Google search revealed other auto manufacturers are too.

 

How would I fix it? Split loom on harnesses that don’t have it or wrap existing loomed harnesses in TESA tape. TESA tape is a cloth harness tape used by auto manufacturers.

[Bird]

Wow, my heart rate is climbing due to all the rodent damage I've experienced. 

You have to kill them, trap them, poison them. 

NO product under the sun will repel them, tried every single one to no avail, seriously. 

 

You simply can't leave a vehicle sit for long periods.....mice and chipmunks invade and then come the snakes. 

Not going into a long winded post but I've literally had mice and snakes crawling around the floorboard on my way to work because my truck sat for a week. 

[Log Catcher]

This happened to one of my neighbors several years ago. The shop where he had it towed told him squirrels had done the damage. This was on an older model Jeep Wagoneer. There are always plenty of squirrels around in the neighborhood. I guess he got lucky in that only cost him around $300 to get it fixed.

[Way north bass guy]

Had a squirrel get in my boat this summer. Chewed the bilge hose in half, a small bit of transducer cable and the wire wrap for the main wiring harness. Luckily it only did real damage to the bilge hose, which I was able to easily repair. After that I sat a “pail of death” in the boat at all times while I wasn’t using it ( five gallon pail with water and the rolling log on top with a bit of peanut butter), and the pellet gun got A LOT of use around the yard for a few weeks. Needless to say, they can’t chew your stuff up anymore when they’re fox food!

[slonezp]

Buddy of mine has had squirrels chew thru the wiring on both his Nissans 3 or 4 times already.

[cyclops2]

 NJM & Honda covered most of my wire damage. 

 

I bought a mouse poison bait. It has Coumadin in it . Put small pieces on the engine . Then they died  somewhere. 

 

It is B S if anyone tells you wires MUST BE MADE WITH >>>SOY !!!!!!!!

NEC  code does not say that. Those GREEN chicks & senators are BS you.

[DogBone_384]

I’ve worked on cars for the last 40 years. This thread’s got me curious.

 

Found this: https://nhoilundercoating.com/soy-based-wiring-how-to-help-keep-mice-out/

 

 

[ATA]

Thats true, I read that as well and it was mentioned by team9nine

[TnRiver46]

8 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

I’ve worked on cars for the last 40 years. This thread’s got me curious.

 

Found this: https://nhoilundercoating.com/soy-based-wiring-how-to-help-keep-mice-out/

 

 

Buyer beware haha. Trust me, if repelling rodents was possible I wouldn’t have a job 

[cyclops2]

Maybe a ultra sonic generator could prevent them.  But the Green chick & senator love their time together.   Honey, could you pass another green disaster bill just for me.

 

 The poison amount is small in a mouse. Did the LOVE ALL ANIMAL people  Think of any OTHER ANIMAL eating a poisoned mouse or rat ??

 

" That is not part of my problem.   "  Senator

[TnRiver46]

46 minutes ago, cyclops2 said:

Maybe a ultra sonic generator could prevent them.  But the Green chick & senator love their time together.   Honey, could you pass another green disaster bill just for me.

 

 The poison amount is small in a mouse. Did the LOVE ALL ANIMAL people  Think of any OTHER ANIMAL eating a poisoned mouse or rat ??

 

" That is not part of my problem.   "  Senator

My friends dog gobbled a mouse that had been poisoned. She panicked but the dog was A OK. I’m not sure of the secondary toxicity but I don’t think it’s much if any . But you can trap them just as easy, same result: dead mouse 

[cyclops2]

Thanks Tn.  I screwed up badly when I got my repaired car back. I cut the Coumadin cubes into 1/2" cubes & put them under the black plastic ground covers with bark nuggets on top of them. All were gone the next day. I never saw any pulling back of the covers. Thankfully it was cool enough for the snakes to be in their caves already. 

 

 

Edit I have already started making steel Chicken Wire sleeves for the mice to enter & eat . But will prevent pets from eating the Coumadin.  

[TnRiver46]

This discussion reminds me: I recently had a job with mice in a customers attic. There was poison everywhere but the mice wouldn’t touch it. I set wooden snap traps baited with peanut butter and bird seed and caught 5 mice right off the bat. I’ve also seen the opposite, mice I couldn’t catch with traps but they ate poison 

[cyclops2]

I use the small wood traps with 1/2" X 1/2" squares of bacon. I then wrap the bacon to the holder with about 7 wraps of thread so they have to pull a little. SNAP 

In a building I always use  the wood traps HELD in place with wire & a screw eye to prevent drag aways under attic insulation.

[BassNJake]

On 2/15/2022 at 12:01 PM, TnRiver46 said:

This discussion reminds me: I recently had a job with mice in a customers attic. There was poison everywhere but the mice wouldn’t touch it. I set wooden snap traps baited with peanut butter and bird seed and caught 5 mice right off the bat. I’ve also seen the opposite, mice I couldn’t catch with traps but they ate poison 

 

My neighbor told me to use bacon grease on the traps

Although the same neighbor said he keeps a cup in the boat to dip his lures in

So pretty sure he puts that stuff on everything

 

 

[TnRiver46]

2 hours ago, BassNJake said:

 

My neighbor told me to use bacon grease on the traps

Although the same neighbor said he keeps a cup in the boat to dip his lures in

So pretty sure he puts that stuff on everything

 

 

Don’t see why that wouldn’t work. I’ve poured Coca Cola on a mouse trap before 

[ATA]

8 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Don’t see why that wouldn’t work. I’ve poured Coca Cola on a mouse trap before 

The dealer told me to put dryer sheets everywhere in my engine and I did. Also I wash the truck inside out even engine so will have gas fume in engine. I dont know, maybe ill make that a regular thing. Anyways it cost around $1200 and I have my truck here. I am going to drive it everyday even if I am not going fishing.

[cyclops2]

NJM  insurance company paid for all the repairs to my Accord engine wiring. Love that company for over 50 years.

[ATA]

7 minutes ago, cyclops2 said:

NJM  insurance company paid for all the repairs to my Accord engine wiring. Love that company for over 50 years.

mine the same, I have 1000 deductible  

[cyclops2]

Ditto