Kuhan

Started my car yesterday.

Oil Level Sensor failure warning came on the dash.

Half way down the road, Oil Temp Sensor failure warning came up... didn't really worry about it, I know I have plenty of oil.

Took the car out for lunch and CEL light came on. Went straight to the dealer.

Rolling power cuts in Houston meant that they were unable to look into the car yesterday so they gave me a A3 PDKish thing to drive.

Got a call at lunchtime today - $%^#ing rodents have been chewing at the wiring loom. 800 beans to fix - CPO no use to me in this instance.

I'm buying a snake to live in my garage.

scott10s

I leave multiple traps in my garage year round just for that reason!

alexb76

I guess you need to spray the underside with some rat poision!

That really sucks! Never heard of that before!

Edgy01

Sadly, this is becoming a real problem in many areas of the country. Invest in a cat if you have a garage, or at least a bunch of traps. Bait with peanut butter. The damage these things can do will easily amount to hundreds of dollars!

racer

I feel you pain.. In fact, I had a rodent issue when I left my DD at work one day years ago.. and in NYC, the rodents aren't small! The buggers ate on some electrical wires that, in my case, were brake related!

FI Flyer

Mayor Bloomberg shares your lack of enthusiasm for rodents. Two years ago, on Groundhog Day, he was bitten by the groundhog. He (our mayor) has never forgotten ... or forgiven.

Story and video: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/...=Google+Reader

My children rely on me to report on whether I see my shadow on Candlemass. I am incorruptible and reliable. But not as cute as the competition.

RED 997

Sorry to hear that. They ate through all 3 wire looms of my Harley once. Insurance covered the damage. Cant remember if motorcycle or house though. If you have insurance, you might hit them up.

Mike in CA

Last summer I raised the cover and frunk lid on my car and saw a mouse scurry off of the car. Could find no evidence of a nest but subsequently got a good repeating mousetrap and caught 3 of the little bastards. I now keep the trap permanently baited with peanut butter and ready but no further incursions. The damage they could do scares me to death.

ADias

My dealer showed me last week a Panamera and a Carrera with serious rodent damage. Both cars owned by the same customer. Ouch! They had a rodent case whose repair bill totaled $28k.

purrybonker

There's something about rubber - apparently they like the stuff to sharpen their teeth on.

I was backpacking/fishing in the rockies years ago - woke up in the morning and my hip waders were chewed through. Porcupines. Froze my butt off trying to put cutthroat trout in my frying pan the rest of the trip.

Bought a new Renault in Paris, cruised around europe for a year. Stayed in an inner-city hotel in Nurenburg and when I left in the morning the car was running like crap. Dropped into the Renault dealer - "how do you say in english - a stone martin?" had chewed through one of the spark plug leads.

"These only come it sets, you understand - that'll be one arm and one leg please..."

If only I could find a girlfriend with a rubber fetish...

or maybe not.

Hella-Buggin'

Man, they just got into my wife's about a month ago Audi and tore apart the hood insulation to make a bed on top of the engine. I noticed it when I checked her oil. Dealer replaced the insulation for about $80 and checked the wiring and all was fine. Since then I've bought tons of rat bait, an electronic zapper trap, got 5 in 5 days :-), a sonic deterrent and coyote urine granules that I sprinkle under the engine in the car port. No signs or re-entry but I'm on guard.

I was thinking about how to make a metal plate that the car could be parked on that would have a low voltage charge applied to keep rodents at bay. It could be hooked up to a switch somewhere.

ADias

Moth ***** and peppermint oil seem to be rodent repellents.

f4 plt

Living in the country in South Texas you know rodents are common and everywhere so I check my cars frequently. A favorite hiding place is on top of and around the cabin air filter. When I checked the C2S the first of the week I found a wad of attic insulation next to the cabin air filter so I cleaned it out. Closer examination with a flashlight and mirror found a live field mouse. Needless to say he is not anymore. Fortunately because I make it a regular inspection item he had done no damage. I then checked my wife's BMW 328 also parked in the garage and found a stash of acorns on top of one of the front shock towers. I also found where mice had eaten some of the weather striping at the bottom of the garage door to gain entry. Our far form normal, cold weather has brought them in. The next day happened to be the normal treatment by our pest control service. He was told about the mouse issue and set a sticky trap in the garage. He then went to his truck to get some more traps and in the few minutes he was gone a mouse was caught in the trap. Within a hour two more were helplessly trapped. I like the sticky traps better than poison as we have many hawks in the area and I don't want a hawk to get sick from getting a mouse that had eaten poison. Yes moth ***** help, I plan to also try peppermint oil as suggested in a post. Bottom line the little creatures want to get out of the cold and our cars provide warm hiding and nesting places.

Of note, last month the Porsche dealer in San Antonio had to completely dis-assemble a '09 cab to replace the entire main wiring harness as the owner had left his car parked for several weeks in a garage and mice had eaten into the harness. The bill over $22,000 Moral of the tale (no pun) is make it a habit to exam all the little nooks and out of the way areas in your cars ..... far cheaper than the repairs.

utkinpol

I think i saw a mice other day in my garage when it was -2 deg outside - next day bought 4 traps with poison and 3 spring loaded traps with bait - so far in 2 weeks they are all empty. i used pieces of sausage as a bait, it is an interesting idea to put some peanut butter on top of it.

Hella-Buggin'

Maybe you have vegetarian mice... Peanut butter works like a charm.