A few years ago, I moved to the country and live in 5 acres of woods. Some mice started chewing on the wires under hood of one of my cars. I got a cat. Haven’t had a problem since then.
Even just borrowing a cat (some cats are cool with visits, especially for their favorite treats) for a few hours will leave enough scent around to keep rodents away for a few weeks.
I've never had a pet but I'm thinking it'd be worth all the cost of the cat and its food, etc., if it prevents even one case of mice chewing up a car's wires.
This is an issue specifically with wires and pipes that have to withstand high temperatures.
Here's a simple and relatively cheap solution:
https://www.collegehillshonda.com/product/4019-2317.html
Lol has nothing to do with that and everything to do with manufacture profits. The dearships are not owned by the manufacturer and see no profit from customer pay work. They just don't care about mice. Unless it's a German manufacturer I guess.
Lazy (cunning?) dealership mechanics and service departments would simply replace a harness rather than breakout a soldering iron.
More money for them, easier, and no comebacks.
We're talking about rodent damage. I my 15 years as a tech I have only seen 1 or 2 hard parts get damaged by rodents to the point it needs to be replaced. They love the wiring....and the warmer Temps
I have heard of this as an issue with a few American auto brands, by word of mouth at dealerships they have had issues with squirrels as well chewing up wiring harnesses under the car due to the material the wiring harness looms are made of (something to do with vegetable oil?).
I remember being in my 20s and dreaming of the day where I could afford to order/purchase my first new car.
With the problems I see plaguing that of the new car ownership experience I see, and the diminishing home serviceability of future automobiles. I don't think I will ever end up buying anything brand new in my life time, unless I have absolutely no other options.
Nope, old Japanese and German junk for me.
Old Japanese and German are junk ? I don’t wanna be toxic or anything but old German cars like the 5,7 series e38 and e39 are bulletproof … let’s not get started about old Mercedes that still run after 60 years plus.. with no rust etc. bulletproof cars that the Germans have build from the 70s till early 2000s! Japanese cars are maybe junk if you look at their build quality but the motors will die later than myself.
Those BMWs come with expectations of changing out the plastics in the cooling systems every 10 years to catch them before they spontaneously snap and strand you.
Lower control arms in the front end want a word as well.
The most bullet proof part of those cars is the leather seating. I've had E34, E39, and E90 while stationed in Germany. My German coworkers rolled their eyes when I told them what I was driving, saying these cars demand too much 'preventive maintenance.' I came to understand what they were on about after a few years of ownership. Wouldn't buy another BMW due to these experiences.
If you amortize the additional cost of maintaining an E34, E39, or E90 and compare it to the difference in joy of driving between them and their Mercedes-Benz and Audi counterparts, it's a small monthly cost for a smile.
I've been driving BMW sport sedans for more than 20 years now, and I've never once considered them to be high maintenance for the experience I receive.
I get that you see these costs as part of the paradigm. Others see this as a poor value, seeing how other ICE vehicles do not need this level of parts replacing in regular service.
It would seem both camps have enough people in them to keep the various paradigms running since the affected companies seem to be doing just fine.
I meant no malice when I used the phrasing "junk" I refer to all my old cars as garbage or junk in the most loving way. I would rather deal with the here's and there's of dealing with owning an old car than having to pay a subscription charge to get heated seats working in my new car.
I asked my dad who is an engineer for BMW. If I understood the question right then almost every new German car has a box that emits a high pitched sound that scares off anything that would chew your cars cable. I am not sure if it’s an extra or aftermarket option but every third car in Germany has this box installed.
Anti marten devices are common there. I'm sure they're used to be an option for Audi cars to have an electric fence like solution fitted to the car to zap them.
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Thanks - my [other post](https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/comments/18yd8bp/automotive_engineers_2024_and_thwarting_mice/kgalrfl/) which didn't use a shortener got bounced - did you approve that one? I appreciate it!
I’ve heard placing mothballs in the plastic belly pans can help. The rodents just need to find your car less appealing than your neighbors car. 🤷♂️
Not sure if it works, I’ve personally repaired rodent damage and it’s annoying. Mine was on a 2008 Jetta 2.5 in Golden, Colorado, car was already old so the wires stay “tasty”.
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