Rodent Damage

[08M6]

When I took my 2015 F83 in for Parking Assistance malfunction, I was told that a rodent had gotten in and chewed through the wiring. The repair will have to be paid out of pocket since rodent damage is not covered under BMW warranty. Does anyone know of a way to prevent this from happening in the future? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

[sandwi54]

That's not the first time it happened. One time I was at the dealership someone brought in his X5 having multiple issues, and they popped the hood and tons of wires have been chewed off.

You may need to find possible entry points for rodents under the hood and see if there's any way to shield them.

[RickFLM4]

Rat poison.

[dzvero]

[nickl630]

Is your car garaged? Properly insulating and closing off the garage (weather seals and whatnot) will be easier than trying to rodent-proof your car.

I've seen Ferrari's with rodent turds and bones on the manifolds before. Owners are always clueless as to how they got there.

[CigarPundit]

Originally Posted by pheerIx

http://carcapsule.com/

Not exactly practical for a DD, or for street use. If you have a garage, rat proof it so they don’t get in in the first place. It isn’t hard to do, and not expensive. They basically do an inspection to identify all the entry points and slap chicken wire over them. I had it done and haven’t had a rodent since in 10+ years.

[KevinM]

As above, we need to know if the car is garaged in order to help. If the car is garaged, you just have to make sure there is no rat infestation in the garage. You can keep them out by buying a rodent-deterrent frequency generator and plugging it in the garage.

If the car is not garaged, keeping the hood open will prevent rodents from trying to nest in your car. If this is not practical/desirable, you can buy a battery operated rodent-deterrent frequency generator and place it under the front of the car at night.

GL

[SMGCFP]

Sounds awful. I don't know much about rodents, but if you drive the car daily (as in every day), would they nest? If it's garage kept, then you probably have mice in your house too (assuming it's connected). Guess it's good they didn't eat your brake line.

[Jim B]

Check your insurance. Rodent damage might be covered under comprehensive.

[UGA Jim]

Very timely thread.

I just had a $1200 repair on my 2016 M3 for rodent damage. All of a sudden my oil measuring sensor was not working. Brought it into my dealer, and sure enough a rodent chewed through both the conduit and the wiring inside.

I have a carport so can’t close off my garage, but my car is driven almost everyday. Going to put a trap or something in the carport to try to attract them.

And yes, my comprehensive coverage with State Farm did cover it.

Regards.....Jim

[chriszach1]

In Germany, we have little rodents that like to climb in and chew up wires. Cost me over 300 Euros to fix the wife's Q7. Since we can't kill the little sh!tbags...I got a couple of wooden pallets and put chicken wire across the top of them and then just slide them under the engine. They can't walk on it and I've never had another issue with them.

[Alpine300zhp]

Originally Posted by 08M6

When I took my 2015 F83 in for Parking Assistance malfunction, I was told that a rodent had gotten in and chewed through the wiring. The repair will have to be paid out of pocket since rodent damage is not covered under BMW warranty. Does anyone know of a way to prevent this from happening in the future? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Your auto insurance will cover this under the comprehensive part of your policy. Contact them to file a claim.

[knightarmor]

Get a good set of farm cats. After I moved to the pnw I had issues with mice getting into the engine bay of my Volvo. I tried all kinds of traps and bait and only killed squirrels. Eventually I picked up a couple farm cats and they decimated anything that camenear our property including but not limited to- birds, squirrels, moles and bunnies!

Ever since we have kept a couple of farm cats on our property. They sleep in the garage with the cars as well. Aside from rodent control they are a hoot to have around!

[ljzimm]

This is going to sound crazy but... dryer sheets. Put a box in the trunk of the car and crack it a bit. They don't like the smell and stay away.

My father lives out in Arizona and gets rats the size of rabbits on a regular basis and with no garage they kept choosing his car as a good place to crash for the night. I put some dryer sheets in the trunk and he took some initiative and cut some into strips and tied them around anything he could in the engine bay that wasn't prone to temperature or electrical (not many options and realistically I do not recommend this) but since that point he hasn't had a single problem.

[shay2nak]

Originally Posted by knightarmor

Eventually I picked up a couple farm cats and they decimated anything that camenear our property including but not limited to- birds, squirrels, moles and bunnies!

Ever since we have kept a couple of farm cats on our property. They sleep in the garage with the cars as well. Aside from rodent control they are a hoot to have around!

goddamn...

[red_guapo]

squirrels chewed up my o2 sensor wire luckily it was only $350 to fix.

[VCP]

They like the soy based looms. Moth balls wrapped in cheese cloth tied up with tie straps in a few areas under your hood.

[jasnh]

When storing my car for the winter, I use empty water bottles, cut holes in them and stuff them with cotton balls soaked in Peppermint Essential Oil...I place a couple inside the car, a couple in the trunk and under the hood....been doing this for 20 yrs with no issues.

[Celestion]

Originally Posted by 08M6

When I took my 2015 F83 in for Parking Assistance malfunction, I was told that a rodent had gotten in and chewed through the wiring. The repair will have to be paid out of pocket since rodent damage is not covered under BMW warranty. Does anyone know of a way to prevent this from happening in the future? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Third world problems...

[bueller]

Originally Posted by 08M6

When I took my 2015 F83 in for Parking Assistance malfunction, I was told that a rodent had gotten in and chewed through the wiring. The repair will have to be paid out of pocket since rodent damage is not covered under BMW warranty. Does anyone know of a way to prevent this from happening in the future? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

I had this problem with my Touareg a few years ago. My dog actually told me about it when it was happening, I just thought he was a loon barking at the car.

I bought some Mouse B Gone and put it around the outside of my garage and have not had the problem since.

The guy at the VW dealership said they squirted the new wiring with lithium grease which is also a deterrent.

Sorry that happened to you, it is a bummer it ended up costing me $600 to fix. Damage is generally not covered under warranty, which is understandable, It is also not covered under some (I think most) insurance policies.

[shay2nak]

Originally Posted by ljzimm

This is going to sound crazy but... dryer sheets. Put a box in the trunk of the car and crack it a bit. They don't like the smell and stay away.

My father lives out in Arizona and gets rats the size of rabbits on a regular basis and with no garage they kept choosing his car as a good place to crash for the night. I put some dryer sheets in the trunk and he took some initiative and cut some into strips and tied them around anything he could in the engine bay that wasn't prone to temperature or electrical (not many options and realistically I do not recommend this) but since that point he hasn't had a single problem.

Just visited my buddy this weekend and he does this, too! lol He says they don't like the smell of it.

[ljzimm]

Originally Posted by shay2nak

Just visited my buddy this weekend and he does this, too! lol He says they don't like the smell of it.

Glad it's not just me! Swear it works though, just kinda weird