Rodent attack

[racali]

It all started with a pleasant drive along the M25 when the low oil amber light started to intermittently flash on and off. As it’s a new vehicle I didn’t believe I had lost oil after less than two thousand miles which was confirmed when I stopped and checked - but there was a cable hanging down underneath.
So trip to Dealer for check up and this was the report -

“severe rodent damage to wiring of 2x senders, hence EML and engine oil warnings on dash (oil level sender G266 and Nox sender G295). reqs new Nox sender G295. Reqs engine loom connector for G295 and all associated wires. Reqs engine loom connector for oil level sender G266 and all associated wires. Reqs 10 x pink crimp connectors. reqs appropriate labour time for repair, as damage is in an inaccessible area and reqs some stripping in order to perform. we are carrying out wiring repair as otherwise vehicle will req complete new engine wiring harness which is a major repair. NOT WARRANTY - Images sent on seperate email.”

And only £1600 to repair - though I can’t see where that much money is unless it’s the Labour.
The question is what should I do to prevent this happening again. We are inundated with foxes and squirrels though in fairness to them I’ve parked my van in exactly the same outdoor spot for the last five years with no problems until now.
Your suggestions would be most welcome.
Ray

 

[Legin]

I have seen tie wraps with the ends cut so sharp fitted around the rubbers etc. Then covered in grease. Looks horrible but evidently works

 

[altvic]

It all started with a pleasant drive along the M25 when the low oil amber light started to intermittently flash on and off. As it’s a new vehicle I didn’t believe I had lost oil after less than two thousand miles which was confirmed when I stopped and checked - but there was a cable hanging down underneath.
So trip to Dealer for check up and this was the report -

“severe rodent damage to wiring of 2x senders, hence EML and engine oil warnings on dash (oil level sender G266 and Nox sender G295). reqs new Nox sender G295. Reqs engine loom connector for G295 and all associated wires. Reqs engine loom connector for oil level sender G266 and all associated wires. Reqs 10 x pink crimp connectors. reqs appropriate labour time for repair, as damage is in an inaccessible area and reqs some stripping in order to perform. we are carrying out wiring repair as otherwise vehicle will req complete new engine wiring harness which is a major repair. NOT WARRANTY - Images sent on seperate email.”

And only £1600 to repair - though I can’t see where that much money is unless it’s the Labour.
The question is what should I do to prevent this happening again. We are inundated with foxes and squirrels though in fairness to them I’ve parked my van in exactly the same outdoor spot for the last five years with no problems until now.
Your suggestions would be most welcome.
Ray

I have empathy esp as (so far) I have got off very lightly with mice eating the case 1lt oil is stored in the battery bay space. I have traps with peanut butter, Mix of oats, flour and polyfiller and two electronics. The 240 volt gizmo has been on for a few years and not deterred. I recently got a 12volt gizmo that has rodent audible plus flashing light that alternates on random sequence (two for £20 from Amazon early part of the lockdown). Set up on old battery that just about charges and seems to take little voltage to run (0.6 watts). Comes in form to attach to engine bay and run off starter battery but I have operated on ground to hopefully stop the mice climb up wheels.
Not convinced any of this stuff is any good as a deterrent. When our two cats died the problems started so maybe this is the answer!View attachment 63005View attachment 63003View attachment 63004View attachment 63005View attachment 63003View attachment 63004View attachment 63005

 

[Meoncoast]

Been there back in 2012 but got off with a £250 bill but save the cost of driving back to Hampshire from Wales as came home on the back of VWassist breakdown truck!

 

[altvic]

12 volt 0.8 watt

 

[westfalia]

I have been attacked with a marder -

the fecker did my lambda sensor.
I have since made this spiky net to slide under the front of the
van and I've got a rechargeable ultra-sonic device too.
The b@stard has chewed through my neighbours photovoltaic wires on his roof,
he has got it coming to him though, there is a price on his head. Cost me 300 nicker.

 

[Jodalo]

It all started with a pleasant drive along the M25 when the low oil amber light started to intermittently flash on and off. As it’s a new vehicle I didn’t believe I had lost oil after less than two thousand miles which was confirmed when I stopped and checked - but there was a cable hanging down underneath.
So trip to Dealer for check up and this was the report -

“severe rodent damage to wiring of 2x senders, hence EML and engine oil warnings on dash (oil level sender G266 and Nox sender G295). reqs new Nox sender G295. Reqs engine loom connector for G295 and all associated wires. Reqs engine loom connector for oil level sender G266 and all associated wires. Reqs 10 x pink crimp connectors. reqs appropriate labour time for repair, as damage is in an inaccessible area and reqs some stripping in order to perform. we are carrying out wiring repair as otherwise vehicle will req complete new engine wiring harness which is a major repair. NOT WARRANTY - Images sent on seperate email.”

And only £1600 to repair - though I can’t see where that much money is unless it’s the Labour.
The question is what should I do to prevent this happening again. We are inundated with foxes and squirrels though in fairness to them I’ve parked my van in exactly the same outdoor spot for the last five years with no problems until now.
Your suggestions would be most welcome.
Ray

Sorry to hear about your damage. Invest in a terrier dog like the one below. He’s a lovely little chap unless you happen to be a rat. Your rodent problems will soon disappear. A lot cheaper than £1600 too!

 

[westfalia]

Sorry to hear about your damage. Invest in a terrier dog like the one below. He’s a lovely little chap unless you happen to be a rat. Your rodent problems will soon disappear. A lot cheaper than £1600 too!View attachment 63014

That could be true...
an old tale in germany is to rub the underside of the car with a dog blanket
and the rodents will stay away.
Lovely dog btw.

 

[soulstyledevon]

I’ve not had any van damage.
But my gardens have been over the last couple of months with Grey Squirrels. I counted 6 on one afternoon. So decided to buy a humane trap.
£20 off the Internet.
I caught 3 on the first day. 7 between last Saturday and Tuesday.

The gardens been a lot nicer since I moved the buggers to the woods (buried) a few miles away.

 

[westfalia]

I’ve not had any van damage.
But my gardens have been over the last couple of months with Grey Squirrels. I counted 6 on one afternoon. So decided to buy a humane trap.
£20 off the Internet.
I caught 3 on the first day. 7 between last Saturday and Tuesday.

The gardens been a lot nicer since I moved the buggers to the woods a few miles away.

View attachment 63022

One of my neighbours caught a b@stard marder in one of those traps and asked
me if i would put it out of its misery,
a house brick, a 2.2.air rifle or a lump of wood was all we had so i couldn't do it.
Apparently you have to drive them 60kms at least for them not to find the way back.

I would've given it a sporting chance if i had a shotgun, next time its going in the Rhein
in a sack with some bricks.
We only see red squirrels here, they're quite welcome.

 

[Keith Smith]

We had the wiring on our E pace eaten, Jaguar wanted over £5000 to repair but I managed to get it fixed for £80. Since then I’ve bought a computer controlled ultrasonic device, alters the frequency and duration itself, but I’m not convinced it keeps them away. We’ve put toilet flush blocks under the bonnet as the smell is supposed to put them off and have a spotlight, at floor level, shining under the van at night. It’s a real problem.

I think it’s illegal to release rats or grey squirrels; you have to kill them if you catch them. Drowning is the approved method but it’s horrible to do.

 

[soulstyledevon]

We had the wiring on our E pace eaten, Jaguar wanted over £5000 to repair but I managed to get it fixed for £80. Since then I’ve bought a computer controlled ultrasonic device, alters the frequency and duration itself, but I’m not convinced it keeps them away. We’ve put toilet flush blocks under the bonnet as the smell is supposed to put them off and have a spotlight, at floor level, shining under the van at night. It’s a real problem.

I think it’s illegal to release rats or grey squirrels; you have to kill them if you catch them. Drowning is the approved method but it’s horrible to do.

Really...?
We have some woods a few miles away with no houses around.
I have pondered if they would be able to find their way back if released alive.

Only one possible way to prove if they can make their way back. Paint their tails.
So if you happen to walk around some Warwickshire woodland and spot some squirrels with fluorescent yellow tails. You know it’s been to Souls place

 

[Keith Smith]

They are classed as vermin and it’s illegal to release vermin into the wild. Perhaps you should point out in your previous post you were only thinking of releasing them!

 

[soulstyledevon]

They are classed as vermin and it’s illegal to release vermin into the wild. Perhaps you should point out in your previous post you were only thinking of releasing them!

Ive learnt something new today.
Thanks

 

[Zebedee]

I had damage to a sensor from an animal either fox or mouse and the kind man from vw assist used a length of pipe from adblue that he had to fashion some kind of protection. No problems in the intervening years!

 

[twildkow]

It all started with a pleasant drive along the M25 when the low oil amber light started to intermittently flash on and off. As it’s a new vehicle I didn’t believe I had lost oil after less than two thousand miles which was confirmed when I stopped and checked - but there was a cable hanging down underneath.
So trip to Dealer for check up and this was the report -

“severe rodent damage to wiring of 2x senders, hence EML and engine oil warnings on dash (oil level sender G266 and Nox sender G295). reqs new Nox sender G295. Reqs engine loom connector for G295 and all associated wires. Reqs engine loom connector for oil level sender G266 and all associated wires. Reqs 10 x pink crimp connectors. reqs appropriate labour time for repair, as damage is in an inaccessible area and reqs some stripping in order to perform. we are carrying out wiring repair as otherwise vehicle will req complete new engine wiring harness which is a major repair. NOT WARRANTY - Images sent on seperate email.”

And only £1600 to repair - though I can’t see where that much money is unless it’s the Labour.
The question is what should I do to prevent this happening again. We are inundated with foxes and squirrels though in fairness to them I’ve parked my van in exactly the same outdoor spot for the last five years with no problems until now.
Your suggestions would be most welcome.
Ray

It all started with a pleasant drive along the M25 when the low oil amber light started to intermittently flash on and off. As it’s a new vehicle I didn’t believe I had lost oil after less than two thousand miles which was confirmed when I stopped and checked - but there was a cable hanging down underneath.
So trip to Dealer for check up and this was the report -

“severe rodent damage to wiring of 2x senders, hence EML and engine oil warnings on dash (oil level sender G266 and Nox sender G295). reqs new Nox sender G295. Reqs engine loom connector for G295 and all associated wires. Reqs engine loom connector for oil level sender G266 and all associated wires. Reqs 10 x pink crimp connectors. reqs appropriate labour time for repair, as damage is in an inaccessible area and reqs some stripping in order to perform. we are carrying out wiring repair as otherwise vehicle will req complete new engine wiring harness which is a major repair. NOT WARRANTY - Images sent on seperate email.”

And only £1600 to repair - though I can’t see where that much money is unless it’s the Labour.
The question is what should I do to prevent this happening again. We are inundated with foxes and squirrels though in fairness to them I’ve parked my van in exactly the same outdoor spot for the last five years with no problems until now.
Your suggestions would be most welcome.
Ray

I had an £1100 bill for an attack to the internat wiring loom, no idea how they got inside under the kitchen unit. Another attack was to the pipes under the bonnet. AA get you home sorted that at no cost.
I read on the internet, and it seems to have worked in my case, peppermint oil mixed with water and sprayed every where under the bonnet. Repeat for a couple of days then periodically. Also keeps spiders away from CCTV cameras.
Dilution was a small bottle in 2.5l of water. Shake well, oil and water don't mix! It makes your eyes water, it's quite potent stuff.
Had attacks on two other cars. Apparently manufacturers use corn and soya byproducts or similar to make the rubber, environmentally friendly
John W

 

[paradise city]

Looks like I have also had an unwanted murine guest in the battery compartment. Hopefully it hasn't chewed through anything important!

I have two trainee mouse catchers but they're not qualified yet!

Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk

 

[paradise city]

Mouse patrol on duty.

Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk

 

[Borris]

Not experieced any rodent damage yet althought we did have rats in our loft several years ago. Our next door neighbour kept putting scraps out on their back lawn. Consequently the little blighters were living the high life with a free meal ticket, under their shed. Once I discovered that they had somehow managed to breach our outer defences by climbing up the drain pipes. I took direct action and bought a powerful air rifle with telescopic sights and began to sort the problem out, "Enemy at the gates" fashion. They were only game if they entered our back garden, although one did meet a sticky end whilst raiding the bird feeders in the front garden.

The only reason I mention this is that I believe that rodents are more likely to hang about if there's a food source nearby. In our case it was the neighbours scraps and lately Mrs B's bird feeders. They are also indirectly responsible for generating the prodigious quantities of guano that has been liberally applied to our Cali of late. Something that has featured high on my list of recent Meldrewesque rants.

Is there a nearby food source that's attracting your furry fiends? I don't imagine that they find VW wiring that tasty!

 

[Vagophile]

I don't imagine that they find VW wiring that tasty!

From other comments , I have the impression that VW have at some time changed some of their cabling covers to vegetable based material, as opposed to oil based and that this material seems much more attractive to rodents.

 

[Borris]

I had no idea that such a process existed. If that's the case why can't they do a tasty Hemlock based insulation just for the Mickies?

 

[Abx]

The exhaust sensor wires were chewed on two separate occasions on my 5.1 camper by foxes, luckily both times I managed to cut, add some new wire and resolder, very annoying!

 

[racali]

The suggestion is our ‘green’ friends are responsible for this so the mineral content in the sheathing has been replaced by organics.
After three visits the the garage and about £2k worth of damage due to foxes I’ve now installed a three layer protection system.
Firstly I’ve wrapped all exposed cables with anti rodent tape (available from Amazon and EBay), then attached cable ties at close centres with the ends cut at severe angles, and then coated the whole lot with a mix of silicone grease and chilli power.
So far so good.

 

[Lightning]

The suggestion is our ‘green’ friends are responsible for this so the mineral content in the sheathing has been replaced by organics.
After three visits the the garage and about £2k worth of damage due to foxes I’ve now installed a three layer protection system.
Firstly I’ve wrapped all exposed cables with anti rodent tape (available from Amazon and EBay), then attached cable ties at close centres with the ends cut at severe angles, and then coated the whole lot with a mix of silicone grease and chilli power.
So far so good.

View attachment 78452

I read on a vermin control FAQ that it’s a myth that wire material is the problem, they chew on wires to sharpen and trim their teeth apparently, not to eat the plastic.

 

[racali]

There have been successful class action suits against the likes of Honda, Nissan, etc in N.America but not against VW - so far - which suggests it’s the cable sheathing.

Honda Faces Lawsuit Thanks To Critter Friendly Wiring Harnesses

Honda's use of a soy-based wiring has caused many Honda owners to form a class-action lawsuit against the company due to mice and other rodents chewing thr...

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$25.6 million in Class Action Settlements Approved for Distribution in Canadian Automotive Parts Price-Fixing Class Action

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