Rodent Damage - any advice

[nikchurchley22]

In January I picked up a new California Beach. Last Thursday I filled up with Diesel and an hour later I found a significant amount of diesel dripping from the bottom of the van. Called roadside assistance who took the van to the local repair centre and they organised a hire car. They explained the van might not be looked at until later this week as the garage had a jolly to Le Mans but that was no problem as i had a hire car and no trips planned. This morning my phone rang and i thought "great" they've repaired it. The conversation went along these lines - they have found the problem and sent me a video - rodents have chewed through the fuel line - this is not under warranty and will cost £370 to repair and the parts aren't in the country and they have no estimate as to when they might be. Now like many on this forum I would imagine you will be using your van for holidays/festivals/weekends and I've got a whole summer planned nearly every weekend. So i changed the subject changed to replacement campervans which they didn't have but then came the killer punch. Because the damage is not covered by warranty we need the car back now. I decided i was to angry to carry on the conversation and put the phone down. An hour later the MD of repair centre called me and after further investigation they could repair it but it would not be under warranty and would cost £300. He informed me that Rodent damage on Vans was very common and short of setting rat traps around your van at night there was not much i could do. So i have a couple of questions. 1). Has anyone else had rodent issues with a new van and what was the outcome? 2) It appears VW and other van providers are using new rodent friendly covered plastic on fuel lines so are VW going to take any responsibility as I'd imagine this is a serious accident waiting to happen.

 

[Ozzy Pete]

Rodent damage is very common. Although I haven’t had a problem with the van I had my bike wires all chewed up by mice a couple of years ago. Also a 5 litre plastic can of diesel was literally chewed to bits in the shed. Also a few years ago a spare set of standard pipes off the bike which I kept in the corner of the garage were filled to the top with peanuts which were kept in another plastic box which the mice had chewed through to get to the nuts.
I refuse to use poison as we have a cat so I set traps and catch one every few days .

 

[WelshGas]

In January I picked up a new California Beach. Last Thursday I filled up with Diesel and an hour later I found a significant amount of diesel dripping from the bottom of the van. Called roadside assistance who took the van to the local repair centre and they organised a hire car. They explained the van might not be looked at until later this week as the garage had a jolly to Le Mans but that was no problem as i had a hire car and no trips planned. This morning my phone rang and i thought "great" they've repaired it. The conversation went along these lines - they have found the problem and sent me a video - rodents have chewed through the fuel line - this is not under warranty and will cost £370 to repair and the parts aren't in the country and they have no estimate as to when they might be. Now like many on this forum I would imagine you will be using your van for holidays/festivals/weekends and I've got a whole summer planned nearly every weekend. So i changed the subject changed to replacement campervans which they didn't have but then came the killer punch. Because the damage is not covered by warranty we need the car back now. I decided i was to angry to carry on the conversation and put the phone down. An hour later the MD of repair centre called me and after further investigation they could repair it but it would not be under warranty and would cost £300. He informed me that Rodent damage on Vans was very common and short of setting rat traps around your van at night there was not much i could do. So i have a couple of questions. 1). Has anyone else had rodent issues with a new van and what was the outcome? 2) It appears VW and other van providers are using new rodent friendly covered plastic on fuel lines so are VW going to take any responsibility as I'd imagine this is a serious accident waiting to happen.

Short answer, No , such damage will not be covered by the Warranty.
As far as VW taking responsibility for using Rodent friendly materials in the vehicle, along with every other manufacturer, then the answer is also No, I’m afraid.

Such problems with rodents have been around since the invention of the automobile, I’m afraid, they may have increased with the drive to protect the environment and climate change limiting the use of materials made from hydrocarbons but also the rat population in built up areas have increased significantly over the years.
Traps, poison or a good mouser are the only way forward, or liberally spread very hot chilli paste or impregnated tape on all wiring etc: that you can see under the vehicle.

 

[B J G]

I fitted one of this type of unit after reading of electrical wiring being attacked.

No idea if it works but no problems as yet.
Cali spends about 3 months per year in Normandy where there definitely is mice running around it.
Also seen mice here in UK.

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[Roger Boeken]

In January I picked up a new California Beach. Last Thursday I filled up with Diesel and an hour later I found a significant amount of diesel dripping from the bottom of the van. Called roadside assistance who took the van to the local repair centre and they organised a hire car. They explained the van might not be looked at until later this week as the garage had a jolly to Le Mans but that was no problem as i had a hire car and no trips planned. This morning my phone rang and i thought "great" they've repaired it. The conversation went along these lines - they have found the problem and sent me a video - rodents have chewed through the fuel line - this is not under warranty and will cost £370 to repair and the parts aren't in the country and they have no estimate as to when they might be. Now like many on this forum I would imagine you will be using your van for holidays/festivals/weekends and I've got a whole summer planned nearly every weekend. So i changed the subject changed to replacement campervans which they didn't have but then came the killer punch. Because the damage is not covered by warranty we need the car back now. I decided i was to angry to carry on the conversation and put the phone down. An hour later the MD of repair centre called me and after further investigation they could repair it but it would not be under warranty and would cost £300. He informed me that Rodent damage on Vans was very common and short of setting rat traps around your van at night there was not much i could do. So i have a couple of questions. 1). Has anyone else had rodent issues with a new van and what was the outcome? 2) It appears VW and other van providers are using new rodent friendly covered plastic on fuel lines so are VW going to take any responsibility as I'd imagine this is a serious accident waiting to happen.

Never had problems with T6 for 6 years. July 2022 after 3 weeks ownership of T6.1 we had rodent damage. No warranty, 130 euro repair cost. Since then we have ultrasonic rodent repellant device under engine hood and rodent repellant spray with us when camping. I believe especially new cali’s have a irresistible odor for rodents and alike.

 

[B J G]

Never had problems with T6 for 6 years. July 2022 after 3 weeks ownership of T6.1 we had rodent damage. No warranty, 130 euro repair cost. Since then we have ultrasonic rodent repellant device under engine hood and rodent repellant spray with us when camping. I believe especially new cali’s have a irresistible odor for rodents and alike.

A going Green aspect not mentioned by VW?

 

[Lambeth Cali]

This worked great for me after 2 rodent/fox chewing attacks.

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It’s a dirty job. You wrap around everything you can see. No attacked for a couple of years now.

 

[RockinNRollin]

I was thinking about this; other than food lying around, is there anything that makes a Cali any more desirable to the furry rodent brigade than any other modern car? I've never (to my knowledge) had rodent damage to any of my cars and they haven't moved any more than my Cali will. They have also spent time on grassy campsites etc. and have been new modern cars (most recently was a VW group car from 2020 so presumably had the newer "tasty" components).

Hopefully not jinxing it by saying this . . .

 

[Ozzy Pete]

I fitted one of this type of unit after reading of electrical wiring being attacked.

No idea if it works but no problems as yet.
Cali spends about 3 months per year in Normandy where there definitely is mice running around it.
Also seen mice here in UK.

Car Rat Repeller Ultrasonic Mouse Repellent Ultrasonic Rodent Repellent 6908401257839 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Car Rat Repeller Ultrasonic Mouse Repellent Ultrasonic Rodent Repellent at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

I bought one of these rodent repellent devices and put it on top of the container that we store bird seed and peanuts, result, no difference whatsoever they still chewed through the plastic container that’s why I had to result to traps.

 

[Corradobrit]

I was thinking about this; other than food lying around, is there anything that makes a Cali any more desirable to the furry rodent brigade than any other modern car? I've never (to my knowledge) had rodent damage to any of my cars and they haven't moved any more than my Cali will. They have also spent time on grassy campsites etc. and have been new modern cars (most recently was a VW group car from 2020 so presumably had the newer "tasty" components).

Hopefully not jinxing it by saying this . . .

The problem a lot of the time is the 'environmentally friendly' soya based insulation used in modern wiring looms. The Cali's seems to be especially exposed and open to attack by these furry critters.

 

[danvan]

I was thinking about this; other than food lying around, is there anything that makes a Cali any more desirable to the furry rodent brigade than any other modern car? I've never (to my knowledge) had rodent damage to any of my cars and they haven't moved any more than my Cali will. They have also spent time on grassy campsites etc. and have been new modern cars (most recently was a VW group car from 2020 so presumably had the newer "tasty" components).

Hopefully not jinxing it by saying this . . .

I think it's that the wiring runs on the underside of the van, whereas I'm assuming it runs inside on a car to some extent? Our van was attacked twice, together with another neighbour's VW camper and a Transit work van. The first I know of it was on start-up the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree with error messages. We now place a spiked mat under the van when it isn't being used to deter pests, and the garage put grease over the wiring. It's either worked, or they've lost interest.

 

[oryx white]

Been there. Got that T-shirt. 1,500 GBP worth of damage in three separate incidents.

Local VW garage have fitted a Martin alarm with support from VWCS after a 6month battle. So far, no further damage. We also have a couple of 20 GBP battery ultrasonic scarers covering the front and rear of the Cali when it's parked at home.

The gory details are here:

Rodent attack repairs

Update from Post #41. 1. As @GrannyJen suggested, I invested in a couple of inexpensive animal scarers and placed them in front and behind where I normally park the Cali on our drive. The batteries need replacing pretty frequently mind. and ... 2. After over 6 months of back and forth with VW...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[Roger Boeken]

A going Green aspect not mentioned by VW?

Who knows ? Everything is eco, compostable or animal friendly nowadays.

 

[NorCal]

My Old Dear had similar damage to the soya-based seal on her VAG panoramic sunroof - the quotation for the repair was a little under £1,900 as a glass section was required to be replaced with the seal. She P/X’ed the car rather spring for a repair.

The materials are not fit for purpose.

 

[MarkRubinstein]

We had our wiring in our T6 attacked by rodents. £1,300 to repair and spray the soya based insulation with rat deterring substance. it was covered by our insurance, less the excess.

 

[babble]

Happened to me with my T6 after a few weeks of ownership. Car wouldn't start and it seems rodents had nibbles anfew tasty soya bassed pipes. VW assistance did a free quick repair and a year later I had some OEM pipes put in at not much cost.

Ridiculous situation though. I park my van in a different place now, away from the woodland and haven't had the problem since. (It was some sort of pine martin apparently.)

 

[SamSara]

I keep forgetting to do it but peppermint oil is meant to work. It is harmful itself to surfaces so put on a rag and place under the engine or wherever you may have an issue. It will need need replacing every few days

 

[RockinNRollin]

I wonder if spraying the underside with ACF50 would help; I am tempted to do this anyway for corrosion resistance, but I can't imagine it tastes very nice. My only concern is if VW pull their face in the event of any warranty claim (for anything whatsoever!). It's pretty good stuff on motorcycles; I apply it with reckless abandon there (other than seats/pegs/brakes/tyres), so unless VW use natural rubber anywhere it shouldn't react if similar precautions are taken around brakes and tyres.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

In the news today.

VWCC member?

 

[Corradobrit]

In the news today.

VWCC member?

View attachment 116267

View attachment 116268

The VW group have known about this problem for years, as well as any other company using soya based insulation coatings. VW even sell the ultrasonic repellant systems in their dealer parts depts. Hardly a cutting edge, hold-the-presses news item. That anyone interested in contacting the journalist at the Yorkshire Evening Post to run an exposé of the Bellowsgate saga. That would be far more newsworthy.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

The VW group have known about this problem for years, as well as any other company using soya based insulation coatings. VW even sell the ultrasonic repellant systems in their dealer parts depts. Hardly a cutting edge, hold-the-presses news item. That anyone interested in contacting the journalist at the Yorkshire Evening Post to run an exposé of the Bellowsgate saga. That would be far more newsworthy.

The journalist obviously hasn’t logged into this forum

 

[Corradobrit]

The journalist obviously hasn’t logged into this forum

I emailed the journalist who wrote the piece with links to this and the Calibord threads. Let's see if he replies.