I've Been Ratted Out, Boys....
 

What the hell? I checked under the bonnet this evening, and found this. It's not as if I leave my car for weeks or months at a time, or don't open the bonnet at least once a week. These are clearly teeth marks. And poop. The animal pooped inside my car! The actual wire itself hasn't been gnawed through, just the rubber cover, but I still think it's best to replace it sooner rather than later.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...fa31b7ee35.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...d88ef487fa.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...01d366c874.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...eb1c8b1fe2.jpg
How the hell did a rat or mouse get up there, and why did it chew on the rubber? And what can I do to stop this sort of thing in the future? Coat the rubber in cat urine?

Damn rodents, I live in the country on an acreage with loads of mice. I always leave my bonnet up to prevent them getting comfortable in the engine bay. The cat is useless he brings them in not takes them out.

I'm in the city. No acreage, no fields, nothing. Where the hell would the rodents come from? That's what flummoxes me.
If I can find the set of leads I bought that didn't fit due to having the wrong-shaped ends for the spark plugs, I might be lucky enough to be able to fit the coil lead at least. God knows where I put those leads, mind....

Bugga.

Yep, cats are basically useless, and the mice/rats know it.

We run a trail of diesel fuel around the cars in the storage shed, and that has so far worked, and there are rodents in there, trust me.

A 12 gauge at 20 paces does wonders also, gotta watch the paint work however.

Some of that "silicon rubber" is sweet to them, hence the attack.

I just hope the rubber gave him a bad case of indigestion. He certainly left enough of it scattered over the dizzy cap, forcing me to carefully remove as much as I could with disposable chopsticks.

Nobody is ever further than 10 yards away from a Rat SD! I have a sonic deterrent in my garage, but in the open, as for example my pickup, this is what I do:

• Place a plastic container somewhere in the engine bay and wire it in place. Put about an inch of washing powder in the bottom, and place rat poison sachets on that.
• place super sticky rat-catching pads in the engine bay. use double-sided Sellotape to hold them in place

Believe it or not these work. Any HT lead will do pro-tem, by the way.

Wait, there's room in the engine bay for a plastic container?! :icon_crackup:
I presume this container would be removed while driving. I've never heard of rat-catching pads, but I might see if they exist over here. I've never seen a rat here, nor seen rat damage here in 25 years. Cockroachs, yes. Loads You're never further than ten feet from a cockroach in Japan. But rats are a real surprise.

No, leave the container in place. Loads of places for a 2 inch square plastic box. These are the boys
https://www.pest-expert.com/rat-glue...-pack-92-p.asp
or

I have heard that dryer sheets repel mice. Put a bunch in the cabin, engine bay, and trunk.

While stationed in Germany one of my officers lived on the economy. He had a horrid issue with his BMW and several times the wires were severed. His problem was Martins that could go through the wire. The solution was a spray that BMW sold which was called IIRC "Anti-Marter schutz" (anti Martin Spray). It worked perfectly. Not sure if it is available elsewhere.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions, everyone. I'll see what options are available over here.

The dryer softener sheets work.

Just googled it! Astonishingly, it exists and seems to work.

i use the ventilated moth ball bags , two in front on the ground and two in back, so far seems to work because some times there is mice droppings near building door, but never in the car!
i have expensive leather seats ,knock on wood never had a problem. rodents have been known to like real leather!
ron

Thanks for all the additional advice and suggestions. I like the idea of a spray-on repellent, and there's something somewhat similar I believe I can get hold of here. Dryer sheets are also an easy, cheap solution--I assume they exist here. I only ever air-dry my laundry.
I checked again this morning, and there appears to be no new damage, and I cannot see any sign of nibbling on any other hoses or wires. I suspect it happened up at the university carpark, not home, as the university carpark is surrounded by forested hillside and I generally park as close to the trees as possible to keep the sun off as much as possible. I may rethink this strategy....

I'm glad I live in a place that is rat free!
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada...banish-the-rat

Pet rats forbidden? Pity. As a child, our family had some pet rats. Samuel Whiskers and Anna-Marie, who were very friendly things. Loved to ride on our shoulders. Only sometimes gnawed on the carpet and woodwork..... So I was always disposed to look on Ratatouille with a friendly eye. Not sure now, however.... As an interim measure, I wiped a little CRC over the coil lead rubber as an experiment. It has a strong smell, so hopefully rats won't like it.

Being on mobile I can't see your location till I switch to view desktop mode but I knew rat free = Alberta before I even saw the link lol. Getting warmer now do you ever take your car to BC? Hwy 1 through to the Okanagan feels like it were built for a Jag, long straight runs and dangerously sharp corners.


As for the chewed up car I always use a paper towel or rag soaked in peppermint oil. Animals particularly rodents just haaate peppermint. Can work in any area boot, engine, inside etc.

Peppermint oil? That sounds nice and simple.

Yes, we go to the Jaguars on the Island show in Victoria every year. I've done the trip to Vancouver so many times I think I could drive it with my eyes closed.