Keeping Rodents away from the wiring - Educate yourself

[PHAZFREQ]

I have seen a bunch of posts rallying for action against car manufacturers for going SOY based wiring. Please do your research first and understand what you need to do as a car owner as part of up keep to the vehicle. I rather car manufacturers move away from petroleum based wiring for sustainability.

All you need to do is go through this article and be better informed and know what steps you can take.
Which Cars Have Soy Based Wiring: Do They Attract Rodents? (motorverso.com)

There is a video embedded in the above article on prevention tips. Fast forward to that

If and when car manufactures find a better solution, I am sure will be implemented.
If you are going to complain about this, provide a solution then. Do some R&D and help the industry.

UPDATE - Thanks for all the positive tips for people to try out! Depending on your rodents and geography, some will be more effective than others.

The big thing I am getting out of this is car manufacturers are not raising awareness to customers at purchase time. Nothing in the owner manual. That is where I bet most would like to see a change and additional information provided - @Ford

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[PHAZFREQ]

TL;DR - This article doesn't advise how to prevent it; it only explains (in way too many words) that it happens, and you should use insurance to help pay for repairs. It gives a viable method to clean up your engine bay if it does happen, but that's it.

This doesn't provide a solution, in any way, as you suggested.

I should have noted there is a video embedded at the bottom that covers prevention.

 

[MileHighCitizen]

I should have noted there is a video embedded at the bottom that covers prevention.

Yeah i saw that then erased my previous comment.

It says to use Irish spring soap shavings, dryer sheets, and moth balls.

 

[HighVelocity]

Been there, done that. I had rodents cause over $2500 in damage in one of my trucks. They built a nest under the turbo, which caught on fire, melting the wiring and part of the plastic tubing.

I currently use ultrasonic and motion activated lights under the hood. That's mostly taken care of it, but I still get them in there on occasion. I've also set them up outside of the truck where I park. That seemed to have a greater effect than directly under the hood.

None of the soap, peppermint and other holistic things worked for me. I found the soap chewed up and it creates a hell of a mess when it gets hot.

I had them find a way inside as well, there was a rubber plug in the firewall that had come loose. Nothing like the smell of rodent piss wafting at you when you turn on the heater.

I now use Allstate for insurance since after the above incident as they were the only ones who explicitly stated they would cover rodent damage in the future.

 

[Sitruc_btb]

I put hot sauce on my wire repairs. Joke's on them next time they come sniffing around.

 

[MayhemMike]

Spray bottle filled with a mixture of water and Irish Spring body wash. Spray the engine compartment once a month. The critters don’t like Irish Spring.

 

[Dmorty217]

Spray bottle filled with a mixture of water and Irish Spring body wash. Spray the engine compartment once a month. The critters don’t like Irish Spring.

@HighVelocity just said Irish spring didn’t work, along with a slew of other products. I have rats that eat the poison baits but don’t die. I also live where there are alligators, large birds of prey, bobcats and pumas and the rats are doing just fine.

 

[rayhil67]

I currently use ultrasonic and motion activated lights under the hood. That's mostly taken care of it, but I still get them in there on occasion. I've also set them up outside of the truck where I park. That seemed to have a greater effect than directly under the hood.

Or.. I have about 6 different Stray cats and 2 red Fox's that set my cameras off every night, rodents don't stand a chance!

 

[HighVelocity]

@HighVelocity just said Irish spring didn’t work, along with a slew of other products. I have rats that eat the poison baits but don’t die. I also live where there are alligators, large birds of prey, bobcats and pumas and the rats are doing just fine.

Didn't work for me on the rodents in MY area. Your results may vary in your area, with your specific species of rodent.

There really isn't any definitive science to this stuff. I've heard of people who have tried the ultrasonic deterrents with no positive results as well. You should try a variety of methods.

 

[Moto26]

Yep, Arizona packrats eat Irish Spring soap for dinner. They also must wear ear plugs, because ultrasonic devices don't work on them.

My dad lost a car to a fire started by all the packrat debris that collected under his engine. I've had wiring harnesses chewed through that disabled everything, fuel pump wiring and windshield washer hoses chewed, and of course lost a ton of under-hood insulation. I even had a skid-steer loader that had so much packrat damage the shop never could fix it all, and they ended up taking it in trade toward a new tractor.

Aside from a well-sealed garage, the ONLY thing I've had long-term success with is popping the hood and hanging an LED shop light over the engine bay in my truck every night, and for the Bronco we leave the light on the ground and park on top of it, so we can still use the remote start. Both locations have been working - knock wood - for the last 2 years...

 

[HighVelocity]

Or.. I have about 6 different Stray cats and 2 red Fox's that set my cameras off every night, rodents don't stand a chance!

So do we (coyotes instead of fox). Plenty of stray dogs as well.

I have to shoot the coyotes that come in too close. They've gone after the goats.

 

[Dmorty217]

Didn't work for me on the rodents in MY area. Your results may vary in your area, with your specific species of rodent.

There really isn't any definitive science to this stuff. I've heard of people who have tried the ultrasonic deterrents with no positive results as well. You should try a variety of methods.

I had the ultrasonic as well and it didn’t do a damn thing

 

[Rydfree]

My daughter purchased a new Forerunner back in 2019. Two days later it had to be towed out of her garage and it was rodent damage. $750 repair bill that they attributed to an act of God. She didn't have time to do any preventive measures and had no idea about soy based insulation prior to that. If they are going to use bait as insulation they need to disclose that fact and make you aware of it.

 

[vicorjh]

I put hot sauce on my wire repairs. Joke's on them next time they come sniffing around.

Funny enough, capsaicin is considered a deterrent. I thought they had talked about formulating the wire insulation to include this but maybe not. There is capsaicin laced wire wrap tape available on the market ... sounds like a pita to retrofit.

 

[CarGuy]

Or.. I have about 6 different Stray cats and 2 red Fox's that set my cameras off every night, rodents don't stand a chance!

Ditto. I have a Fox family living under my shed and haven't seen a mouse/vole for quite some time.

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