my mini refused to start last friday and this is what happened..

apparently, rats found my engine bay quite cozy and yeah...
ripped all the engine wiring harness etc.. $500 bucks for labor

 

Heeeeere kitty, kitty, kitty!

 

I have that problem, stupid stray cats on post.

 

Must be cold where you live - them little critters where just looking for a warm place to stay... Bummer though - $500 to fix - Dayum...

Donna

 

Do you leave it for long periods of time? If you do throw a dryer sheet up the hood scoop. The smell keeps the rodents away and also gives your Mini fresh breath.

 

That wife's tail as the say has never worked for me. Guess the rodents around here like that fresh smell.

 

Which scent are you using? Try switching.

 

Wow, unreal. Rats in my attic chewed through plastic bins containing Xmas lights, etc. I mean that plastic is TOUGH. No match for the rats tho.

 

I had red squirrels under the hood of my Mazda 323 GTX. They chewed clean through spark plug wires! That's actually the beginning of the story of how I chose the license plate for it and eventually used for a screen name!

 

I had the same problem last year after our cat died. Although mine were mice, they chewed similar spots in my car. The one spot you need to check in your car and the only reason it was discovered in mine was because Johnny at Johnny's Auto Clinic was installing a new CAI, but they had nested in my air intake. There was mouse crap, shredded papers and other items in there. Be sure to take a look in there. A must!

At night, I would make sure my garage was sealed up, I plugged in several high frequency sound bug/rodent things, a rat zapper, sticky pads, snap traps and all other traps known to mankind. I made sure my dog's food was sealed up and there was no access to food for them. That got rid of them.

I still check under my hood weekly. I was so paranoid.

Here's my old link:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=99482

Good luck! Don't let them win!!

 

I had a momma mouse have babies in my old Cougar. I new there were mice getting in cuz they would chew the foam in the vents. I just didn't know she had babies in there until they all died and started to stink. We couldn't find them to get rid of them. My hubby tore all the seats out and had to get our Weimaraner to sniff them out. She found them in the back behind the armrest in the side of the car. ICKY!!

 

Not exactly the same, but my neighbors have a dog that they rescued (two actually) that has chewed out the wiring harnesses from the bottom of two of their cars. Does it overnight. The last time just about cost him his home as the vehicle in question was my neighbor's new truck.

 

Mice got my Mini and Truck. Nibbled my MSD plug wires on the Mini, he didn't like the taste of red, no real damage. Made a mess in both vehicles with his nest building. Both air boxes were full of his bedding!! It appears he meet his demise in my Dakota's fan belt. Ready........That explained my squeaky belt

 

wow i have the same exact problem with my spark plugs... i noticed that when i purchased my car from the private seller. i was wondering what that was from! he had rats!

 

wow that sucks rats in the engine..well i get stray cats laying on my car when i visit my parents once a month..really messes up the paint with there minor scratches but i just buff them right out when i detail...but at least i know when i visit my parents i wont have rats near my car with all the stray cats around...

 

My ant problem a few months ago seems pathetic compared to rats.

 

I had a friend with a 3rd Gen RX-7 (94 I think). It was in a garage that rats got into. They did $14K in damage to the car. It was just amazing what they chewed threw.

 

I had a fog light out when I bought my 05 used... I took it to the dealer to have it fixed and they said that rodents had chewed through the wires... 50 bucks labor to fix it, but they did through in a new bulb too... Damn rodents...