Well THAT was unexpected...

[MHancock]

Electric Power Steering (EPS) warning light came on when I started my car this morning. Steering was exceptionally stiff so I knew something was up. Dropped off the car at the local Hyundai dealer.... Technician just called me back:
Rats have chewed thru the wiring leading to the EPS module. RATS!

"Well sir, rats are not covered under the warranty..."

Poison and traps being deployed tonight.

Sigh...

 

[Midnightsun]

Funny you mention this as last winter I found a bunch of small foam pieces on the driveway. Turns out some mice dug a hole in the foam of the engine cover on my wife's car. Had to be about 2 cups worth of the stuff

 

[Aquineas]

Son-of-a-

 

[ep010835]

http://www.tomcat.com/smg/gocat/mec..._tomcat_nonbrand_mouse_traps_exact/mouse_trap

 

[Huddleston]

bummer.... glad it wasn't the cars fault

 

[homeofstone]

Damage by rats is an insurance claim with a small deductible since damage was done by non-domesticated animals.

 

[RN2X]

Would it not be your standard comprehensive deductible homeofstone?

 

[Monolith2001]

Bummer. We've been fortunate to not have anything but cats under the hood of our cars. We have had rats invade due to the bright idea to leave bird seed open in the garage. I went to Home Depot and got 10 old fashion traps and after a week, I got 5 of them and either that was all of them or the others left. Was disturbingly satisfying to wake up each day with a fresh catch to dispose of.

They must have been highly motivated to work into your car as the engine bay is packed.

 

[MikeyTG]

Maybe your homeowner's insurance will cover it.

 

[homeofstone]

Would it not be your standard comprehensive deductible homeofstone?

Comprehensive deduction is usually much smaller than collision is what I should have stated. Also, some policies have zero deductible for comprehensive. It depends on the policy terms and conditions.

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[Genpire]

this happened to our Genesis....but I don't think it was at our house. our car was the dealership owner's demo when we bought it. I think it was rat chewed before we got it, but who takes the decorative cover off of the engine bay to look at it when they buy a car. usually you just assume all is well on a brand new car.

a good portion of the foam under the plastic cover was chewed up and made into nest. I just left it all the way it was, it hasn't hurt anything and the wiring is fine, besides you can't see it with the plastic cover on.

wasn't worth the claim on my end, but if the wiring was ate up I would be calling my car insurance for sure.

I was pissed though to say the least....55k car and about 800 miles on it and it already had rat damage, even if just on the foam. I couldn't prove it was the dealership owner's problem, could have been at my house for all I know. I'm at 6k miles now and nothing bad has come of it, so I'm sure its fine the way it is.

rats and mice suck. had like 20 of them living in a garbage can in my garage when we first moved in, I'm guessing from the construction in the area. sat there with a 22 rifle with rat shot in it and blew all of their little heads off when the came up to see what was going on. suck it mice!

 

[MHancock]

I live out in the boonies and do not have a garage so I don't really have a way to "protect" the car. I know, I know... Replacement harness was going to be over a $1,000 but the dealership repaired it for under $300 so I just paid it. You are right Genpire, I was pissed. I have less than 6,000 miles on it and now my baby has been defiled.

On a good note, I put out 6 traps and snagged 1 mouse and one rat. I think I am going to hange them up as a warning to any other evildoer rodents....

 

[thymer]

I think I am going to hange them up as a warning to any other evildoer rodents....

solid plan

 

[lobsenza]

I had an issue with rates in my garage many years ago while we were out of town. $6500 worth of damage, most covered by insurance. I caught about 8 rates after that infestation. I now keep rat traps set in my garage and attic. I catch about 1 rat every 2 years. So far, I have not found additional damage.

 

[Nikgen]

My daughter's 2006 Sonata was parked in our driveway and not used for about 1 month when she was at college last fall. My daughter had said the AC was not working and it was due for an oil change. As we had free lifetime oil changes thrown in when we bought it (used), I drove it over to the dealer and dropped it off after they closed. As I drove down my street, I thought I heard a little squealing from the engine, so I noted that on the work request form too.

Lo and behold, I got a call from the dealer the next morning to tell me that when they opened the hood, they found a squirrel's nest with 5 baby squirrels and wanted to know if I could come pick them up as the local humane society said they'd do best if returned to where they came from so the mother could take care of them. They said they had the squirrels in box and I could come by at any time. My wife and daughter were actually going to do it, but in the meantime the humane society called the dealer back and had them drop off at an animal rescue preserve in South Jersey.

When I got home that evening, there was a squirrel hanging around the driveway where the car had been parked and appeared distraught. I actually felt bad until the dealer called the next day with the $650 estimate to replace all the electronics, plumbing and wiring the squirrel had chewed through - why the AC was not working...

 

[NTX]

I hate to revive a threw a few months old, but I thought I'd share my experience with my 2015 Genesis.

The first time an animal (rat/mouse/squirrel/rabbit/whatever) chewed through my vehicle was Christmas Day. Well, at least when I discovered it. I had parked in the front driveway of my folks' home. When I started the car up late Christmas Day, my EPS warning light came on. I couldn't steer the car at all! When I opened the hood, I saw some animal there, underneath the engine block. I honestly thought it was dead. I turned off the engine, walked back to the engine bay, and it had moved! So, like any rational human being, I grabbed the longest umbrella I could find so I could poke it to leave. And when I did, the critter lunged at me. It hit the driveway running and got away too quickly for me to see what it was. The damage ended up costing me about $250 to fix 3 chewed wires.

Well, fast forward EXACTLY 1 month (today), and I have another problem. I started my car up this morning after spending the night at my parents' house. Parked in the front driveway like I usually do. But when I started the car up this morning, I had 4 warning lights come on: Electric Power Steering, Lane Keep Assist, Blind Spot Monitoring, and Automatic Emergency Braking. Now I'm waiting for roadside to come over again.

It would be nice, however, if my dealer could buy that special anti-rodent wiring tape that Honda sells. Apparently tons of Honda/Acura models were attracting rodents to chew through electrical wiring that they had to issue a TSB on it. Honda starting issuing special duct tape to dealers that has a spicy taste/smell on it, which supposedly helps deter animals from chewing it. That's what we get as cars start to use more biodegradable, plant-based insulation...

 

[MikeyTG]

... So, like any rational human being, I grabbed the longest umbrella I could find so I could poke it to leave...

Next time, catch it with a coat; smack it with a hammer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1KC8-7IU1g

 

[NTX]

next time, catch it with a coat; smack it with a hammer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1kc8-7iu1g

lol!!

 

[jarred52]

Dumb critters; don't know a Hyundai from a Kim Soul!

 

[SuperKing]

Hate to bump this old thread up but has anyone tried anything to deter rodents?

Where I park has a history of rodent problems. My 2.0T Sonata had it's foam chewed up and there was always droppings in the engine bay. I traded that car in for the Genesis back in February and I tried to be preventative this time with the rodents. I took a look today and one of the foam blocks on the engine block was chewed up pretty good and little bits of foam were everywhere.

So far, I've planted mint around the car, threw peppermint oil on the foam occasionally and I keep tins of mothballs around the car. They still came. I'm thinking of just soaking the foam in chilli oil but that might cause a pepper spray effect when I drive... lol

Another thing I'm going to try is to plant some catnip around the car and hopefully attract some neighbourhood cats. I do have a garage but the car is too big for it, my MR2T barely fits in there.