Rodent Damage
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2021
Posts: 2,016
Likes: 749
From: Texas
not the wire coating stuff, just the pain reliever stuffwe have many wild cats here so rats are not an issue.
squirrels on the other hand are PITA
Cargo Master
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,220
Likes: 1,423
From: CA
Our neighborhood is full of useless cats that have bowls of food on various porches. They do not hunt, only use your planters for a restroom.
Rat ate a coworkers Fusion harness. Over 2K and homeowners insurance picked it up.
Rat ate a coworkers Fusion harness. Over 2K and homeowners insurance picked it up.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 6,138
Likes: 366
From: Burlington, ma
Please keep your damn cats inside unless you live in the middle of your own 80 acres plot. My damn neighbors cats come in my yard all, the time...they are about to be illuminated as I have chickens. They just shiit in my newly planted garden of FOOD.
D5ont get me wrong, I had 2 indoor cats and used to work for 15 years at Anaimal Hospital
most cats are useless unless they are feral because they have no reason to hunt for food... they get fed every day.
peppermint helps, the Caspian sprays work better but spray it around the truck, is in wheels, and around the garage perimeter. Lots of traps help too. you can always zip tie them in the engine compartment too.
D5ont get me wrong, I had 2 indoor cats and used to work for 15 years at Anaimal Hospital
most cats are useless unless they are feral because they have no reason to hunt for food... they get fed every day.
peppermint helps, the Caspian sprays work better but spray it around the truck, is in wheels, and around the garage perimeter. Lots of traps help too. you can always zip tie them in the engine compartment too.
Tuned
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 275
Likes: 30
From: Metro Detroit
Hi Everyone
We have just had a potentially expensive experience. We have, according to the dealer, rodent damage to the main wiring harness. It isn't severe and hopefully only in one place. Several wires were damaged and they are supposedly repairable. If not, the out of warranty cost could be in the $4K to 6K range.
The truck often sits for well over a week at a time during vacation intervals when it does not get driven.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to prevent this? We know that critters are a problem here and we try to drive the truck often. We have tried leaving whats left of our Decon in the garage but obviously this wasn't effective. Our cat often hangs out there as well, but this was of no avail also. Suggestions?
Regards
Bill and Carole
We have just had a potentially expensive experience. We have, according to the dealer, rodent damage to the main wiring harness. It isn't severe and hopefully only in one place. Several wires were damaged and they are supposedly repairable. If not, the out of warranty cost could be in the $4K to 6K range.
The truck often sits for well over a week at a time during vacation intervals when it does not get driven.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to prevent this? We know that critters are a problem here and we try to drive the truck often. We have tried leaving whats left of our Decon in the garage but obviously this wasn't effective. Our cat often hangs out there as well, but this was of no avail also. Suggestions?
Regards
Bill and Carole
Mountain Pass
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 174
Likes: 85
A method used at my friends ranch is they leave all the vehicle hoods up (inside or parked outside), run an extension cord and leave a work light on illuminating the engine bay. They put a second one under the truck. Where they had a major problem like you have, they say this has worked wonders. So much so that I leave the hood up on my UTV (rear bed over engine), tractor, mower and old ranch truck in our garage at the ranch now I just leave the garage light on.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 208
Likes: 51
From: Wisconsin
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Thread Starter
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 158
Likes: 2
From: Northern California
Hi Everyone
Right now I am considering how to best apply all the ideas presented here. The rodent alarm, the capsacian spray, and the buckets of water will all be adapted to our location and to our travel plans. What a pain. But we have been "detained" for almost a week due to this. Our dealer has really been of invaluable assistance in this and we will not be able to thank him enough. If the truck limps again it will be a harness change and will effectively end our summer vacation.
Additional suggestions are still welcomed and I sincerely hope this thread will help other avoid our predicament.
Regards
Bill
Right now I am considering how to best apply all the ideas presented here. The rodent alarm, the capsacian spray, and the buckets of water will all be adapted to our location and to our travel plans. What a pain. But we have been "detained" for almost a week due to this. Our dealer has really been of invaluable assistance in this and we will not be able to thank him enough. If the truck limps again it will be a harness change and will effectively end our summer vacation.
Additional suggestions are still welcomed and I sincerely hope this thread will help other avoid our predicament.
Regards
Bill
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,778
Likes: 287
From: Down SOUTH
Keep the grass cut, no trash, hay or wood piles etc for rats to hide around where you park.
I mow 15acres every week to avoid this same issue.
don’t leave food out for your pets.
my farm was ate slam up with them from overgrown hay fields.
if you don’t have rats : bait will attract them.
I mow 15acres every week to avoid this same issue.
don’t leave food out for your pets.
my farm was ate slam up with them from overgrown hay fields.
if you don’t have rats : bait will attract them.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Nov 2019
Posts: 1,250
Likes: 192
From: Livingston Tx
Keep the grass cut, no trash, hay or wood piles etc for rats to hide around where you park.
I mow 15acres every week to avoid this same issue.
don’t leave food out for your pets.
my farm was ate slam up with them from overgrown hay fields.
if you don’t have rats : bait will attract them.
I mow 15acres every week to avoid this same issue.
don’t leave food out for your pets.
my farm was ate slam up with them from overgrown hay fields.
if you don’t have rats : bait will attract them.
Cross-Country
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 73
Likes: 4
From: Northern California
We just had relatively minor rodent damage to one of our vehicles - we got lucky with only a ~$500 repair bill. Based on recommendations from various sources, we spray peppermint oil repellent in the wheel wells and around the engine weekly, clip the smelly "Bounce" drier sheets to 4 spots around the inside the engine compartment, and use a battery-powered rodent repellent device that combines LED strobes with some sort of ultransonic sound deterrent. It seems like a lot of hocus-pocus, but they haven't returned yet. Since our F350 and my wife's Rav4 are parked nearby, we are also giving them the same treatment.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 767
Likes: 78
From: NC
Keep your cats in your own yard. Unless you want to pay for having the scratches taken out of my paint. I call the pound every few weeks on cats wandering around the neighborhood, and on top of my truck. Mowing will help as stated.
