Dang squirrels chewed through wires!

[Timothyd]

Apparently, squirrels like my Ford Maverick hybrid and my wife’s Ford Escape hybrid. My wife’s Escape “check engine” light came on about three weeks ago and on FordPass, said it was the knock sensor. I took it to have Ford repair center look at it, and all they did was reset the knock sensor warning, which came back on two miles down the road. I called them back, and they were backed up three weeks just to have them diagnose it, so the car sat in the driveway until yesterday, when I got an appointment at the Lincoln dealer across the street from them. Upon a visual inspection under the hood, they discovered acorns in several spots and rodent turds. They said the damage so far is $1200 and advised me to call my insurance company. The squirrels chewed through wires. From what I searched on the internet. Squirrels are looking for nesting places in the winter. I need to get rodent spray to hopefully keep them away.

So since her Escape has been deadlined and now at the Lincoln repair shop, she’s been driving my Maverick. When she got home yesterday, I looked under the hood and found rodent turds, but no acorns.

Tree Rats! Trap em!

Sponsored

 

[Timothyd]

Squirrels are an excellent source of sustainable protein.

Kinda gamey but good for a jacket or hat.

 

[XLTLUXRED]

Well, here's my story...

We keep our Maverick in the garage and have one of those under the hood pest deterrent devices. Nonetheless, awhile back we noticed a strange, rolling sound in the dash whenever we took a wide corner. Clearly, something was sliding back and forth all across the dash, inside the heat vent. Had the truck in for service anyway to get the air bag recall fixed, but they said it would cost over $1000 to check out the issue. So, we took off the heat vent covers on top of the dash ourselves and used an endoscope to see what was in there. Turns out it was peanuts!! We used a car vac with small tools to get them out.

Now we're searching for how they (squirrels I imagine!) got in so we can put wire mesh over those openings. Does anyone know where to look?

The great irony is that we were the ones providing the peanuts! This was because in past years the squirrels kept chewing through our outdoor Christmas Lights (the bulbs maybe look like fruit?); so we fed them peanuts wayyyy down the driveway by our mailbox. No more! But, sheesh, they had to lug those peanuts 200ft! We hope they did the deed in the few times our Maverick was parked in the driveway, not the garage. It's gray squirrels and we've never seen evidence of them in the garage at all. We used to have a red squirrel in there, though, years ago. It's uncanny what small spaces they can squeeze through...like ferrets.

 

[Fitzovich]

Well, here's my story...

We keep our Maverick in the garage and have one of those under the hood pest deterrent devices. Nonetheless, awhile back we noticed a strange, rolling sound in the dash whenever we took a wide corner. Clearly, something was sliding back and forth all across the dash, inside the heat vent. Had the truck in for service anyway to get the air bag recall fixed, but they said it would cost over $1000 to check out the issue. So, we took off the heat vent covers on top of the dash ourselves and used an endoscope to see what was in there. Turns out it was peanuts!! We used a car vac with small tools to get them out.

Now we're searching for how they (squirrels I imagine!) got in so we can put wire mesh over those openings. Does anyone know where to look?

The great irony is that we were the ones providing the peanuts! This was because in past years the squirrels kept chewing through our outdoor Christmas Lights (the bulbs maybe look like fruit?); so we fed them peanuts wayyyy down the driveway by our mailbox. No more! But, sheesh, they had to lug those peanuts 200ft! We hope they did the deed in the few times our Maverick was parked in the driveway, not the garage. It's gray squirrels and we've never seen evidence of them in the garage at all. We used to have a red squirrel in there, though, years ago. It's uncanny what small spaces they can squeeze through...like ferrets.

i leave my hood up from January 1 through March 31st which is nesting season here. It is a pain in the backside, but chea than the $4k repair bi we had with the wife’s Nissan Rogue.

 

[Guv]

One of the favorite new age rodent accommodations are these engine dress-up covers. We have a lot of pecan trees in this part of Texas and the rats and mice love the cozy warm areas these covers give. I have about half a dozen covers I should have thrown in the back of the vehicles they came off of before I got rid of them.

 

[fossil]

One of the favorite new age rodent accommodations are these engine dress-up covers. We have a lot of pecan trees in this part of Texas and the rats and mice love the cozy warm areas these covers give. I have about half a dozen covers I should have thrown in the back of the vehicles they came off of before I got rid of them.

Add to that the under engine covers, radiator shutters and you have a weather resistant rodent condo.

 

[Guv]

Well, here's my story...

We keep our Maverick in the garage and have one of those under the hood pest deterrent devices. Nonetheless, awhile back we noticed a strange, rolling sound in the dash whenever we took a wide corner. Clearly, something was sliding back and forth all across the dash, inside the heat vent. Had the truck in for service anyway to get the air bag recall fixed, but they said it would cost over $1000 to check out the issue. So, we took off the heat vent covers on top of the dash ourselves and used an endoscope to see what was in there. Turns out it was peanuts!! We used a car vac with small tools to get them out.

Now we're searching for how they (squirrels I imagine!) got in so we can put wire mesh over those openings. Does anyone know where to look?

The great irony is that we were the ones providing the peanuts! This was because in past years the squirrels kept chewing through our outdoor Christmas Lights (the bulbs maybe look like fruit?); so we fed them peanuts wayyyy down the driveway by our mailbox. No more! But, sheesh, they had to lug those peanuts 200ft! We hope they did the deed in the few times our Maverick was parked in the driveway, not the garage. It's gray squirrels and we've never seen evidence of them in the garage at all. We used to have a red squirrel in there, though, years ago. It's uncanny what small spaces they can squeeze through...like ferrets.

You probably have mice.

 

[Guv]

Add to that the under engine covers, radiator shutters and you have a weather resistant rodent condo.

I have a large 4 car-plus gated car (truck port) port and when my trucks get parked for the day the hoods are left open.
In the old days under hood plastics and similar materials were not so common. A good, well taken care of, spayed or neutered cat is a rodents worst nightmare. Female cats are the best pest hunters.

 

[Guv]

Apparently, squirrels like my Ford Maverick hybrid and my wife’s Ford Escape hybrid. My wife’s Escape “check engine” light came on about three weeks ago and on FordPass, said it was the knock sensor. I took it to have Ford repair center look at it, and all they did was reset the knock sensor warning, which came back on two miles down the road. I called them back, and they were backed up three weeks just to have them diagnose it, so the car sat in the driveway until yesterday, when I got an appointment at the Lincoln dealer across the street from them. Upon a visual inspection under the hood, they discovered acorns in several spots and rodent turds. They said the damage so far is $1200 and advised me to call my insurance company. The squirrels chewed through wires. From what I searched on the internet. Squirrels are looking for nesting places in the winter. I need to get rodent spray to hopefully keep them away.

So since her Escape has been deadlined and now at the Lincoln repair shop, she’s been driving my Maverick. When she got home yesterday, I looked under the hood and found rodent turds, but no acorns.

My 2019 F-150 had pecan nut shells in the bottom of the air filter housing. A rodents persistence and ingenuity are second to none.
What’s the saying “The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth”.

 

[GotKT]

You need a good 'ol barn cat my friend

I need to check CraigsList for a barn cat!

We had few days of rain and sure enough a rat move in under the hood
Irish Spring soap didn’t work. Neighbor recommends spaying peppermint essential oils. We’ll see

 

[Exranger]

Sure enough I was a victim of rodents or squirrels. They ate my ac wires, cost $500 bucks! I’m more pissed I didn’t try to fix it myself. It just quit one day and I thought for sure a reprogram was all it needed, so I took it in. They said oh yeah it’s four hours labor and an entire harness, it would be in at eight am tomorrow. The dealer calls at 8:30 am and says it’s done. I ask how did they get 4 hours labor done in 30 minutes? Oh they said the tech is that good! It was just one wire he spliced, sometimes you pay for experience… I was sick over the whole thing. Now I spray rat spray every week and park in garage with hood open.
when I worked at Mercedes dealership, lots of customers wires got eaten.

 

[dlhort1955]

If you have a fireplace, keep the woodpile a long ways away from the house or garage. They got my wife's car in less than a week. She was on a vacation. It had to be that little red squirrel, and not the grey one. Moth balls and irish spring do not work. I will have to try peppermint oil next. Now it is winter and there are not any squirrels around.

In the garage is a 5 gallon home depot bucket with one of the yellow traps on top. I put windshield washer fluid in the bucket because it will not freeze and peanut butter smeared inside the yellow trap. One day I say a chippy go in the garage and not come out. I was there about an hour and then looked in the bucket. He had gone for a swim, but did not know he could not swim. One down. Another day I checked and 7 mice were in there. It works.

 

[TonyS]

Our cars always parked in an attached garage. But our mistake was we kept bird seed for the feeders - sunflower seeds specifically - in the garage.

The 2011 Escape lost nearly all power while my son was driving it to work. Pedal to the metal just to get off the road. Someone from work came and fetched him and the car was towed to the nearest repair place.

No wires damaged, but mice had carried sunflower seeds into the air intake and the hulls had covered up the mass air flow sensor. Vacuumed out and the car ran just fine. Honest mechanic $50 repair. The tow cost more. It's dumb that such could shut down a car. If the mass airflow sensor malfunctions or senses little air why can't the computer have some sort of "limp home" fallback?

So the bird feed went out into the yard barn. A year later an orange male stray cat showed up. We took him in. He's a sweet boy and doesn't have any bad habits. But he wants to be an indoor/outdoor cat. We figured out how to get him in for the night - he gets the canned cat food in the evening. But he'll drive you crazy yowling, banging on the doors and windows wanting back out. So last thing at night he goes out into the garage, which has a nice cozy bed and food/water.

No more mice in the garage. Hardly any bugs. Every once in while I guess a mouse comes in cause we find it's half eaten body by the door. He's a fine little predator that keeps his cat cave in the garage free of pests.

 

[S Dundee]

I've had good luck placing mothballs in the engine compartment. Kept the mice out for sure.

This works. Rodents also do not like the smell of dryer sheets. The excessive fragrance repels them.

 

[GotKT]

Next day, the rat built another nest and chewed a wire
I sprayed the engine compartment with diluted peppermint essential oils. I’m also parking the car farther away from the house and facing the street. No visitors since.
This may have been a female rat looking for a spot to raise her young. Who knows.

Sponsored