Rodent attack...now what?

[LTD in CBTS]

Took my R1T in finally for my redesigned powered tonneau replacement. They did that and a bunch of other stuff like half shaft replacements. Got the dreaded call from service saying they found lots of rat/mouse dropping under the frunk and tons of main cables chewed through. They ordered a bunch of parts. $1500 for parts and $3500 for labor. Ouch! My neighbors cat patrols where I park my truck. I have paw prints on the hood. Hopefully he's not chasing them into my truck. Gonna try putting some of those repellent bags in the frunk. Good luck to all. It aint a cheap fix. Will try to do some regular checks under the frunk if I can get in there.

Sponsored

 

[akc5247]

A few drops of peppermint oil in a spray bottle mixed with water. Spray the undercarriage and wheel wells for the vehicle. I've heard this works very well to keep pests and rodents at bay.

Yup, I use this and have had no issues.

Mighty Mint Gallon (128 oz) Insect and Pest Control Peppermint Oil - Natural Spray for Spiders, Ants, and More https://a.co/d/13bq41a

I also have these in the garage corners.

Moth Shield Moth Balls For Rodents https://a.co/d/8pl5u28

 

[C.R. Rivian]

So, this is a new one for us. Our R1S is 3 months old, and started throwing an error message about a week ago. The service center was puzzled at first but it turns out that some of the wiring was damaged by rodents. $3,500 and of course not covered by insurance. The worst part is that it could happen again and we feel helpless.

I am researching the different options online and was wondering if anyone had any experience with this in general? ie sprays? some sort of electric "fence" around the car, ultrasounds etc?

We have a bunch of traps set in the garage of course.

Thanks

I had an issue in a former Ridgeline. I used Amazon.com: Fresh Cab Rodent Repellent - Botanical Pest Control for Indoor Use - Safe for Kids & Pets When Used As Directed - Made with Plant Fibers, Balsam Fir Essential Oil & Fragrance - 4-Pack : Fresh Cab: Health & Household and had no problems subsequently. On taking delivery, I put a couple bags in the frunk, in the gear tunnel, and in the spare tire area. Recommended.

Not too $y given the alternative $ cited here...recalling the old oil filter commercial, 'Pay me now or pay me later'. Fram Oil Filter Commercial- 1972 (youtube.com)

 

[Dave Cundiff]

I had an issue in a former Ridgeline. I used Amazon.com: Fresh Cab Rodent Repellent - Botanical Pest Control for Indoor Use - Safe for Kids & Pets When Used As Directed - Made with Plant Fibers, Balsam Fir Essential Oil & Fragrance - 4-Pack : Fresh Cab: Health & Household and had no problems subsequently. On taking delivery, I put a couple bags in the frunk, in the gear tunnel, and in the spare tire area. Recommended.

Not too $y given the alternative $ cited here...recalling the old oil filter commercial, 'Pay me now or pay me later'. Fram Oil Filter Commercial- 1972 (youtube.com)

Even cheaper by the double-dozen: https://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Cab-Bo...042587469-B0B78355CP-&hvexpln=73&gad_source=1

Available directly from manufacturer, but shipping costs seem very high....

Best wishes!

 

[Hillbilly]

Park in a two car garage with an ice vehicle and run it until the critter dies of CO2 poisoning.

 

[Liverit85]

Yup, I use this and have had no issues.

Mighty Mint Gallon (128 oz) Insect and Pest Control Peppermint Oil - Natural Spray for Spiders, Ants, and More https://a.co/d/13bq41a

I also have these in the garage corners.

Moth Shield Moth Balls For Rodents https://a.co/d/8pl5u28












My car was always parked in the garage. There were constant problems with the battery and I couldn't figure out what was going on for a long time. One morning I noticed that someone had simply chewed through the wires. I installed a camera and found out that there were rodents in the garage. I didn't do the pest control myself, but turned to professionals from eco-friendly pest control services and they helped me get rid of the problem. Got rid of the rodents - the car is fine

That's great to hear you've had no issues with the Mighty Mint spray! It’s always nice to find natural solutions that actually work. I've heard peppermint oil can be really effective for keeping pests like spiders and ants away. The moth balls for rodents are a good idea too; I’ve used similar methods for deterring pests in the garage and they’ve worked well. It’s nice to have options that are less harsh on the environment! Thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[Seano]

Sorry: such a pain.

We do a combo of glue traps & snap traps - have had rodents chewing wires & nesting in the Range Rover, Porsche, Mercedes and they even packed my ATVs airbox completely full of nuts, after chewing the wiring harness up under the dash.

Keeping them from entering the garage is key, but as pointed out by our pest control guy: they’ll walk right in, in broad daylight when garage door is open (we leave ours open a lot). I’ve seen them sneaking in just as he described and gone hunting with the shopvac!

 

[Dandolion1964]

So, this is a new one for us. Our R1S is 3 months old, and started throwing an error message about a week ago. The service center was puzzled at first but it turns out that some of the wiring was damaged by rodents. $3,500 and of course not covered by insurance. The worst part is that it could happen again and we feel helpless.

I am researching the different options online and was wondering if anyone had any experience with this in general? ie sprays? some sort of electric "fence" around the car, ultrasounds etc?

We have a bunch of traps set in the garage of course.

Thanks

So Just had the same thing only they chewed my coolant lines $3,000+ definitely looking for a solution. What worked for you?

 

[LR4toR1S]

So, this is a new one for us. Our R1S is 3 months old, and started throwing an error message about a week ago. The service center was puzzled at first but it turns out that some of the wiring was damaged by rodents. $3,500 and of course not covered by insurance. The worst part is that it could happen again and we feel helpless.

I am researching the different options online and was wondering if anyone had any experience with this in general? ie sprays? some sort of electric "fence" around the car, ultrasounds etc?

We have a bunch of traps set in the garage of course.

Thanks

insurance should cover that. Your company must be jerking you around. If you use traps use the electric ones. They are great.

 

[Singletracker]

If you are using the Victor type snap traps, they can be pretty effective. However, you need to secure the bate and I have never had much luck with peanut butter. The mice seem to love wheat thins. Who doesn’t? To make sure they can’t just steal the bait without the trap going off, I glue the wheat thin to the trap. This way, when they tug on it, well, see ya.

 

[Ingen]

I've definitely heard of people having animals or rodents chewing through wires in cars, but it's never happened to me... until now.

I was literally hours away from a multi-week long distance roadtrip when my R1S threw up "Surround Sensors not working" error. (Surround Sensors are the ultrasonic sensors on the bumpers). I had a bad feeling it was chewed wires. I looked under the front of the car and saw a rag sticking out from behind the bumper skid plate. I pulled on the rag and a bunch of twigs came out with it. I cancelled the trip and in the daylight today I pulled the front trunk tub out and found a bunch of random things (paint brush, plastic spackle knives, yard debris, etc.) had been brought in by some creature and put in the front skid plate. As I slowly cleared out that stuff I pulled on something and a whole nest came out of the passenger front bumper (see first photo). Not sure what kind of creature it was because the nest is sizable (10-12in. diameter) and the droppings were also way bigger than rat droppings. The creature also ate some parts of the hard plastic that make up the front trunk tub (second photo). And of course, as I looked around I found a bunch of places wires had been chewed. I eventually found one wire that had been chewed through completely, so that's probably the ultrasonic sensors. I have a service appointment on Wednesday to get all this fixed. Their initial estimate is $750, but I suspect like others on this thread, I'm probably looking at at $3000+ bill. F-me. I'll post again, once I get the vehicle back.

 

[MountainBikeDude]

I've definitely heard of people having animals or rodents chewing through wires in cars, but it's never happened to me... until now.

I was literally hours away from a multi-week long distance roadtrip when my R1S threw up "Surround Sensors not working" error. (Surround Sensors are the ultrasonic sensors on the bumpers). I had a bad feeling it was chewed wires. I looked under the front of the car and saw a rag sticking out from behind the bumper skid plate. I pulled on the rag and a bunch of twigs came out with it. I cancelled the trip and in the daylight today I pulled the front trunk tub out and found a bunch of random things (paint brush, plastic spackle knives, yard debris, etc.) had been brought in by some creature and put in the front skid plate. As I slowly cleared out that stuff I pulled on something and a whole nest came out of the passenger front bumper (see first photo). Not sure what kind of creature it was because the nest is sizable (10-12in. diameter) and the droppings were also way bigger than rat droppings. The creature also ate some parts of the hard plastic that make up the front trunk tub (second photo). And of course, as I looked around I found a bunch of places wires had been chewed. I eventually found one wire that had been chewed through completely, so that's probably the ultrasonic sensors. I have a service appointment on Wednesday to get all this fixed. Their initial estimate is $750, but I suspect like others on this thread, I'm probably looking at at $3000+ bill. F-me. I'll post again, once I get the vehicle back.

That's insane. I'm curious if it wasn't actually multiple species of animals.

Or...

 

[Ingen]

That's insane. I'm curious if it wasn't actually multiple species of animals.

Or...

Ha! Yeah, I was thinking it might be more than one type of critter. Who knows. I'm going to run a borescope to see if there's more back there.

 

[MountainBikeDude]

Ha! Yeah, I was thinking it might be more than one type of critter. Who knows. I'm going to run a borescope to see if there's more back there.

Is your Rivian stationary for long periods, or is this just a nightly thing?

 

[Dark-Fx]

Is your Rivian stationary for long periods, or is this just a nightly thing?

Rodents definitely get comfortable with vehicles that are consistently in the same place. I shuffle everything around every few days if they aren't getting driven.

Sponsored