$860 worth of "rodent damage" to my S's wiring.

[SSonnentag]

First the AC quit working, and then the ultrasonic sensors stopped communicating. It was a week of very hot !00+ degree F driving before I could get the car in for a service center appointment. The AC harness was able to be repaired, but the rear ultrasonic sensor harness had to be replaced. Anyway, if you have some strange gremlins showing up in your electrical systems, it just might be rodents. I now have a bag of moth balls tucked under the plastic cover in the frunk, and ultrasonic pest deterrent devices in my driveway. Hopefully this doesn't reoccur.

 

[SSonnentag]

Correction: $834.50 + tax.

 

[BluestarE3]

It was covered by your insurance, right? A friend of ours had extensive rodent damage to her Prius and the cost of repairs was in the thousands. Last year, my cable TV signal started to get spotty, so I went out to the garage to tighten the connections and discovered that rodents had chewed through the insulation and shielding of the coax. Those pesky little creatures can wreak havoc on wiring.

 

[LN1_Casey]

Has anyone ever put rodent proofing on the areas they can get into the system? Like putting metal mesh over the air intake?

 

[BluestarE3]

Has anyone ever put rodent proofing on the areas they can get into the system? Like putting metal mesh over the air intake?

A rat can squeeze through an opening 1 inch (2.54 cm) in diameter; for a mouse, it's .25 inch (.635 cm). Trying to physically block them from getting into the innards your car can be a challenge.

 

[Lloyd]

You're lucky, My bill was $4500. Insurance covered it, however.

 

[aerodyne]

Maybe if they stopped making insulation out of rodent food (soy based) they would chew more on something else...

 

[SSonnentag]

It was covered by your insurance, right? A friend of ours had extensive rodent damage to her Prius and the cost of repairs was in the thousands. Last year, my cable TV signal started to get spotty, so I went out to the garage to tighten the connections and discovered that rodents had chewed through the insulation and shielding of the coax. Those pesky little creatures can wreak havoc on wiring.

Actually, I didn't even think about insurance covering it. Hmmm, I wonder what they'd do retroactively.... $250 deductible, but they'd cover the $48 for the 2 days I had a rental car.

 

[SSonnentag]

The Progressive chat person claims they don't cover rodent damage. I wonder how rodent damage isn't considered an "act of nature," which is covered. I'm filing a claim anyway, under vandalism.

 

[BluestarE3]

Maybe if they stopped making insulation out of rodent food (soy based) they would chew more on something else...

I don't know if the insulation on my coaxial cable was soy-based or not (it's pretty old, so I think not), but rodents chewed through that along with the braided shielding and foil shielding all the way down to the bare copper wire. I was surprised they went through the two layers of shielding.because I didn't think they liked gnawing on metal.

 

[BluestarE3]

The Progressive chat person claims they don't cover rodent damage. I wonder how rodent damage isn't considered an "act of nature," which is covered. I'm filing a claim anyway, under vandalism.

Hmm... I thought that would be covered under your Comprehensive. My friend's damage was covered, but don't know which insurance company she used. Maybe talk to your agent instead of relying on the chat person? Yeah, go ahead with your claim.

 

[Wol747]

I don't know if the insulation on my coaxial cable was soy-based or not (it's pretty old, so I think not), but rodents chewed through that along with the braided shielding and foil shielding all the way down to the bare copper wire. I was surprised they went through the two layers of shielding.because I didn't think they liked gnawing on metal.

I believe that their teeth grow continuously, and they need to gnaw ANYTHING to keep them functional and stop them outgrowing their skulls. So they don’t care if it’s food or not - that’s just a bonus if it is.

 

[aerodyne]

I believe that their teeth grow continuously, and they need to gnaw ANYTHING to keep them functional and stop them outgrowing their skulls. So they don’t care if it’s food or not - that’s just a bonus if it is.

Agreed, but they might chew something else with similar durometer if your wiring did not smell like dessert.

 

[jeremymc7]

Has anyone ever put rodent proofing on the areas they can get into the system? Like putting metal mesh over the air intake?

They can chew through metal.

 

[BrokerDon]

Our auto insurance covered the $1,200 damage to my Corvette Z06 ten years ago as a comprehensive claim. We just paid the deductible.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

Leave them some antifreeze....its the last thing they will ever drink, I had squirrels do $32,000 in damage to my solar array... still trying to get USAA to settle....

 

[byeLT4]

Leave them some antifreeze....its the last thing they will ever drink, I had squirrels do $32,000 in damage to my solar array... still trying to get USAA to settle....

Dam, what did they steal it?

 

[Xenoilphobe]

We have shot about 28 squirrels (22 caliber pellet rifle)... two left they are super evasive...they ate all my micro inverter wiring on 45 panels... about $300 in parts and labor per panel to fix...plus I didn't notice the drop in production for a LONG time...

 

[FatherTo1]

$860 is pretty good. I bought a used Lexus LS, private party from a nice lady in an affluent neighborhood...an affluent neighborhood with rats in the nearby hills. Rodents had chewed through the engine harness wiring. Once we discovered the root cause the bill was $7,000. Bless her heart, she was a person of great integrity and paid for the repair even after the sale.

 

[Chopr147]

Thanks for giving me something else to worry about. My S has been parked upstate for a month now. I'm using the pick up for some home repairs etc.... Quarantine repairs