Rat Problem, Advice On Next Steps

[sahanlak]

So guys,

I just found out a rat has been attacking my vehicle (toyota aqua) for a while. One of my rear seat is messed up, and few warning lights are always on. Here's a shot.

http://d.pr/i/17mtv+

This is my first time dealing with an animal attack and I have no clue what to do.

What's the best cause of action?

1. Tow it to nearest toyota service point and get if fixed?

2. Dealing with local garages is a bad idea? (because it's a hybrid)

Thanks for your advice.

Update

I took my car to Toyota Lanka. They immediately disassembled the whole rear section (hybrid unit).

The rat has screwed up few wires that are related to temperature sensing of hybrid system. Most of the sponge like material that are between vehicle frame and upholstery has been damaged. Got a damaged seat belt, some plastic covers has been damaged. Found 2 mice under gearbox compartment, and I think they found another in inside AC system. They pretty much disassembled the entire vehicle inside from dashboard. The cost came close to 150,000 and I got 50% of parts covered from SLIC.

By the way morning time one of SLIC agent is in Toyota lanka branch everyday, so if you're using SLIC there's a good chance of processing things quickly.

They said they are going to cover the fresh air went from outside.

Got it fixed within 2 days, I hate this rat.

Edited January 6, 2015 by sahanlak

[Simplelife]

well, if i were you my first step would be to get rid of those rats (or do something about the place where they get access to the car)

[tiv]

So guys,

I just found out a rat has been attacking my vehicle (toyota aqua) for a while. One of my rear seat is messed up, and few warning lights are always on. Here's a shot.

http://d.pr/i/17mtv+

This is my first time dealing with an animal attack and I have no clue what to do.

What's the best cause of action?

1. Tow it to nearest toyota service point and get if fixed?

2. Dealing with local garages is a bad idea? (because it's a hybrid)

Thanks for your advice.

Why don't you run an OBD scan first?

that way you can rule out / localize the area where the damage is, maybe a faulty sensor too,

If the damage is just a few wires spliced though etc a normal electrician maybe able to sort it out or safely shunt it.

If the damage is extensive, ie: Wiring loom / harness damaged at multiple points / cut through / or damage to drive battery hybrid hardware, better to take it to Toyota and let them attend

Rather unfortunate scenario though , all the best

[sahanlak]

well, if i were you my first step would be to get rid of those rats (or do something about the place where they get access to the car)

Yes, for the time being I'm parking it outside my home garage. Thanks for the reply.

[sahanlak]

Why don't you run an OBD scan first?

that way you can rule out / localize the area where the damage is, maybe a faulty sensor too,

If the damage is just a few wires spliced though etc a normal electrician maybe able to sort it out or safely shunt it.

If the damage is extensive, ie: Wiring loom / harness damaged at multiple points / cut through / or damage to drive battery hybrid hardware, better to take it to Toyota and let them attend

Rather unfortunate scenario though , all the best

Thanks, tiv. I'm going to do that today and see if I can do something about it until I get it to colombo. Yes it is, very frustrating. Vehicle runs perfectly though, don't know what's up. Thanks for the advice.

[Rumesh88]

Thanks, tiv. I'm going to do that today and see if I can do something about it until I get it to colombo. Yes it is, very frustrating. Vehicle runs perfectly though, don't know what's up. Thanks for the advice.

You may feel so but get it checked up as soon as possible. While a scan would reveal a fault as tiv has advised better to do a visual check (particularly on undercarriage) as well. If the rear seat is messed up that means rats have made their entry into the cabin. You must find the entry point and block it 'cos rats have a habit of following the same path that they get used to.

[bagUrE]

Sahanlak, sorry to hear about this unfortunate incident.

I also have first hand experience with rats getting into cars. A main entry point to the cabin is through fresh air inlet of airconditioning system. Once you get this repaired, you need to attend this immediately. As Rumesh has said, I also can gurantee that they will keep on paying regular visits in the same path. Cover this fresh air inlet using a piece of steel mesh. I have done it for a Vitz. It's just under the windscreen in passenger side. I could access it easily by removing the plastic cover between the windscreen and the body. Just a half an hour or less and a DYI job.

[VVTi]

If you don't use the car regularly rats tend to build nests too. We had a an issue with rats getting in one of the cars until I parked it elsewhere a few days.

[weda]

Put few camper (Kapuru bola) tied in piece of cloth on the passages between cabin and engine compartments, the smell discourages rats to come in. This helped me.

Also please mind that if the sun gets directly on the camper or if engine heat is directly coming to camper it may get vaporized quickly and may damage the plastic vinyl components around it.

[curio]

Hi, Try keeping a rat glue board inside your car with a bait,you can buy them from a supermarket or a hardware store.I have had problems with rats getting into my cars and this has helped.Sometimes it is the same rat who has found the way to the inside of your car who comes.

[Kavvz]

Put few camper (Kapuru bola) tied in piece of cloth on the passages between cabin and engine compartments, the smell discourages rats to come in. This helped me.

Also please mind that if the sun gets directly on the camper or if engine heat is directly coming to camper it may get vaporized quickly and may damage the plastic vinyl components around it.

If you mean Camphor / Kapuru bo-la isn't safe to use in the car. If it vaporizes and enters the air circulation system it could lead to camphor toxicity. Children travelling in the car maybe at particular risk.

Kapuru bo-la are sometimes made from Naphthalene and that's a suspected carcinogen and certainly should not be used at all. I have a feeling that most of the kapuru bo-la available would be of this type due to the lower production cost involved.

So if I were you I wouldn't risk it by using moth balls / kapuru bo-la. Better to get rid of the rats by sealing off their entrance into the car and / or via mechanical traps etc.

Either way avoid moth balls / kapuru bo-la, its not worth the health risk.

Edited December 30, 2014 by Kavvz

[Amila_Silva]

Buy a rat cage from a hardware store. The one I used is very much like this.

Take a small piece of coconut and burn one side of it until the edges of its sides become grey / black. You will know its done when you get a nasty smell from the burned coconut piece. Hook it to the wire of the cage and set up the trap. Place a cardboard or a paper on your back seat or garage and place the cage on top of it.

I used this method to capture a mice attacked to my car. It got trapped from the very first day I used it.

This cage will not kill the mice. The maximum damage to the mice would be, it might capture it tails when the trap executes. Once you capture the mice be sure to release it into woods / non populated area.

After that you can attend to the damage it has done to the vehicle.

[ramishkad]

Buy a rat cage from a hardware store. The one I used is very much like this.

Take a small piece of coconut and burn one side of it until the edges of its sides become grey / black. You will know its done when you get a nasty smell from the burned coconut piece. Hook it to the wire of the cage and set up the trap. Place a cardboard or a paper on your back seat or garage and place the cage on top of it.

I used this method to capture a mice attacked to my car. It got trapped from the very first day I used it.

This cage will not kill the mice. The maximum damage to the mice would be, it might capture it tails when the trap executes. Once you capture the mice be sure to release it into woods / non populated area.

After that you can attend to the damage it has done to the vehicle.

This is the same thing we have been using at our house too. It's effective. However, make sure to release the mouse so far away from the house. Those bastards are good at finding their way back.

[sahanlak]

If you mean Camphor / Kapuru bo-la isn't safe to use in the car. If it vaporizes and enters the air circulation system it could lead to camphor toxicity. Children travelling in the car maybe at particular risk.

Kapuru bo-la are sometimes made from Naphthalene and that's a suspected carcinogen and certainly should not be used at all. I have a feeling that most of the kapuru bo-la available would be of this type due to the lower production cost involved.

So if I were you I wouldn't risk it by using moth balls / kapuru bo-la. Better to get rid of the rats by sealing off their entrance into the car and / or via mechanical traps etc.

Either way avoid moth balls / kapuru bo-la, its not worth the health risk.

Thanks for the heads up, I actually filed the car with moth balls, I'll take them off.

[sahanlak]

Thanks for your valuable input guys, I've taken it to a local mechanic and he did a scan and said it's a car body related warning. We checked as far as we could by removing most cover parts of the car. I'm currently at badulla means it's a 230km ride to colombo, I'm going to take the car to ratmalana toyota center soon. For the time being I'm changing parking spots around the house and it;s filled with kapuru bola (a lot) and few mouse traps.

Will update the thread as soon as I found something.

Thanks again.

[Rumesh88]

How about asking your cat to sleep inside the garage?

[pug306xsi]

Sorry to jack up the thread I face a similar problem. Found a dead rat in the car (my fault as I didn't have a chance to take the car out for 3 weeks) Took three weeks to get the smell out after cleaning. What is the best way keep a car which is not a daily runner inside a garage? cant keep rat poison as the dog is around.

Thanks in advance.

[The Don]

Sorry to jack up the thread I face a similar problem. Found a dead rat in the car (my fault as I didn't have a chance to take the car out for 3 weeks) Took three weeks to get the smell out after cleaning. What is the best way keep a car which is not a daily runner inside a garage? cant keep rat poison as the dog is around.

Thanks in advance.

I think the best way is to block up the cavities that lead into the car. The key ones are the fresh air intakes and the exhaust vents if your car has them. Just block them up with rags, or if you want a more permanent solution wire mesh.

Also use the dog more effectively. I've found most of them to be good rat catchers or at the very least good rat chasers. My house is now clear of moles, kala waddas, cats and rats thanks to the dog

[weda]

If you mean Camphor / Kapuru bo-la isn't safe to use in the car. If it vaporizes and enters the air circulation system it could lead to camphor toxicity. Children travelling in the car maybe at particular risk.

Kapuru bo-la are sometimes made from Naphthalene and that's a suspected carcinogen and certainly should not be used at all. I have a feeling that most of the kapuru bo-la available would be of this type due to the lower production cost involved.

So if I were you I wouldn't risk it by using moth balls / kapuru bo-la. Better to get rid of the rats by sealing off their entrance into the car and / or via mechanical traps etc.

Either way avoid moth balls / kapuru bo-la, its not worth the health risk.

Thanks for the eye opener!

Did some research, couldn't find any link to carcinogenic effects of camper. In fact most air fresheners and dash board material it self have Benzene compounds.

http://voxxi.com/2013/01/health-risks-of-mothballs/

Shared my thoughts because it helped me to keep away the rats from doing expensive damage.

[sahanlak]

How about asking your cat to sleep inside the garage?

Since I park the car outside these days my cat actually wanted to get inside it (he smelled the rat), I let him in, he wondered around for around 30 mins looking for the rat and gave up, typical cats.

[MasterDon]

Best is to remove the car from it's current location and park somewhere else cos once these vermin get the taste of a material they'll find a way to get to it no matter how much we try to block it's path.I've seen those 'uruu miyaas' eat through cement blocks.

Do a very thorough visual inspection of the wire harness.Most garages would not be willing to do this but keep insisting even if it involves removing some interior panels.

[Batteries]

Since I park the car outside these days my cat actually wanted to get inside it (he smelled the rat), I let him in, he wondered around for around 30 mins looking for the rat and gave up, typical cats.

Get a dog.If they smell a rat they never leave the place.My dog set camp near a rat hole in our garden for 6 hrs to catch it.As Don says dog is a good option.If you like dogs.

[sahanlak]

Get a dog.If they smell a rat they never leave the place.My dog set camp near a rat hole in our garden for 6 hrs to catch it.As Don says dog is a good option.If you like dogs.

Really, what's the breed?

[liya]

Tried the traps, nothing worked. Them buggers are getting too sharp for traps. Then I used that glue tray sold at some supermarkets and caught three. Only thing is, those trays are damn expensive.....

[upaliamah]

Dissolve camphour balls (kapuru) in Kerozene oil and spray into tires and inside of mudguards.also can use pepper powder (gammiris kudu) in engine bay.I am using this method for about two months back as rat entered to my aqua and damaged cabin air filter.

If you using baits to catch rats do not touch the bait from your fingers.keep open the engine bay and switch on light in garage in night time.

[KingSasanka]

කපුරු බෝල ටිකක් යහමින් දාලා බලන්න සීට් යටට ඩිකියට වගේ තැන්වලට.

Try Adding a handful of Naphtha balls under the seats and in the boot too.