Mouse ate my wires!

Sorry to hear. I had this happen on my BMW 3 series parked in the garage during a 2 week trip to Europe. Came back from vacation and could not start the car. So pissed at the time.

 

Sorry to hear about this.

I live in a rural area on acreage, mice are around needless to say. I attached a photo of what I found works best for me. I use two LED work lights, one shining down along the back of the engine/firewall, the other underneath. The bright light deters them. I do this every day when I return home from work. The use of LED lights doesn't draw much current and effect our electrical bill.

In addition, I set traps and use a scent spray that is supposed to deter them...?

I have not had any issues caused by mice with the Tacoma but I have with other vehicles. They haven't chewed any wires but they chew the insulation on the firewall, use it for nesting, and get in the cabin air filter area. It is a royal PIA.

 

If you have a local farm supply store, they likely carry fox urine that will deter any rodents. I had a similar issue in my wife's Honda Pilot and my Tundra and bought travel size bottles (for shampoo) and put a cotton ball inside with a zip tie through the bottle and poured some of the fox urine in and it kept them away. I would loop the bottle around a bolt somewhere or radiator cap overnight and then remove in the morning before leaving the house. Never had any other rat/mice droppings after that.

I've heard liquid peppermint works as well.

BB

 

It’s 6K because the dealer just wants to sell you a complete new engine harness and is quoting you book time for removal and installation. You could easily repair that yourself for under $100.

 

As a former auto claims adjuster who has personally handled dozens of Toyota rodent claims, I can provide some actual facts.

First of all, Toyota switched to a soy-based wire insulation from a petroleum-based wire insulation sometime in the mid 2000's, along with many other auto manufacturers.

https://www.howtopreventratsfromeatingcarwires.com/2017/02/10/does-your-car-have-soy-based-wiring/

This new wiring coating was very attractive to rodents, even though it was touted by environmentalists as being completely safe and eco-friendly. If you believe anything by the obviously mentally ill and low IQ environmentalists, then I am sorry for you.

Secondly, your wiring being attacked and eaten by animals is covered under your Comprehensive coverage, which is commonly included under "full" coverage when financing a vehicle.

Comprehensive coverage covers you for losses due to deer hits, hail damage, vandalism, rodent damage, theft, and other losses generally considered not at fault. Claims filed under "Comprehensive" are considered "not at fault" and do not cause your rates to increase or jeopardize your coverage.

If you have comprehensive and collision coverage on your vehicle and suspect that mice have eaten your wiring and are causing issues, then do not hesitate to call your insurance company and file a comp claim.

I have taken care of many folks who had rodent damage and were facing thousands of dollars in damage. I was able to use their comp coverage to take care of them for $100 or less.

 

I live out in the country and utilize a comprehensive 3 prong rodent deterrent and eradication strategy

 

Great info, thank you!

 

This happened to my Wife’s Subaru. It’s been at the dealer at least 8 weeks. It’s covered 100% by our insurance. They’ve fixed several parts and still problems. The big issue is waiting for parts to arrive.

 

Look at the bright side. Somewhere there's a mouse nesting in a nice warm bed of wire fragments.

 

Thanks for all the feedback. I feel alittle better. Just hope insurance covers 99%!

 

When I would store my convertible over the winter I always threw mothballs under and a few places like the engine compartment. It worked , time tested5 years

 

I found you need to feed those mice peanut butter, and sun flower seeds so they won't eat your wires.

 

I agree with the rust proofing. I haven't seen any signs of mouse activity in my motor compartment or inside the truck since I had it Krown last year. It is going in for another treatment next month. Hope I never seen one again as they are very destructive looking for nest material etc.

 

Hey guys, I won’t but I will tell you a story. I’m an ARMY infantry veteran with two combat tours. I recently bought a live-in travel trailer and found a gorgeous farm with full utility hookups to put it on. Plan is to save my ass off and enjoy the life that comes with being immersed in our natural world.
100 ft from my front door is a lone post and on that post just happens to be an Army or Marine MICH helmet, the same helmet I used in both of my combat tours. It really feels as if the Universe is speaking to me, I mean seriously, what are the chances?
To relate back to this post, as I was inspecting it I noticed a large family of mice living inside of it, large nest, babies, the works.
I just moved and will be spending the next 2 weeks rodent proofing my truck and trailer as there are mice and rats everywhere on this farm. The mice living in the MICH helmet have my full blessing and I wish them the best.
Here’s my helmet.
And here’s the one outside my front door.

 

Some of these dealer gouging stories just kill me! $6K? I would save claims on my insurance for when I really needed them. A good independent shop could patch you up in no time for not a lot of money. This is a repair they likely do daily. If it is done right, it will last the life of the vehicle. And also, you need a cat or two.

 

Anyone who has lived around farms knows mice LOVE soybeans. Maybe we should go back to the good old days of cloth wire insulation...oh wait, mice loved that shit too!

 

Had rats in my 07 Taco, Didn't chew any wires but did strip the firewall insulation off to build a nest above my cabin filter. If you haven't screened off your cabin fresh air intake, its a matter of time before they move in there. Lots of posts about it in the 2nd gen. Someone tipped me on to putting a bag of this in your engine compartment and no signs of a mouse or rat in the 3 years since - or maybe it is because of the new neighbor's cat that likes to hang out near my cars.

 

I use to live near a farm and had to park my truck outside since we didn’t have a garage. The farm I lived on had a lot of field mice. So I bought two battery powered ultra sonic mouse repellents. Put one on each side of the engine with zip ties. I never had any rodent problems. The batteries lasted over 3 months also before you had to change them.

 

I did the same thing. Mine uses C Batteries. I use rechargeable batteries and rotate them regularly. Since I check the batteries weekly, it gives me a chance to look for any signs of trouble. No issues in over 2 years. And i do live in a rural area.

 

Would move to a place with a garage. It will happen again being parked outside.