RATS - keeping them out of the engine?

[abaez]

So rats just chewed up my wires again. I live in an apartment complex with gated parking down in the basement in downtown los angeles.

I've already informed the HOA. Obviously they won't be able to fully get rid of them from a huge basement - what are my other options with regards to keeping them out? I'm going to put wire mesh around some of the wires they chewed again, but is there anything else I could do?

Some forums say to put tobacco bags? Or spray wd40? I'm hesitant to use any type of poison - not that dogs/cats are in the basement but I just don't want to be responsible. I think it'd be impossible to cover the engine up where they would be coming in.

I'm thinking of some glue traps right behind the tire where they seem to be climbing into. I don't think this would be a problem, minus the smell I suppose.

Any other ideas?

 

[Zenmervolt]

Find a place under the hood where you can lodge a small box of poison and leave it there. After a few of them die, they'll all start to stay away from your car.

ZV

 

[Titan]

Snakes in the radiator.

 

[joesmoke]

Originally posted by: Titan
Snakes in the radiator.

to match the serpentine belts?

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Find a place under the hood where you can lodge a small box of poison and leave it there. After a few of them die, they'll all start to stay away from your car.

ZV

I would not recommend that unless you have a poison in mind?

The reason I say this is most poisons make the rats/mice get dehydrated and they look for any moisture. So they will chew through anything soft and/or they think has water in it.
This is a warning that newer home owners get if they have PEX water pipe installed in their house. PEX is like a rubber material so mice/rats they have been poisoned eat through the PEX looking for water.


Now you can put the poison around/near the car with a couple bowls of water nearby. Also traps. But I would make a formal complaint with the HOA and send them a bill if you paid for the parking.

 

[abaez]

Unfortunately, the parking is not owned by the building and/or HOA. It's leased from some company (and they are notoriously hard to work with/inept). The HOA ends up fixing alot of stuff anyway.

My car is actually not used at all during the week - I keep it covered. So some sort of poison in the engine might work?

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Find a place under the hood where you can lodge a small box of poison and leave it there. After a few of them die, they'll all start to stay away from your car.

ZV

I would not recommend that unless you have a poison in mind?

The reason I say this is most poisons make the rats/mice get dehydrated and they look for any moisture. So they will chew through anything soft and/or they think has water in it.
This is a warning that newer home owners get if they have PEX water pipe installed in their house. PEX is like a rubber material so mice/rats they have been poisoned eat through the PEX looking for water.


Now you can put the poison around/near the car with a couple bowls of water nearby. Also traps. But I would make a formal complaint with the HOA and send them a bill if you paid for the parking.

This was a recommendation from a couple of other mechanics, but for cars that were kept outside, which would mean plentiful water supplies for the rats.

ZV

 

[AdamK47]

Stop putting delicious wires on your car. If they didn't taste so good they wouldn't be chewing them.

 

[Doggiedog]

There's a rat in the engine
what I'm a gonna do
there's a rat in the engine
what I'm a gonna do
I'm gonna fix that rat
That's what I'm gonna do
I'm gonna fix that rat

 

[swtethan]

put a cat in there


im in your engine bay, eating rats!

 

[Pacfanweb]

Leave it running all the time.

 

[ithec]

Originally posted by: Titan
Snakes in the radiator.

starring samuel jackson?