(soon to be no more squirrel that is)

I have a view of my car from my office window, and a squirrel runs by all day, every day - and I keep an eye on him (or her) - today I swore I saw "it" go into the wheel well, so I went out and took a look...

No visible squirrel, started the car, no fleeing squirrel ...ok, maybe I just imagined it.

Leaving the office, as I start backing out, squirrel bolts from under car (never seen one run so fast, even when my dogg is chasing) ..."ha" i think, so it was there after all ...no more thought as I head to my destination with car running just fine (I drive like I stole ...everyday)

Upon starting to leave said destination, the dreaded CEL ...now I am suspicious, open hood, there is the beginnings of a nest, leaves, twigs, etc ...and wires, all chewed up and spat out!! (left side, behind light assembly, where the O2 sensors plug in)

Called my shop (RAC Performance - formerly RUF [site sponsor] ...A+++) and told if safe to drive then to bring it by - so I did, and there she sits tonight ...the quick visual inspection said that O2 sensor wires were chewed through (amongst others)

Now, I debated posting for fear of horror $torie$ (Halloween after all?) as I know that even minor electrical sh!te can add up quickly ...I will sleep with the [little] comfort that the car was running fine and whatever it is it can be repaired..

..stay tuned

 

Damn, that sucks.. Remember, squirrels are little more than long-haired rats. Don't hesitate to whack 'em if they're messing with your P-car.. I believe I'd set a trap or two.

 

Tree Rats, are you allowed to use a pellet gun on them?

 

I have this....u can use or i will come to u

Jim









RWS air

 

well, being in TX, I think a pellet gun may actually be illegal (or at the very least considered very un-masculine... and know that I could probably legally put a gun rack in the 997) …is an M107 considered overkill for a squirrel?

 

Holly ****....that was one hungry bastard!!! Put some rat poison pellets in some peanut butter were he damaged the wires because you know he will be back!!!

 

went through this about three weeks ago, it's a pain, and it's embarrassing when you're being out smarted by a rodent. little **** ate through the wiring harness in two different places, cost about $400 to have it fixed

i finally got the car back from the shop, only to find a nest of insulation in it again the very next morning - i about lost my mind

i ended up parking the car at my office warehouse for the past two weeks. in the mean time the pest control guy came by and at his suggestion i cleaned everything out of the garage and set some traps, but never caught the little beast. pest control said they return to the same place based on sent.

i finally brought the car home yesterday, but before i put it in the garage i sprayed the engine with simple green and hosed it off to get rid of the sent.

i also found that just to the left the motor's air filter enclosure, a large trap fits perfectly

anyway, i have my pellet gun at the ready with 4 traps in the garage - hopefully i'll get him before he gets back into the car

good luck with your situation - hope the bill isn't too bad

 

Illegal to have a kids toy! Use a grenade and take out his tree!

 

Had a similar issue a few months ago with field mice finding their way into the house and ending up feeding on the scraps on the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Caught two of'em in the dishwasher with traps. We purchased an electronic "mouse deterrant" for the garage after I actually squashed a mouse driving out of the garage one day. Figured that was the route they were using to get inside the house (kitchen and garage are very close together, BTW). There are numerous styles around (we bought ours at Lowes). All you hear is some light static like a radio that is not tuned exactly on the station. Not noticeable after a week or so. So far, we have had no other encounters with the little buggers.

 

Long story short.. My parent's car was having issues on day and when they were diagnosing the problem. They opened up the air box and saw it was packed solid with dog food from the squirrels hoarding it there.

 

I have a bit of a squirrel story though (thankfully) not with my car although it probably cost me just as much. In the late summer one of the little gray ba$tards got into my attic. From there he dropped into a wall void and then died. For about 3 weeks the smell on both sides of that wall was terrible! I'm very good with drywall but my exterminator said not to waste my time because the carcus would eventually dehydrate and the smell would go away.

One of the trees was overhanging the house and it became a squirrel "highway". It cost me $650 to have the tree removed and another $100 to grind the stump. It was worth it knowing they won't be able to get into my attic anymore.

P.S. I was bitten by one of those little gray ba$tards when I was a child. I like almost all animals but not these things. Catch that sucker in a humane trap then shoot it while it's in the cage.

 

On Cartalk, there was a caller who's classic 911 started backing itself up her driveway. At first it was just a few feet and she thought she did something wrong. Until it backed up 20 feet and was hanging off the edge of the cliff at the end of her property. It turned out a rat had chewed all the shielding off of the starter motor and since she left it in reverse... every time the rat climbed around under the car he made a connection with the starter motor.

 

I don't understand why so many on this thread want to kill a little creature for simply wanting to build it's home. That animal doesn't know the difference between a Porsche or any other safe spot . It didn't try to hurt him and just because another squirrel bit someone as a kid doesn't even apply to this incident . In fact the squirrels side of that story isn't posted.

As for the damage and cost -- how much can it possibly be? It doesn't sound like the creature will bother the car again and machines can be fixed.

 

Maybe, but there is a limit that some people exceed. I find it amazing the number of drivers that would drive over a cliff to avoid hitting a squirrel but can hit and kill a motorcyclist and claim they never saw him.

 

You can't be serious.. this is a joke, right?..