Great idea Trio, I'll keep that in mind. The insurance people are getting back to me, and they then send an adjuster to see the wiring damage and dealership estimates; that's IF the insurance company cover that kind of damage. I've read some horror stories where even Comprehensive doesn't cover it.

 

WOW! That is something I never expected to hear, damage caused by rodents. I can only imagine your disbelief at finding out the cause of your issues. Wish you all the best at getting this sorted out. Please keep the forum informed.

 

Yes, WTF indeed - having been online, it's quite common. However, my Insurance Broker has never had a single claim like this, and some companies do not cover for rodent damage. Fingers crossed I picked a good company.

 

So sorry to hear about the rodent damage. We left our LR4 in the garage while away skiing for 1 week. Following week the windshield washers did not work. A rodent (mouse that I later caught in the garage) chewed through the washer fluid lines. Same issue...it's one big fluid harness that feeds the headlight washers, windshield washers and rear window washer. Had to run new lines through the firewall then drop the headliner to run a new line to the rear washer. Total parts & labor was over $3K. I filed an insurance claim and paid a $500 deductible.

Stupid fact...the teeth on mice continue to grow throughout their life so that is why they chew on stuff like wiring to keep their tooth length in check.

 

Wow, PaulLR, $3k for the washer lines? Mine's definitely Squirrels cause the truck is parked on the driveway, and the same squirrels gnaw on my plastic trash can lid.
I'm surprised a fault didn't show up earlier, but the service manager says it's the whole loom. I'll photos photos when I'm at the dealership.

 

I have heard that this is due to the "sustainable" materials such as soy bean oil being substituted for petroleum based products on some BMWs and Mercedes. No doubt others as well.

Apparently not the main cause however: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c05868

Quoting the article:
While mice gnawed on PVC more than other materials, the inclusion of soy oil derivatives into four different flexible, elastomeric materials (natural rubber, styrene–butadiene rubber, ethylene–propylene diene monomer, and flexible polyvinyl chloride) did not affect the extent of gnawing. Therefore, we conclude that other factors such as hardness may have caused the observed differences between types of elastomers. Therefore, the premise that rodents gnaw more on soy-containing materials is not substantiated and should not inhibit the commercial use of soy biobased materials to replace petroleum products in elastomer formulations.

I hate mieces to pieces!

 

Thanks Drednot - I've just started reading about this, so thanks for the link. I assume the article's conclusion is to negate the manufacturers' culpability when faced with class action lawsuits, which is mentioned in the article. More reading needed methinks.

And of course, if I get this fixed, how to prevent it happening again...!?

UPDATE: Insurance just called and they said it's all covered under the truck's Comprehensive Policy. Big phew!

 

It happens.

I suffered squirrels damaging my 2016 Evoque twice -- once they disabled the turbo; then later they took out an electronic module or two in the rear left behind the rear seat. Drove to the shop the first time in limp home mode. Flat-bedded to the dealer for the second.

Life in the mountains....... Enjoy!

 

Sorry to hear about your pest damage Trio, I'm learning very quickly that these critters can cause big problems.
I want to avoid this happening again after the repair, so I'm looking at deterrents but so many of them are getting poor reviews (from Peppermint spray, to electronic sound devices, bags of chemicals etc).

Suggestions would be welcome (I can't garage the truck so it's outside on the driveway)?

 

Our neighborhood was being overrun with chipmunks. They were eating our gardens and burrowing an underground city until my neighbor discovered the Intruder 16525 trap. I've taken out over 20 so far this summer. Use peanut butter and a few loose peanuts as bait. You can get it on Amazon or at Home Depot.