About a month ago, the check engine light stayed on. Took it to the dealer. $775 later, the fuel pressure sensor line that was clearly chewed by a squirrel was replaced. Dang critter chewed both sides of the harness connector. We did suspect a squirrel had been in the garage give what had been knocked over, but never saw one.

Checking oil, etc., this morning, noticed a bit of fuzz, then mouse droppings, then small strands of copper wire, and a retaining clip chewed off. No error lights have appeared yet. My dealer did say they can run a couple harness connector tests that are in addition to the vehicle self-check. Jeez……

25+ years in this house and never had a vehicle chewed on.

Did we buy a rodent buffet??

 

That sucks. I would go full shock and awe killing those things.

Anecdotally, with classic cars it's common to store them with the trunk and hood open. It makes the areas feel less protected so the little monsters are less likely to nest there.

Doesn't really apply to modern cars with engine covers and all kinds of nooks and crannies.

 

It's incredibly frustrating when this happens. I had a similar situation with a BMW X3 when some little critter chewed through a wiring harness at the rear wheel. It showed up as a headlight leveling error, I guess because the headlight system couldn't detect where the rear of the car was (?). My dealer fixed it under warranty.

I have an old Land Rover that I store in the winters. I use these little ultra-sonic sound emitter thingies to keep the familia rodentia away and I've never had a problem. It's impractical for your daily driver, but you might consider it.

 

We had a mouse chew through the windshield wiper tubing on our LR4. That tubing is one big harness that runs from the reservoir tank to the windshield, headlights and rear window. About $2000 in parts and labor to replace it. I never saw a mouse in our garage but mouse traps with peanut butter as bait proved me wrong after we caught 2 of them.

I've also learned that mice chew to control the length of their teeth as their teeth continue to grow all their lives.

 

I had a rodent chew a wire in the rear bumper harness, and now my blind spot monitors don't work. The dealer quoted me $1000 to fix it, working through it with my car insurance at the moment.

 

Few weeks back, when HVAC was pumping air, noticed the smell of death. Had cabin air filter changed and the tech found a mouse nest and carcass behind the filter. Technician spent some time fishing it all out. Smell now gone. No idea how it got in there, Defender lives in the garage and no other signs of the rodent were found. Get that filter changed at service!

 

Sounds like when we park our Defenders after plugging in the battery maintainer we now need to shrink wrap them each night. And I thought I was at my wit’s end with the squirrels raiding my bird feeders. That’s nothing compared to the damage reported by these posters to their Defenders.

 

I had a rodent in mine... there is a lot of room for them to hang out. I've heard rumors that modern car materials attract rodents more, but I'm not sure. These are typically insurable claims if it's worth it to you.

 

Had the same issue with an audi. Chewed a small return line for radiator hose. Problem now is that manufacturers have to use non toxic material for wiring and hoses and stuff. Critter’s love it to eat and use it to build nests. Since my problem I sprinkle cayenne powder all over the engine bay which mice stay away from

 

bumping this topic back up to the top. I had my 110 in the shop for an oil change and there were little paw prints all over my motor and some chewed hoses. Guy at the shop says modern cars like LR are now using "soy based insulation" on the wiring harnesses, so they are seeing more and more issues. I park this one outside and often in the desert. I sprayed down the engine compartment with peppermint spray and my wife sprinkled pepper around the driveway, but those are short-term fixes. The guy at the shop suggested the scented dryer sheets inside the engine compartment. I'd prefer not to set traps under the hood, but I'm not against giving them the electric chair if the chew up important hoses or harnesses.

Any good suggestions?