Damn Rats!

[Tom]

So this weekend I decided to take the M3 out for a spin since she had been in storage for close to a month now. I went into the garage and I notice some rat droppings on the car cover.

At first glance I didn't really think it was a big deal and thought some rat had climb on my car and took a dump. As I pull back the cover from the front end, I notice some more black stuff fall onto the ground. My first thought was, oh great more rat droppings to pick up.

Upon closer inspection, they weren’t rat droppings but rubber shavings. As my luck would have it, some rat decided that the best way to gain access to my engine was from my bumper grill. Anyway, thought I share my misfortune.

Its kind of hard to see from the images, but there are two large holes on both sides of the grill. Additionally there are feces or mud stains all over my engine.

 

[codex57]

ewww, that sucks. Good think we don't have any rats around here. Unfortunately it's because there are about 30 stray cats around.

 

[Big Daddy]

Think about it, a rodent eating a 50k car. Now that is expensive rat food! But really Tom that is too bad. Do you want me to get you a big "Tom" cat? Hehe...

 

[Ghost]

Sorry to hear about your car. A friend of a friend here in Chicago actually worked in pest control for celebrities in California. She said that the rat population is insane out there and recommended the rat zapper. I don’t know if your situation warrants this apparatus, just a little information to help you out. IMO you should take it to the dealer and have them both visually and electronically check everything to make sure none of the wires are eaten through.

 

[codex57]

Just curious, why do rats eat car parts? Is it cuz it's warm? Tastes good?

 

[ThinkingBMW]

Never seen a rat or mouse anywhere near our place. We have a full-time rodent control service that consists of an undersized and somewhat nearsighted Siamese and what is now an oversized eating machine that we found as a *very small* kitten starving in the middle courtyard of the Palacio de Gobierno in Guadalajara.

 

[Ghost]

I don’t know why but they will eat anything, although it’s my understanding that the warmth and darkness lures them. They gnaw the insulation from wire and metal conduit. Many house fires can be attributed to rats eating the conduit. I HATE rats and the most important reason to rid yourself of them is because they harbor and carry diseases. Obtuse animal activists protested Home Depot because they carried rat traps; Home Depot’s reaction, don’t sell them anymore. Some of our misery is caused, not by the laws of nature, but simple-minded people.

 

[Bigerr19]

I had a rat come into a condo I had through the common wall between units and it ate an 18" section of rubber dishwasher hose and the plastic lid off a jar of silver polish under the sink. The guy at the hardware store called it a "roof rat" and said they'll eat anything they can to use as nesting material. I didn't want to poison the thing and have it die in between the walls, so I got the big sticky tray type of trap. Never caught it, but never saw any signs of it again either.

Fortunately it didn't eat my car.

 

[Talk2USoon]

Upon closer inspection, they weren’t rat droppings but rubber shavings. As my luck would have it, some rat decided that the best way to gain access to my engine was from my bumper grill. Anyway, thought I share my misfortune.

<<<<<<<<

Yikes! That's awful!! I got wigged out just by the discovery of dirty paw prints across the hood (stray cat, I guess).

 

[mrferg]

Oh man that really sucks!!

 

[epj3]

Oh man, tom that sucks!!

You plan on getting the chewed apart pieces replaced?

You will have to be careful, if they are storing food in your vent ducts, it could cause some serious smells.

 

[Tom]

Well I have to order the part first and yes its going to be replaced. I figure now would be a good time repaint the front bumper and fill in the dealer drilled holes for the front plate.

And you guys are right, I also plan on having the dealer inspect all the wires and hoses during this upcoming oil change.

 

[Bryan330i]

That sucks.

And I understand rats can be hard to get rid of.

A very rich oil mogul was having some of his items shipped here from the Middle East and rats got in and infiltrated a whole area. And to give you an idea of the area, this guys house was so big it had to be built with steel I beams, more like a commercial shopping center and about the same size. I think most of the affected homes in the area are like 5 million plus. I was amazed at how long it took to control those rats.

 

[jonnyz16]

well you know they have good taste ..j/k Can you find where they 're coming in from? Maybe some insulation in your garage? . I'm also thinking that they might still be in your garage hiding out. Do a thorough check Tom ..get a big hammer and good luck

 

[donmbmw]

Damn, and I thought NY Rats were the baddest rodents around, but I never heard of any eating a car before.

 

[Bmw 325i 7803]

Yikes....... Does your insurance cover it? Maybe in the future they'll add a rat clause...

 

[CosmosBlack]

Tom, you gotta be prepared! Those damn rats come back!
I had a mouse (or rat) chew on my water hose many years back. I replaced it and it came back! Finally I sprayed Baygon (pesticide) all over my engine bay and it never came back!

 

[epj3]

You just need one of those high-frequency transmitters that keep rodents away (unfortunately if you or your neighbors have dogs -- it'll drive the dogs nuts..)

 

[aNoodle]

I hope the rat left and didn't die in there when you started up the engine. There was a good article in Roudel a while ago about a guy getting a funky smell from the air conditioning...Yikes!!! You can imagine what he found in one of the ducts.

 

[frolf]

where'd the pics go? dude that sucks big time though.