They's varmints in dem woods!
06-26-2003, 03:24 PM
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They's varmints in dem woods!
I just got my car back from the dealer after it's service. They dropped me off into town and picked me up after what seemed a longer time than I would have allowed for such a minor service. I found out why when I got back. The service manager came out and said, "Do you live in a farm?", I answered in the negative and he said, "Well, you've got a rodent problem". My immediate answer was WTF! (at least in my head anyhoo).
I said that our property backed onto a small creek that runs through a gully, we had had bush rat problems before but heavy baiting and hypersonic deterrents in the house had sorted that out. He said it hadn't because, and get this, my car had been attacked by rats!!!
He showed me the rubber tube that acts as the radiator overflow back to the bottle. One whole side of the tube, on each side of the attachment clip had been gnawed away, I couldn't believe it. You could see little teeth marks on the edge of the great ragged hole where the little bastages had eaten it clean away.
Needless to say there was coolant sprayed all over the radiator and fan and on the front of the block and pulley systems. They'd managed to clean it up pretty well though. Then the manager informed me that the rats had been having a sniff at one or two other tape wrapped cables and my brake hoses too!! That scared the bejeezus out of me, 'Oops no brakes', at 100km+ because some rat somwehere is now fat & sleek, full of my hose rubber...
I think it had only happened the night before because there was no sign of coolant on my garage floor and I certainly hadn't heard any noises or had any overheating problems. Nissan said that they see this a lot on farm vehicles, they're not sure if it's the coolant or the new rubber that attracts them
I went straight down to Bunnings, forked over $90 on a hypersonic deterrent (yes they do work) for the garage and more bait than is needed to kill a country towns worth of vermin. It hasn't happened since and I hope it won't again.
So be forewarned, we have a cool car that attracts a lot of attention, some of it is not what we'd planned.
Little furry f*ckers!!
Jim
I said that our property backed onto a small creek that runs through a gully, we had had bush rat problems before but heavy baiting and hypersonic deterrents in the house had sorted that out. He said it hadn't because, and get this, my car had been attacked by rats!!!
He showed me the rubber tube that acts as the radiator overflow back to the bottle. One whole side of the tube, on each side of the attachment clip had been gnawed away, I couldn't believe it. You could see little teeth marks on the edge of the great ragged hole where the little bastages had eaten it clean away.
Needless to say there was coolant sprayed all over the radiator and fan and on the front of the block and pulley systems. They'd managed to clean it up pretty well though. Then the manager informed me that the rats had been having a sniff at one or two other tape wrapped cables and my brake hoses too!! That scared the bejeezus out of me, 'Oops no brakes', at 100km+ because some rat somwehere is now fat & sleek, full of my hose rubber...
I think it had only happened the night before because there was no sign of coolant on my garage floor and I certainly hadn't heard any noises or had any overheating problems. Nissan said that they see this a lot on farm vehicles, they're not sure if it's the coolant or the new rubber that attracts them
I went straight down to Bunnings, forked over $90 on a hypersonic deterrent (yes they do work) for the garage and more bait than is needed to kill a country towns worth of vermin. It hasn't happened since and I hope it won't again.
So be forewarned, we have a cool car that attracts a lot of attention, some of it is not what we'd planned.
Little furry f*ckers!!
Jim
06-26-2003, 09:47 PM
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They could hardly miss it, the light green coolant was all over the front of the block and radiator. I would have been severly pee'd off if they hadn't of seen it, it would have meant they hadn't even lifted the bonnet.
Here's a picture of the damaged tube.
http://www.netspace.net.au/~sundog/images/tube.jpg
Jim
Here's a picture of the damaged tube.
http://www.netspace.net.au/~sundog/images/tube.jpg
Jim
06-26-2003, 10:06 PM
#5
Originally posted by sundog
it would have meant they hadn't even lifted the bonnet.
it would have meant they hadn't even lifted the bonnet.
No seriously, I'm glad they picked up on it. Lucky it was only the overflow pipe.
PS: Have you checked your brake lines ?
I would say it is the rubber and not the coolant. I have seen rats eat extension cords so i think they chew on it for the rubber and not the electrcity !
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