Squirrels ate my car

kaiser

kaiser

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The pilot formerly known as Cool Beard Guy
… or they might as well have.

2009 VW Tiguan 4Motion. We use it as a runabout. So yesterday I go to run an errand and I can’t get the thing out of park. It doesn’t detect my brake pedal getting depressed (which depresses me). I go to shut down and then I can’t get the key out. Lots of lights displayed on the dash by this time.

I do research. No blown fuses, so could be a solenoid or switch governing the system. I go to look under the hood and find a giant wreath of a squirrel’s nest. Turns out they’ve been nesting and chewing things. Yippy.

So playing with the Shifter solenoid got the car to recognize it’s in park and I got the key out.

At this point I’m going to test drive it tomorrow to see if it’s functional. But this has got me thinking…

I’ve always wanted a real American pickup truck. Something that meets the mission but maybe a little bit ludicrous …

upload_2023-3-4_20-17-27.jpeg
 
I very much want you to have a truck just like Al Beer's. Complete with a "don't touch that switch" switch.
 
Drove a F250 for years then finally figured out a 4WD F150 was easier to park and met all my needs…did I mention it’s easier to park?
 
You have my sympathies. I hate squirrels. Fast moving rats that aren't afraid of people or daylight.
 
Check the air intake, too.

Don’t know about squirrels, but mice like to build nests in an airbox. I knew a guy who bought a used BMW motorcycle that had been stored a while - it would barely run, and the problem was a mouse nest in the air filter.
 
Several years ago, to “Go Green!”, auto manufacturers switched from using petroleum-based wiring insulation to a soy oil based-type. Turns out that it didn’t take rodents long to figure out they can eat the stuff.

Lessons from the past forgotten or simply ignored.

There is a class action suit against Toyota over this.
 
I’m always on modest alert with rodents, just yesterday I put fresh bait on traps in the shed. Last Fall in IL deer hunting, the buddy went to my ATV for a screwdriver. While in the tool area said he took a mouse nest out.

We don’t have many squirrels at the feeder, so I leave them be. They know what direction to go after a snack.

Over the years I’ve had more problems with mice than squirrels, some depends on where parked, how long. Under the right conditions they can move in surprisingly fast, like an airplane parked on a ramp during bird nesting season.
 
Squirrel safari!

The damn critters used to invade the house crawl around in the walls. Red squirrels are apparently particularly fond of chewing into wires. Once I got a scope for my .22 rifle I rarely see them near the house any more.

safari.jpg
 
That picture makes the squirrel look gigantic.

My favorite pest control gun is a Cooper in 17 HMR.
 
I was trying to think of acorny joke but couldn’t come up with one.
 
We’ve got a passel of squirrels that frequent our yard and nest in the maple trees. I know I could pick them off with an air rifle, or even more quietly with a rifle and .22 CB shorts, but honestly they do almost zero damage. One of them chewed up the end of a board on our pergola a few years back, but they have been utterly harmless other than that, and quite entertaining for the most part. Maybe we’re just lucky, or there’s plenty of other food for them.

The mice are an annoyance, or they were until we discovered their aversion to the minty anti-mouse spray and Irish Spring soap.
 
sourdough44 said:
That picture makes the squirrel look gigantic.

My favorite pest control gun is a Cooper in 17 HMR.
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Savage 17 hmr. Fun little round.

But watching the dog point and wait them out is way more entertaining. She's hunting before she does her business first thing in the morning.
 
texasclouds said:
Get a manual transmission. Checkmate, squirrels.
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Nope. My wife had a Datsun stick in the 80s and was driving home when the car started accelerating. She used the clutch to slow it down and pulled off the road into a business park. When I arrived I found that a squirrel had been storing nuts in the engine compartment and one of them was under the throttle cable by the carb.
 
Albany Tom said:
You have my sympathies. I hate squirrels. Fast moving rats that aren't afraid of people or daylight.
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The first eastern gray squirrels were introduced into N.America in Philadelphia in the mid 1800s. From the that time, they were introduced all over the continent. In the 1900s they were introduced into WA state. Today, they are the most common squirrel in the state.

Rats with bushy tails. I abhor them as much as I abhor raccoons. If I lived somewhere amenable to firearm discharge, ... but I don't.

The billions (trillions?) of Starlings in N.America stemmed from 100 released into Central Park around 1890. They were released by Shakespeare buffs who wanted every bird mentioned in his work to reside in N.America. While I enjoy The Bard, I could do without starlings.

Don't get me started on Carp.
 
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Domenick said:
The first eastern gray squirrels were introduced into N.America in the Philadelphia in the mid 1800s. From the that time, they were introduced all over the continent. In the 1900s they were introduced into WA state. Today, they are the most common squirrel in the state.

Rats with bushy tails. I abhor them as much as I abhor raccoons. If I lived somewhere amenable to firearm discharge, ... but I don't.

The billions (trillions?) of Starlings in N.America stemmed from 100 released into Central Park around 1890. They were released by Shakespeare buffs who wanted every bird mentioned in his work to reside in N.America. While I enjoy The Bard, I could do without starlings.

Don't get me started on Carp.
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what are you, the @Pilawt of squirrels or something? :)
 
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I’ve always wanted a real American pickup truck. Something that meets the mission but maybe a little bit ludicrous …

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Ludicrous? Lol yup that is what some may think today.lol
It is all in what you do with your truck I think.
I have been driving a 4 door crew cab 8 foot bed every day since 1992. First one a 4 wheel 3500, then a 6 wheel crew cab dually for 13 years. Now a 4 door crew cab f 250 all with 8’ beds. I suck at driving my wife suv when we drive hers. We both park out in the north 40 to protect our doors I am used to the giant truck and parking.Lucky to be able to drive the American dream.
I also live less than 2 miles from work so the gas mileage does not hurt to bad except when towing.
 

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dbahn said:
On purpose. :)

It's still just a little red squirrel.
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That doesn't look at all like the red squirrels we have around here. We also have gray squirrels and black squirrels here. The reds are much smaller and more aggressive and cause more damage.
 
We've had a few cars and even our log home eaten by squirrel. One of our vehicles still occasionally throws a check engine light that we call the squirrel code.
 
172andyou said:
Animals have been eating wires since forever. Soy causing a new problem is an urban legend.

https://www.torquenews.com/1083/car-talk-helps-bust-myth-soy-why-rodents-are-eating-your-car-s-wires
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I had a rabbit that I had to keep a close eye on when not in his cage because he would eat insulated electrical wires around the house. And this was in the 90s, so they certainly weren't made of soy.

I know the first attempt against Toyota was dismissed by a judge, as was a case against Honda. I think that rodents are just... not very smart when it comes to these things.
 
A lot of rodent species NEED to gnaw, because their teeth keep growing, and must be worn down at a similar rate. They don't always chew because they think they've found something nutritious.
 
Gilbert Buettner said:
That doesn't look at all like the red squirrels we have around here. We also have gray squirrels and black squirrels here. The reds are much smaller and more aggressive and cause more damage.
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We have both gray squirrels and red squirrels here in Vermont. THAT's a red squirrel for sure, and it's closer in size to a chipmunk than it is to a gray squirrel. You can see some of the red coloration in the tail although it's not very pronounced on this one, but trust me. It's a red.
 
I had squirrels carry away all the pink insulation in the attic of my garage one summer. All that was left was the brown paper backing. I hope they stayed warm that winter.
I closed up the hole they were getting into. Maybe not so easy with a car or truck parked outside?
 
FORANE said:
He's welcome anytime in northeast TN.
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Ive never had a dog with this kind of prey drive. I've had labs. But this GSP is something else. She's 37lbs of go juice with murder on the brain. Either running like her hair is on fire for hours on end. Or will be on point for just as long. It's unreal to see a dog this wired and then laser focused and wait something out like a damn statue.

She's on a mission from God
 
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Domenick said:
The first eastern gray squirrels were introduced into N.America in Philadelphia in the mid 1800s. From the that time, they were introduced all over the continent. In the 1900s they were introduced into WA state. Today, they are the most common squirrel in the state.

Rats with bushy tails. I abhor them as much as I abhor raccoons. If I lived somewhere amenable to firearm discharge, ... but I don't.

The billions (trillions?) of Starlings in N.America stemmed from 100 released into Central Park around 1890. They were released by Shakespeare buffs who wanted every bird mentioned in his work to reside in N.America. While I enjoy The Bard, I could do without starlings.

Don't get me started on Carp.
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Grey squirrels were always native to North America east of the Mississippi river. Other than that, your post is factual.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_gray_squirrel
 
Gary Ward said:
I had squirrels carry away all the pink insulation in the attic of my garage one summer. All that was left was the brown paper backing. I hope they stayed warm that winter.
I closed up the hole they were getting into. Maybe not so easy with a car or truck parked outside?
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Dang. Makes me itchy just thinking about it!
 
FlyingElvii said:
Several years ago, to “Go Green!”, auto manufacturers switched from using petroleum-based wiring insulation to a soy oil based-type. Turns out that it didn’t take rodents long to figure out they can eat the stuff.

Lessons from the past forgotten or simply ignored.

There is a class action suit against Toyota over this.
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Various rodents have been chewing wires for as long as there have been wires. Rats took out our phone system with their chewing in 1992.
 
::continue rant::

So I ended up driving the car to the airport to make my Bahamas trip. I didn’t have time to call a shop to fix it. The club doesn’t let me park in the hangar so I needed this car to sit outside for a week. So whatever those critters chewed really messed up with the harness taking to the transmission. It’s basically stuck in 2nd gear. So I drove about 35 minutes in 2nd gear.

</rant>
 
Not to belittle the experience, but that sounds like part of a song lyric.

If it makes you feel better, in my college days I drove a 78 Blazer about 20 miles in 1st gear once, to get to the nearest open motel. Even though it was a 3 speed, 1st was pretty slow. I was not happy when the fellow asked me if I wanted a room for "the whole night". My sarcastic 20 something self looked around, kind of pointing out that I did not in fact have a hired girl with me, and replied "yeah." Nothing with squirrels, though, something about the clutches or valve body of a TH350.
 
kaiser said:
::continue rant::

So I ended up driving the car to the airport to make my Bahamas trip. I didn’t have time to call a shop to fix it. The club doesn’t let me park in the hangar so I needed this car to sit outside for a week. So whatever those critters chewed really messed up with the harness taking to the transmission. It’s basically stuck in 2nd gear. So I drove about 35 minutes in 2nd gear.

</rant>
Click to expand...

Maybe if you're lucky some kind soul will steal the drivetrain before you get back.
 
kaiser said:
… or they might as well have.

2009 VW Tiguan 4Motion. We use it as a runabout. So yesterday I go to run an errand and I can’t get the thing out of park. It doesn’t detect my brake pedal getting depressed (which depresses me). I go to shut down and then I can’t get the key out. Lots of lights displayed on the dash by this time.

I do research. No blown fuses, so could be a solenoid or switch governing the system. I go to look under the hood and find a giant wreath of a squirrel’s nest. Turns out they’ve been nesting and chewing things. Yippy.

So playing with the Shifter solenoid got the car to recognize it’s in park and I got the key out.

At this point I’m going to test drive it tomorrow to see if it’s functional. But this has got me thinking…

I’ve always wanted a real American pickup truck. Something that meets the mission but maybe a little bit ludicrous …

View attachment 115499
Click to expand...

I never knew Volkswagen make such big pickup trucks.
 
@kaiser I had a squirrel eat a wire to a fuel injector on my Frontier. Because a critter caused it, my car insurance covered the repair (less the deductible). Worth checking…
 
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