My mother's new (<1k miles) Hyundai Tucson is infested with rats!
It popped a CEL after sitting for a couple weeks and I was asked to take a look before they took it back to the dealer.
Turns out rats chewed through one of the wires to the cam timing solenoid and partway through several coil leads.
I've seen this happen is cars that have sat for months or years, but this is absurd. I didn't have the heart to tell her how expensive this is probably going to be. 
To quote Bart Simpson that both sucks and blows. 
True story: Chipmunks ate the fuel pump on my brother's Malibu.
Does She Live By A feedmill? Is her neighbor named Willard?
Squirrels are bad too. They killed my Camry. Literally. Totaled it. Got the RAV4 too, but I saved it with only new plug wires and plastic hose to both sets of windshield wipers.
I've seen this on tundras and hondas at work, it's normally covered by ins or warranty. Animals like to eat wiring looms and gas lines.
I've never had a problem with this where I live, until just recently. I have too many cars by anyone but GRM standards, so they all sit a bit. Except my company car, which is driven 30,000mi a year. Guess which one had the underhood insulation chewed up?
I saw a recent news story that this is becoming much more common on newer cars because there are more environmentally friendly soy-based materials used now, which attract rodents.
Boost_Crazy wrote: I saw a recent news story that this is becoming much more common on newer cars because there are more environmentally friendly soy-based materials used now, which attract rodents.
Happened to a guy I know. Drove his TC Saturday, went to get in it for work Monday and was dead.
He got it fixed and has found a spray this claims to repell rodents.
Mice got into my wifes new 2012 focus within the first year. They made a nest in the glovebox.
They never got into my 09 Hyundai, the mpv, or the f150, that were also sitting around. (or the house for that matter)
This is why I love my rat snakes. I go steal 'em out of the neighbor's yards and turn 'em loose in mine. Very few rodents here at my house.
Boost_Crazy wrote: I saw a recent news story that this is becoming much more common on newer cars because there are more environmentally friendly soy-based materials used now, which attract rodents.
That's what happens when you take the PCBs out of stuff.
We have a small pack of these guys... (We're down to 2 from 4 this time last year, sadly I'm afraid it will be one by the end of the year) but no rodent comes near our place. Keeps the snakes out without food to hunt as well. All of our neighbors have squirrels, even the neighbor with 8 dogs and 2 cats. 2 rat terriers and a lazy old cat and we have NONE. They even dig up the gophers.
Oh and yeah, my mother in laws sentra that she passed down to my wife for commuter duty had a squirrel nest in the AC box, along with a handful of wires eaten under the hood as well as the plastic handle for the dipstick.
Crackers!!!! Crap I thought that fighting red wasps was all I had on my plate....you got rodents too??
You sir, need a cat under the hood. 
Yeah, the more concerning thing to me is the large pieces of insulation that were stuffed in several corners. It was all fresh and clean and had to come from somewhere.
In reply to 759NRNG:
When I first moved Uncle Ben home I apparently REALLY pissed off a nest of red wasps. There were about 8 of them highly agitated, flying around the inside trying to get out and stinging at the glass. It's actually the primary reason it took me a couple days before I looked at it again.
Crackers wrote: Yeah, the more concerning thing to me is the large pieces of insulation that were stuffed in several corners. It was all fresh and clean and had to come from somewhere.
I was going to ask about that.
We Heard one Hell of a comotion the other Night and found my Blue Healer Killed a Baby Opossum IN THE HOUSE, Not sure She would Tackle an Adult though.
In reply to GTXVette:
Our 15lb Rat Terrier had no issues with an adult. I'm sure your's would be fine.
EastCoastMojo wrote: This is why I love my rat snakes. I go steal 'em out of the neighbor's yards and turn 'em loose in mine. Very few rodents here at my house.
I have feral cats. They don't do much for the moles and ground hog that live in my back yard, but my cars are surprisingly mice-free. Squirrels don't spend much time on the ground either.
I just recently had a story related to me involving a groundhog and a 300 mile old fiat 500. Same deal, took the wiring for spaghetti and had himself a meal.
Considering the volume of mice and snakes killed at my house every year, I'm surprised i don't have any rodent problems with my cars, but I think maybe it's because they all live in my house.
I do have birds living in my hydraulic press though.
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