Rats chewing wires
 

Hi everyone,

i recently moved to the city and have begun to have problems with rats chewing on the wires under the hood of my 2012 Ford Focus.
I park outside next to 3 other cars from other manufacturers who have never had problems with rats doing this but it has happened twice in the past few months to me.
Is there something different about the wiring used in the 2012 Focus to make them more tasty to rats or am I just lucky? Can I spray something on them to keep the rats away?

thanks to all who respond!

Did you actually see the rats? I asked this because it is pretty common for mice to knaw away on wiring to make nests. Sometimes they like to get into a warm place .Could this have been done earlier and is just now being found/noticed?

I haven't actually seen the rats. The first time it happened it was obvious there was something wrong so I just took it to the dealership because it was acting like a clutch problem and it was under warranty. The dealership used the word "varmints" in the paperwork so it could have been either.

The second time it was mice now that I think a bit harder about it; the droppings were very small but there was no sign of a nest either.

Either way, I've got some creatures that I need to keep out from under the hood.

I am having the same problem I am currently using moth balls in 2 small packs taped above wheel well.

no new damage.

Thanks for the suggestion Ron! Do you just leave them in a box taped there? How do you keep the mothballs from dissolving when it rains?

Supposedly they dont like 'mint either.. Mint oil can be added to rag, cotton etc and placed in the problem areas..

The mothballs came in little packets so I just made some holes. In my Escape I placed the packets in the engine compartments on top of the wheel wells.