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Why can't they change the "ingredients" in this tasty insulation and make it no interest to animals
Well, they were forced to remove all of the nasty cancer causing flame retardants in the insulation. What they found to replace it happens to be tasty to rodents.
Many manufacturers have switched to soy based wire insulation for environmental reasons. Unfortunately, rodents find this very tasty. This is well documented on the Internet and there even some class action lawsuits on this subject.
Many manufacturers have switched to soy based wire insulation for environmental reasons. Unfortunately, rodents find this very tasty. This is well documented on the Internet and there even some class action lawsuits on this subject.
FWIW This month's issue of Consumer Reports notes a Honda service bulletin instructing mechanics to cover wires with rodent deterrent tape: part number 4019-2317 sold online and at Honda for $30 for 60 feet roll. (Tape is treated with capsaicin.)
Hi
I had the same problem with my new Q5. Mice had eaten through cables under the hood. Told by Audi not part of warranty. Audi loom is made up of bio-degradable material animal FAT. Which rodents like.
Buy Audi part number 8U0054650 199EUR plus installation. Like you I'm not impressed by Audi not resolving the issue. They have known for some time (years) of the problem. But are still using the material that attracts Rodents. My mate who's a top technician at Nisan, says they have the same problem? I was a Merc man for 35 years and never had any problem with rodents?
Lexus has at least 2 class action suits about the soy based wire insulation. This has been going on for years and since it's not a warrantee issue it seems like car manufacturers are not in a hurry to fix it. Hopefully the class actions will motivate them. But until then, there's not much you can do without a garage or rat poison and even they are not a guarantee.
Not sure why you'd think it's a manufacturer issue. They don't eat the wires, they use it for nesting. They'll chew up tin foil, wood, plastic, basically anything to make a nest. They'll chew it up regardless if it's soy based or petroleum based.
Look at the pictures posted, they chewed through copper wire as well. Is Audi making copper wire out of food grade materials too (rhetorical question)?
Supportive of Wires comment above, how is it the manufacturers fault if you have rats in your area and the enter the engine bay to nest. That is like trying to blame the manufacturers for birds flying over your car and releasing their digestive bomb load to stain the paint work.
I believe manufacturers should be looking towards using more bio-degradable parts and less plastic in their production anyway.
Supportive of Wires comment above, how is it the manufacturers fault if you have rats in your area and the enter the engine bay to nest. That is like trying to blame the manufacturers for birds flying over your car and releasing their digestive bomb load to stain the paint work.
I believe manufacturers should be looking towards using more bio-degradable parts and less plastic in their production anyway.
i agree. I’ve had this issue in almost all my cars in India because we have a lot of rats there (my cars being Hyundais and Volkswagens and I was the only one driving them and sometimes they’d be left parked for a month or more on end). I ended up placing rat poison in the engine bay and I also had two pet cats who took care of the rats for me. These rats also nested in my motorcycle and chewed wires.
luckily no rats where I’m at at the moment but if it does happen, I’m not blaming Audi. Nor do I expect them to change wiring kit for me free of cost.
It happens to anything outside, especially during nesting time. Mice and Rats have ruined many an AC. If you cover the outside unit they may try to build a nest and will strip any wires they can find. Squirrels will chew up landscape fabric if it’s not completely buried. They chew on any plastic above ground and cause cable, phone outages as they eat insulation off of wires. I have chew marks on my house gables where stupid squirrels have tried to eat their way into my home. Raccoons etc. It seems like years will pass without an issue and then.....
10-13-2017, 06:49 PM
Soy based insulation
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