Monday morning went out to start the new Yukon XL Denali, nary a whimper was heard from the big engine beast. Opened the hood to behold a nice new squirrel nest atop the engine block. Called the dealer who dispatched a tow/hauler truck to the house to retrieve the wounded beast. Shop calls that afternoon, we got some bad news and some real bad news. Your wiring is toast, eaten to bits. Oh, and that computer you had, is shorted out, like dead, dead as a wedge. Oh, joy says I. That will be $900.16 thank you very much. Then yesterday evening I get another call, ah, yes….we found new damage at the rear of the engine where the engine and transmission connect. We must take the top off the engine to get to the new found damaged wiring. That will be an additional $600 ka-ching. Just send checks.

Now guys, we have declared war, there will be no prisoners, only dead bodies will be counted. The RWS .177 pellet rifle has been oiled and is limbered up for action. Mr. Bushy-tail meet your maker, die you squirrel SO3.
Best,
Ed

You should look into that FA version bb gun that fires 300rpm and powered with that new refridgerant gas-you can get the herd on the run! It won't fix your vehicle any cheaper -but you might feel better when you play "Rambo" on one of the critters and pump 20 rounds into its miserable carcass.

My daughter swears that the squirrels around here belong to a suicide cult. They are always running out in front of moving vehilces. They must have seen that comercial on TV where a squrrel causes a car to wreck by jumping on front of it...

Sorry about the problem Ed, we had the same thing happen to one of our vehicles a few years back. Everyone figured that it was mice then.

Thanks guys for the good thoughts. I am trying an experiment; I put two heaping tablespoons of cyanne pepper and one tablespoon of Thai pepper that I dried and ran through a coffee grinder in a quart of water, brought it to a boil and set it aside to steep for 45 minutes. Poured the liquid through a fine sive into a big spray bottle. I then sprayed the entire inside of my wife car's engine well, allowing the spray to dry on all parts until morning. Now we will see if the wolly buggers have the nads to chew on that car. If I see a squirrel doing the kickin chicken in the back yard I will know to shoot his butt.
Best,
Ed

Wow, you might get watery eyes and a burning in your nose when that eng compartment gets hot though............... But I certainly understand why you're doing it and I wish you luck. I have seen many vehicles damaged in the same way and with the vehicles these days with all the wiring and computers/electronics, it gets very expensive. Good Luck

Wow Ed...that is one expensive munchin' the squirrels did to ya mate.

Another product you can use is called Bitrex (well that is what it is called out here). It is a white powder that you mix with a little alcohol (I use methylated spirits) and it is the foulest tasting stuff you have ever tasted. It leaves the most disgusting terrible putrid taste in your mouth that lingers for hours...depending on how strong you mix it. This stuff is often used in products to make them unpalatable.

I mixed some up for a lady friend who wanted to stop biting her nails. She would chew them down to the third knuckle !! Within two days she wasn't game to put her hands anywhere near her mouth. She came in the next day abusing the h3ll outa me because of the taste. She hasn't chewed her nails for the past 5 years.

Maybe this stuff would do the job...mix it up and spray around the engine bay. I believe the product is made in Germany and isn't all that difficult to acquire.

Another option is to talk to your local Wildlife Officer...they will most like know of a good deterrent...apart from a lead injection, which is much more fun anywayz.

Good luck mate.

Cheers, Vince

That's what you get for driving a Chevy!!

Ah,ha
Reminds me of the guy that used to make fun of my big Blazer until he got his Jeep stuck while towing a trailer full of steel rails on it. I pulled the jeep and the trailer out at the same time. He demanded secrecy from me.... ho, ho, ho
Best,
Ed

Just trying ta help!! Anyways, what type of area do you live in? I'm out in the country, and have had some trouble with squirrels. Nothing like you have, but they get into the bird feeders at my moms house and chew them up trying to get the seeds out. One year, I shot 31 of the little tree rats. For the next couple of years, all we really saw was a stray squirrel here and there. It took about 3-4 years for them to fully return. I noticed quite a few of them while I was over there deer hunting over the past couple of weeks, so it may be time for some more eradicating!! By the way, my mom owns 7 acres, and all the squirrels were taken on her property only!!!

AH, I forgot to ask. Does insurance cover any of the damages? I'm assuming that they don't, but it may be worth a try!!

Cody,
The damage is covered under the comprehensive portion of an auto policy. Jast as hitting a deer is covered under the same section, not your collision section. In this case, as the agent/broker, I was not going to make a claim, but when we started having add on damage I decided to get the company on the hook.

I picked up the vehicle last night, it is now fine, but the little fur balls ate the sensor wiring from the fuel pump and the rear brakes in the process so when I went to get it I had this long list of R & R items, from front to rear bumper, including the gas tank! Jeez what a mess.

I live on the edge of town, pretty much on an island, in a subdivision with but 18 houses on a dead end street on a Bayou. The SD requires a-la-natural landscaping so the acre is treed with brush and about 40% grassed. Across the stree are 12 acres undeveloped. The hawks hunt my yard on a regular basis and now I cheer them on....
Best,
Ed

Gidday Ed. Can you put your vehicle in a garage mate? Ensure that the garage is sealed up from the little buggers...maybe wire it with an electric fence like they use for cattle. Let them run around outside as much as they want...gives you more targets, but keep your vehicle in a place they can't get to it.

Cheers, Vince

My son plays paintball, early spring of this year my car started getting terrible gas mileage. So i check the airfilter box on my car. It had about 300 to 400 paintballs in it. We guess a field mouse packed it full on a weekend. Two mousetraps and some cheese end of problem.

PS: My car was in the garage...

In the US we have a tradition, we never use the garage to put cars in.

My garage is my shop, full of tools such as drill presses, band saws, sanders and a stock duplicator.

Last night I pumped 1/2 a quart of my Thai pepper liquid onto the wiring and into the engine compartment where it dried overnight. This morning no problem. But I do have the RWS .177 limbered up (no firearms may be discharged in town). The RWS is a smoker, it will put a pellet through a 1/2 inch sheet of plywood and I have a 3x9 scope on it.

But I have seen nary a bushtail since the incident. They are in hiding.
Best,
Ed

SwampFox, they KNOW man...