The Observer newspaper reports today that owners of recent Volkswagens are encountering an unexpected difficulty - their cars are seizing up because rats have eaten through wiring on the underneath of the vehicles.
This is a new phenomenon apparently, created by Volkswagen's desire to create more environmentally friendly products. To further this end, Volkswagen have started casing car wiring in a plant-based material that rats find delicious.
I suppose encouraging rats to flourish is achieving some kind of blow for the environment versus mankind. And manufacturing cars that don't work must reduce emissions. Honda and Toyota are using soy-based insulation which is apparently the equivalent of KFC for vermin, so switching to them provides no escape for car owners.
Rats chewing into cables or pipes is nothing new. I'm fairly sure that a late neighbor's car had its brake lines gnawed ten years ago or so. I don't remember the model of the car, but doubt it was a VW.
ReplyDeleteRelieved that you have recovered from your viral flu. ZMKC
DeleteThis has been going on for a while. In 2010 I bought a Golf TSI which was attacked by rats within a couple of weeks. They ate the sound insulation above the engine. VW knew about this issue, and the concessionaire replaced it. The garage explained that VW was following a European directive which mandate the use of plastics made with corn. I was so surprised I looked into it and found out lots of stuff, including the fact that in Switzerland the concessionaire installed ultrasound repellents to dissuade the rats as a "standard". I checked with VW in Germany and they confirmed this. I was recommended to use a spray (quite expensive, but sold by the Concessionaire) to repel such for the first six months, after which the smell of tasty corn will have dissipated.... Some clients, who left their cars on the streets, had had the engine wiring eaten, which was quite a job to replace.... And that was in 2010....
ReplyDeleteAmazing! I wonder if the sprays & ultrasound repellents are doing more pollution damage than the original plastic. Aviva, the insurer, refuses to pay for any of these repairs, according to the Observer. Thank you for such an interesting response ZMKC
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