Devoured by rodents!!

[d_j_j]

Hi,

This is my first post and I get the feeling it won't be the last!
My wife recently took delivery of her brand new Mini Cooper with a few bell and the odd whistle. It's a very nice car and when I get the opportunity I get to drive it instead of my ageing Ford Focus.

Anyhow on the second or third day the start/stop function decided to stop permanently. After speaking to the dealership and the salesman going on about you need to have the engine fully warmed up (30 miles driving would normally do this I think?) my wife finally got the car over for a check-up.

We have been told that a rodent has chewed through a cable which has caused the malfunction and the repair cost is £250 as the warranty does not cover this type of thing - you can imagine how angry I was having shelled out almost £20,000 for this car.

BMW Mini are not budging on this and I feel really disappointed with them.
Has anyone had this problem with their Mini - would it not be a design fault that this cable can be damaged in such a manner?

Regards.

p.s. Mini service centre advised I should be careful about where we park the vehicle - what a load of bo***ks!!

[minicore]

I'd get a second opinion on what exactly has caused the damage, but if something really has chewed through the cable, I'd say you're out of luck I'm afraid.

Are you aware of mice frequenting the area around your house/driveway/garage? I know people who've had similar problems, albeit usually with older cars and never a MINI. That said, mice will get through the tiniest gap if they fancy it... it could happen to any car I'd imagine.

You could try to argue that the initial damage was caused when the car was in their care prior to collection, or while in transit to the dealership, but has only just become apparent?

[S8RAH]

I seem to recall there was a post somewhere about beasties nibbling through a heap of wires in a MINI, it needed serious work to repair it. I think it was a US based car and it had been sitting for a week or so but the damages ran into £'000s

[d_j_j]

Hi,

I guess the best I can hope for is for this beastie to go and chew on something else - the car is kept outside and I do not have the luxury of having a garage.
If I knew what it was at least I could put something down to deter it - it could end up costing me a small fortune this critter!

Cheers.

[robble]

It is not uncommon for rodents to chew electrical wires in vehicles. You have to be pretty clever to figure out ways to keep them away too.

Of course MINI should not be responsible for rodents causing physical damage to your MINI and there is no reason to be mad at MINI for it either. May as well be mad at the mouse.

[Kev50027]

I heard about some red ants in Texas a while back that would eat anything with electricity, as the electricity somehow attracted them. I wonder if you're having a similar problem. You could pour some antifreeze under the car, and most anything that smells it will drink it because it tastes sweet, then promptly keel over. Only bad thing is it will kill dogs/cats if those are around.

[polecat]

Get a cat, or stick a mousetrap under the bonnet

But seriously could you not repair the wire yourself, if the damage is only to one or two wires, a couple of crimp connectors and insulation tape or heatshrink tubing should do the trick, you know what these main dealers are like with their sharp intake of breath and "we will have to replace the whole wiring loom sir".
Unless the chewed through wires have shorted any other componant out I would look at a wire repair, should be a damn site cheaper than £250.

[LilDiva]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune! I'm here in Michigan, USA and had a similar problem with my current car (Mazda 3 - patiently waiting for my new MCS)...

One super cold morning my car wouldn't remote start and I finally had to call Mazda to have it brought in on a flat bed tow truck. When they finally called me, they said I had rodents...I laughed but it was true.

A rat had gotten in the engine compartment cause they wanted to warm up and then decided to eat the salty wires...

Needless to say, the entire wiring harness, a couple of the fuel injectors and the cap and wires needed to be replace at the tune of about $1400.00...

Thank Goodness that insurance covered everything accept for a $250 deductible!

[Flu]

this happened to my sis and a buddy of mine recently! costs a fortune if they damage specific wires and harnesses. It happens more then you'd think. Gluck on your repairs and pray it doesn't happen again.