Rodent Wire Damage

[Dudemac333]

I know there are a few threads on rodent damage but wanted to share my story.

I just purchased a 2020 Civic Hatchback Sport about a month ago and yesterday went to turn on the car and it started sluggish like the battery was low and all the error codes lit up the display. It still drove OK so I went to work but the error codes did not go away. This morning I drove to the dealership to figure out what is wrong since I only have 350 miles and things like this shouldn't be happening yet...After inspection by the dealer they showed me the damage done by a rodent shown here:

The dealer associate told me that the rodent had eaten too much of the blue wire to be able to splice so they would have to replace the whole thing which would cost $2300. Unfortunately rodent damage is considered an "outside influence" and isn't covered under any warranty. From my brief research it sounded like these wires are made of soy which causes rodents to be attracted to them. I'm all for saving the environment but how can they make critical wires out of something that rodents are attracted to? I've been parking my previous car, 2009 Honda fit, in the same spot for 11 years and never had any rodent issues and now I have a new car for a month and have to drop $2300 and the issue can potentially happen again the next day?

Sorry for the rant but I'm just blown away car manufacturers can do this and not be liable at all.

 

[jayy_swish]

You run it through your insurance? I believe it falls under comprehensive (at least in CA), but of course auto insurance varies state to state

 

[NHCivicGuy]

Honestly you can repin that pretty easily. I saw your post on FB. I would do that before going through insurance. Your rates shouldn’t go up but it’s such a simple repin. I’m sure you can get new connector with pins and have it done in 15 mins.

 

[Dudemac333]

You run it through your insurance? I believe it falls under comprehensive (at least in CA), but of course auto insurance varies state to state

Yeah, I believe it is under my comprehensive so luckily I'm only out $250.

Honestly you can repin that pretty easily. I saw your post on FB. I would do that before going through insurance. Your rates shouldn’t go up but it’s such a simple repin. I’m sure you can get new connector with pins and have it done in 15 mins.

Yeah when I made the FB post it sounded like it was the battery and even the guys at the dealership initially thought it was the battery. Thanks for the info about repinning. I'll look into that.

 

[NHCivicGuy]

Yeah, I believe it is under my comprehensive so luckily I'm only out $250.


Yeah when I made the FB post it sounded like it was the battery and even the guys at the dealership initially thought it was the battery. Thanks for the info about repinning. I'll look into that.

The situation is pretty sucky. I've seen probably half a dozen posts in the last year alone with people having rodent damage just like yours. Most went through insurance or paid out of pocket, while some also repinned or soldered and heat shrunk the wires (which I wouldn't recommend because most sensors are so sensitive). You can always try to install rodent deterrent, like a wire wrap, spray, or something else. I know others have recommended that.

 

[Shankmeyster]

Or find someone who is good with auto electricals near you and have them replace that connector and repin it for you. They are just too lazy to get a connector and splice it at the Honda dealer because that wouldn't make them money.

 

[Dudemac333]

Or find someone who is good with auto electricals near you and have them replace that connector and repin it for you. They are just too lazy to get a connector and splice it at the Honda dealer because that wouldn't make them money.

Good idea. I'm going to stop by my local mechanic tomorrow and get his opinion. Thanks all for the advice.

 

[shoegazer]

I can't tell if that's just a plastic multi-pin connector or if it's a sensor of some sort.

If it's a sensor; it could get a little tricky applying heat to splice a wire. If it's just a connector; then I say it's certainly worth a shot with a splice.

And yes... I agree 100% with the giblet-headed logic of using a soy based insulation for car wires.

Sometimes it seems they create a new problem for every problem they solve.

 

[latole]

$2,300 !!! IMO as a electronic tech if it was my car I think I may be able to fix it.

 

[Dudemac333]

Update - Went to my local mechanic and he fixed it for $175 by just fixing the wire. I'd much rather pay that to a local guy who is struggling during this time than pay my deductible ($250) to the dealership and make an insurance claim.

 

[latole]

Update - Went to my local mechanic and he fixed it for $175 by just fixing the wire. I'd much rather pay that to a local guy who is struggling during this time than pay my deductible ($250) to the dealership and make an insurance claim.

Great !

Can you post picture ?

 

[Dudemac333]

Great !

Can you post picture ?

You bet! They also checked all the other wires and everything else seemed good. Next project is to buy that Honda tape and wrap all my exposed wires. Already have peppermint cotton balls everywhere and I bought one of those ultrasonic repellers. Not sure if they work or not but figured I would try everything.

 

[BoofyMoon]

This is insane. I brought my car into the dealership this morning because I was getting a bunch of system warning lights. Mechanic shows me the exact same damage as you, tells me it's rodents. Less than 250 miles on the car. Whenever the sales department comes back from quarantine, I'm getting them to foot the bill. The car sat outside on their lot near woods much longer than it ever sat in my apartment buildings garage. Worst case scenario, I'm doing a charge back. Fuck that shit

 

[latole]

You bet! They also checked all the other wires and everything else seemed good. Next project is to buy that Honda tape and wrap all my exposed wires. Already have peppermint cotton balls everywhere and I bought one of those ultrasonic repellers. Not sure if they work or not but figured I would try everything.

Very nice work, we see the difference between the skill of a real repairer (to local mechanic) and a type (dealer mechanic) who only knows how to replace parts. The latter type is too often the norm.
I'm just doing business with my local mechanic. I never go to the dealer. I save a lot of money and I have better service.

 

[Whiting087]

I know there are a few threads on rodent damage but wanted to share my story.

I just purchased a 2020 Civic Hatchback Sport about a month ago and yesterday went to turn on the car and it started sluggish like the battery was low and all the error codes lit up the display. It still drove OK so I went to work but the error codes did not go away. This morning I drove to the dealership to figure out what is wrong since I only have 350 miles and things like this shouldn't be happening yet...After inspection by the dealer they showed me the damage done by a rodent shown here:

The dealer associate told me that the rodent had eaten too much of the blue wire to be able to splice so they would have to replace the whole thing which would cost $2300. Unfortunately rodent damage is considered an "outside influence" and isn't covered under any warranty. From my brief research it sounded like these wires are made of soy which causes rodents to be attracted to them. I'm all for saving the environment but how can they make critical wires out of something that rodents are attracted to? I've been parking my previous car, 2009 Honda fit, in the same spot for 11 years and never had any rodent issues and now I have a new car for a month and have to drop $2300 and the issue can potentially happen again the next day?

Sorry for the rant but I'm just blown away car manufacturers can do this and not be liable at all.

I had the exact situation happen 2 weeks ago. I suspect it was caused by a squirrel . It ate the O2 wires and part of the harness, but not enough to require a complete replacement. $676 later I had all of my exposures wiring wrapped with Honda’s “Rodent Tape” (way overpriced at about $35 but wat cheaper than another repair

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