MG5 Rats Help!

[irhut]

Hi all,

We bought our approved used MG5 (2003 pre face left) four months ago and have really enjoyed it despite it various quirks. However a few days ago we had warning lights for all sorts of things such as ABS brakes, ACC, Lane Warning Assist etc. Basically all the auto safety stuff. The car still worked fine except that we couldn't use those features.

I booked it into Drive MG Bristol confidently thinking all would be sorted with the warranty. However, they rang me to say there is evidence of rats getting into the engine and therefore it won't be covered under warranty and worse still they need to spend 6 hours striping the car down and then repair the fault. Cost could be somewhere between £1k and £3k.

We are very shocked by this. I asked if they had checked if the issues could be caused by something else. (Drive MG Weston Super Mare, where we bought the car suggested it might be a software issue when I gave them a quick ring about it initially). They said they wouldn't check for anything else as the rat droppings indicate that this is the direction they need to go.

Could the droppings have got there before we bought it? Could it be completely unrelated? I am so angry and confused right now that I would genuinely appreciate anyone's advice / thoughts on the above.

Sorry for long post!

Ian.

 

[salty]

I know this probably won't work, but have you tried disconnecting the battey for 10 minutes or so. Then reconnecting it.
Obviously won't work if it is Rats
If MG have just spotted Rat Shit. They've just left it at that. Did they actually find any chewed wires. The battery is a very long shot. Unless you've already tried that. But worth a go. Do you park it somewhere, where Rats are likely.

 

[irhut]

I know this probably won't work, but have you tried disconnecting the battey for 10 minutes or so. Then reconnecting it.
Obviously won't work if it is Rats
If MG have just spotted Rat Shit. They've just left it at that. Did they actually find any chewed wires. The battery is a very long shot. Unless you've already tried that. But worth a go. Do you park it somewhere, where Rats are likely.

Hi

Car is with MG so can't try that unfortunately. We just park it on our drive, drive it almost everyday. Not saying we don't have rats near us as they are everywhere, but we have never had a problem with them.

They have not found chewed wires as far as a I know, they need to spend 6 hours investigating.

I know this probably won't work, but have you tried disconnecting the battey for 10 minutes or so. Then reconnecting it.
Obviously won't work if it is Rats
If MG have just spotted Rat Shit. They've just left it at that. Did they actually find any chewed wires. The battery is a very long shot. Unless you've already tried that. But worth a go. Do you park it somewhere, where Rats are likely.

Photos they sent me now attached

 

[salty]

Take the car back, as you say it still drives ok. Try the battery trick, a very very long shot but worth a try. If that doesn't work. Take it back to MG or try an independent auto electrician. Or even phone the AA out see what they say Good luck.

If you do go the way I've suggested, give the battery terminals a good clean.

 

[irhut]

This is an option but we will still have to pay the £100 odd for their initial examination as it is now not a warranty claim. I have contacted Weston Super Mare where we bought it to see if they can offer any other options, though I suspect they will just go with Bristol.

Thank you for your thoughts on this.

 

[salty]

Ok, keep us updated.

 

[Alb]

Did they send you evidence of any actual rodent damage?

 

[irhut]

Did they send you evidence of any actual rodent damage?

Just photos of the droppings. They said they need to strip the car, which takes 6 hours to see if there is any damage.

 

[MickeySw]

.Cost could be somewhere between 1k and 3k.

Could the droppings have got there before we bought it? Could it be completely unrelated. I am so angry and confused right now that I would genuinely appreciate anyone's advice / thoughts on the above.

If the garage finds no evidence of rodent damage, MG will have to fix the issue under warranty. Given the uphill battle folks have with ‘genuine’ claims I’m afraid you will have a long road ahead of you.

From experience (luckily not mine), insurance companies tend to scrap EVs if there is just a mention of ‘rodent damage’

 

[Pete G]

Our ZS EV was damaged by Rats. They ate the brake booster vacuum hose. The car threw up all sorts of faults and then said it was in Turtle mode.
I found the brake booster hose had a hole in it where it was chewed. I replaced the hose with some clear plastic hose that I had in the shed, and everything works fine.
The fault lights were similar to what yours are. Nearly every function showed faulty and turtle mode.
If I were you I would go and look at the car carefully and check the brake booster hose. It seems that rats like the taste of oily things.
good luck
Pete

Also looking at your pictures the battery terminals on the 12 volt battery are in serious need of a good clean.
Go and get the car back, clean the battery terminals well and see if that helps

 

[decrep]

They certainly found a lot of droppings, and rats are notorious for chewing stuff.
There's a high percentage they are right, but for the remaining percentage, easier options should be tried first.

 

[T1 Terry]

Maybe an insurance claim? That is a lot money out of your pocket if it turns out to be a simple chewed hose or wires that are easily accessible ......

T1 Terry

Here is a tip to help dissuade rats and mice from chewing wiring and hoses, soak in WD40, apparently the don't like the smell or taste .....

T1 Terry

 

[irhut]

Hi all,

Firstly, thanks for all the responses and thoughts - really appreciated! The good news is our insurance have said they will cover it, but they will only pay what their engineers would deam a reasonable amount for the job. So I will probably have to pay MG their inspection fee and move the car to one of the insurance's approved garages to be on the safe side. My only concern now is, what if the new garage says that rats did not cause the damage? Would the insurance still cover the work?

This is what I will be asking them today. (When I can get through to a human being!) So slowly getting somewhere.

I will keep you updated as posting here has helped with the stress and anger and your responses have been fab!

Ian.

 

[T1 Terry]

The WD40 spray trick was confirmed by a member on our local RV forum,

The mechanic who serviced my Silver Spurs always used
WD-40 to stop the field mice from chewing on the electric cables.

Don't ya love the "my Silver Spurs" as in plural .... but his signature line brings it all back to earth

I'm now 87 years old, having experienced another birthday, and I'm still living in WA, single (gave up looking), white hair, no teeth, no money, no worries.
I plan to have another birthday next year.

T1 Terry

 

[OriginalBigAl]

" Approved used" that cabin filter looks like its been there from new and the " engine bay " looks like its been sat in flooded area ? You would definitely need to see the service history and vehicle history from a third party provider. The rat droppings ( if that is what they are ? ) look ancient as does the battery , the debris around the battery post , if it got damp could provide a short or battery drain to earth which could cause a lot of the problems as could damp around the fuse boxes. A good clean and a fan/heater put in the bay overnight might solve some of the issues or at least make it easier to diagnose them after. And don't forget to clean the camera area on the windscreen , although with the amount of rain . it should be spotless. And as for the service department, .......