Rodent damage to S4

[Jane Lovell]

I have a 2017 S4 with and have discovered that rodents have chewed through the engine cover temperature sensor, the turbo recirculation wiring and the turbo activator vacuum hose. My Audi dealership quoted £1000 repair bill, plus suggested they fit a battery operated rodent scarer in the engine bay for an additional £350. 

Has anyone else had rodent damage to their vehicle? Do the battery rodent scarer devices work.

I’m waiting to see if my insurance company will pay up.

 

[Steve Q]

Wow, I'm sorry you've had this Graeme. I can't say I've heard of a rodent scarer for a car either but I suspect you can get it cheaper than the price you've been quoted. 

Cheers

Steve

[WPAWS]

17 minutes ago, Steve Q said:

Wow, I'm sorry you've had this Graeme. I can't say I've heard of a rodent scarer for a car either but I suspect you can get it cheaper than the price you've been quoted. 

Cheers

Steve

was my thought too Steve so i looked on eBay and there £25 so for £350 do the Audi ones shoot lasers or something lol 

[Magnet]

Hello Greame,

Sorry to hear of your problem, and I too share Steve and Paul's views on alternative scarers. 

Re. the possibility of claiming off your insurers:- If you haven't yet approached them, then personally I wouldn't. Just don't do it. If you have - it's probably too late to do a U turn since your potential claim will have been listed, and your premium may be adversely affected whether you choose to make a claim or not. Appreciating many (including myself) have NCB protected policies, but the reality is that it does just that - it protects the % NCB but does not protect the future premium from significant increase. Example - 50% NCB percentage is protected following a claim, but they could (and often do) double the future premium, and premiums can be inflated for up to 5 years. Just don't go there! It will seriously cost you in the short and longer term. 

Audi and £1000 quotation:- I would not go down that road, but entrust this to a trusted local auto electrician who should be able to sort this out for a fraction of that cost. The non electrical hose bit - friendly local garage can renew this. 

Back to scarers for our long-tailed friends - worth visiting an agricultural equipment dealer. I'm sure  they will be knowledgeable in recommending such things to protect the framer's tractor investment of >£70K from such attack .

Kind regards,

Gareth.

[Jane Lovell]

Gareth, Steve, Paul...appreciate your replies. As the car is less than a year old (and leased), I thought the Audi service guys were the go to people.  I thought it was interesting they’d never come across the rodent problem before? The electronic rodent deterrent is a battery run unit, not connected to the car’s electrical system, Audi recommended their model....£205 + vat + installation, hence the £350 quote. I don’t think the insurers will cover the claim anyway, but hear what you say about future premiums. Thanks