2018 Audi Allroad

[MiniDave]

I know Mercedes had real problems right around 2K, tho in their case the coating became brittle and just literally fell off the wires, leading to massive shorts and melted harnesses.

It's not just the Germans, there's a reason this tape is called "Honda Rodent Proof Tape"

[scalpel_ninja]

Whenever the car is planned to be parked for more than a week, I have to first spray the engine bay and around the tires with repellant to prevent new rodents from trying to enter.

What do you use? How quickly does it wear off? Does it smell when you start driving again?

I read that peppermint oil is supposed to be effective at putting them off?

I use this stuff. It's peppermint oil and isn't overpowering after a day goes by. It says it lasts 6 weeks, but I've never had to park it for longer than 4. So it at least works for that amount of time.

[MiniDave]

Picked up the Audi from the dealer yesterday, the wiring repairs they did seem pretty good, and the car drives like it used to, tho there are still two warning lights on. I'll take it over to my buddy John's where I can get it up on the rack and see if I can find some more broken/chewed wires - I'm pretty sure these will be in the back but I couldn't see the point in paying them their $250/hr labor rate to do what I'm more than capable of doing.

They suggested pulling the rear bumper cover off to look for the bad wires, but I think once up on the ramp I can probably find and fix whatever's bad. I'm going to have to wait a few days tho, it'll be single digit temps the next few days and John's shop doesn't have heat. I also am waiting for the RPT (rodent proof tape) to come in so I can wrap all the exposed and accessible harness parts.

I may go ahead and pull the inner wheel well liners off both rear wheels as I found a nest and a lot of nut remains on top of the left one, I don't know if there's a way to keep them out of there or not but I'm going to look into it. I have to leave at least a small area open as the sunroof drain is behind the liner - what a stupid design!

We had some of that peppermint spray - Rose was using it to try and keep the squirrels out of some potted plants she had - it didn't seem to do much as they would eat the flowers off the hibiscus, then chew the smaller ones all the way to the stem of the plant.

It's interesting to drive both of these cars back to back - there are small differences that can be felt - the 2018 engine seems slightly smoother and just a smidge more responsive, the brakes def feel better on initial bite on it too, tho that could be down to brake pads. Both cars are identical spec, the 2017 just has a few more miles - 35K vs 19K - but both are one owner pampered cars. The 2017 has had all the services done at the Audi dealer, the 2018 hasn't had any before I got it - all it had were two oil changes done at a local shop in Louisiana where it came from..

[Dan Moffet]

We had some of that peppermint spray - Rose was using it to try and keep the squirrels out of some potted plants she had - it didn't seem to do much as they would eat the flowers off the hibiscus, then chew the smaller ones all the way to the stem of the plant.

My wife uses Vaseline with some kind of hot pepper mixed in to keep the squirrels from eating the flower buds on the rhododendron. She smears it on the buds and it is fairly rainproof, so one application seems to work... if she gets to them before the squirrels.

You need a cat!

[MiniDave]

Ha! We have two Mini Poodoos, but they mostly stay in the house. However, if they are outside, no squirrel will venture into the yard, not even up in the trees!

Lately the backyard squirrel population has been decimated by some owls and hawks that have moved into the 'hood, not enough to keep the farking bastiches from eating the wiring on the Audi tho, it seems!

We also have seen a sharp decrease in the number of bunnies too, and an increase in fox sightings. Funny how that works.....

[cstudep]

We had a mountain lion taken out by a car a few weeks back up in this area. If they are moving in at any sort of numbers it will probably thin all sorts of smaller and larger animal populations. We have a ton of bobcats up here now and they really put a hurting on turkey populations for a while.

[MiniDave]

The 2018 Audi spent another 10 days in the shop - mostly waiting for them to get to it, and they found and fixed some more chewed up wires, so that we're down to only one thing that's not working and to fix that they want to replace one of the backup sensors.

Here's the rub, they want almost $400 for the sensor, another $150 to paint it to match the bumper, another $120 for the harness it connects too, about $600 to remove the bumper cover to install it and $1100 to calibrate it once replaced.

I said no....

I went online and found the factory part number Bosch sensor - painted in the factory color - for $56 shipped from Germany. Removing the bumper cover is fiddly but on John's lift I can do it, and replace the sensor.
Then I'll take it to them and spend the money to have it calibrated - that should do it.

The reason I'm going to this much trouble and expense is because the bride has decided this is HER car, because she doesn't like the white car or its "sport seats" that are exactly 1" longer under the thighs. <sighs>

I have to admit I actually like the silver car a tiny bit better too, the engine feels a tiny bit more responsive and the brakes the same, although that could be down to pads. Other than that there's nothing to choose between them except color.

If I had caved and had Audi do everything I'd be in it almost $7K, as it is I'll be down $5K and I hope to recover some of that from insurance but they may decline it because I didn't have the insurance co adjuster out to see it before they repaired it - impossible because I had no idea when they would get to it. I do have pics of the bad wires and such, and since I've been with this bunch for 40 frickin years, my feeling is they damn well better find a way to cover it or I'm shopping insurance companies.