Editor's note; thanks to Rat King Dave for providing this important knowledge when the car eating season is approaching. Information about old articles...

Originally published on August 9, 2019

In recent years, the automotive industry has paid great attention to "going green" initiatives and has tried to reduce its reliance on petroleum products. This has resulted in a variety of auto parts made of different organic substances, such as soybeans, corn, sugar cane, regenerated wood, castor beans, etc. Using these organic substances to make auto parts allows automakers to create more environmentally friendly auto parts. And efficient product, but it did not bring consequences.

If you have read one of my most popular articles, does your car have soy wiring? You will know that soy-based wiring can cause costly problems for new car owners, and rodents are attracted to car engine wiring for food. This led to the recent filing of several class actions against Honda and Toyota in 2016. Although soybean wiring seems to have attracted the attention of all the media recently, the fun does not stop there. Automakers are producing a large number of other organic car parts, and damage reports are just beginning to appear.

The following is a list of every organic car part we know*:

*It is difficult to find information that puts this list together. Due to the proprietary nature of the technology used, many car manufacturers have not released this information, and none of the above information has been directly confirmed with the car manufacturer. Most of the above content is taken from announcements issued by automakers. Many car manufacturers have not recently issued an announcement regarding the use of bioplastics in cars, and I can imagine this is related to the recently filed lawsuit and trying to limit their liability.

To make matters worse, Ford even created the 2016 Ford Cookbook, which contains the different types of food they use to make organic parts!

Recent data shows that automakers hope to increase the use of bio-based plastics in cars by 400% in the next five years. Given that the industry shows no signs of slowing down the use of bioplastics in cars, this may be just the tip of the iceberg of rodent damage to cars. It is hoped that these recent class actions with Toyota and Honda will ensure proper testing of new bioplastics to ensure that these components will not attract unwanted wildlife.

Given that automakers are turning a deaf ear to the responsibility of rodents for damaging cars, we cannot expect them to change their positions anytime soon. This ultimately means that you have a responsibility to stay protected and keep an eye on things. If you haven't already, check out the article "A 5-minute check that can save your car (and your sanity!)". If you find a rodent, take action as soon as possible and go to the homepage.

I hope this article is helpful to you! If you have any questions/comments, please leave a message below!

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Hello, thank you for providing such a detailed article.

Of course, animal damage to cars, generators, radio transmitters, etc. is not entirely new. More than 20 years ago, I heard that porcupines (!) in some parts of the United States began to crave rubber hoses, belts and other rubber parts.

I can't help wondering whether the problem might be more complicated than the existence of biopolymers. Although many of these small animals do have very good noses, the raw materials of most chemicals are so far apart from the final product that "if it is made of corn, it must taste and smell like corn." This simplification is questionable.

My hunch is that plastic may be part of the problem, but there may be other factors at play.

I am currently dealing with two emergency generators with rodent problems, but I have no reason to believe that anything unusual has happened.

For example, the house I lived in last year was haunted by Super Rats. They have no interest in three different types of mousetraps and three different types of bait (peanut butter, bacon grease, and commercial bait). They were very shy, even though I eventually found a poison that I had eaten a little bit. The only thing that works is the glue trap. This is different from any mouse I have encountered in the past 60 years. In addition, Americans eat in the car more frequently than ever before. It's not in the engine compartment, but it can be used as a decoy in the area.

Hi Rolf! You must be correct, rodents have entered the car and damaged the wires for decades. Rodents’ teeth continue to grow, so they need to chew to basically trim their teeth. Given the long history of rodent damage to cars, it is difficult to prove that soy wiring is exacerbating the problem, so all lawsuits were dismissed. Regardless of the reality, automakers will certainly benefit from the damage caused by these rodents, at the expense of car owners and insurance companies.

In addition, I heard that mice are very interesting. When setting up traps, make sure they are flush with the wall. Rodents always like to walk near vertical surfaces.

Also, leaving food in the car definitely won't help, haha.

Thanks for your comment and glad to notice that at least the glue trap is useful for you.

rabbit! 2015 Ford F-150 tripled! $1,500 at the dealer two weeks ago. The third vacuum hose and brake cable last week! All the wiring harnesses of my 2016 Ford Escape were cut off this week, the rear fuel pipe was chewed, and the front bottom panel of the car was everywhere. Rabbit fur is stuck here and there. When the brake cable disappears or the fuel hose leaks gasoline, someone will die

Oh, Delane! Those bunnies are ruthless, unfortunately, it's really hard to defend! Please check the article on Rabbits for guidance. I hope this helps you! RKD

The 2014 Honda Odyssey has been repaired three times. 1200 dollars. 1200 US dollars, 650 US dollars.

Do not keep mice, mice or squirrels away. Want to buy a new minivan. What kind? Please do not use biological thread coverings.

Hi Cindy! Oh man, I'm sorry to hear that rodents keep coming back for more (I'm sorry to reply now!). The problem is that rodents use their urine to mark your car as "safe", which signals to other rodents that it is a safe place to go. You need to implement some techniques and solutions that make rodents feel uncomfortable in your car (for example, open the hood at night, turn on bright lights, spray mint spray, etc.). I strongly recommend that you check the homepage and check the steps there. To answer your question, all major car manufacturers use the same type of wire, so no newer car is truly safe. This is why it is important to implement some preventive techniques. I hope this helps! If you have other questions, please let me know! Thanks! RKD

I have a 2013 Mercedes and the wire was bitten by a rodent. Mercedes not only wants to replace the wires, but also wants to replace the entire vehicle wiring harness. This will cost thousands. Do they use bioplastics and soy-coated wiring?

Hi Bernice, I am sorry to hear about your car! I am not surprised that Mercedes wants to replace the entire seat belt because they try to pay as many bills as possible on the dime of the customer and the insurance company. You are likely to have comprehensive insurance, so even if the cost is thousands of dollars, your maximum out-of-pocket expenses should be $500. As far as I know, Mercedes does use soy-based wires in their cars. More directly, you can ask any dealer if they use soy wiring in their cars for confirmation. In some states, the Lemon Act requires car dealers to disclose any facts deemed important to those trying to decide whether to buy a car. If for some reason they did not tell you whether your car has soy wiring, please let me know and I will contact some dealers to confirm. After retrieving the car, remember to take some precautions to prevent this from happening again! Check the homepage and let me know if you have any questions. thanks. RKD

We needed to buy a car and almost bought a Toyota RAV4. Our old car already had a rat problem when it entered the fan zone. You mean that most cars use soy products. So what is a safe purchase? Maurice Lamarche

Hi, Morris! This is a widespread problem. To be honest, I don’t know if certain brands/models are safe. Car manufacturers have not taken any action to try to prevent this from happening, and by introducing more bio-based products into cars, they are making the situation worse. This is why we need to solve the problem ourselves and figure out how to prevent damage in the first place, no matter what car you own. I strongly recommend you to read my article specifically for mice: https://www.howtoppreventratsfromeatingcarwires.com/2017/04/20/prevent-mice-eating-car-wires/ If you know, please tell me if there are any other problem! Thanks!

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