I recently purchased a car from a local dealership in September of this year in SW Florida.After only 3 months and 4500 miles, I had some electrical issues and took the car to the dealership to diagnose the problem. I was told I had rats in the engine and that I have more that a $1000.00 worth of damage to the car’s wiring. I am told that this is fairly common these days, due to the fact that the wiring insulation is composed of soy. My question: Is this becoming a common problem and what can I do to prevent this happening again? Should car dealers who are aware of this make their customers aware, or is this a dirty little secret auto manufacturers don’t want buyers to know?
Not a secret at all. It has been an issue for quite a while. Pretty common complaint here at CarTalk, too.
Anyway, I’d call your insurance provider and see if it is covered. I’d also visit the garden or hardware store to look for rodent deterrent chemicals to spray or place around your Jeep.
Given the electrical problems your Jeep will have in the future, this will be the least of your problems. THAT’s Jeep’s own dirty little secret - they aren’t very good vehicles. See the link below.