Squirrel damage wiring harness. How screwed am I?

[DeathRanger]

I knew this was going to happen eventually but I expected it to be because of mice and not a squirrel.

Went to drive truck last Sunday for the first time in 2 week. Remote started vehicle and all seemed fine.
Get in truck to leave, press start button and every error possible, Collision assist, Braking, front cam errors.
Open hood to take a peek and a squirrel flies out.

Initially thought my battery could be dying since it's about 2 years old now but then I found the damage to the wiring harness. Calling insurance and getting towed to dealer tomorrow but curious if anyone has had a similar problem and estimated cost of fix?

Damage

Location of harness for reference

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[WhyNot21]

If that's the extent of it, it shouldn't be too costly. It looks very accessible.

 

[JaysOnTheEDGE]

Of course it has to be the main harness that feeds into the PCM, could get costly depends on if the PCM is fried or not.

 

[Langwilliams]

My daughter had a major repair brought on by rodents an her car insurance paid a claim on it. It was the second time. The first time was only $400 for a wiring harness which was under the deductible so she just paid it. The second time they got into the hvac system an it needs to be replaced for $1800. She had a work car so her explorer sat a lot. Now it's her only car so she hopes driving it every day will end this crap.

 

[ctechbob]

Time for some rodent tape. You might ask the dealer if they will wrap the harness in it when they complete repairs. Unfortunately, they might balk since one of the only ones I know of is the one Honda came up with.

Alternately, you could do it after.

https://www.collegehillshonda.com/product/4019-2317.html

No affiliation, just an example....yes the stuff is expensive, but it does work.

 

[Dave1899]

Time for some rodent tape. You might ask the dealer if they will wrap the harness in it when they complete repairs. Unfortunately, they might balk since one of the only ones I know of is the one Honda came up with.

Alternately, you could do it after.

https://www.collegehillshonda.com/product/4019-2317.html

No affiliation, just an example....yes the stuff is expensive, but it does work.

WOW I could have used that stuff on one of my previous trucks. I repaired it once and they did it again so I ran the wires through some 1/2" flex conduit and never had a problem again.

 

[peterson1604]

No worries, your insurance will cover all damages. You'll only have to pay your deductible.

 

[Delirious]

Time for some rodent tape. You might ask the dealer if they will wrap the harness in it when they complete repairs. Unfortunately, they might balk since one of the only ones I know of is the one Honda came up with.

Alternately, you could do it after.

https://www.collegehillshonda.com/product/4019-2317.html

No affiliation, just an example....yes the stuff is expensive, but it does work

I didn't know they made that. It must work because pepper flakes in with birdseed keeps the squirrels out because it doesn't bother the birds but squirrels hate it. So maybe an alternative is to spray a little of the hot pepper flakes on wire harnesses, although you'd have to do that often. I know you can make your own spray pretty easy and they sell giant bags of pepper flakes on Amazon. I really feel for you folks that have rat mice and squirrels issues.
Another alternative is this ultrasonic deterrent. One reviewer says he uses 2 under his hood.
https://www.amazon.com/Loraffe-Repellent-Ultrasonic-Deterrent-Protection/dp/B07LCKBGY8/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1UNQKT1WSF5S5&keywords=Under+Hood+Rodent+Repeller+Ultrasonic+Rat+Repellent&qid=1636016565&qsid=141-3318083-7182446&sprefix=under+hood+rodent+repeller+ultrasonic+rat+repellent,aps,179&sr=8-5&sres=B07LCKBGY8,B07N6JZ2J4,B07JG4V1ZP,B07D118ZRJ,B08CV2Q15G,B08K2VZNCV,B09JBDQY29,B07JFXVRMT,B081NDPJD4,B07VKBHH15,B08B8DHWFF,B07YBX6XY2,B097T93QY6,B08L6B87Z5,B09F9PJ5ZM,B081JHBGSQ,B07LCL8RY9,B08SHZ1SG2,B09CPZVD34,B07N1PQL2Q




The final alternative…

 

[paval3]

No worries, your insurance will cover all damages. You'll only have to pay your deductible.

Agree, comprehensive would cover damage from an animal.

 

[Apples]

I won't apologize for stealing this thread!

Of all of the urban menaces, the tree squirrel is the most evasive, and costly of all. Not all of us have the sanctity of a enclosed garage, but those who do aren't safe either, if they leave the door open, while they're away! Worse, in some jurisdictions, you're not even allowed to trap them, much less shoot them with your trusty airgun. And, according to the Insurance Institute, tree squirrels cause almost a billion dollars of damage per year. so...

Please don't ask me, why I toss about 25 of them into the trash every year!

 

[Delirious]

I won't apologize for stealing this thread!

Of all of the urban menaces, the tree squirrel is the most evasive, and costly of all. Not all of us have the sanctity of a enclosed garage, but those who do aren't safe either, if they leave the door open, while they're away! Worse, in some jurisdictions, you're not even allowed to trap them, much less shoot them with your trusty airgun. And, according to the Insurance Institute, tree squirrels cause almost a billion dollars of damage per year. so...

Please don't ask me, why I toss about 25 of them into the trash every year!

That's 25 times you could say they taste like chicken.
Air fried squirrel 12 minutes at 400° with fried eggs that were cooked on the stove top.

 

[myothercarizahearse]

That's 25 times you could say they taste like chicken.
Air fried squirrel 12 minutes at 400° with fried eggs that were cooked on the stove top.

my personal favorite is squirrel and dumplings mmmm and they don't taste like chicken. at least the fat pigs in my yard eating the black walnuts don't

 

[Gumbo]

I knew this was going to happen eventually but I expected it to be because of mice and not a squirrel.

Went to drive truck last Sunday for the first time in 2 week. Remote started vehicle and all seemed fine.
Get in truck to leave, press start button and every error possible, Collision assist, Braking, front cam errors.
Open hood to take a peek and a squirrel flies out.

Initially thought my battery could be dying since it's about 2 years old now but then I found the damage to the wiring harness. Calling insurance and getting towed to dealer tomorrow but curious if anyone has had a similar problem and estimated cost of fix?

Damage

Location of harness for reference

Hey OP, my wife's Acura had $3800 worth of squirrel damage. Our Homeowner's insurance paid for all of it.

 

[FordFreak]

I don't know about the PCM voltage/amperage requirements, but I had one get on my engine and chew the wires right at a COP. I had to pull the pins out of the COP to repair it, but I cut the wires back, did an overlapping splice, and used some shrink tube followed by matching tape to cover it. It worked. Kept it for 5 years and the plugs looked the same when I changed them.

 

[CATX]

around here, dead animals in the trash is not allowed.

which reading this makes me wonder....i had a cat a number of years ago, who was on his way out. he stopped eating and was dying. I know what cats do, they wander away, curl up and die somewhere where they feel comfortable. most times never being found by the owner. Well, my cat was hanging on, and one day is was a beautiful fall day and he had this burst of energy and wanted outside. I hummed and hawed, knowing what he was about to do, but wanted him to be happy, so i let him out.
the end of the day, he was no where to be found.
about half hour later my neighbor knocks on my door. "do you have an orange and white cat?", why yes i do.
"well I found him dead in my flower bed, I called the SPCA and they took him just before you got home from work.
UGH, says right up there ^ that SPCA doesn't collect dead animals.
Anyways, they do, and there is a fee....it cost me $75 to get my dead cat back so I could bury him in the family pet cemetery.
My neighbor could have waited I guess and saved me the money...clearly he had a good assumption the cat was mine.
He was a good mouser,squirrel destroyer and rabbit connoisseur. His presence was missed as all those populations started to climb after he left us.

Surprising that you were able to get him back from the SPCA. What a neighbor.

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