Fellow 320i Owners

[Cerberus]

When I popped the hood this morning to check the vitals I found this:

It was dry and crumbly, didn't smell like anything and has me thoroughly perplexed... :fencelook: birds/rats in the engine bay? :nonono:

Just drove to Woodmead from Pretoria for a meeting - everything is in order.

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[Prev]

Pray it's not rats. Check carefully on the area where you park your car for any other signs as well as underneath the car for holes in covers etc


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[moranor@axis]

I think the bonnet insulation pad might have stuff like that in it have a look...

 

[Cerberus]

It's definitely rats guys...car is fine for now but I will be checking the engine every morning now and putting down poison to eradicate the vermin

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Thinking of hooking up a supersonic noise deterrent as well

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[Prev]

Sorry bud. Rats are deadly to a car. Do whatever you need to get rid of them before they get to the wiring.


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[RAArmstrong]

Rats become a problem now as we getting into Winter... :sorry:

 

[GPGrobler]

Please get rid of them urgently, they chew on anything, if they get to your car's wiring it is very bad news. A tip about the bait, try to touch it as little as possible, if they smell you, they will know it is a trap and then avoid it.

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Also the best bait is molasses type stuff you get from Afgri, they eat it and get stuck in it - no dead rats making a huge stink somewhere in your car or house.

 

[Cerberus]

Thanks GP!

I thought I saw some evidence of gnawing on wiring this morning, but nothing through to the wire just yet :thumbdo::argh::bangdesk: I will patch it up with electrical tape.

These bastards are terrible.

Obviously these M54 engines stay warm for a really long time so of course rats love them. I could cook an egg on mine after it has stood for 3 hours.

I am wondering where to place this poison - the best option I can think of is under my car since I have dogs - I'm NOT going to put it in my engine bay...unless there is a product designed for this purpose...

Has anyone had any experience with supersonic vermin repelling systems? I know you used to get high frequency emitters that scared away mosquitoes, but I want one for rats and mice (obviously). :thumbs:

 

[GPGrobler]

I have three cats, no problem with rats, how big are your dogs, will they kill a cat?

 

[Cerberus]

I am horribly allergic to cats, my dog is big enough to kill one but doesn't have the inclination.

Pity I am allergic - I was thinking about cats last night.

 

[moranor@axis]

have 7 cats and 2 dogs... rat problem... not so much :rollsmile:

 

[Prev]

Start by assessing the area in which you park your car. Is there a food / water source close by. If so, move the source or move the car. Your dog will then have a better chance of catching the bugger as the rat has to travel further from food / water source to its abode ie. your engine bay. :thumbs:

 

[Philip Foglar]

Been away for a while...

Verify on RealOEM, but I am almost a 100% sure that the valve cover gasket for the M54B22 and the M54B30 are one and the same thing, so you check the part numbers to confirm.

+1 to what AdiS said!

Many years ago when my ex-Corolla had to sleep out I had a huge problem with rats "living" in the engine bay! And we are now talking Cape Town rats, they're huge! Anyway, they would make a horrible mess in the engine bay and I could see where they were "sampling" some of the wire insulation etc. Well, war was declared against said rats! I used those Rattex rat poison pouches all around the area outside where the car lived - worked really well! They would take the pouches with their contents straight back to their nest so that the entire infestation would feed. Problem solved! This confirmed by the smell a week or so later! :fencelook: :rollsmile:

 

[Cerberus]

:ty: everyone!

Ah welcome back Philip! Was wondering where you were.

Thanks all for the valuable input - we have a resident rat in our house :fencelook: laying down all sorts of stuff in the roof to sort him out. Will also investigate putting poison outside but out of the dog's reach.

 

[GPGrobler]

I don't know what is wrong with my car, can the bad Vanos only account for the extremely high fuel bill, or are there other things to consider?

Are all the cats removed on your car, and has it been "chipped"?

 

[Cerberus]

I don't know what is wrong with my car, can the bad Vanos only account for the extremely high fuel bill, or are there other things to consider?

Are all the cats removed on your car, and has it been "chipped"?

What is your average fuel consumption now?

I would think that Vanos seals would be a good place to start :thinking:

AFAIK my car is stock standard all the way. Sorry man :thumbdo:

 

[RAArmstrong]

Vanos seals... A good service... MAF could also be a problem

 

[Cerberus]

Yeah! Does your engine run rich? :fencelook:

 

[Cerberus]

Crikey. That is BAD! :sorry:

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Heck that's V8 territory even

 

[GPGrobler]

Also, do we not have the newer engines yet? When did the M54 replace the M52?