By Jim Grant
Presented by ALLDATA
Q: I’ve had my 1991 Honda in five times since they replaced the evaporator/compressor because the water is draining inside the car. Not once after it left their hands has it drained outside the car. And, yet, I’ve had the car for 10 years and it always drained outside — until April. They keep telling me it’s a rat building a nest inside — maybe once I’d believe that, but not over and over — I drive almost 1,000 miles a week (and did for three years before this with no drainage problem). Is there another reason why it’s not draining correctly? Is there a hose not connected properly or could something be misaligned? This is getting to be absurd.
A: A rodent assaulting a vehicle’s ventilation system can be disastrous. One of our customers, Laurie, had a family of rodents who decided to store their winter nut supply in the heater of her Toyota. I’m not talking a nut or two here, the heater and duct work were loaded. She drives her vehicle daily. What happens three days later? The advanced planning team of the rodents noted the missing supplies and restocked the Toyota! Now Laurie is short of flipping.
Who can blame her? When you’ve got rodents that are big enough to be hauling all those nuts into a car over night, you have to be concerned. More than once Laurie made it clear that she doesn’t like rodent type things. Add the fact that they are getting into her car, you now have the recipe for a very demanding solution, NOW!
My first suggestion was to cut back on the cat feed. Why do cats have sharp teeth and claws? Well, it’s not to eat the fish paste out of a can. “My cats are inside cats,” was Laurie’s reply. How about night vision or infrared goggles? I made a few other suggestions of some cool equipment, but Laurie was not impressed. The solution was simply parking the car in a different spot in the drive.
The A/C drain in your vehicle must work or there will be problems. If you do not believe the shop performing the repairs is doing their job then go to a different shop. If you have a rodent rebuilding in your heating system, the problem has to be addressed. Rodent droppings can contain a very nasty virus. You do not want the ventilation system in your vehicle blowing this virus in your face. If rodents are calling your vehicle home, then you have to do whatever is needed to evict them. May I suggest some night vision or infrared goggles?
For additional information on products offered by ALLDATA, visit www.alldata.com.
