Soy based wire coating?

I also see that some tire manufacturers are using soy oil in their rubber formulations. I remember back in the 1950's my grandfather went to his hunting camp and drove on a salted road which put salt all over his tires. Next morning he went out and porcupines had chewed through the sidewalls on three tires and flatted them.
 
Rust_Belt_Pete said:
I was looking at getting a new honda civic SI and apparently they still use soy based wire coating.
Is everyone using that awful stuff now? Any manufacturers that dont?
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Do you have a link, or proof?
Not challenging your veracity, but I want to see some actual press/expert coverage.

That said, rats continue to eat my Tacoma, but have not bitten one wire. They are gnawing on HARD plastics!
 
Pablo said:
Do you have a link, or proof?
Not challenging your veracity, but I want to see some actual press/expert coverage.

That said, rats continue to eat my Tacoma, but have not bitten one wire. They are gnawing on HARD plastics!
Click to expand...
I don't have proof, I saw a post on 11th gen civic group with guy posting chewed firewall and wiring. I asked if honda used soy based wiring and multiple people said yes. So no actual proof.

I did find this:
https://www.box-kat.com/blogs/box-k...c80C6jyYICq94ZnoPjW3RVf3O5kNymyIP-QMoCFUgSJET
 
Pablo said:
Do you have a link, or proof?
Not challenging your veracity, but I want to see some actual press/expert coverage.

That said, rats continue to eat my Tacoma, but have not bitten one wire. They are gnawing on HARD plastics!
Click to expand...
Rodents will eat dang near anything. This happened when I wasn't driving my E46 often enough - the air filter. The gray stuff was from my spare wheel protector pads, which were on the other side of the garage. I now bait the garage with a variety of traps and poisons.

Scott

IMG_3709.webp
 
I had a claim recently with a 2019 Jeep where the wires were chewed so badly that the main body harness needed to be replaced. This required R&I'ing the entire interior and ended up totaling the vehicle.
 
I have a yard full of squirrels, chipmunks, racoons, mice, turkeys, stink bugs, deer, ground hogs, cranes, birds, dogs, occasional cat. I've never had something decided to feast on or build a home in one of my vehicles. I see it all the time though on customer's vehicles. Maybe it has more to do with how long the vehicle is parked for?
 
Johnny248 said:
I have a yard full of squirrels, chipmunks, racoons, mice, turkeys, stink bugs, deer, ground hogs, cranes, birds, dogs, occasional cat. I've never had something decided to feast on or build a home in one of my vehicles. I see it all the time though on customer's vehicles. Maybe it has more to do with how long the vehicle is parked for?
Click to expand...
Absolutely. Daily drivers seem pretty much immune to rodents, at least with respect to chewing wiring and such.

Twenty or so years ago I had a friggin' raccoon take overnight residence in our left outside, daily driver Subaru Outback. One morning I started it up and heard some trauma under the hood, only to find a raccoon got wrapped up by the serpentine belt. I felt kind of sorry for the thing.

Scott
 
Johnny248 said:
I have a yard full of squirrels, chipmunks, racoons, mice, turkeys, stink bugs, deer, ground hogs, cranes, birds, dogs, occasional cat. I've never had something decided to feast on or build a home in one of my vehicles. I see it all the time though on customer's vehicles. Maybe it has more to do with how long the vehicle is parked for?
Click to expand...
It's just bad luck IMHO. So many cars, especially Hyundais with soy based wiring. I rarely get these claims though, I think it's just opportunistic when a mouse gets under the hood of a warm vehicle, decides to call it home and by chance starts munching on wires, usually right next to a connector so it's impossible to repair. :LOL:

One way to stop this is by spraying the wires with some kind of peppermint spray or a special wrap, but few are this proactive and paranoid.
 
The various oils do work OK but not if the infestation is underway. It's a preventative.

Mice are stupid, rats are cunning.

You need to think like a rat.

I ain't going where pops was killed. Neighbor knocks down, removes chicken ranch, and plows land, I'm needing a house. I never go out of cover, lots of owls and some other semi-lazy hawks and eagles. I don't go where that smell of humans, cats, dogs go. And once that human has sprayed that smell and has it on his hands and stuff, I avoid. But I love and can't get enough of my own pee and poop. Yet I am a picky eater. Plastics seem safe cause brother Ben eats a lot and is still alive. I am however curious and if I can eat at a place and not die, well I will be back.

And yes my Tacoma sits outside for extended periods.
 
Pablo said:
Do you have a link, or proof?
Not challenging your veracity, but I want to see some actual press/expert coverage.

That said, rats continue to eat my Tacoma, but have not bitten one wire. They are gnawing on HARD plastics!
Click to expand...
Those are typically squirrels. My garbage can lids and solar heat panels for the pool have hole chewed through them.
 
Many automakers use soy-based wiring. Is this something you factor into car-buying decisions ? I doubt it's an issue if you drive the car frequently anyway. It seems to mostly happen with cars that sit for days or weeks at a time.

Honda even sells an anti-rodent tape. If you're really concerned, make them add it as part of the deal.
 
Mercedes used soy-based wiring insulation on many of their models back in 1993-1995. They did this in an effort to make earth-friendly biodegradable insulation. Unfortunately, my 95 E320 had this wiring. The problem then was the insulation would biodegrade from the heat of the engine early on in its life. I had to replace it at 7 years because the insulation looked 200 years old. The wiring cost $1000 for me to do it myself. Mechanics would refuse to diagnose driveability issues if the wiring wasn't replaced. They stopped using it after 1995.

belgian_pic1.webp
 
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