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Dealer says mice chewed through wiring harness and warranty will not cover on new ID.4? [No]

20K views 45 replies 23 participants last post by  VW TECHNICIAN  
#1 ·
Our 3 month old ID 4 went completely dead and had to be towed to the dealer. For three weeks they’ve been trouble shooting the vehicle, also involving VWoA engineers. They been clueless until suddenly this morning we receive a text (not even a courtesy call) from our service department with pictures claiming some sort of rodent chewed our wires, causing all our electrical ills. They say the harness needs to be replace and will not be covered under warranty.
In speaking with a service advisor, he said he cannot conclusively state. This will solve the problem of the dead car, but they cannot proceed without the new harness. Any repairs after the harnesses installed and software update it that can be traced back to the harness will be my responsibility. I am not a rodent expert and I seriously don’t know if the pictures posted below show chewed through wires or chafed wires. The biggest issue to my wife and I is they want us to file an insurance claim for the damage to be repaired. They cannot guarantee that this was the cause of our problems in the first place, or if replacing this harness will solve our problems. But they are claiming that any problems discovered after replacement of the harness will result in additional claim to my insurance company for additional repair, they intend not to cover this under warranty at all. Looking for guidance here. Our car is a 3mo old ID-4 Pro S with RWD. 4700 miles.
 
#3 ·
If damage has occurred to your car from an external source (e.g. mice) then the VW warranty certainly won't cover those repairs. Such work would be (probably) handled by the comprehensive portion of your auto insurance. The shop charges to diagnose the problem also probably won't be covered by warranty because the fault isn't with the car's operation or manufacture.

That said - Super major bummer that happened! Sorry you're having to deal with this, especially on a brand new vehicle. Fingers crossed your insurance policy is able to lower the pain a bit. (pro-tip: I added car rental coverage to my auto insurance for the first time, given the lengthy stays some cars are having in the shop due to industry-wide parts shortages. For the time being, it seems like money well spent until things smooth out a bit)
 
#4 ·
Many of us have had same over the years (and most were not surprised that the manufacturer wouldn't cover same). There's no such thing as a mass produced rodent-proof vehicle. "Act of God" wear & tear.

Mice chew firewall/frunk insulation for nesting material and wire insulation to curb their teeth growth. A nocturnal patrolling cat and/or a sonic deterrent if one must park outside in a more suburban/rural area. Ensuring your garage is rodent-tight if you have a garage, and again a sonic deterrent.

Sorry to read, especially as it readily takes many of us back to our own such encounters. 😔
 
#8 ·
This is a much more common problem than you might guess. I know a guy who just paid nearly $700 to have a wiring harness replaced on a 10 year old Toyota - He didn't have full coverage insurance, of course. As was previously mentioned, sometimes rodent damage can total a car . . . 😥

Be glad your car is new and you have insurance - The most you should be out is the amount of your deductible. Finding a cat should be easy & they don't eat much . . . . with your mice, maybe you won't have to feed it at all
 
#11 ·
It's been a goal in the electronics industry for a while now to phase out the use of PVC (“Vinyl”) because it's a chlorinated plastic and after-use disposal is a problem. This includes its use in wire insulation where it was, by far, the most common plastic for ordinary (non-high-temperature) insulated wire.

I have heard (but not explicitly confirmed) that the auto industry switched to some sort of soy-based insulation and that this new insulation material is surprisingly tasty and possibly even nutritious.

I'm not sure this switch was a good idea. ;-) Maybe a different replacement should have been chosen or the use of a bittering agent should have been required?
 
#15 ·
Some chemicals can be derived from soy products as well as other agricultural products but there is no soy in the wire coatings. The reason that mice and other rodents chew on various materials is that their front teeth keep growing. They must constantly chew on something. The under hood area of a car serves as a safe place to hide and possibly nest but they do need to chew. Numerous studies cover rats chewing through various plastic wire ( and, yes, steel) sheathing and none of it was agriculturally derived.

I use mouse traps in the garage and poison traps outside.
 
#13 ·
I catch 5 mice per night on average with a small pond trap that is near my car. It works like the 5 gallon bucket traps you can find how to make. My 2 cats still never catch all the mice we have here, it seems unlimited. Mice are getting inside my car somewhere and I still cannot find where, and neither could the dealer. It is somewhere near the back since they make a nest in the rear underfloor where I have the tire pump and kit. I plan to do more exploring back there to find where they get in and spray foam everywhere.
 
#17 · (Edited)
A couple of observations. First, car manufacturer warranties provide coverage for defects in the car due to errors in the assembly of the vehicle or defects in the parts used. Animal damage after the car leaves the factory is not a manufacturing defect, and thus not covered by the warranty. Second, if your auto policy has physical damage comprehensive coverage, the standard forms will cover this damage, subject of course to the deductible. And, as far as subsequent damage discovered after the initial fix, insurance companies are used to further hidden damage being discovered after the initial estimate has been submitted. The important thing is to submit the claim to your insurer ASAP so the adjuster can talk to the dealer as things progress. Insurance companies don't like being ieft out of the early states of a claim. (I make these observations as a commercial insurance broker for over 40 years.)
 
#21 ·
The biggest issue to my wife and I is they want us to file an insurance claim for the damage to be repaired. They cannot guarantee that this was the cause of our problems in the first place, or if replacing this harness will solve our problems. But they are claiming that any problems discovered after replacement of the harness will result in additional claim to my insurance company for additional repair, they intend not to cover this under warranty at all. Looking for guidance here. Our car is a 3mo old ID-4 Pro S with RWD. 4700 miles.
File a claim with insurance. This is a clear cut Comprehensive claim. If you're in California Comprehensive claims will NOT affect your rates. You will only be responsible for your deductible, which is hopefully low. Comprehensive coverage is actually quite cheap, even with a low or zero dollar deductible.
 
#28 ·
Thank you so much for the links! I had a gut feeling the service tech was full of it.
If I had a nickel for every time a vehicle salesperson or tech told me something outlandish ….. [fill in your favorite]. ;)

Every once in awhile you get a really good salesperson and/or tech, but blue moon comes readily to mind. Alas most just want to placate and move on as quickly as possible, so they’ll say most anything. Sometimes I let them, if I don’t feel like wasting any more of my own time. Sometimes not. :unsure:
 
#30 ·
Even if they just said they didn't know instead of just winging it.

My wife just leased a Kona. Salesperson had no clue about the 7500$, but that's OK since the Finance guy did. But there is also a 2500$ from the state that nobody there knew about, so we will have to file that paperwork ourselves.
 
#32 ·
Our 3 month old ID 4 went completely dead and had to be towed to the dealer. For three weeks they’ve been trouble shooting the vehicle, also involving VWoA engineers. They been clueless until suddenly this morning we receive a text (not even a courtesy call) from our service department with pictures claiming some sort of rodent chewed our wires, causing all our electrical ills. They say the harness needs to be replace and will not be covered under warranty.
In speaking with a service advisor, he said he cannot conclusively state. This will solve the problem of the dead car, but they cannot proceed without the new harness. Any repairs after the harnesses installed and software update it that can be traced back to the harness will be my responsibility. I am not a rodent expert and I seriously don’t know if the pictures posted below show chewed through wires or chafed wires. The biggest issue to my wife and I is they want us to file an insurance claim for the damage to be repaired. They cannot guarantee that this was the cause of our problems in the first place, or if replacing this harness will solve our problems. But they are claiming that any problems discovered after replacement of the harness will result in additional claim to my insurance company for additional repair, they intend not to cover this under warranty at all. Looking for guidance here. Our car is a 3mo old ID-4 Pro S with RWD. 4700 miles.
Your cars comprehensive insurance will cover rodent damage.

I've been thru this a few times.
 
#33 ·
If this is only damage and damaged wiring replaced.
Your vehicle should not have any issues after mouse encounter.
You will definitely have to take measures in the future where you park your vehicle.
This type of damages from mouse 🐁 can be also done where you mostly park your vehicle when going to work. Mouse is definitely attracted to warm places if outside is getting cold.
Parking vehicle close to grass, close to garbage disposal are some of examples.
 
#34 ·
Even if they just said they didn't know instead of just winging it.
Most don't understand that to a reasonable person this admission would generally be more endearing than detrimental. When they say something outlandish [to we who know better] they brand themselves as unreliable from that point forward.

I've watched some historical Benz sales training videos and they stressed to admit when they were unsure and then soon obtain the insight needed. As we used to say in the Corps "the [2nd] Lieutenant doesn't know, but the Lieutenant will find out." ;)