Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Cells, Microbes & Viruses => Topic started by: nudephil on 11/11/2020 15:07:46

Title: How can you date a rat bite?
Post by: nudephil on 11/11/2020 15:07:46
An interesting conundrum from listener James:

I bought a car. I'm naïve regarding vehicles and I didn't look under the bonnet. It now is throwing up wiring issues after only 3 weeks. A rat has clearly eaten at a few parts, particularly the foam that's there for sound proofing.

I am convinced it was chewed prior to me buying the car. Is there any way to "carbon date" the rat bites on the foam?
Title: Re: How can you date a rat bite?
Post by: Bored chemist on 11/11/2020 18:00:14
Take a picture.
Wait a week.
Take another picture.
If the pictures are essentially the same there's nothing eating your car now, so it must have happened earlier.

Or you can look for rat droppings with plastic foam in at the previous owner's garage.
Title: Re: How can you date a rat bite?
Post by: Hayseed on 01/01/2021 22:06:58
Did it run alright a day or two after you bought it?  Have you rodents in your area?  Any debris on floor under car at your place?
Title: Re: How can you date a rat bite?
Post by: set fair on 30/04/2021 22:30:38
It's hard to imagine how a rat biting through a wire would cause an electrical problem three weks later.
Title: Re: How can you date a rat bite?
Post by: Bored chemist on 01/05/2021 12:37:59
It's easy to imagine a rat bite weakening a cable so that it fails a few weeks later.
It's quite hard to imagine that the OP hasn't found some sort of resolution to this issue in the intervening months since he posted about it.
Title: Re: How can you date a rat bite?
Post by: Origin on 01/05/2021 15:52:57
I had a rat that decided it would be a great idea to chew the wires on my car.  I took it to the dealer and the fixed it for a bunch of money.  My wife suggested I see if our insurance would cover it.  I thought that was a silly idea but I called anyway.  Yep, they covered it.  Go figure.