Tried to leave for work the other morning and when I fired up my car there was a severe miss fire. Seemed it was only running on 3 cylinders. Naturally, I turned it off then back on assuming maybe it was a computer issue. Didn’t work. Next attempted to reset the computer by disconnecting the battery for about 10 minutes. That didn’t work. After that I was left scratching my head. Considered bad gas but I always get gas from reputable sources so I figured it must be a warranty repair. I was a little less that impressed with my new Nissan product considering it only has 16,000 miles on it. Called the dealer, they said if it’s found to be not under warranty then I am responsible for repair and towing. I thought, there’s no way this is not covered under warranty.

Well, a few hours later they deliver the bad news. A squirrel had crawled up into the engine bay and chewed on the wiring harness. My choices were either to repair the harness for $370 plus towing or call my insurance company, make a claim, and replace the harness which cost over $2K with a $500 deductible. I chose the former. I trusted the dealership and didn’t want a claim on my insurance this early in the life of the car (for resale purposes).

i have my car back and it runs great but I am trying to figure out ways to prevent this from happening again. Apparently the wiring is wrapped in a soy-based insulation which attracts animals. I have explored the internet for solutions and found anything from electronic acoustic boxes to anit-rodent tape to wrap the harness/hoses in. I am extremely nervous about this happening again. Parking my car I’m the garage is not feasible right now due to equipment from my wife’s business in there. I think I am going to try the acoustics and see how it goes.

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