Does Honda Rodent Tape Work? (Read This First)

Rodents have been a significant problem in most vehicles. Due to the materials used in manufacturing their wires, Honda vehicles attract rodents.

And Honda, in an attempt to mitigate this issue, came up with a rodent deterrent tape.

However, this tape comes with many uncertainties regarding its effectiveness, which raises questions like  “Does Honda Rodent Tape work? Let’s find out.

The rodent tape is a solution to the problem of rat infestation. It contains capsaicin which is the ingredient that makes pepper hot. The purpose of using this ingredient is to serve as a deterrent to the rodent and melt the ravenous animal’s mouth. In addition, the tape is odorless, and because of that, it is easy for the unsuspecting rat to feed on the tape and get zapped, making the tape an effective one.

Does Rodent Repellent Tape Work?

You may be wondering how possible it is for a tape to repel a rat effectively. It will amaze you to know that rodent repellent tape indeed works.

Moreover, its effectiveness has been confirmed both from experience and reviews from other users. Most Americans have positive reviews of this.

So even though a few negative ones exist, the positive reviews far outweigh the negative. And this is proof enough to show the effectiveness of the rodent deterrent tape.

The Honda rodent tape is a roll of gray vinyl tape with images of rats printed on it and coated with capsaicin.

This element makes the Honda rodent tape a spicy and effective rodent repellent for vehicles.

In addition, the tape helps to keep essential wires less delicious or attractive for the rat to chew or make a nest.

This rodent wire wrap with a  spicy chili taste is not only creative but also a borderline genius.

Aside from the rodent deterrent tape, rats are known to be keen on smells. We can take advantage of this and keep rats away.

Scents such as peppermint oil, cat litter, dog hair, cannon oil can chase rats away. Some use tobacco pouches or wire brushes to protect their engine bay.

Does Honda use Soy-based Wiring?

Almost all car manufacturing companies are producing more eco-friendly vehicles. To sustain the earth, they make automotive parts from biodegradable materials.

One of these renewable materials is soy-based wire.

Honda adopted the soy-based biodegradable electrical wire coating, all in a quest to go green and protect the environment.

And not just that, the soy coating is also advantageous because it is less expensive than the plastic and petroleum-based wire coating.

As a result, Honda and other top vehicle brands use this material and have come to embrace it more than petroleum-based wiring. 

However, since the advent of soy insulating wires, the infestation and damage caused by rodents in most motor vehicles have increased exponentially over time.

Cars, engines, and wires now look yummy and attractive to rodents, which is the major challenge of soy-based wire.

Unfortunately, most car owners counter this new wiring system because it is said to lure animals into the car’s hood.

And because soy is edible by nature, most pests such as rats and rodents love and are attracted to them.

And just the way rodents are used to chewing stuff in vegetation, wire looks like twigs and grasses to them. So, when the rats feed on these wires, they have an illusion of chewing wood.

So, rodents do this repeatedly to wear down and sharpen their teeth which are constantly growing.

So, many believe that the soy-based insulation of wires attracts rats to the engine of vehicles. While this may be true, it’s not absolute.

Instead, rodents gravitate towards warm, dark, and spacious areas and feed on anything they find there.

So, this is why people are advised not to park their cars in areas where rodents congregate.

How to Use Honda Rodent Tape?

Unlike most automobile manufacturers, Honda acknowledges their customers’ issues with the newly introduced soy-based insulation.

As a result, they came up with a way out to help reduce this damage caused by rodents to the barest minimum.

The offer of a Honda rodent tape is an electrical tape treated with capsaicin.

It is a great yet simple and effective way of protecting sensitive and vulnerable wires in your car from the costly damage rodents can cause by feasting on those wires.

In addition, the hot chili pepper encapsulated within the tape is a very effective deterrent.

There’s no special skill required to use the Honda rodent tape in your vehicle.

Like a regular tape, It’s simple to use; all you need to do is wrap any trouble spot you intend to protect to prevent future wire harness-related issues.

And in areas where you have some spare lying, ensure to tape the brake fluid reservoir cover. The reason is that the semi-flexible material the cover is made of can be pretty attractive to rats.

The rat can affect the reliability and safety of cars, so don’t ever overlook them. Tape and cover everything you intend to protect, even if it doesn’t look like what can be infested by the rat.

How do I keep Rats Out of my Car Engine?

Having understood all the above, your primary concern & focus will be on how to keep these rats away from your car engine.

However, before talking about keeping rats out of your car engine, you need to know what attracts these rats to the engine area. 

Rats are nocturnal animals and only come out at night searching for food. After getting the food, they usually prefer a quiet and peaceful place to consume the food, away from cats, dogs, and humans.

And because the car engine is sure to give them this convenience, they find their way there.

Rats get attracted to cars because they like the warmth of an engine, especially during winter.

Also, their incisor grows about 3 inches annually, causing a need to sharpen the inside of these teeth; they find a place to exercise their teeth.

The car engine houses an endless supply of cables and wire. The rats are attracted there and keep their teeth busy, chewing all night and the fact that the car contains clean water from the wiper spray ducts.

Moving past this, how can you keep rats away from your car engine and the whole car in general?

The primary thing you need to do is create an environment less conducive to rats and rodents.

Some helpful tips that will help you achieve this are below.

• Do not allow your car to sit idle for too long without being operated.
  
• Keep the hood cover of your vehicle up at night to create a less cozy environment for the animal.
  
• Ensure to park your car far away from trash bins, vegetable gardens, or a rat-dominated area. Make the area around your vehicle neat and away from food sources.
  
• Keep food, newspapers, and nesting material out of your car and around the garage.
  
• Place mothballs under your vehicle’s hood, especially if the intention is to store the car for some time. The mothball will help keep the rat at bay.
  
  Snap traps at the base and top of each front tire can also help.
  
• Use rodent repellents such as rodent tape and scents like peppermint essential oil, cannon oil, and other smells that rodents detest.
  
  The urine of predators such as coyotes is also an excellent deterrent to the mice. Coating the car’s wires with this will go a long way in protecting the cables from damage from rodents and their cohort.

You may be further wondering to know if Honda Dealership Do Body Work?

Conclusion

According to Honda, the repellant is stuff that puts the fire in a bowl of five-alarm chili.

The description is reason enough to show that the Honda tape repellent is a powerful deterrent for rodents.

Because, with just a bite, the rodent can be zapped up almost immediately.