Marmot ate my car (American Basin TH)

[Veory]

Just a heads up! Upon returning from a linkup of American, Jones, Niagara and 13549, a marmot chewed through my transmission line near the junction of the alpine loop and the upper american basin th road. Unfortunately I drove 3 miles down (to Silver/Grizzly TH) before realizing what happened and looks like I wrecked my transmission

I hadn't heard of this happening too much around here so I'm a little surprised. Next time I'll just rent a jeep I guess. Anyways, TH is Subaruable

[daway8]

Oh man, that really stinks!

This is turning into a bad year for vehicles - between break-ins at some trailheads, vicious 4WD roads, and now marmot attacks back in the feed again!

[justiner]

Gotta marmot proof those cars.

[bdloftin77]

Just a heads up! Upon returning from a linkup of American, Jones, Niagara and 13549, a marmot chewed through my transmission line near the junction of the alpine loop and the upper american basin th road. Unfortunately I drove 3 miles down (to Silver/Grizzly TH) before realizing what happened and looks like I wrecked my transmission

I hadn't heard of this happening too much around here so I'm a little surprised. Next time I'll just rent a jeep I guess. Anyways, TH is Subaruable

I’m sorry that happened, Elijah!

Gotta marmot proof those cars.

Nice pics!

[ballardwf04]

Oh man that sucks. Sorry to hear that.

A tip I use in marmot-prone areas is to put some mothballs beneath your car. Works like a charm and is much easier than justiner’s admittedly impressive approach.

[cedica]

Those are clear signs of end times approaching. I remember how pigs started eating Trabants in the years before fall of the Berlin Wall.

[randalmartin]

Very sorry that happened to you!. Coyote Urine spray or mothballs are the less expensive low tech approach. I have done the chicken wire approach as well.

While not vehicle related I had another bad run in with the destructive nature of wildlife last week while camping at Lawn Lake. We had no food or smellables anywhere in camp, yet while out climbing a snowshoe hare (confirmed) chewed through our mesh in our tents, chewed holes in our air mattresses, chewed into the foot end of one our sleeping bags. Completely wrecked our trip, I hiked out at 9:15pm.

Some campsites just get so much activity that it's no longer worth trying to camp in those places it seems.

[Veory]

Some creatures are simply agents of chaos, they do it for fun

[Ryan987]

Yep, had one do it to my Tacoma at Iowa gulch when I submitted Sherman.

This helps, no issues so far

https://nhoilundercoating.com/nhou-mous ... JyEALw_wcB

[k_fergie]

I fought off a couple vicious porcupines at the Animas Forks trailhead this spring. So, its not always a marmot that is culprit, though the result is unfortunately the same

[d_baker]

I fought off a couple vicious porcupines at the Animas Forks trailhead this spring. So, its not always a marmot that is culprit, though the result is unfortunately the same

July of '24, I had a porcupine chew on my 4runner at Animas Forks. Woke up hearing something so I got out and it was next to my rear tire. Chased it off.
Next day, 4runner wouldn't start. It had chewed on the fuel modulator, at the connecting point to the plug.
I got lucky when I flagged down a sidexside, and the guy was a ~30yr Toyota mechanic! He did a field repair for me, and I drove out and back to Avon (where I was living at the time) to a shop.
$7-800 later, I was back on the road.

That night, I didn't put out the mothballs or the rodent sonar thing I have. Expensive lesson, but could have been far worse if I didn't luck out flagging down that mechanic!

[Veory]

Porcupines are the fellas that always get my pole handles. You'd think after an hour of eating plastic or metal they would realize and stop..