Rats Beneath the Hood Upset Owners of Luxury Cars

Jeanne Wilhelm of Toluca Lake called in to report a car problem that sounds like a sequel to “Ben,” that 1972 movie about an army of rats terrorizing the populace.

But this is no movie. Those beady-eyed varmints are causing real-life damage to cars in the San Fernando Valley. Wilhelm’s Mercedes 190E and her husband’s Mercedes 300E suffered about $11,000 worth of damage caused by rats eating the electrical wiring. She had this question:

“Who would think that rats could damage your car?”

Well, it turns out that the heavy winter rains increased the supply of greenery that shelters rats.

That increased the rat population, some of which found a snug harbor in the engine compartments of the two Mercedes, where they took to chewing the plastic and rubber coating off wires.

Jim Poindexter, a spokesman for Western Exterminator Co., said rats chew on hard objects, like wires, not because they can live on rubber insulation but to keep their fast-growing rodent teeth sharp and manageable.

Wilhelm’s problems are not unusual. Andrew Lechuga, a service representative at Hollywood Mercedes, said a couple of other cars that had been chomped by rats were in his shop.

But he said the problem is not limited to Mercedes. His brother, who lives on a farm, lost the wiring in his tractor to gnawing rats. So this tale could get longer and longer.

Is the Ventura Freeway Project in the West Valley and beyond done or what? The headlight shades, deflectors or whatever they are called, are still missing in some spots of the median divider, and boy, are they needed at night, especially on the curves.

Frank R. Beyer

Woodland Hills

Yes, the freeway widening project that lasted about as long as the Civil War, is, for the most part, completed. As part of that project, Caltrans installed some plastic headlight glare screens that stick out of the median divider like a well-moussed green mohawk.

(The new glare screens are the latest innovation from Caltrans. The screens are designed to replace that old brown metal mesh that you usually see on freeway dividers. That older stuff has a tendency to rust, fall apart and hang loose into the fast lanes where it would wreak hell on your paint job.)

But Jim McAllister, the Caltrans engineer who oversaw that widening project, said the glare screens will not be installed on particularly sharp freeway curves because it would impair a driver’s vision of traffic ahead.

In other words, if the mohawk extended throughout the freeway, you might speed around a curve without being able to see that traffic ahead had come to a complete stop. That would put a quick end to your commute.

My city councilman’s office told me that city streets cannot be blocked off for construction work before 9 a.m. on weekdays. Yet on Barham Boulevard near Universal City a cable-laying company and the city’s Department of Water and Power have each in the past 18 months closed off a lane before 9 a.m. The loss of hours by commuters trying to drive around these closures must be enormous. What can a person do to report this?

Richard Krafsur

Los Angeles

There is a rule in the city of Los Angeles that forbids utilities and others who want to rip up the streets from closing off lanes between 6 and 9 a.m. and 3:30 and 7 p.m. (There may be different rules in other cities.)

But like most rules in government, there are exceptions. (Remember the Iran-Contra affair?)

In this case, the exception is when the utility seeking to tear up the street is facing an emergency. Such as, just for example, a ruptured water line that must be sealed before we lose all the water Northern California has sent us. If that is the case, the city tries to provide a detour to keep traffic flowing.

If you suspect a utility company of violating this rule without justification, you can call the city’s Bureau of Contract Administrations (818) 989-8335, which oversees street projects larger than 100 square feet, or the Street Use Inspection Division (213) 485-5661 for smaller projects.

If you hit a pothole on the street and damage your car, is the city liable for it? A couple of months ago during the rains I hit a pothole and blew out two tires and had to buy two new wheels for the car.

Jack Brown

Tujunga

This is probably information the city of Los Angeles does not want circulated, but, yes, the city can be held liable for damages to your car caused by potholes.

But, as you would suspect, it’s not as simple as just holding out your hand and collecting the dough.

According to Steve Peters, head of the city’s claims division, before you can collect, it has to be proven that the city knew about the pothole and neglected to fix it. If this is the case, Peters said the city will settle the claim with you. If the city did not know about the pothole, he said the city will most likely reject your claim. Consequently, the only way to get some cash out of this would be to file a lawsuit, which can be a costly and time-consuming ordeal. (And I don’t think Melvin Belli will take it on a contingency basis.)

The city attempts to patch potholes within a day or two of your complaints. The city has even installed a number you can call to report the holes: 1-800-498-CITY.

My nomination for favorite stretch of freeway? No such thing. “Favorite freeway” is an oxymoron.

The worst stretch of freeway? No contest. It’s the 9/10th-mile section of the westbound Ventura Freeway just after the Van Nuys Boulevard on-ramp. Drivers getting on from Van Nuys Boulevard must first merge with traffic trying to exit onto the San Diego Freeway to Sacramento. The next lane to the left is also an exit lane, this time to the San Diego Freeway heading to San Diego. Having negotiated that, you have to play bumper tag with drivers trying to get into those two lanes while you’re trying to get out of them. I often hear the demonic laughter of Caltrans planners as I struggle to cross these three lanes in less than a mile.

Carol Stevens

Tarzana

Sounds difficult. But have you ever tried to switch lanes while eating a double-double In-N-Out burger and changing the radio station, all without spilling burger grease on your shirt? Give that a try sometime when you are feeling adventurous.

Street Smart appears Mondays in The Times Valley Edition. Readers are invited to submit comments and questions about traffic, commuting and what makes it difficult to get around the Valley. Include simple sketches if helpful. Letters may be published in upcoming columns. Please write to Hugo Martin, c/o Street Smart, The Times Valley Edition, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Include your full name, address and day and evening phone numbers. Letters may be edited, and no anonymous letters will be accepted. To record your comments, call (818) 772-3303. Fax letters to (818) 382-6651.