# A rat got into my car's engine compartment and derailed a belt. Self-fixable?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-got-into-my-cars-engine-compartment-and-derailed-a-belt-self-fixable/767753>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 6, 2016, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-got-into-my-cars-engine-compartment-and-derailed-a-belt-self-fixable/767753 "2016-10-06T06:07:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-got-into-my-cars-engine-compartment-and-derailed-a-belt-self-fixable/767753/21 "2016-10-06T20:48:27Z")

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> [@RivkahChaya](#):
>
> If you need to buy several tools, calculate whether the cost of the tools will be more than paying someone else to do it for you (probably not, and you will still have the tools, if you plan to make a regular hobby of car repairs).

I’ve never done this, so I don’t know what selection they have, but places like Autozone and Advanced Auto Parts do have tool rental, too.

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**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-got-into-my-cars-engine-compartment-and-derailed-a-belt-self-fixable/767753/22 "2016-10-06T22:32:42Z")

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> [@dstarfire](#):
>
> It never occurred to you that an animal might have gotten caught in the belt and caused it to come off the wheel, and **that’s embarassing?!**
> 
> Where do you live that you people are expected to recognize animal-related damage at a glance??

Not embarrassing, just extremely unpleasant. We live in the middle of the desert, but they’re currently building a freeway around our town and apparently it’s causing a lot more rats than normal to show up in town. My wife tells me someone found one inside his barbecue the other day.

The embarrassing part was how long it took me to realize the belt had come loose. But in my defense, it was dark!

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**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2016, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rat-got-into-my-cars-engine-compartment-and-derailed-a-belt-self-fixable/767753/23 "2016-10-07T22:24:52Z")

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> [@chorpler](#):
>
> Not embarrassing, just extremely unpleasant. We live in the middle of the desert, but they’re currently building a freeway around our town and apparently it’s causing a lot more rats than normal to show up in town. My wife tells me someone found one inside his barbecue the other day.
> 
> The embarrassing part was how long it took me to realize the belt had come loose. But in my defense, it was dark!

I thought it was the WHOLE “a rat made the belt come loose” thing that you were embarrassed about, which sounds to me like the last thing you’d think to check for.

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