Got a weasel problem? BMW can help...

[nuclearfusion]

Hi everyone,

What to do if you find your beloved E34 overrun, and your spark plug leads chewed to bits by mustelids such as these fine fellows?

http://nhnm.unm.edu/kids/Images/Species/Pine%20Marten.jpg http://wdfw.wa.gov/gallery/albums/album03/marten.sized.jpg

It seems that BMW has just the answer... an ignition harness with built-in marten repeller:

http://www.anthus.net/bmw/BMWmartenharness.gif (http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=HD11&mospid=47382&btnr=82_0086&hg=82&fg=34)


... a great gift for the BMW owner who has it all? ;)

Enjoy!

Fusion

p.s. - think I'm joking? click the photo above to link to the RealOEM page featuring this part. I'm tempted to try to order up a set just to see them!

p.p.s. - here's a Wikipedia excerpt mentioning the problem of the Beech Marten's habit of destroying engine bay components:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beech_Marten

quoting from the Wikipedia article:
-----
The Beech Marten (Martes foina) is the most common species of marten in Central Europe. Beech martens are long, slender, short-legged predators with long, bushy tails. They grow to a size of 40 to 50cm in body length and weigh up to two kilograms.
... (snip) ...
Beech martens are noted for their habit of damaging cars by biting through ignition leads and brake hoses and pulling apart insulation boards.
-----

p.p.p.s - the strange gets stranger, here is a German wikipedia article about the Beech marten:

http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&langpair=de%7Cen&u=http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steinmarder&prev=/language_tools

and here's a German wikipedia article about how to defend one's vehicle from them:

http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&langpair=de%7Cen&u=http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marderabwehr&prev=/language_tools

...and it gets worse! The problem became so severe in 1978 that a unit of the game biology group at Justus Leibig University studied the beech marten for 10 years trying to understand their behaviour. In this article they mention one vehicle that had 8 sets of ignition leads fully destroyed within 6 weeks!

http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&langpair=de%7Cen&u=http://www.uni-giessen.de/biodidaktik/vdbiol/steinm.htm&prev=/language_tools

Ouch!

[rob101]

i thought you were joking
but then i found it in realoem

[Yiorgos]

I had seen this before, but I didn't know what a Marten was.

Also, doesn't that color depth in that screenshot bother you? Everything's all gray...

[nuclearfusion]

Also, doesn't that color depth in that screenshot bother you? Everything's all gray...

You're right that it's not great (Photoshop's default "save for web" option which I didn't bother making a better job of) - the screenshot was a hasty afterthought since it's actually a link to the RealOEM site.

Enjoy!

Fusion

[shogun]

Big problem in Europe, every year millions of EURO damages
http://www.mardersicher.de/
http://www.mardersicher.de/allgem/marderimmotor.jpg

[Yiorgos]

Holy crap, I would soil myself instantly if something like that popped out of my car!

Good thing there's no weasels in Australia

[Toomas]

My ignition wires have those weird "washers" on them but i dont know why :S

[joshua43214]

Things like this are called "varmints" in the US. you can shoot them on sight any time of the year, in most non urban area's. You can even get special riffles for hunting them, they have heavy barrels and high powered scopes.

but why would any one need a gun that can hit a quarter at 100yards? I can't imagine...

[winfred]

this one can
17 hmr savage with a leupold 4x12x40 and it turns a squrriel inside out, it's last kill was clipping a buzzard out of a tree at about 120 yards (wasn't anything better to shoot at)
http://members.cox.net/kitlou/17hmr.JPG
this is the scope for my next varmint sploader affectionately referred as the hubble 8x24x75mm with a drop compensator and iliuminated range finding reticle, it will probably be attached to a cz550 varmint 22.250 the caliber that does the most damage in these videos (http://www.dogbegone.com/video.htm)
http://members.cox.net/kitlou/8x24x75.JPG
http://members.cox.net/wdixon27/reticle.JPG
http://members.cox.net/kitlou/hubble%20scope.JPG


Things like this are called "varmints" in the US. you can shoot them on sight any time of the year, in most non urban area's. You can even get special riffles for hunting them, they have heavy barrels and high powered scopes.

but why would any one need a gun that can hit a quarter at 100yards? I can't imagine...

[e39dream]

gol damn varnmints chewing my wires! dar!

[wingman]

This is what I'm using. Juts gotta catch the little blighters in the act!:D http://www.glock.com/g22.htm

[rob101]

http://www.mardersicher.de/allgem/was_stoppt_den_marder.jpg

[joshua43214]

so, any way. aside from all the fun. Does any one know how the varmint proof wire sets work?

inquiring minds want to know

[winfred]

i pack this one for larger varmints (http://www.glock.com/g31.htm)


This is what I'm using. Juts gotta catch the little blighters in the act!:D http://www.glock.com/g22.htm

[shogun]

Well, everyone swears on his secret weapon.
Dog hair in a bag in the engine room
high pitch sound in engine room
parfume sprayed into engine room
light barriers wich switch on when they move in
a special smelling paste designed by a pharmacist, here the thank you letters
http://www.tiergarten-apotheke.de/marder/
traps
http://www.willi-huesgen.de/html/iltis-_und_marderfallen_2.html
600 volts mats under engine room
http://www.fahrzeugschutz.de/
and many other ideas.
But these animals are protected, shooting them is prohibited.

[632 Regal]

that music makes me horney.

this one can
17 hmr savage with a leupold 4x12x40 and it turns a squrriel inside out, it's last kill was clipping a buzzard out of a tree at about 120 yards (wasn't anything better to shoot at)
http://members.cox.net/kitlou/17hmr.JPG
this is the scope for my next varmint sploader affectionately referred as the hubble 8x24x75mm with a drop compensator and iliuminated range finding reticle, it will probably be attached to a cz550 varmint 22.250 the caliber that does the most damage in these videos (http://www.dogbegone.com/video.htm)
http://members.cox.net/kitlou/8x24x75.JPG
http://members.cox.net/wdixon27/reticle.JPG
http://members.cox.net/kitlou/hubble%20scope.JPG