GEN 4 Seat Belt fraying

Thanks but I think the nibbling is too extensive. I'll let you know what the garage says. I think it will not be pleasant!

I don't think a main dealer will do such a repair, they will replace the effect loom, I'm sure.

Soeley, you were right. Quote is £6,000 and that's before taking the dash off! Some of the parts Suzuki GB don't have part numbers for. This will take some weeks I reckon (assuming insurance approve repair). Insurance co have sent info to their 'engineering department' whatever that is - who are contemplating matters. They have not OK'd the repairs as yet.

Wow thats a lot, but it doesn't surprise me, there is a lot of work replacing a main wiring loom. If the insurance won't pay then I would be going to an independent to get the wiring loom fixed and a new seat belt fitted.

How bad is the damage on the wiring loom? Is it just the outer cover or are there wires exposed? A roll of self amalgamating tape or even wiring loom tape is only a few quid. I assume everything electrical currently works, so it might be a fairly easy repair for an auto electrician, would be worth getting someone to look at it, always assuming the insurance doesn't pay.

Dr Robin
I've seen people discussing on line figures like £10k to repair mouse damage to a Honda (don't know which model). Maybe Japanese cars are tasty!
The damage mostly is to the outer insulation but there are some places where copper wire is exposed.
If it was an old machine I guess it could be patched up and kept running (yes everything still appears to work electrically).
Could this be the first car to be written off by a mouse?!

I've ordered some German spray that they use to keep Martens from gnawing wiring over there. Come to think of it we have Pine Marten here but I think the culprit is the humble mouse.

Hopefully the insurance will cough up. I tend to agree with you, it is a nearly new car, possibly still under warranty so you want it fixed correctly. However, you would be surprised how good a job an electrician could make. If it is mostly the outer covering, that is easy to do. The bare wires you could tape with self amalgamating tape or even cut a section out and replace, heat shrink tubing over the top.

Wiring looms are not that difficult to repair, getting to them is the problem. About 30 years ago I made a complete new wiring loom for my motorbike, it took a bit of effort getting then lengths right and of course I had to strip the bike, but then the frame was going for paiting, so it didn't matter. It is much easier to repair rather than replace.

If the insurance don't approve the repair I would definitely to the Auto Electrician route and just get the exposed copper repaired and the rest just rewrapped.

It's a pity they don't put disconnects on the fire wall instead of the loom going all the way through.

Sounds like Aviva who specifically state the £Non-approved repair excess.

Recommendations:
- Don’t insure with Aviva. Their pricing engine lacks sophistication and you’ll be better served elsewhere. Try Admiral, LV and Sabre.
- Admiral and LV are the only insurers who i can think of who gave a rebate to their customers for Lockdown 1.0
- Aviva seem to be pricing to exploit customer inertia. At renewal you could easily be paying 2x what you should with Aviva.
Oh, and BTW, F%$@ Aviva

Ultimate rodent bait in my experience: Nutella. Mice, rats, squirrels love it.

Best traps are WCS Tube Traps
www.pestuk.com/shop/WCS-Tube-Trap-378.ht...o79Xq9kaAvcPEALw_wcB

Brings a gun to a fist fight but superb for rats and squirrels.

Michael, my advice would be to insist your local/favoured Suzuki dealer undertake the wiring loom replacement. You will not only get the peace of mind of maintaining your warranty but they’ll also benefit from a proper bit of work. You have the opportunity to become their #1 Customer. Nice!

Approved repairers are all looking to optimise productivity against manufacturers and Thatcham recommended times. 160% to 200%. In forum speak that’s stuff quality; how quickly can i do this and how many corners can i cut.

F$%$@*£ mice. `DOn’t get me started on pigeons!

Just replying to the last few comments, my plan is to get it properly done at the Suzuki dealership under insurance cover. The insurance company has accepted the Suzuki garage instead of their 'approved repairer'. I'm waiting for formal approval from the insurer of the Suzuki garage quote before they can order the parts. Apparently they will pronounce on this Monday or Tuesday.
If they refuse to cover this I will take them to court as there are no suitable exclusions that they could rely on that I can see in the policy documents. If that fails then I think the loom could be repaired at a fraction of the cost but there would I suppose always be the concern that something had been missed.
I'll let you all know how this pans out.

RumbleAndSway , I had a look at the trap you posted a link to, we couldn't use that here: it's not authorised in Scotland as I understand it and it would take out the red squirrels which are protected species and maybe even pine martens (no greys around here).
Looks like it would be good on greys in areas where there are no reds. Also rats by the look of it.
Thanks