Underbody protection for Honda Jazz

I test-drove the second-gen Honda Jazz, and have two concerns. First, the oil sump seems dangerously exposed in the petrol variant. Second, there is no underbody protection cover for the engine in any of the petrol versions; only the diesel variants get it. This is a worry because my area is infested with rats.
Shanmuga Sundaram, Chennai

AAA Despite the fact that the oil sump is exposed, the Jazz has plenty of ground clearance, which means you don’t endanger grounding/damaging the sump even on bad roads. However, if you are still concerned, you can purchase the sump guard as an accessory — it will cost you around Rs 1200.

Getting rid of rodents is tricky. Fill some socks with 4-5 mothballs and leave them in the engine compartment when the car is parked. Remove them before driving and put them back in when you park up next day. Or you could spray the wiring components with pepper spray (the self-defence kind). Swabs of waste cloth dipped in pure peppermint oil and strewn across the compartment may also deter them. There is no sure fire way of getting rid of pesky rodents, so all you can do is try these methods and hope one of them works!