GG Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 The little critters love my garage, but they love the engine compartments much more. For a second time, they chewed through plug wires and caused serious damage. Dealers suggest putting in dryer sheets under the hood and I see Amazon sells rodent repellents that I may try. Anyone else have good home remedies, other than getting a cat to live under the hood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 I have an issue with squirrels getting into our vehicle vents to store their nuts and leaves. I went the Amazon route and ordered this stuff, and it has done the trick. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072C87MD8/ Even though it says "Squirrel Mace" I'd bet it would work for almost anything. It's a potent mix of concentrated peppermint oil and concentrated garlic oil. It made me gag when spraying it. Only thing is, we have an outdoor parking pad. Not sure I'd spray that in an enclosed garage. Not real harmful, but it does stink something fierce. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royale with Cheese Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 Looks like the rats don't respect you. You gotta let them know you're in charge. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 Borrow a cat. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacka Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 Shiv the mofo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeGOATski Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 I once found little critter bones in my engine compartment. I assumed a cat caught a mouse and hopped up in there to eat it in peace. Or maybe someone was trying to put a satanic hex on me and/or my vehicle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevbeau Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 (edited) I’ve read moth balls. I’m interested as well as we have an issue with rays nesting in the truck we park down by the barn. Edited February 1, 2020 by Kevbeau Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Hammersticks Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 This thread is going to be epic ? 1 minute ago, Kevbeau said: I’ve read moth balls. Mice don’t like moth testicles? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevbeau Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 Just now, Johnny Hammersticks said: This thread is going to be epic ? Mice don’t like moth testicles? Too chewy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldTimeAFLGuy Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 19 hours ago, Royale with Cheese said: Looks like the rats don't respect you. You gotta let them know you're in charge. ...uh oh....could be Libs......just sayin'........... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 21 hours ago, GG said: The little critters love my garage, but they love the engine compartments much more. For a second time, they chewed through plug wires and caused serious damage. Dealers suggest putting in dryer sheets under the hood and I see Amazon sells rodent repellents that I may try. Anyone else have good home remedies, other than getting a cat to live under the hood. I wonder if cat hair would work as a repellent? Maybe the critters would use it as a nest My only useful $0.02 is that when we had a mouse problem with a car parked outside in our driveway, it tracked to a problem with squirrel spillage of birdseed in our driveway. The mice likely aren't trekking miles and miles and miles to nest...they are nesting near a food source. So if you can figure out what their food source is and eliminate that, the problem may diminish. It may, of course, be easier said than done if ithe food source is something like a neighbor tossing grain and veggies into her yard every day to "feed the critters" (and the rats) and who is not reachable by information or persuasion....not that we have one of those ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 16 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: I wonder if cat hair would work as a repellent? Maybe the critters would use it as a nest My only useful $0.02 is that when we had a mouse problem with a car parked outside in our driveway, it tracked to a problem with squirrel spillage of birdseed in our driveway. The mice likely aren't trekking miles and miles and miles to nest...they are nesting near a food source. So if you can figure out what their food source is and eliminate that, the problem may diminish. It may, of course, be easier said than done if ithe food source is something like a neighbor tossing grain and veggies into her yard every day to "feed the critters" (and the rats) and who is not reachable by information or persuasion....not that we have one of those ? Unfortunately, the food source is the plastic around the plug wires. For whatever reason mice love the stuff. Add the cover and warmth in winter time, under the hood is an awesome place to nest. I've been reading more into this, and now car companies are introducing more organic matter into car parts, and that turns the engine compartment into a verifiable buffet. I've seen pictures of entire components eaten away! Insane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 How about drive your car once in a while? 21 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said: I have an issue with squirrels getting into our vehicle vents to store their nuts and leaves. I went the Amazon route and ordered this stuff, and it has done the trick. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072C87MD8/ Even though it says "Squirrel Mace" I'd bet it would work for almost anything. It's a potent mix of concentrated peppermint oil and concentrated garlic oil. It made me gag when spraying it. Only thing is, we have an outdoor parking pad. Not sure I'd spray that in an enclosed garage. Not real harmful, but it does stink something fierce. This bad: https://www.autoblog.com/2019/10/08/squirrels-nuts-car-engine-compartment/ Yeah... Like they really drove the car... /smh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 36 minutes ago, GG said: Unfortunately, the food source is the plastic around the plug wires. For whatever reason mice love the stuff. Add the cover and warmth in winter time, under the hood is an awesome place to nest. I've been reading more into this, and now car companies are introducing more organic matter into car parts, and that turns the engine compartment into a verifiable buffet. I've seen pictures of entire components eaten away! Insane. I would love to learn more about this! I would have said, plastic is not a food source for any mammal. I know in the old days, casein (milk) plastic was one of the earliest plastics made, but poly of styrene, propylene etc not so much. Good luck - but I wonder if a general mouse eradication program is still your best bet 28 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said: How about drive your car once in a while? This bad: https://www.autoblog.com/2019/10/08/squirrels-nuts-car-engine-compartment/ Yeah... Like they really drove the car... /smh Story says it was parked for 3 days. I totally believe squirrels could achieve that in 3 days given a nearby source of walnuts and of grass. Heck, overnight. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punching Bag Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 You could try some sonic mice repellents. Depending on mice they move on or like TSW you learn to deal with things which bother you like trolls. I find them workable to keep them away from small targeted areas so for car it may work. https://www.wil-kil.com/blog/does-ultrasonic-rodent-repellent-work/ The short answer is no, ultrasonic rodent repellents don’t work. Some homeowners have noted an immediate effect at first, but over time the rodent problem will continue to persist. Mice are fairly resilient and adaptable, so while the sound may bother them at first, eventually they will grow accustomed to it or find an alternative route. The frequency of most also don’t travel very far from the device, usually about 10-20 feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 7 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: I would love to learn more about this! I would have said, plastic is not a food source for any mammal. I know in the old days, casein (milk) plastic was one of the earliest plastics made, but poly of styrene, propylene etc not so much. Good luck - but I wonder if a general mouse eradication program is still your best bet Story says it was parked for 3 days. I totally believe squirrels could achieve that in 3 days given a nearby source of walnuts and of grass. Heck, overnight. Thanx... Busy little ***** -ers! Hope a hawk comes down, swoops its ass away! True story: Saw that taking my daughter to school one day. I told my wife, she was devastated... Until I said: "Maybe it's the douchebag squirrel that's raiding your bird feeders." She changed her tune quickly! Heartless when there is skin in the game! LoL... Then there is this: https://www.thedodo.com/do-squirrels-remember-nuts-1428837174.html 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gray Beard Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 I got some squirrels to stop coming into my garage by putting rags soaked in vinegar near where I thought they were hiding. I don’t know if correlation implies causation or not, but they stopped coming in. My MIL had mice chew through some wire near the fuel injectors on her car engine. The car ran rough until it was fixed. $300 to fix it because the wire was buried under the fuel injectors and other stuff on the top of the engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 4 minutes ago, Gray Beard said: I got some squirrels to stop coming into my garage by putting rags soaked in vinegar near where I thought they were hiding. I don’t know if correlation implies causation or not, but they stopped coming in. My MIL had mice chew through some wire near the fuel injectors on her car engine. The car ran rough until it was fixed. $300 to fix it because the wire was buried under the fuel injectors and other stuff on the top of the engine. And the worst part of that is troubleshooting that clustermess of a problem... Hopefully, the OBDII will throw a fault code! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 28 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said: I would love to learn more about this! I would have said, plastic is not a food source for any mammal. I know in the old days, casein (milk) plastic was one of the earliest plastics made, but poly of styrene, propylene etc not so much. Good luck - but I wonder if a general mouse eradication program is still your best bet Here's one story - soybean byproduct is the main culprit. Yup, going the old fashioned route of placing traps near the wheels, and spraying under hood with vinegar/peppermint oil solution. Also, appears Irish Spring soap also works well. We'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxx Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 2 hours ago, Johnny Hammersticks said: This thread is going to be epic ? Mice don’t like moth testicles? you might need to add a little sauce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoBills808 Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 1 hour ago, GG said: Unfortunately, the food source is the plastic around the plug wires. For whatever reason mice love the stuff. Add the cover and warmth in winter time, under the hood is an awesome place to nest. I've been reading more into this, and now car companies are introducing more organic matter into car parts, and that turns the engine compartment into a verifiable buffet. I've seen pictures of entire components eaten away! Insane. Fun fact: some years ago the powers that be at the wire manufacturing plants decided to switch from plastic coating to a corn or soybean-based covering, apparently in an effort to cut costs. The unfortunate side effect being that the wires became irresistible to rodents who started chewing through wires across the country. This was told to me by an old timer in our area who was doing some work on our equipment...all the stuff from the 80s and 90s was having electrical issues lmfao and the older tractors were fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, GoBills808 said: Fun fact: some years ago the powers that be at the wire manufacturing plants decided to switch from plastic coating to a corn or soybean-based covering, apparently in an effort to cut costs. The unfortunate side effect being that the wires became irresistible to rodents who started chewing through wires across the country. This was told to me by an old timer in our area who was doing some work on our equipment...all the stuff from the 80s and 90s was having electrical issues lmfao and the older tractors were fine. Interesting... For vehicles. But older stuff didn't have as much wiring. Here... Residential is EMT conduit (which acts as mechanical ground). Whips (I wanna say NEC code is >4'?) have to be BX armor... Metal boxes, etc... No Romex. Rodents can't chew through metal... And if wires go bad, can be re-pulled. Now... In Indiana , Romex is okay... Same with pex plumbing... Here, it has to be copper plumbing. Our wiring at work isn't thermoplastic... 480v... Thick rubber and cloth. Big cables not in conduit. Built in 1960. It's starting to go... Some under rodent attack... Will get a hell of an arc if they get through Edited February 1, 2020 by ExiledInIllinois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marv's Neighbor Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 Best of luck with this. When we lived in Seattle, went on a trip, and came back to discover mice had chewed on the engine wires on my wife's car, that was left in the garage. We had maybe 4 cats, at the time, and their litter boxes were all in the garage. Didn't mean anything! Had to replace the engine wiring harness. It was cheaper to do that than track down all the broken wires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snafu Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, GG said: Here's one story - soybean byproduct is the main culprit. Yup, going the old fashioned route of placing traps near the wheels, and spraying under hood with vinegar/peppermint oil solution. Also, appears Irish Spring soap also works well. We'll see. Could you do the spray thing and leave the car outside of the garage, and set the traps inside the garage? I think I’d try that. Or...keep the car running in the garage for awhile. Maybe you’ll aspxyiate them. Edited February 1, 2020 by snafu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaoulDuke79 Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 (edited) Maybe spray them with WD-40 or something. Could possibly turn them away.....the wires. Not the mice. Cheap solution. Not much lost if it doesn't work. Edited February 1, 2020 by RaoulDuke79 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve O Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 (edited) My buddy has 12 cars and lives in the sticks. All his cars are in garages or pull barn. He uses fabric softener dryer sheets, puts them on the engine. He also places those cakes that are used in urinals around the floor. The dryer sheets are a repellent, the urine cakes are poison. DON'T USE THE CAKES IF YOU HAVE PETS AROUND, they're sweet and your pets will eat them. Edited February 2, 2020 by Steve O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 (edited) On 2/1/2020 at 10:33 AM, Johnny Hammersticks said: This thread is going to be epic ? Mice don’t like moth testicles? Mice are stupid. They don’t know what they’re missing. Considered a delicacy in Patriots* territory. . Edited February 2, 2020 by Augie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 I use some of these every winter in our camper(s) and they've always worked. They're individual packets in a mesh/cheesecloth bag so you might be able to jam them somewhere int eh engine compartment w/o them getting loose. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Joshin' Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 I had a woodchuck once eat wide and the heat shield. Never would have believed it until I saw it run away. In the winter when I store my classic car away I use dryer sheets - has worked thus far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 22 hours ago, Gray Beard said: I got some squirrels to stop coming into my garage by putting rags soaked in vinegar near where I thought they were hiding. I don’t know if correlation implies causation or not, but they stopped coming in. My MIL had mice chew through some wire near the fuel injectors on her car engine. The car ran rough until it was fixed. $300 to fix it because the wire was buried under the fuel injectors and other stuff on the top of the engine. I had skunks living under my shed. I soaked tennis balls in ammonia, then (from a distance) rolled them under the shed. Apparently, the ammonia smell makes the skunks think that another animal has been there and "marked its turf." Then they pack up and move the fam to somewhere safer. I'm not sure if something along these lines would deter mice, but I thought I'd throw it out there. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 This was my car, after being parked for about two weeks at work while I was out of town. I forgot the actual code it was throwing, I think it was an ABS or tranny issue code. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sig1Hunter Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 On 1/31/2020 at 2:18 PM, GG said: The little critters love my garage, but they love the engine compartments much more. For a second time, they chewed through plug wires and caused serious damage. Dealers suggest putting in dryer sheets under the hood and I see Amazon sells rodent repellents that I may try. Anyone else have good home remedies, other than getting a cat to live under the hood. Peppermint oil 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaoulDuke79 Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 1 hour ago, Just Jack said: This was my car, after being parked for about two weeks at work while I was out of town. I forgot the actual code it was throwing, I think it was an ABS or tranny issue code. When they wrote the error codes, I dont think this was in the list of failure modes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 1 hour ago, Just Jack said: This was my car, after being parked for about two weeks at work while I was out of town. I forgot the actual code it was throwing, I think it was an ABS or tranny issue code. Yow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 2 hours ago, Just Jack said: This was my car, after being parked for about two weeks at work while I was out of town. I forgot the actual code it was throwing, I think it was an ABS or tranny issue code. Well at least your tranny was okay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Just Jack said: This was my car, after being parked for about two weeks at work while I was out of town. I forgot the actual code it was throwing, I think it was an ABS or tranny issue code. Damn Toyotas... Biggest car company in world, everybody loves them... Even the critters! Edited February 2, 2020 by ExiledInIllinois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 (edited) 5 hours ago, Gugny said: I had skunks living under my shed. I soaked tennis balls in ammonia, then (from a distance) rolled them under the shed. Apparently, the ammonia smell makes the skunks think that another animal has been there and "marked its turf." Then they pack up and move the fam to somewhere safer. I'm not sure if something along these lines would deter mice, but I thought I'd throw it out there. Thanks for the safety tip! A shed you can run away from. Driving 65mph (legal of course, I never cheat: @Mike in Horseheads) You got nowhere to go when you hit the windshield wipers! Let me clarify: "Put a little ammonia in your windshield wiper fluid", a co-worker told me. "It will never freeze." I guess I put little too much, I almost gassed myself to death. Put on the squirters and defroster... BOOM! It was like I was driving through Bhopal, India, 1984... /smh Edited February 2, 2020 by ExiledInIllinois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in Horseheads Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 2 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said: Thanks for the safety tip! A shed you can run away from. Driving 65mph (legal of course, I never cheat: @Mike in Horseheads) You got nowhere to go when you hit the windshield wipers! Let me clarify: "Put a little ammonia in your windshield fluid", a co-worker told me. "It will never freeze." I guess I put little too much, I almost gassed myself to death. Put on the squirters and defroster... BOOM! It was like I was driving through Bhopal, India, 1984... /smh Put some bleach AND ammonia in next time and call 911 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cripple Creek Posted February 3, 2020 Share Posted February 3, 2020 On 1/31/2020 at 2:18 PM, GG said: The little critters love my garage, but they love the engine compartments much more. For a second time, they chewed through plug wires and caused serious damage. Dealers suggest putting in dryer sheets under the hood and I see Amazon sells rodent repellents that I may try. Anyone else have good home remedies, other than getting a cat to live under the hood. Whatever you choose make sure it's good, cause, if this mouse shows up your ass is grass. https://videos.metro.co.uk/video/met/2020/01/31/3505218611716798056/960x540_MP4_3505218611716798056.mp4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Your Brown Eye Posted February 3, 2020 Share Posted February 3, 2020 Get yourself one of natures perfect mousetrap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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