Engine Compartment Rodent Control

qslim

qslim

The Man with the Big Yellow Car
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For logistical reason's I'm going to have to keep an old car outside this winter to free up garage space for various TJ and other projects. I have a nice car cover but I'm concerned with mice finding their way into the engine compartment and then into the vehicle itself. I've been lucky enough up until now to never have to have kept a car stored outside, does anyone have any proven tricks to keep them from making themselves at home over the winter?
 
guy at work stores a lot of his cars and swears to me that dryer sheets work to keep them out, says they are to strong a scent for them to tolerate. never tried it myself.
 
someguysjeep said:
guy at work stores a lot of his cars and swears to me that dryer sheets work to keep them out, says they are to strong a scent for them to tolerate. never tried it myself.
Click to expand...

I’ve heard that too but have never tried it myself.
 
qslim said:
For logistical reason's I'm going to have to keep an old car outside this winter to free up garage space for various TJ and other projects. I have a nice car cover but I'm concerned with mice finding their way into the engine compartment and then into the vehicle itself. I've been lucky enough up until now to never have to have kept a car stored outside, does anyone have any proven tricks to keep them from making themselves at home over the winter?
Click to expand...
We’re RVers & volunteer in Texas State Parks where this has been a problem for some. I have some rodent countermeasures that have worked for me. Go to a Tractor Supply store & but two products. One is Repelz-All which is granules that come in a jug. Sprinkle this on the ground where your vehicle will be parked. It smells like fresh dug dirt. Reapply it every few weeks. The other product is Fresh Cab which is a potpourri-like product that repels rodents. It is in little bags that you can zip tie under the hood. We put “Just One Bite” rat & mouse poison in the basement storage if our 5th wheel. They will eat it, but they won’t die until they go outside & drink water. That way you won’t have smelly little corpses inside your vehicles. It’s not available anywhere except Anazon that Im aware of. We haven’t actually had any critters in our trailer, just doing everything we can.
Ive never tried this, but I hear that essential oils such as peppermint oil do a good job as well.
Good luck!
 
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Mudflat said:
We’re RVers & volunteer in Texas State Parks where this has been a problem for some. I have some rodent countermeasures that have worked for me. Go to a Tractor Supply store & but two products. One is Repelz-All which is granules that come in a jug. Sprinkle this on the ground where your vehicle will be parked. It smells like fresh dug dirt. Reapply it every few weeks. The other product is Fresh Cab which is a potpourri-like product that repels rodents. It is in little bags that you can zip tie under the hood. We put “Just One Bite” rat & mouse poison in the basement storage if our 5th wheel. They will eat it, but they won’t die until they go outside & drink water. That way you won’t have smelly little corpses inside your vehicles. It’s not available anywhere except Anazon that Im aware of. We haven’t actually had any critters in our trailer, just doing everything we can.
Ive never tried this, but I hear that essential oils such as peppermint oil do a good job as well.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
qslim said:
For logistical reason's I'm going to have to keep an old car outside this winter to free up garage space for various TJ and other projects. I have a nice car cover but I'm concerned with mice finding their way into the engine compartment and then into the vehicle itself. I've been lucky enough up until now to never have to have kept a car stored outside, does anyone have any proven tricks to keep them from making themselves at home over the winter?
Click to expand...
 
We have used Irish Spring soap bars in our camper for years and have had great luck with it. Shave slivers off of it with a potato peeler and put in a small container of your choice with no lid, like a plastic butter container and place around a few places.
 
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I've used dryer sheets for several years, and no animal problem. Lately, I have been using moth balls in out camper. I dill 1/2" hole in a plastic coffee mug, and place the moth balls in the mug. In the spring, I place the mug in a zip lock bag.
 
someguysjeep said:
guy at work stores a lot of his cars and swears to me that dryer sheets work to keep them out, says they are to strong a scent for them to tolerate. never tried it myself.
Click to expand...

I've been doing this for years and have never had a problem. I staple about a half an inch (thick) of dryer sheets together and put them in a dozen or so locations (under the hood, on the floor, on the seats, in the glove box, centre console, etc.) of any car or trailer that I store. I also put a few mouse traps with peanut butter on them usually on the floor. If a mouse does get in it will no doubt go for it. I have never caught one.

Lights and sounds are also good. I thought of installing a continuous recording of some Celine Dion songs. That would drive anything away. 😊
 
If snow or a cover weren't a problem, I'd say just leave your hood open. I have a buddy who lives off grid in AZ and it works for him. Real rodent problem out there where he's at. A neighbor left his Airstream unoccupied for two weeks and came back to a near worthless Airstream.
 
Good grief you guys are scarring me.

thank you for the ideas. The new neighbors put out squirrel feeders (Aka bird feeders) Last summer.

Half way thru the winter I realized my air box had become their cache. We’ve found dog bones under the batteries.

inwill definitely put some of these tips to use.
 
Have had three cars chewed by rats in the last two years and it was a PITA to patch up what the damage. I tried the hanging the little repellent sacks under the hood and the rats ended up eating it. I tried many other non-lethal means with no luck. I then tried a snap-trap and that didn't work as well. Finally, I put out an electric trap and bingo! That dude was huge and only halfway fit into the trap. Good luck!
 
1J4FY said:
Have had three cars chewed by rats in the last two years and it was a PITA to patch up what the damage. I tried the hanging the little repellent sacks under the hood and the rats ended up eating it. I tried many other non-lethal means with no luck. I then tried a snap-trap and that didn't work as well. Finally, I put out an electric trap and bingo! That dude was huge and only halfway fit into the trap. Good luck!
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Sad story. I actually know the guy that invented the electric rat trap. He never made much money off it because of Chinese knock offs. He managed to get a few removed from the market for patent violations but ten more counterfeiters would pop up in their place. By the time his patent ran out the market was flooded with knock offs. Years of work and sweat flushed down the shitter.
 
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1J4FY said:
Have had three cars chewed by rats in the last two years and it was a PITA to patch up what the damage. I tried the hanging the little repellent sacks under the hood and the rats ended up eating it. I tried many other non-lethal means with no luck. I then tried a snap-trap and that didn't work as well. Finally, I put out an electric trap and bingo! That dude was huge and only halfway fit into the trap. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Yeah. The instructions on the Fresh Cab Tell you to change it out every month or so because they will actually eat it when they become ravenous. It loses its potency in 3 or 4 weeks.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions, I'll give em a whirl. Hopefully my '77 doesn't have that new EPA-blessed wire insulation that critters love to eat so much.
 
qslim said:
Thanks for all the suggestions, I'll give em a whirl. Hopefully my '77 doesn't have that new EPA-blessed wire insulation that critters love to eat so much.
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The wire was just the appetizer ... the underhood insulation was the main dish! Those suckers chewed that all up and used it for their nest. Grrr!
 
+1 on the dryer sheets. I just put them in key areas with a twist tie for easy replacement.

Little jerks were eating the vacuum elbows off my TJ's engine. I was told that some of the synthetic rubber compounds use corn products in their manufacture, so they smell like food to the mice/rats!

We're trying the Fresh cab stuff, but I just put them out, so no word yet.
 
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