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I've just had my car recovered by the RAC because the fuel line had been nibbled through by mice! I was driving along when the fuel gauge started going down before my eyes and then the car came to a stop! A few of the pipes in the engine compartment showed signs of nibbling! Bizaqrre - never imagined that would be a problem.
So - any ideas what to do? Get a cat? Put mouse traps under the bonnet? More realistically, some sort of poison?
I had visions of a mouse going full Basil Fawlty with a twig, I'm disappointed.
Borrow WCA’s rodent despatcher?
Mouse traps and peppermint spray
Sonic deterrent and baited boxes, they usually go for the wiring as its got fish oil in it apparently
I've had mice nibble my hydraulic brake hoses on my MTB to get at the mineral oil. Can only suggest setting traps.
Grandad had this on a skoda. They chewed through the rad hose and it overheated.
Luckily he never drove more than 3 miles from the house.
Does your car have a cat.alytic convertor?
Yep. Having the same thing. First on a two month old company car then on a 20yr old car owned from almost new. Both issues in last year. Parked at home within 20m of bird feeders and right next to an apple tree. Seems obvious why in retrospect, but anyhoo. I stopped parking them there and now make sure any windfall apples are cleared away and I'm more diligent with the feeders. I had to resort to poison sachets in the engine bay; I can'tell declare war on the local mouse population but I can teach the little bastards who munch on my motors a lesson. Theory is the bait pouches are more attractive to them than hoses and wiring looms. The first episode cost £1300 as obviously "not under warranty". Little sods.
Fiat Topolino?
Another theory is that plastics and rubber are not made so much from mineral oil derivatives as soya and other plant based oils. A modern hot car must smell like a burger king to a mouse.
We had mice chew the wiring in a excavator at work a few years ago iirc it cost several thousand pounds to put it right as they also did damage to several circuit boards.
Car wiring insulation is often plant-based these days (seriously, I kid you not) using soy, etc to make recycling simpler. Too slow!
Owl
Grate parmesan over next door's car.
BIL had this on his Range Rover and it screwed the electrics.
Insurance paid for a new loom to be fitted by a dealer and the result was pretty dreadful.
He sold the car shortly afterwards.
A friend’s van was disabled by foxes chewing up the wiring loom
many moons ago a friend had really old triumph herald - as in almost a prototype - one of the first registered. I was driving past a scrap yard one day and saw what looked like an identical model perched on top of the pile. Gave him a call to let him know as it would be worth harvesting it for spares - turned out it was his car - he’d lost a battle with mice - not just the damage they were doing but they were able to hide away in it somewhere in voids in the bodywork so as fast as he made repairs they were destroying it.
Oh a similar vein I'm having trouble with a squirrel eating through paracord I've tied a tarp on my wood stack with. It also ate two holes in the tarp. I'm thinking air rifle currently.
Learn to play the pipe.
Get a cat?
Make a second decoy car out of cheese.
Chilli pepper tape?
You just need to become the alpha mouse op.
There is a rodent deterrent spray available which you spray all over hoses and wiring under the bonnet. It leaves a slightly sticky coating, but doesn't harm them. Not sure where I got it but it's lasted several years without problems. I respray every winter as that's when the little buggers move into my garage.
The time I left the windows open and didn't use the car for three months is another story, they moved in and made nests everywhere, using the insulation and seat inners to keep warm!