What wire mesh to p...
 

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[Closed] What wire mesh to protect my engine parts from mice?

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Bloody mice chewed through two turbo sensor pipes in my Passat. Result? A bill for £85. Now they've done it again on the repaired pipes.

I killed one mouse under the bonnet yesterday with a spring trap but I want to wrap these pipes in wire mesh. You can buy SS mesh on Amazon but it won't roll tightly round the pipes or accommodate their shape.

What about copper mesh? Anyone tried it?


 
Posted : 03/11/2020 10:02 pm
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Seal the car in a polyethylene bag. Run engine for 30 mins. Gas the little ****ers.


 
Posted : 03/11/2020 10:07 pm
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This looks alright:

https://www.hypex.co.uk/Techflex-Sleeving-and-Heatshrink/Heavy-Duty-Sleeving/Flexo-Rodent-Resistant-RRN/

There seems to be absolutely tons of this kind of stuff on the internet.

Although the deterrent idea (peppermint oil is mentioned) would be better if it works because if you wrap one bit of pipe they'll just move on to another - or maybe some wiring.

How about poisoning some peanut butter or something they'll prefer to rubber?


 
Posted : 03/11/2020 10:23 pm
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An engineering solution on the Vauxhall Vivaro was to wrap the bulb fuel pump in a fancy tin foil. So you could try wrapping them in tin foil. There is an additive in the rubber that attracts some animals. The Vivaro issue was found in Germany in an area that had a lot pine martens.


 
Posted : 03/11/2020 10:24 pm
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Thanks. I think it will have to be copper, which will scrunch and pack around the pipes. Until I can get some I'll use foil from a pie dish.


 
Posted : 03/11/2020 10:32 pm
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I think it was something like this that we used.

https://www.vikingtapes.co.uk/collections/aluminium-foil-tapes


 
Posted : 03/11/2020 10:42 pm
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Use poison, stop mucking about with traps


 
Posted : 03/11/2020 11:08 pm
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Yup, poison is the answer.

I put some out in the garage, they must of liked it because the ate a hole right through the box to get some more.


 
Posted : 03/11/2020 11:16 pm
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It must be a diesel Passat. Petrol ones have an inbuilt cat.


 
Posted : 04/11/2020 12:01 am
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Poison will sort the problem. Until new ones move in.

Wrap the pipes, remove the source and they'll find something else.


 
Posted : 04/11/2020 12:17 am
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Park outside like everyone else does.

How many separate mouse threads do you need?


 
Posted : 04/11/2020 12:43 am
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Mice are small, making them hard to keep out with mesh. But cats are large, making them easier to keep in. Sorted.


 
Posted : 04/11/2020 2:47 am
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I've put two bait stations and three traps under the bonnet.


 
Posted : 04/11/2020 3:56 am
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I've never come across this. Though back in my civil engineer days we had a huge problem in Northumberland Water Authority sewage works with rats eating plastic pipework valves and penstocks. We had to go back to good old fashioned expensive iron.


 
Posted : 04/11/2020 11:47 am
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SWA cable. Pull out one of the cores them push your vacuum hose through the gap
You will habe some on your building site


 
Posted : 04/11/2020 1:11 pm
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One of these 😀
cat


 
Posted : 04/11/2020 1:24 pm
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Or flexible conduit


 
Posted : 04/11/2020 1:42 pm
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Just wrap the hoses in anti-rodent tape:

Tape

No idea if it works. The reason they like the cables and hoses is that they are extruded using a vegetable (Soya?) based lubricant*.

*According to the internet


 
Posted : 04/11/2020 1:48 pm
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Scattering round poison outside will potentially lead to the deaths of other animals that come across a nice juicy recently deceased mouse. Traps are the way to go but put them in a box to prevent hedgehogs etc getting stuck in them.


 
Posted : 04/11/2020 1:51 pm

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