yzerman19 Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 90 Loyale 1.8 non-turbo Any tricks on keeping mice out of a car??? I've tried the Irish Spring soap and moth balls 'trick'. They don't work, trust me. I've resorted to screening off the fresh air vents and screening off my heater (foot) vents. I'm getting a little tired of cleaning out my blower of mice nests! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchsub Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 Is the car outside or inside? If its inside then surround the car with mice killer/mice traps. Not exactly sure what to tell ya if its outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 A cat, an owle, snakes (though personally ild take the mice) Where are they getting into Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yzerman19 Posted September 9, 2007 Author Share Posted September 9, 2007 The car sits in the garage most of the time unless I'm working on my F250. Unfortunately I can't use poison. I have chickens wandering around most of the day. They like mice but unfortunately mice are nocturnal. I sure don't want DeCon eggs for breakfast or DeCon chicken Dumplings for dinner. I thought of a cat but my kids would have the thing inside the moment it dipped into the 40's. I've also heard some cats just play with mice. Not all cats 'kill'. We have an Owl prowling around every so often but apparently he/she can only eat so many. (owl pellets are cool. it's the fur and bones they barf up) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 Thats how cats kill mice, by breaking thier necks during play. Are they attacking anything in particular in the car. Make sure there is no food in the car, as they will find it. http://www.hastingsreserve.org/Mammals/MiceInCars.html http://cartalk.com/board/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=311957&page=0&fpart=3&vc=1 SInce you are in the country with chickens and stuff, maybe its time to teach the kids that not all animals are house animals, and have to work to keep things in check? nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yzerman19 Posted September 9, 2007 Author Share Posted September 9, 2007 No food in the car (I'm quite anal about keeping the inside clean). They love the vents/blower blade for nests. While I had the engine out for a engine gasket set job, I tried to find other spots that they were getting in. The cat idea is still possible. However I think the fall/winter would be a bad time to train the kids to keep it outside. Next spring maybe. Hopefully I have all the access points screened off now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 No food in the car (I'm quite anal about keeping the inside clean). They love the vents/blower blade for nests. While I had the engine out for a engine gasket set job, I tried to find other spots that they were getting in. The cat idea is still possible. However I think the fall/winter would be a bad time to train the kids to keep it outside. Next spring maybe. Hopefully I have all the access points screened off now. oddly chicken wire on the vents was my next suggestion. well get three cats, and keep two outside, get the kids a kitten. As long as the cats have a place out of the weather in the barn, and a little box, they will be fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yzerman19 Posted September 9, 2007 Author Share Posted September 9, 2007 I used metal window screen on the heat vents. Chicken wire has too big of holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 I used metal window screen on the heat vents. Chicken wire has too big of holes. Us sity folks have smaller chickens i guess, it has 1/4" spacong, or we have tiny mice. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yzerman19 Posted September 9, 2007 Author Share Posted September 9, 2007 The rule is that if you get fit a dime into a hole, then a mouse can get in the hole too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 When you say "fresh air vents" are you talking of the openings under the wiper cowling? I believe there's 2 openings for air under the cowl, one for fresh air, one for blower intake. Mice can get into that area thru all of the openings in the inner fender and frame rails, then get into the heater system. I've scrapped 2 Subarus, (due to insane amounts of rust), and have found many places mice can get into. The '86 BRAT was a virtual mice condo, found upwards of 2 dozen nests between the inner/outer body panels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 Screen is the only thing I've found that will stop pack rats. I am trying to figure out how to screen the entire engine compartment on my dad's landrover so I can keep the rats from eating the radiator hoses, spark plug wires, and all the other wires. We keep poison in there too (up on top of the engine where the cats can't get to it)... but the rats just eat it and go on living it seems. Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 Take off the plastic cowl at the base of the windshield and put 1/4" mesh wire screen over the two inlets there. That will at leas keep the mice out of the interior, but they may still build in the cowl, and it will reek but be easier to remove the nest. Any holes in the rocker panels provide an expressway into the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonas Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 "I hate those meeces to pieces!". -Mr. Jinks, AKA Jinksy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 "mouse magic" repels mice, made by BONIDE, its a little pouch that has crap in it to drive mice away. Not sure if it works, but i threw a pouch in both my stored cars, gloveboxes. I got mine at a farm home store the ingredients are perppermint oil and spearmint oil. also, you can try those glue traps, put them under the seats of the car. interesting, i bought a car once with the sole reason was it was infested with a mouse. was a 85 BMW 325, with only 72k miles. the lady who owned it got in it and there was the mouse. she donated the car to auction, and i bought it before it got to auction by offering cash. Cleaned the car up, got rid of the nest in the glovebox and the one in the trunk. set some traps. sold the car in 1 week for 1,000 dollar profit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yzerman19 Posted September 9, 2007 Author Share Posted September 9, 2007 I used window screen directly on top of the cowl (no need to take it off). 1/4" screen would still allow those suckers in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 I used window screen directly on top of the cowl (no need to take it off).1/4" screen would still allow those suckers in. That would be nice except for the fact that there are two other enterences into that cowl area, one on each side that go into the space covered by the quarter panels. Subaru welded some expanded metal grids over these holes, but left a moderate sized gap. The mice run in through this gap. 1/4" mesh is plenty to stop mice. I'm talking about the heavy wire, welded mesh, not window screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yzerman19 Posted September 9, 2007 Author Share Posted September 9, 2007 So you're saying that I have my cowl (bottom of the windshield/under hood) covered, and yet there is another spot to screen over? When I had the engine out last month I didn't see anywhere else in the engine compartment they could get in. I'm going to try some of that "mouse magic". I've read they don't like peppermint/spearmint. Wife is going to plant a punch around the house next spring. I've also read that they don't like Irish Spring soap or moth balls but that obviously isn't true. http://www.gardeners.com/Mouse-Repellent/default/StandardCatalog.YardPests_Rodents.35-271.cpd?SC=XNET8035 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chef_tim Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 Funny time to read this thread:rolleyes: . I just got done pulling the back seat out of our 06 WRX 'cause my wife smelled "something dead" in the car. Sure enough, there was a little nest in there. I've had a couple of times were I've pulled nests from on top of the A/C compressor too. I sprinked some Arm & Hammer carpet deoderizer under the seat in hopes of getting rid of the smell. Later, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c264/TomRhere/P81500033.jpg Here's a shot of an '86 Sedans cowl area. Look past the nest in the fresh air intake to the far end of the cowl area. See those holes in the sidewall? That's where mice get in.... Those holes are open to the engine compartment, inner fender area. Just screening the cowl won't stop them..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yzerman19 Posted September 10, 2007 Author Share Posted September 10, 2007 I'll take another look at my 90 soon, thanks. I gotta get going on my F250 oil pan job before winter sets in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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