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Two things to try. I am not familiar with anything under the hood of a car, but if there are a few ledges or cubbyholes you can access, try spreading mothballs and hot chili pepper spice. Most animals hate the smell and they won't stick around.
You can get them both at a dollar store. You'll just have to keep applying them when they dissolve, lose their scent, or fall out from the vibrations of the motor.
One more thing: don't leave any food, empty food bags or containers inside the car. That's just asking for trouble.
Well, just went out this morning to see if there was any more damage. There was, even more wires chewed up. Plus a nest of sticks, leaves and twigs. Some of the sticks were about 1" in diameter, so I doubt this is a mouse nest. Whatever it is, is big enough to haul large sticks up into the car. I'm an animal lover but that is kind of creepy.
Thankfully, found out this is covered under my insurance policy. Going to clear the garage out today to make room for the car once it is fixed. Thanks to all for the suggestions!
One more thing: don't leave any food, empty food bags or containers inside the car. That's just asking for trouble.
Don't leave candy bars either. Last year my wife was surprised when she got in her Jeep and a rat jumped out of the center console, it had been snacking on a candy bar she had left there.
Rats, mice and squirrels will chew wires, squirrels are responsible for some 20% of municipal power outages.
On a number of occasions I've found nests in passenger and engine compartments, air-filter boxes full of acorns, etc.
I've heard that scented dryer sheets will keep them away, but I don't know if it's true or not.
Check your air filter also. Several times found the housing filled with dry dog food, cotton, bedding material as the mice had turned it in to their nest.
Check your air filter also. Several times found the housing filled with dry dog food, cotton, bedding material as the mice had turned it in to their nest.
In my case they were getting under the engine cover, there's foam insulation on the underside of it that must have been keeping them warm. If it weren't for the noise of the high pressure fuel pump I'd take that thing off and leave it off.
A while back I spent sixteen hundred dollars to replace wiring in a car that I hadn't driven in a week or so. There was a pack rat nest under the hood. I've always had pack rats here, but the worst that had ever happened before was a chewed garden hose.
There's an easy and safe solution. Tape a packet of moth balls under the hood and put some in the trunk as well. They last a couple of months in my climate and they will keep out rodents as the little invaders detest the smell. There will be a scent of moth balls in a car, but it's worth it.
Pack rats are cute and silly but oh, so destructive. Moth balls won't hurt them, but they will keep them out of your car or truck.
It's mice. Cayenne Pepper is the only thing I've found that works.
Sorry, but I disagree.
If OP has something or things dragging good sized sticks/twigs and so forth under in hood to build a nest it is larger than mice. Most certainly something from the rat family or of similar size.
Given their size just one or two rats can do far more damage than even a group of mice.
For us it was a ground hog or woodchuck. I may have had damage from squirrels too. I've had damage on 3 vehicles. The longer they sit unused the more likely the damage. With three vehicles for 2 people the truck is not often used.
I startled the woodchuck in my driveway and he ran right up into the engine compartment of my truck. I popped the hood and poked at him with a stick and he ran out, not to the woods but up into my car parked beside. I poked at him under the car. He kept moving to another spot. It took 20 minutes of poking before he left.
I've seen some mouse or squirrel nesting debris under the hood of my truck so the ground hog is not the only critter that's been there, but he's been sited at the scene of the crime. After a ground hog was killed on the road, we've not had any more damage for a while. I've done all the repairs myself. Some of it is functional but not pretty.
I detest groundhogs but have never heard of them crawling into a car or truck engine compartment. I trap them out of my yard and release them a couple of miles away. I should turn my dog lose on them so he gets some fun and exercise out of it. He goes apeshot when he finds them in the trap as is. I live in a suburban neighborhood and would hit them with #7 shot if I could but gotta go with traps for now.
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