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Mice get into the heater ducts, into the glove box, into the air cleaner, There are ground hog/woodchecks that reach up from the ground anywhere under the vehicle and chew on wires & hoses.
I've had damage to every car that has been setting out. Over time 5 different vehicles have had damage, some several times. I tend to blame the chewing on the woodchuck cus I've chased them out of the driveway and seen them run under and up into the innards of a vehicle. Poked a stick at him and he left one car and went up in the other. Chased him around with my stick for 20 minutes before he finally ran into the woods.
I don't want a dog or cat to take care of. I like the birds, rabbits & ground squirrels. I don't want to use poisons that would harm other animals. I got some animal repellent in a spray bottle and spray it around under the hood and under the car if I have to do any work there. I've not been using the spray long enough to know if it works. It might work but I'm sure it will need repeated application. I have put a bag of mothballs under the hood and through some inside and under my truck when I'm not going to use it for a while. I am able to do the repairs so it has not cost me much but it takes time and is inconvenient.
Get A Pet cat they tend to have no problems taking out rodents in their territory then leaving the dad mouse, rat or bird on your living room couch as a gift.
My 2015 Grand Cherokee spent every night in our garage, while my husband's F250 and old Econoline pickup are in the driveway. I noticed a bit of insulation on the garage floor, then more. Much hassle and cost later, I finally had to give in to poison. One dead rat and an estimate of $4K to repair. It had eaten insulation off the main wiring harness in an inaccessible place, though no short yet. Mechanic said not if, but when. Then a vacuum leak made itself known: another little gift.
My 2015 Grand Cherokee spent every night in our garage, while my husband's F250 and old Econoline pickup are in the driveway. I noticed a bit of insulation on the garage floor, then more. Much hassle and cost later, I finally had to give in to poison. One dead rat and an estimate of $4K to repair. It had eaten insulation off the main wiring harness in an inaccessible place, though no short yet. Mechanic said not if, but when. Then a vacuum leak made itself known: another little gift.
I now drive an Explorer.
Sometimes where there has been limited insulation damage but no shorts or cut wires I have used a product called Liquid Tape to reinsulate the wires. I just brush it on. Sometimes a 2nd coat after it dries. If there is access I might wrap some electrical tape around the repair.
Ultrasonic pest repeller. I have a few in the garage, and no rodents go in there, yet in my car that's parked outside, I get mice under the hood, but no chewed wires, up to now. (It's far too oily for anything to want to chew anything).
Guys think about it; rodents have been a plague upon man since the beginning of time. If there was any such repellant that actually worked and continued doing so for long term pretty sure the rat/mouse problem would have been over hundreds of years ago.
As it relates to automobiles best thing one can do is park where there aren't many or any rodents if outdoors. Indoors as in a garage or whatever you need to keep the place rodent free. This involves not only cleaning up the area, but rodent proofing the structure as well.
Far too many garages are packed full of junk and or used as extra storage for everything from pet food to gardening supplies (bags of mulch, soil, etc....). All of which provide excellent conditions to attract and harbor nesting rodents.
Rodents basically will eat anything that doesn't kill them. By nature they can't regurgitate so anything consumed which makes them feel ill will be avoided in future (providing a rodent survives).
Rats and mice like safe, secure and undistributed places to nest and or even chow down when they've found food. Many drivers failing to get their engines to turn over when starting pop open the bonnet only to find evidence of a rodent's feast (chicken/meat bones and other leftovers).
In cooler times of year that nice warm motor of a just driven ride is a nice cozy spot for rodents.
Live in NYC (rat capital of USA it seems), and at night even in so called "good" areas you can see rats climbing up into under carriages of vehicles parked on street. So much so many locals know where they shouldn't (or won't) park due to past rodent damage.
Put aluminum flashing around your car. My daughter lives in a rural area and I thought she lost her mind when she did this but, seriously, it worked. Mice stayed away from her car. Here is the link ... She did the small flashing around the car at the bottom of the article.
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