Mice problems with vehicles

[likembikem]

Wife has a 2014 Jeep that we have seen signs of mice and keep traps around it and under the hood. We'll catch a few then months go by no problem then it starts again. My Ford pickup, 2006 sits next to it and never has a problem. We even switched parking places and they still go to hers. We eat and leave stuff in the truck. Her Jeep never gets eaten in and never is anything left in it. My four motorcycles in the garage have no mice problems, 2001 is the newest. A friend of mine stopped by yesterday I haven't seen in a couple of years. He has several motorcycles. A Harley, Honda, Yamaha and a Moto Guzzi (fairly new). All in the same garage. The mice ate the wiring and fuel injector plastics, coil and more on the Moto Guzzi. He looked into this more and found out there is a problem with newer vehicles using 'Soy Based Wiring' as a green alternative to petrolem based wiring insulation. I googled that and there is page after page of stories and lawsuits with using the sorry 'green' stuff. Seems as though it attracts the critters. Honda even makes a hot pepper electrical tape wrap for this. Comments from some of these sites have horror stories of major electrical problems one after another; on new vehicles. Several class action law suits were tossed out by some judge. So that is something I found out in the last 24hrs! Thought some might find interesting.

 

[Radioguylogs]

Very interesting! Thanks for passing it along.

 

[Fire-medic]

I've read that moth balls are a deterrent. Maybe in a mesh bag, somewhere under the seat, zip-tied to the more-tasty parts of the wire harness.

 

[likembikem]

Yea me too. These were mostly in the engine compartment. We got them with traps and sticky pads. Some chewing but no damage (yet). There are sprays that help they say and I am going to get that. But I think most newer vehicles can have this problem. Keep Rats, Mice, and Squirrels Out Of Your Car - How To Prevent Rats From Eating Car Wires Good tips here and some interesting comments in that section too.

 

[user 16790]

we had some mice eat through an un-reachable wire in our car so had to take it to a garage to get fixed, it cost us £275,
now we have made sure no edible attractions bring them close, we had plum trees growing in our hedge and since removing them we've had no troubles...............yet !

 

[wacokid]

Peppermint oil. 30/70 with water, spray liberally once a month. Smells good too

Degrease and pressure wash The engine bay thoroughly to remove urine and poo. Same thing on her 17 4Runner. Interesting part is they left my ‘17 Taco alone.

 

[redneksoldier]

I had the same issue with my 2011 ram 2500. I kept trapping them but they kept coming back. The mice had actually built a nest in the truck. I tore the entire interior apart to find it. I mean, I removed seats, carpet, dash, HVAC system, everything! I finally found the nest between the headliner and metal roof skin. While I had it apart, I washed EVERYTHING (to get rid of the smell) and sprayed all hidden surfaces with mint oil. They have not returned since and that was several years ago. I have read that mice "mark" areas with a scent like a cat or dog would that is a signal to other mice that it is a safe space or nesting area, or feeding area. The washing gets rid of the scent and the mint oil is a good deterrent. I have sprayed my other vehicles with the mint oil under the hood, around the suspension pars and under the body and have not had any further issues. You may be able to forego the disassembly and washing and just try the mint oil as a deterrent. Good luck!

The funny part was how I discovered that there had been mice in my truck for the first time. It was summer here in Oklahoma with the temp around 100 and 80-90% humidity which means it was around 1000° in the truck. I hopped in and fired it up, rolled down the windows and kicked the AC on max. Instantly, it was like a confetti celebration in the cab. The mice had found my wife's emergency stash of TP that she kept under the back seat and shredded it up inside the HVAC system.

 

[Parminio]

Only once did we have a mice problem outside with our vehicles.

I carpet bombed the with these over the weekend:



I didn't use the trap. I just put the blocks all around the engine compartment and around the wheel wells and bumpers.

I've not seen a mouse since and that was a couple years ago.

 

[ouchez]

Only once did we have a mice problem outside with our vehicles.

I carpet bombed the with these over the weekend:

View attachment 73723

I didn't use the trap. I just put the blocks all around the engine compartment and around the wheel wells and bumpers.

I've not seen a mouse since and that was a couple years ago.

I used this too,,REALLy good!

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

Being high desert here, rabbits and mice love getting into vehicles. Now, what I have heard....and whether this is true or not is up to you to believe.....what I was told is the reason rodents like chewing on wires with electricity going through them is that it induces a pleasure reaction of chemicals in their brains. Now.....whether its true or not....up to you. I have no evidence one way or the other on it.

My personal experience with them on why some vehicles are more susceptible than others is accessibility and the ability to make a nest safely. Like my truck for example....2004 Chevrolet 2500. All trucks of this era, 1999.5 to 2007.5 trucks(AKA the GMT800s), mice and rats especially love getting under the fuse and relay center on the left side of the engine bay and obliterating the wiring under there. I know....thats how I got my 2004 truck. Guy had it sitting for 18 months after it developed a misfire. When he got it started after that, had no throttle response, no 4WD, and a plethora of other electrical quirks. Under the fuse box, over 50 wires were chewed. Some just barely nicked, others frayed, some snipped in multiple places where you had no idea where they went. After the guy sold me the truck, it took me 8 actual hours and well over 100 waterproof butt connectors to get the truck wiring whole again. Then replacing numerous shorted components in the throttle actuation system. Now that its been a year since I have put the truck together....I have had no rodent issues. I dont protect against them. So I have no explanation to why that is.

Dealing with them with customer vehicles, I have seen people use potpourri, moth balls, electronic deterrents, fox urine and more home made remedies than you can shake a stick at. I have seen all not even faze rodents. I have protected wire looms with electrical tape, sticky tape, felt tape even metal duct tape and if they are determined, they will chew through. I had one vehicle, it was a Chevrolet Spark...the lower radiator temperature sensor wiring was chewed through 6 times in 4 months. Finally we ended up getting a 5/16 transmission line and putting the wiring in there and then building a brace system so the tubing didnt sag the line. That is what finally cured that chewing.

Rodents are relentless little bastards. I can make good money off them. Even get vehicles customers dont want to invest money in because of them. But they wreak havoc so bad. And I cant say if one vehicle is better over another. I seen and repaired vehicles from all makes and all models. The only thing I have been able to suggest to keep the mice population down is cats. Outside only cats. It is not a solution for all, but where I live, it seems like its a viable option cause some folks actually have acreage.

 

[02GF74]

what I was told is the reason rodents like chewing on wires with electricity going through them is that it induces a pleasure reaction of chemicals in their brains. Now.....whether its true or not....up to you. I have no evidence one way or the other on it.

I'm not convinced there is any truth in that, it would need two dissimilar metals to produce a reaction, wiring is always copper. Plus I'm not sure they are that clever to figure out there is a "treat" inside wires.

Either there is something in the plastic that attracts them to chew. Note that wiring is small enough for them to get their mouths round, it's hidden away and it lies usually in areas where everything else is metal and they ain't gonna chew steel.

The theory I'm going for is that plastic is soft and contains chemical compounds that make it appealing when there is no other food about. I've had mice in the kitchen chew through a plastic lid on a peanut butter jar, a ribena bottle top and most annoyingly a plastic top on a baileys limited edition liqueur.

I don't kill them but use a humane trap, one of them even chewed its way out of that!!!

You may ask wtf is my cat doing, I ask that too but to be fair, this all happened inside cupboards.

As for a solution try cat piss or human piss.

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

I'm not convinced there is any truth in that, it would need two dissimilar metals to produce a reaction, wiring is always copper. Plus I'm not sure they are that clever to figure out there is a "treat" inside wires.

A vehicle is full of dissimilar metals. Iron, aluminum, magnesium. Their feet would definitely be contacting one of these. Not all the time....but most of the time. Wouldnt you agree? And bear in mind....I dont believe this as gospel. I am relaying what I have been told over the years of battling these chewy lil bastards.

 

[Parminio]

it would need two dissimilar metals to produce a reaction, wiring is always copper.

Wrong.

Copper is the most common, but about as common these days is aluminum. Iron, brass, bronze, zinc are used commonly as well.

I can pop the hood on my Volvo and you'll see aluminum wire ends all over the place.

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

Wrong.

Copper is the most common, but about as common these days is aluminum. Iron, brass, bronze, zinc are used commonly as well.

I can pop the hood on my Volvo and you'll see aluminum wire ends all over the place.

Gold terminal ends as well on alot of newer vehicles too.

 

[Parminio]

Gold terminal ends as well on alot of newer vehicles too.

Maybe on a Ferrari, but not under the hood of any Volvo. LOL!

You get that on just the connectors on air bags on average cars and that's about it.

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

Actually, no. That isnt a high line vehicle option anymore. Cheap manufacturers like VW, Chevrolet, and Ford all use gold terminal ends. Resists corrosion and keeps better contact that aluminum or copper. For problematic connections even with gold connectors, there is a chemical called Stabilant 22 that makes better connections. Its a one time use. You dab the terminals, put the connector together. If you take the connector apart, you need to reapply the Stabilant 22. But if you want to see gold terminal ends on typical everyday vehicles, the easiest place to see these will be in the Mass Air Flow sensor connector. Usually at least one pin will be gold. That will be the signal one. Voltage and ground terminals are still typically aluminum or copper.

 

[Fire-medic]

(above) You can learn something every-day.

 

[Parminio]

Actually, no. That isnt a high line vehicle option anymore. Cheap manufacturers like VW, Chevrolet, and Ford all use gold terminal ends.

Never seen a single one under the hood.

Ever.

 

[lastwhiteman]

I worked for a guy that had a Corvette collection. He would drive different ones in to work in nice weather. One day as I was leaving I saw him in the parking lot with the hood open on his '60 something Vette and had a length of 2x4 and was stabbing at something. I went over and he had a groundhog in the motor compartment that had been munching on his wiring. It was growling and he was cussing and trying to get a good hit on it. Damn funny at the moment .