Mice living under bonnet

Tzardine

Have just collected my car from the garage after being serviced.

Mechanic told me that there is a nest of mice living under the bonnet. Feckers have chewed through wiring, pipes and insulation.

Anybody experienced this before? Any suggestions or how to get rid of them, or companies that do it.

Car is only 2 years old.

vicwatson

Did he not clear the nest out?

Tzardine

No. Can't say I blame him. I am sure he can do without mice running around the garage.

Rows Grower

It's a wonder he let you drive it out of the garage, could be very dangerous.

Contact your insurance company and they will send out an assessor, wouldn't be surprised if the car is written off.

Tzardine

No worries about it being written off. Damage not to that level, but probably a few quid all the same.

He suggested to have a pest company clear the mice and bring it back to him for a full assessment

vicwatson

Where exactly in the engine are they that he was able to service it without moving them? Mice are not a protected species, clear them out yourself

Tzardine

vicwatson wrote: »

Where exactly in the engine are they that he was able to service it without moving them? Mice are not a protected species, clear them out yourself

They are between the bonnet and sound proofing material

Rows Grower

Tzardine wrote: »

No worries about it being written off. Damage not to that level, but probably a few quid all the same.

He suggested to have a pest company clear the mice and bring it back to him for a full assessment

Sounds like a top man at his job, shur what could possibly go wrong?

dar_cool

Little feckers are under bonnet of my car aswell, I sercived it last week and they were under the plastic cover, cleared it out and checked it a week later and they had started building again. We live in countryside with plenty of fields around us

Kristopherus

Tzardine wrote: »

They are between the bonnet and sound proofing material

Let the cat have a look at them.

Tzardine

Kristopherus wrote: »

Let the cat have a look at them.

I have 3 cats and two dogs. I need to have words with the lot of them when I get home. Useless they are.

uncle_sam_ie

Had that problem before. This fixed it, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sheny-Repeller-Repellent-Ultrasonic-Control/dp/B07L8BRCXG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1550080721&sr=8-3&keywords=mice+repellent+ultrasonic+for+cars

Rows Grower

dar_cool wrote: »

Little feckers are under bonnet of my car aswell, I sercived it last week and they were under the plastic cover, cleared it out and checked it a week later and they had started building again. We live in countryside with plenty of fields around us

They're attracted by the heat.

bear1

Call ub40?

Wibbs

Rows Grower wrote: »

They're attracted by the heat.

Yep and shelter. I had a squirrel take up residence under my bonnet last week. Little barsteward used the cap of my window washer bottle to sharpen his teeth. I reckon he's buggered off now. Hopefully. I have one advantage in driving an old car though, my wire coverings and other plastics are old style, but most cars since around 2010 are using soy based compounds in wiring and other plastics -cos its greener apparently. Cheaper more like - and that shit is like catnip to rodents. There's a fair few reports online about the problem with newer cars and some people's cars being destroyed to the tune of many thousands overnight by the little rat bastids.

Rows Grower

A relative of mine had their car written off by an assessor, luckily it was insured fully comp.

Wibbs

Rows Grower wrote: »

A relative of mine had their car written off by an assessor,

When I first read that RG I imagined an assessor being found in the engine bay nibbling the wires.

Tzardine

So I just had a pest control guy out. No mice nest in the engine bay as suspected but plenty of gnawed plastic and foam pieces, they looks to be cosmetic bits thankfully with the exception of my windscreen washer pipe. Pest guy says it is 100% a rat. Wiring seems to have been spared, although won't know for sure until fully inspected.

Have put a traps under the car and a few around the outside of the house.

DBB

Rows Grower wrote: »

A relative of mine had their car written off by an assessor, luckily it was insured fully comp.

Yep, same happened a friend of mine. Her car was only a couple of years old, and the damage done was gobsmacking.
At the same time as her car was being written off, we discovered rat damage in our own car. Some of the interior plastic had been chawed, and soft furnishings made into nests. Luckily, no other damage. We baited the interior of the car with several rat traps and got her... I'd suggest you get mouse/rat (delete as appropriate) traps and several of them into the car op... The mice will come looking for the grub.
Apparently, some car brands are more likely to attract rats and mice, simply because the routes into them are easier. Toyota and Hyundai are two of them (my friend's written-off car was a Tuscon, mine was a Corolla).
Didn't know that about the soya wiring covers Wibbs!
It's also thought that if you park in a different spot regularly at home, they won't find their way back to it via scent trails.
More likely to take up residence during cold and/or wet spells.

Wibbs

I thought rat myself, but on one flat area of my engine bay where the ABS box of magic would fit in one with it I found a heap of various tree seeds, like two full fag packets worth, then later in the day I see the squirrel doing a runner from my car. A grey, not a red. I'd not begrudge a red so much. Apparently in winter squirrels have a den and a seed cache they sometimes stay in. It happened once before a few years back, but no damage that time. I would have my bonnet up checking oils and fluids once a week and drive the car daily.

Thankfully here's the only damage I found after having a dig around.



Good idea re laying down the traps under the car. Dunno if a rat trap would be instant enough dealing with a squirrel? I read online that people used pepper spray and the like around the engine bay. Americans mostly, as it seems to be a problem for some of them over there. I sprayed some smelly anti rust wax about the place, which hopefully will irritate him/them. No seeds left since.

Wibbs

DBB wrote: »

Didn't know that about the soya wiring covers Wibbs!

Yep DBB, the interwebs are full of the problem. here's one page from the states about it, including where to put traps and other options. Seems there are a load of class action suits going through US courts over it. Some of the stories online I read of many thousands of quid worth of damage and cars written off, some literally overnight too. One woman noted her new Toyota was being chewed to feck on the regular, but her old MR2 had no damage. No soy byproducts in the old car.

okatied

My mother's Toyota Auris got savaged by rats and was written off. They trapped 4 rats in the car over the space of 2 weeks. My parents live on a farm.

porsche boy

Tend to see it a bit, a lot of the stuff I work on would be in stud farms or around country settings.
There is a high pitched yoke you can get on EBay that is supposed to work but really some rat poison where the car parks does the trick.

Shefwedfan

The high pitched things are useless

In my house before I had a problem with mice who got into house, bought them and came in one day and mouse sitting beside it munching away

A few people have said the same, waste of time.

Isambard

gloves and mask required before you start removing them

Shefwedfan

Isambard wrote: »

gloves and mask required before you start removing them

Are you removing asbestos?

Hedgelayer

There's a good story in this one.
You'd think the funmes would kill the buggers.

Obviously they must be immune to it.

Shefwedfan

Hedgelayer wrote: »

There's a good story in this one.
You'd think the funmes would kill the buggers.

Obviously they must be immune to it.

If a 2 year old car I would hope the fumes are going out the exhaust

If fumes are going around the engine I think you have bigger issues than a few mice around

Wishbone Ash

okatied wrote: »

My mother's Toyota Auris got savaged by rats and was written off. They trapped 4 rats in the car over the space of 2 weeks. My parents live on a farm.

Yuck!

Were the rats travelling around in the car while it was moving or just entering and leaving while it was parked up?

Whatever about mice, I wouldn't fancy a rat making an appearance while I was doing 120km/h on a motorway. :eek:

Shefwedfan

I have a couple of spiders camped out in one of the cars...they harmful? One bastid has a web done every morning in the top cornor of windscreen on passenger side

No idea what he is catching in it

EPAndlee

Had a car towed in a few weeks ago was told it had electric problems. Went to diagnose the problem, looked in the back of the car spotted the rat. Rang the customer told her we wouldn't touch the car until the rat problem was gone. After the rat was taken care off, I stripped out the back of the car and the rat had a couple of grand worth of damage done. The car was written off

Wishbone Ash

Shefwedfan wrote: »

I have a couple of spiders camped out in one of the cars...they harmful? One bastid has a web done every morning in the top cornor of windscreen on passenger side

No idea what he is catching in it

Same here - have to clear a few webs every time I get in. Not sure what he/she's eating. I've another nesting behind the offside mirror and he/she also spins a few webs.

Shefwedfan

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Same here - have to clear a few webs every time I get in. Not sure what he/she's eating. I've another nesting behind the offside mirror and he/she also spins a few webs.

I’m sure mine a he....you see his huge ........

Doctors room ghost

Shefwedfan wrote: »

If a 2 year old car I would hope the fumes are going out the exhaust

If fumes are going around the engine I think you have bigger issues than a few mice around

Speaking of exhausts is she a decat op.might explain why the mice moved in.haha

corks finest

Tzardine wrote: »

Have just collected my car from the garage after being serviced.

Mechanic told me that there is a nest of mice living under the bonnet. Feckers have chewed through wiring, pipes and insulation.

Anybody experienced this before? Any suggestions or how to get rid of them, or companies that do it.

Car is only 2 years old.

Need to give them plenty of sugar,,,,,,,tits their teeth,sorry couldn't resist,,on a serious note, AFAIK your insurance won't help you so need to ship it back to the vendor ASAP

demanufactured

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Same here - have to clear a few webs every time I get in. Not sure what he/she's eating. I've another nesting behind the offside mirror and he/she also spins a few webs.

Do ye not clean your cars?

mdebets

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Same here - have to clear a few webs every time I get in. Not sure what he/she's eating. I've another nesting behind the offside mirror and he/she also spins a few webs.

The last few years I have two spiders living behind my two mirrors from spring to autumn (sometimes one in the rear window wiper as well). Don't clear them out, but just let them live there. It's interesting how strong their nets are. Its even survives driving on the motorway. It's also interesting to see how they learn. The first few weeks, they normally have the web between the mirror and the side window, but then learn that it gets destroyed when I open the window, so after a few times they move it from the window to the frame, so it stays there.
I'm always wondering what they eat, as I rarely see them catch anything.

Wishbone Ash

demanufactured wrote: »

Do ye not clean your cars?

When I do clean it (which is about twice a year) the spiders are nowhere to be seen. The next day, the webs are back.

Nodster

Say OP - do you happen to drive a Maserati ?

nu_90

Our Nissan leaf was wrote off few years ago. Bluetooth stopped working and few radio stations gone before we even noticed hole in floor carpet, I set a rat trap in passenger foot well and sure enough caught it, Insurance wrote it off. There was cold spell around same time too. That and kids eating in car leaving crumbs everywhere can't help. Got two cat now, no issues since.

corks finest

nu_90 wrote: »

Our Nissan leaf was wrote off few years ago. Bluetooth stopped working and few radio stations gone before we even noticed hole in floor carpet, I set a rat trap in passenger foot well and sure enough caught it, Insurance wrote it off. There was cold spell around same time too. That and kids eating in car leaving crumbs everywhere can't help. Got two cat now, no issues since.

Nightmare imagine driving along and he popped out,uggghhhhhhh

corks finest

EPAndlee wrote: »

Had a car towed in a few weeks ago was told it had electric problems. Went to diagnose the problem, looked in the back of the car spotted the rat. Rang the customer told her we wouldn't touch the car until the rat problem was gone. After the rat was taken care off, I stripped out the back of the car and the rat had a couple of grand worth of damage done. The car was written off

Disgusting

ayux4rj6zql2ph

Even the Gardai have issues with rats.

https://amp.independent.ie/irish-news/rat-trap-mum-finally-catches-giant-rodent-that-caused-2000-of-damage-to-car-30931429.html

Doctors room ghost

I’d have no problem with a mouse in the car.if there was a rat though ta fcuk with that.

Sajid Javid

Blended mints with cheap green tea. Dust under bonnet and wheel under sides. Mice gone.

doolox

I have special training Mr Rat, I will catch you, and I will kill you.......

Sajid Javid

doolox wrote: »

I have special training Mr Rat, I will catch you, and I will kill you.......

If you have choice bad to karma to kill even if it black with many legs.

corks finest

Sajid Javid wrote: »

Blended mints with cheap green tea. Dust under bonnet and wheel under sides. Mice gone.

Not partial to the mints I'd say

demanufactured

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

I’d have no problem with a mouse in the car.if there was a rat though ta fcuk with that.

You must be filthy if you don't mind having nice around .

nu_90

demanufactured wrote: »

You must be filthy if you don't mind having nice around .

There's a big difference though