New blower - lots of mice

[lcsdoug]

My blower fan had been making noise for some time and finally stopped completely. So I ordered a FourSeasons replacement #75810 from carparts. Then I spent several hours trying to figure out how to get the glove box out. The tricky part was the 3 trim pieces to the right of the glove box. After that was out and I removed the lower cover, I could see shredded material falling out. As I slid the old blower down I could see the entire housing and fan wheel was packed solid with mice nesting material. I don't know how it ever turned. Must have been half a bushel. Also the evaporator box the the left was packed. I couldn't get that cover off so I used the vac and a thin nylon body tool to dislodge the material. What a mess. When I got it back together everything worked beautifully. A happy ending.
I live in the country and the boxster is in the second garage away from the house.

My question: How do I keep the mice out of my boxster?

[tonythetiger]

My question: How do I keep the mice out of my boxster?
My Answer: Get a cat

My cats must keep the mice away. They also walk across my car after I wash it, leaving muddy prints. Thank you for helping me realize that besides the prints being a little cute, these artifacts might serve as a deterrent for the varmints.

You could also use peppermint oil, its pleasant to us and the mice hate it.

[lcsdoug]

Thanks Tony, I've got 4 cats and a dog but the garage is closed and I don't use it much in winter. I like the peppermint oil. Maybe I could get a door mat and soak it with peppermint oil and park the car over it.

[JFP in PA]

You will need to refresh the peppermint oil periodically, it fades over time.

[A8ked]

I read on one of the forums that dryer sheets keep rodents away. I tried some in one of my cars. After several weeks I noticed a odd smell and investigated under the hood and found a mouse nest on top of the dryer sheets...I guess they were sorta saying in your face buddy!
I'm trying mothballs in a removable container now, so far ok.

[lcsdoug]

Ha ha, I tried dryer sheets on my Subaru and it didn't help either. I did use mothballs when I had mice in my workshop and it did work but I was a little concerned with the fumes. Do the fumes get into your car?

[Anker]

Mothballs work well for me. Yes, the car will smell of mothballs the first time you take it out after hibernation, but that's worth it.

[JayG]

Get a cat
They usually fixes a rodent problem

And no, I am not trying to revive the old cat thread

[A8ked]

I haven't noticed any mothball odor inside the car so far.
I keep the mothballs in a vented removable container in the engine compartment as that's where I found the nest.
So far its working well, I just have to remember to remove the container whenever I drive that car. A note taped to the steering wheel reminds me to remove the container.

[itsnotanova]

What about a snake? This rat snake decided to go for a ride in mine

Also found this guy crawling up my leg while I was driving. Tag team

[Homeoboxter]

Originally Posted by itsnotanova

What about a snake? This rat snake decided to go for a ride in mine

Also found this guy crawling up my leg while I was driving. Tag team

Wow. I just wanted to to share that an opossum chewed apart a few things while living in my engine compartment but that`s nothing compared to these guys.

[tonythetiger]

Originally Posted by lcsdoug

Thanks Tony, I've got 4 cats and a dog but the garage is closed and I don't use it much in winter. I like the peppermint oil. Maybe I could get a door mat and soak it with peppermint oil and park the car over it.

Yep...cool. I would opt for the peppermint oil, since it’s pleasant but I’ll bet mothballs work. I have a reaction to mothballs which tells me two things...effective yes, but chemicals are bad. I have a friend that collects old motorcycles and rodents like to live in these. He is a peppermint oil zealot and his garage smells like a gum factory. It’s nice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Frodo]

Originally Posted by itsnotanova

Also found this guy crawling up my leg while I was driving. Tag team

While I've been in Texas a few times (lived in Tulsa for a few years as a kid, and my parents had friends in TX we'd visit from time to time; also did a 2-week stint as a Army Reservist at Ft Hood many years ago) I've never lived there, so this might be a naive question: Isn't that a dangerous way to hold a scorpion?

[itsnotanova]

They're harmless if you grab them by the stinger. The sting isn't that bad even if they do get you.

Back to the subject of rodent control. I have a constant battle with rats because of my wife's horses. Horses are sloppy eaters and drop half of their food on the ground. Rats will die!!!
I used mothball for awhile once and they work really good but they stink real bad. I didn't want to be in my car anymore than the rats/mice. For awhile I used Irish Spring soap bars because I heard that works too. Nope, the rats ate the soap bar. The best thing that seems to keep them from doing any damage to my boxster is to drive it every few days. If the car sits for a week, they'll be in there tearing stuff up. They ruined my aftermarket racing seats. They like to eat the outer layer. I guess that better than chewing on the wires. We use to have some outside cats but a pack of coyotes moved in and wiped out the neighborhood cat population.

[Rob175]

LOL....buy more cats!......or build a new garage (all aluminum with a poured concrete floor).....LOL