Lying up for winter...How to stop mice getting in.

Lying up for winter...How to stop mice getting in.

Author
Discussion

texaxile

Original Poster:

3,289 posts

149 months

Friday 2nd December 2016
quotequote all
Hi,
Not the usual "pump up tyres etc" but I need advice on how to stop mice getting into the car as it's going into storage until Feb / March undercover in a "barn" (I say barn, it's actually a new built barn out of steel rather than wood with a hayloft).

A friend stored his Granada there last year and mice managed to get in, he didn't take any precautions other than chucking a tarp over it though. He reckons a mouse can get through the smallest of holes so apart from installing a cat that doesn't need feeding for 4 months, anyone got any ideas?. I've considered mouetraps but again, I will be away for a month and could do without the interior stinking of mouse corpses when I get back.

I've also been told they eat through gaffer tape (not sure if true), and I'm actually reluctant to start putting metal tape over the vents and paintwork etc.

All the relevant bungs are in, doors closed etc but to what ends I'm not sure.

Previously the car was stored in my garage which was protected by the local "feral massive", I thought the trade off of my garage stinking of cats piss versus rodents feasting on my velour was a fair one.

Thanks in advance chaps.






theadman

525 posts

156 months

Friday 2nd December 2016
quotequote all
I'd consider buying an original style zip up Carcoon or similar, if you are really concerned about it. As well as keeping the car drier than it would otherwise be, it can only be penetrated by mice at the point the zip overlaps. This happens to be very near one of the fans which is probably quite a frightening device when you are four inches long.

I've kept a car safe in a Carcoon over winter for several years in a garage I know has a significant population of mice.

If they set their mind to it mice could easily gnaw through the Carcoon, but I've never seen any signs of them trying.

Maybe I've just been lucky?

dandarez

13,246 posts

282 months

Friday 2nd December 2016
quotequote all
Sorry, it's impossible almost. I laughed when told they can get through a hole the width of a biro. It's true.

If there is any foam of sorts in your car (and there will be!) or anything chewable, hard luck!

It can be worse, it can be a rat.

I don't like killing them (mice) and (when we had 2 cats) I saved one as the cat put it down after playing with it. Wish I hadn't! I was about to lob it to safety over the fence when it looked me straight in the eyes (no bloody gratitude!) sunk it's teeth into my thumb.
Ouch. Tetanus jab...

Trouble is, you don't always know they are in your car or have been - apart from droppings. I took a dash out of one car and just under the glovebox was a partition with foam backing. The foam had been gnawed to make a bed! The only trick I knew of besides mousetraps (not nice) is to put a bundle of newspapers or foam in the garage or barn 'away' from the car. Neat piles of chewed paper/foam will soon appear if mice are there. Another is to put something strong smelling inside the car. Never tried that. I was told peppermint oil or moth balls (don't think you can get the latter now).

Re bungs, the one most forget! Bung in the back of the exhaust pipe - if they get in there it's a fun tunnel to the engine cylinders!!!!

Clearing out my garage a few weeks ago I thought a mouse or mice had been in again. Nope, it was a squirrel. God knows how it got in, had to be when I had the garage door open, but I found a pile of hazelnuts, half were gnawed shells, the others untouched. So it's not just mice and rats.

jamieandthemagic

619 posts

191 months

Friday 2nd December 2016
quotequote all
Happened to me.

Best result.........Put it up on axle stands........grease the axle stands.......that worked for me in a grain store.

b2hbm

1,291 posts

221 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
quotequote all
If you have power to the barn then I know a couple of folks who use the "Victor" ultrasonic deterrents, this sort of thing

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Victor-Ultrasonic-Pest-Re...

The downside is that dogs don't like them either so if you have pets that might not be practical.

We had an infestation a few years ago and they made a real mess of our campervan over one winter which resulted in me taking out the dashboard to get at chewed wiring. And on a modern car with all the electrics that can be an expensive mouse.

After that I no longer thought they were cute and cuddly little things so a dozen old fashioned mousetraps went down. I still have them around the edges of the garage & workshop, placed around the entrance points every now and then one goes off.

Riley Blue

20,915 posts

225 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
quotequote all
jamieandthemagic said:
Happened to me.

Best result.........Put it up on axle stands........grease the axle stands.......that worked for me in a grain store.
Your sure they didn't find the grain more to their liking?

cjb44

671 posts

117 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
quotequote all
dandarez said:
Sorry, it's impossible almost. I laughed when told they can get through a hole the width of a biro. It's true.

If there is any foam of sorts in your car (and there will be!) or anything chewable, hard luck!

It can be worse, it can be a rat.

I don't like killing them (mice) and (when we had 2 cats) I saved one as the cat put it down after playing with it. Wish I hadn't! I was about to lob it to safety over the fence when it looked me straight in the eyes (no bloody gratitude!) sunk it's teeth into my thumb.
Ouch. Tetanus jab...

Trouble is, you don't always know they are in your car or have been - apart from droppings. I took a dash out of one car and just under the glovebox was a partition with foam backing. The foam had been gnawed to make a bed! The only trick I knew of besides mousetraps (not nice) is to put a bundle of newspapers or foam in the garage or barn 'away' from the car. Neat piles of chewed paper/foam will soon appear if mice are there. Another is to put something strong smelling inside the car. Never tried that. I was told peppermint oil or moth balls (don't think you can get the latter now).

Re bungs, the one most forget! Bung in the back of the exhaust pipe - if they get in there it's a fun tunnel to the engine cylinders!!!!

Clearing out my garage a few weeks ago I thought a mouse or mice had been in again. Nope, it was a squirrel. God knows how it got in, had to be when I had the garage door open, but I found a pile of hazelnuts, half were gnawed shells, the others untouched. So it's not just mice and rats.
I had a squirrel get in my AC Greyhound when it was stored in my brick built garage. It managed to rip down all the roof cloth, nibbled carpet and stored horse chesnuts all over the car,the spare wheel and compartment was also full of debris. I think one of the problems is if you cover the car they are out of sight and feel safe. After repairing everything (West of England cloth etc.) very expensive, I never completely covered the car again and made sure that I opened the doors on a regular basis to disturb any activity that may have been going on; fortunately either by luck or design I never had a re-occurrence.

Yipper

5,964 posts

89 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
quotequote all
Carcoon.
Mothballs.
Spindryer sheets (e.g. Bounce).

battered

4,088 posts

146 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
quotequote all
Put it on stands. Put down poison and traps.

MJK 24

5,648 posts

235 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
quotequote all

Iva Barchetta

44,044 posts

162 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
quotequote all
cjb44 said:
I had a squirrel get in my AC Greyhound when it was stored in my brick built garage.
Had you left the window open, even a little ?

cahami

1,248 posts

205 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
quotequote all
put axle stands on squares of ply then box in axle stands with Correx and gaffa tape securing the corex to the ply base and maybe funnelling outwards towards the top, smother said correx with grease .

cjb44

671 posts

117 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
quotequote all
Iva Barchetta said:
Had you left the window open, even a little ?
No I did not, but as with all classic cars of this type there are gaps all over the place, probably came in the foot pedal slots.

Rapid rental

462 posts

221 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
quotequote all
Well I thought I would share these pics of my own personal experience of rats getting into cars. This is what I was faced with on a car with a full cover. The rat had died in situ in a cosy place atop the engine. It ate through all the plug leads as they were in the way of its nest. the smell was truly horrendous and I never managed to get rid of it, let alone the ste and piss all over the bay. Not even the jetwasher could stop the smell wafting into the cabin when the heater was on. They just climb up under the engine bay and ignore the cover.



Scotty2

1,265 posts

265 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
quotequote all
I store cars and have bait boxes and traps all round the shed. They chew the most bizzare stuff. Plastic nut covers on tops of struts e.t.c. if allowed to go on.

There is a trend when it's getting colder and when they are breeding, I catch more. Since I have instigated my regime of baiting and trapping, I have had no more attacks and only occasionally do I catch any in the trap.

fttm

3,665 posts

134 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
quotequote all
Yipper said:
Carcoon.
Mothballs.
Spindryer sheets (e.g. Bounce).
Another vote for bounce sheets , these and a cat = no mice

jamieandthemagic

619 posts

191 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
quotequote all
Riley Blue said:
jamieandthemagic said:
Happened to me.

Best result.........Put it up on axle stands........grease the axle stands.......that worked for me in a grain store.
Your sure they didn't find the grain more to their liking?
No, before I put it up on jacks I had the mice nesting in the car..... Not eating it.
The nested in the engine bay, under drivers seat and in the retracted soft top

battered

4,088 posts

146 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
quotequote all
What's the Bounce tumble drier sheet trick? You just chuck a few in the car? I'll do this for the Mazda if so, it might sweeten it up.

fttm

3,665 posts

134 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
quotequote all
battered said:
What's the Bounce tumble drier sheet trick? You just chuck a few in the car? I'll do this for the Mazda if so, it might sweeten it up.
I chuck a load around the wheels , wedged into rims etc , then some in the boot and spread some more inside . Works for me .

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

254 months

Saturday 3rd December 2016
quotequote all
If you do get mice in, you can get them with an air pistol.

I know these things...smile