Prius "A MOUSE MAGNET"

cyberprius & ebsmythe,

I think I have already responded to one of the "mouse threads" before either here or over at PriusOnLine. If the mice can get inside the car as far as the cabin filter region in the 1st place, then they can get into just about anywhere inside the dash (includ'g the lower glove box). You don't really want them chew'g up anything inside the passenger cabin, so you MUST screen off all 5 holes on the firewall behind the black plastic tray below the windshield wipers. I've done this on mine.

Next, to protect the engine from getting damaging debris sucked into it (yes, the mice also like to nest in the engine air filter box), you also need to screen off the OUTER end of the inlet tube [where early Prius owners used to store their dipstick wiping rags (not know'g that was the end of an air intake) only to find them missing next time & finally discover'g them inside the air filter box when their engine wasn't running right]. Some owners have screened off the tube where it comes into the box, but the mice can still nest within the tube & block the airflow in there. It's really best to keep them from getting that far in the 1st place, so just screen of the OUTER end of the tube behind the passenger side headlight. I've done that on mine also & it's the easiest of the mouse-proof'g steps to do.

The one area I haen't gotten to yet is in the rear hatch area. I think it was Patrick Wong who made me aware of this location in one of his postings in a thread on the mouse problem. I think there were some pictures of the area & the associated vents that can use block'g. I need to take advantage of this good weather to remove some of the hatch area trim (plastic parts aren't as brittle & breakable in the summer as they are in the winter) to see just what is needed to block off access there.

As far as wiring harnesses under the hood getting damaged by mice, that's going to be a lttle harder to prevent, but stopping them from getting insde the passenger cabin we can do, but it shouldn't be our job to do it. I wish Toyota would use the metal screens at the factory & save us the aggravation of doing it ourselves (or of paying some hefty repair bills if we don't catch the infestation damage early enough). It would be very easy to do on the production line & would be very cheap too. Oh, if Toyota would only listen to us!

As an aside here, though, I think something might come of the starter hole cover issue (the tab that cuts into a nearby wiring harness if the cover is installed improperly at the factory) because when I had mine checked & the offend'g tab removed, the dealer did a warranty report on it (to bill separately for their labor). I think Toyota definitely looks at those reports with an eye to not having to pay out later, so maybe the assemly lines have revised instructions with better pictures on how to properly install the starter hole cover so the tab isn't near any wires now (or maybe the tab doesn't even exist on the cover any more). Have any of you with a 2007 or 2008 Prius checked to see what the situation is with your starter hole cover?

Ken (in Bolton,Ct)

 

I wonder which one of us will screen those hatch area holes first. Whomever does should post any tips so others can benefit.

Thanks again,

Barry

 

Ken,

Great post! thanks.

How did you fasten the screen around the holes? (no way I would use duct tape) I thought of small self tapping sheet metal screws but some of the necessary pilot holes would be impossible to drill. What about that epoxy putty stuff? I need to organize first and have everything needed handy so the cars (we have 2) are out of commission as little as possible.

I forgot about the air intake screen(s). They are now on my list -times 2.

Barry

 

I've heard mentioned in mouse-related threads before that just leaving the hood open when parked can rid the engine bay of mice. They like enclosed spaces and opening it up apparently makes it feel not so cozy in there.

I haven't done this, because I haven't had mice in my car... and it might be hard if you don't have a garage.

 

Barry,

If you check around here & at PriusOnLine for other mouse problem threads, you should be able to find 2 good threads with pix included (one of them may have been Hobbit's). If I get a chance I may be able to find them later & provide some links if you can't find them. Try look'g up "Mouse Hotel" or something like that at one of these boards.

The material I used is a wire mesh (called Gutter Guard, I think) which is usually available at Ace & True Value hardware stores. Each 3-ft long piece comes with 2 attached clips (that I just moved to a different location on the mesh for areas that would be difficult to drill). I just slid those clips over the sheet metal at one side of an open'g (the side that I didn't have clearance enough to get a drill in) & drilled the other side to put in some screws & lockwashers (I didn't want to have to take all that stuff off again to get back in there if a screw loosened up & fell out). If you remove the wiper transmission & the plastic tray you can drill at most locations you would need a fastener at. Where you can't drill that's where I made use of the clips. If you go one step further (which I didn't) I think there's a metal tray or panel you can also remove to give you unlimited access for drill'g to cover the 5 firewall holes.

I made a cardboard template 1st (like shown in the pix in one of the posts) to make it easier to cut & pre-shape the gutter mesh before attach'g it, but be extremely careful handling that stuff once you make your own cuts on it. As you get it in the hardware store the 4 sides have been deburred already, but anywhere you make your own cuts (with your tinsnips) the newly cut edges are like razor blades (I was bleed'g all over the firewall of my white Prius).

Ken (in Bolton,Ct)

 

At my 35,000km service the Toyota tech said he found mouse droppings in the cabin air filter and thinks he even saw a mouse tail zip away into the vent. Recommended solution was to pump a/c vent system with cleaner + an a/c service for $126. Since I was not at the shop at the time and the price was not outrageous, I agreed to it, but thought the mouse thing was preposterous and still do. Now the car smells like disinfectant. But now I see that some others have posted on this mouse issue.

I'm still very skeptical about a mouse/mice in the car though I guess anything is possible. I live in the burbs, the Prius parked in a garage, and absolutely no evidence of any mice ever in our house or garage, or in car ever before -- no droppings, no chewed paper, nada. So my questions and comments are:

1. Since anything is possible, is it possible that Toyota (Canada or at least in Vancouver) uses the mouse thing to help sell their a/c vent cleaning service?

2. What in the world type of cleaning agent does Toyota use to clean the vent system, and has anyone else experienced the after effect disinfectant smell?

3. I'm going to set a nightly mouse trap in the car and in the garage for the next week or so and see what happens (which will more than likely be nothing other than some wasted cheese and a few dollars on traps I didn't need).

4. Prius a mouse magnet? Can't be. Any experts on mice and electrical fields out there (I'm just kidding).

dm

 

The Prius may not be any more of a mouse magnet than other cars, but I do believe that the Prius, like other cars, attracts mice and other rodents who like to chew wire covers, hoses, harnesses, etc., who are looking for places to nest, hoard food, etc., and who do indeed make their way into the car's cabin filter area (among other places in and outside the cabin).

Check out these threads and photos:

http://priuschat.com/forums/fuel-economy/56998-silver-bullet-part-deux.html

http://priuschat.com/forums/care-ma.../57698-my-cabin-air-filter-full-dog-food.html

http://priuschat.com/forums/knowledge-base-articles-discussion/51005-mouseproofing-prius.html

 

I suggest using the traps that consist of a tray filled with sticky material. When a mouse steps into the tray, it becomes stuck. This works quite well.

However if you don't see little pellet-shaped droppings around (especially in the corners of your garage and near any sources of water), this is a good sign and it is likely that you don't have a problem.

 

Thanks for the replies . Boo (above) passed on some informative links. I'm a believer now, that is, that rodents seem to like the CAF compartment. I also used the links to find out how to DIY check and replace the CAF, which I tried today and it was a cinch. No need to trust Toyota or anyone else any longer to do this. If there is a mouse issue in the CAF then I'd like to see it for myself.

Car was just serviced on Mar 21, so tomorrow I am going to phone Toyota back to see what cleaning agent was used to clean the vent system. I was displeased with the "chemical" type smell left behind though they said that would disappear in time; the smell made my wife nauseas and the kids just kept complaining about it .

As for that mouse issue in my Prius or garage/area, I am still very skeptical based on exactly what you said. But traps here we come anyway just for good measure.

dm

 

I recall a PriusChat string last summer where a poster included photos showing the head of a dead mouse sticking up in the cabin air filter area. If anyone recalls where that can be easily found, that might be interesting for dm to see...

 

After they cleaned out some mouse droppings, Toyota recommended and used a product known as Fresh Air (product # ZY 3011S Fresh Air or Fresh Vent) from Wellworth in Buffalo, NY. The product description is "easily clears foul odors from automobile air/heat duct systems."

Trouble is I didn't have nor noticed any foul odors before that. Now the car has had an after effect smell of the cleaning agent for the past two and a half days. The HMIS health hazard rating for this product is 3 ("high") out of a 4 scale, but that's probably more for the handler than for someone sitting in the car, though it is still a concern as a consumer.

Anybody have any experience with this product? Toyota as offered to take the car back in to assess the situation.

dm

 

Went to dealer with fan noise. He said mouse problem and for $110 they would take care of it. I asked if this was a permanent solution. No. Mice can get in all over. Went home, pulled out glove box, removed cabin air filter, got my fingers in fan area and pulled out acorn debris. Went online and found mice don't like mint, wintergreen or amonia. I don't like amonia either so I went to Rite Aid looking for oil of spearmint or wintergreen. Couldn't find any but found a bottle of green alcohol (rubbing type). It is oil of spearmint mixed with alcohol and it was 2 for 1! Bought two, filled up spray bottle and sprayed engine compartment. No more mice inside.
Wondered about engine air filter. Sure enough - - acorns. Cleaned them out, used leaf blower to back flush air intake and used 1/2" metal screen over air intake. Wish dealer was honest enough to tell me how to fix problem, not symptoms. Thanks Ken, for more detail.

 

Just bringing this one back up for timely reminder. I just got through cleaning out the Cabin Air filter area today due to one starting up a nest in there. We have had the car only 3-4 weeks?

Was going somewhere last evening and the wife decided to get something from the glove box and noticed some debris in there. Looked like a sprinkling of fine grass clippings. No ball or nest like situation but made us suspicious. I pulled over and examined the area and even under the hood but nothing amiss. All clean and new. Nothing in this material was "car stuff". No insulation, carpet, filter material or plastics... just natural grass like stuff.

So today I pull the glove box out and some of this debris around in there but no concentration of it. Everything around the area is intact. No chewing of any of the nice insulation or carpet or wires. So I then pull the filter out of its holder and presto! On top of the filter is a partially built nest. No car material in it. All brought in and all natural material except one, cigarette butt. One can only guess where that came from. Roadside or something. Looked like the amount of a nest any good mouse could accompish in a day even. Not completely packed but a good start. Had not chewed any of the filter or surrounding materials. Appears this loaded up the filter and air box area enough that some of it went out the blow by foam cover hole above the filter door. And that tipped us off.

So I carefully hand removed the most of it, tried to vacuum out some of it but ended up by blowing it out with air pressure. Put in a new filter as I couldn't really get the old one cleaned up. The little pieces of grass were sort of embedded into the fiber too good.

I then put out bait in the Carport area in a couple places, checked the other car that parks under there (found no signs) and moved the Prius to an uncovered place in the side driveway for a few days to give me some time to discourage the little bugger. I suspect he has already left and this happened about a week back but its only a guess. But its when the wife now says she noticed her defrosting was needing be done a little more often. That could just be weather and a red herring but no matter. But we will be watching regularly and baiting for a while. This has been a seasonal thing before when I have seen it. When they are in the nesting mood. Fall and Spring seems to be the time to watch out. And we are experiencing early spring like weather here. I am most worried about wiring though. They must go.

I have dealt with rodents in cars before. One rat chewed up my kids car wires that went to the Coil overs so bad it would only run on two of the 4 cylinders and I have cleaned a few nests out of air breathers and such before. And Nut clusters on top of engines and such. So its not just Prius's I can tell ya that. But it could be they are very inviting... my theory there is that the low air dam all around the car makes it a lot easier to jump up there and access and also looks like good cover for a foraging mouse to run to. That's probably why it got the visit and the Mercury Grand Marquis next to it didn't.

I would post pictures but I don't think I have hit my new member post allowance number yet.

 

Try and post pictures here next post...

 

and one more it seems... Sorry. Not my rules...

 

This area after removal of the loose ball of material but some of it is hanging on there as you can see. It was mostly just sitting right on top of the filter. Which allows some of it to come out over the top where you see that black Foam like material there. That material is soft and easy to push aside. Its probably there on purpose as a bypass if need be. That's probably why the material shows up in your glove box.



The clump of grass material including a chewed up cigarette filter. I put a box under the area and carefully pulled it out almost intact into that. A little over fist size amount. But not hard packed.

 

Putting 1/4in. wire "hardware cloth" screening in the various vent
openings is probably the best solution.

That said, if you Google "mice in car solution," you get 3.6 million
hits. Clearly this is not just a Prius specific problem.

Just for fun, here are four solutions that the sellers/builders
swear will work all the time, forever mouse free:

The just-for-cars ultrasonic option:
MouseBlocker

The electrocution solution:
mice or rats in my car

The friendly, all-natural choice:
Get Rid of Mice in your Motor Vehicle

The my-car-is-my-castle alternative:
Mice in Cars: Solution

As Mr. Jinx said of Pixie and Dixie,
"I hate those meeses to pieces!"

 

i was visiting my parents a few months back. they a mile off a dirt road. off grid house with solar. no pavement. tons of acreage with trees and whatnot...

i was doing a recycle run. i hooked up my trailer and threw about 16 bags in it. i pulled it over the hill to a main recycling facility (35 miles). when i was pulling bags out, i noticed a mouse (rather beat up and wind blown) jump from under my car.

i came to find out later that he was in my car. he apparently had been in the engine intake (no filter damage) but then moved and liked the air conditioner filter box. i think it all happened in one night. i came in really last the previous night and it was cold. i'm sure he was happy to find a warm place until the long car ride.

 

Another repellent:

Bright light. With LED's being available, I put a 2w LED under the car at night, attached to a stick. It gets slid under the engine area. It is quite bright, and certainly blinding to a night vision adapted rodent. Very little power used.

This is in addition to the odors and traps. I think there are just too many places to chew wires available to make screening a complete solution. Keeping them away is the best, if possible.

 

LED's work? that's cool. outside the box thinking