Rodent Damage: Something to think about..

I did have mice in the glove box. I had to install wire cloth under the hood by the cowling, They have not returned to the glove box or any part of the car since.

DBCassidy

 

Just last weekend I found evidence of rodents in the glove box! After returning from camping at Crater Lake, I asked my wife to get something from the glove box and she told me it looks like an animal was in there.

The damn critters had chewed up all the napkins, registration and insurance cards.

Thanks for the tip about installing wire cloth. I had no idea where they could gain access to the glove box. The cabin air intake is covered by a plastic grill, so no way that was it.

 

I have an '08, and I basically live in Oregon (long story). I don't know about the 2012's but did you check your cabin filter. In my experience, they are much more likely (in the 'o8's) to go into the cabin filter first....

 

Great tip. I did check my cabin filter as I figured that is where they got in, but no sign of the little miscreants in there.

Lets hear your Oregon story. I've got time at work.

 

In April I discovered evidence of mice in the cabin. Then a little after that we noticed the odor. I found a nest in the spare tire well. Set traps inside the cabin floors and the engine compartment. I got about 3 mice inside the car, and 4 or 5 in under the hood over 3 or 4 days. ordered a new carbon filter and installed. Parked it with recirc on and had the dealership "clean" the A/C system. They also suggested parking in recirc mode.

I asked them where the mice might be gettin in... the answer at the dealership was "I don't know".

Now I have to find out how to metal screen the cabin air intake on my own because... yesterday, July 5th, I got in the Prius and smelled the smell again. Found more evidence of at least one small mouse. Just finished taking it all apart and cleaning and sanitizing. Will set more traps in and around the car again tonight. My Insight sits right next to it and had not had any mice in the cabin. We don't open food in our cars, and always keep them clean, inside and out. I've owned cars since 1970, and this is the first car that has developed this mouse entry problem.

 

that's what I use:

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001IMLTY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

goes a long way & works pretty good (yet....) /

 

Post above was from last night... guess I didn't push the "Post Reply" very well. This is an update. Trapped another mouse in the engine bay. None in cabin, yet. Will definitely be at hardware store later to buy some strong metal screen in hopes of blocking rodent pathways into ventilation system.

Must be the incredible edible Prius parts that attract these little guys. Definitely no parking it in the garage, just in case they have gotten to the wires under the dash. If it catches fire, I certainly don't want the house to be involved!

 

Excellent! Thanks for the post. Will order some.

 

that's what I did to my wifes subaru after presumably a mouse was biting through some wires in a really hard to access location & the car was throwing all kind of dtc's/
pretty much all wires (at least the visible to me ones) are wrapped with copper mesh (& secured with zip ties)/
no rodent problems the last 4 month.... //

 

Almost seems easier to screen the entire bottom opening to the engine compartment.

 

seems so, buy it's not.
that's what I had first in mind, but after getting the car on ramps & checking the bottom I thought it would be easier & quicker to wrap the visible wires/cables.
a good hour & everything was said & done/

BION
StarCaller

 

I packed a bag of car food and loaded it in the garaged Prius the night before a recent trip. After getting into bed I remembered this thread. Doh! Got up and brought the bag back inside. No need to tempt fate, although no one has mentioned that food was kept in their car. I should be proactive as I've got mice.

 

No need to worry about food in the car. The Prius itself seems to be a delicious food source for these little critters!

 

Perhaps a clean engine bay is enticing to rodents. Maybe I'll spray the engine bay down with Tabasco.

 

I found products that can be used to repel, but I'm not sold that they work. Tabasco might just spice up my Incredible Edible Prius!! And I trapped another mouse in the empty spare tire compartment. This one was in the car for at least couple of days, since I used stainless steel tape to cover the vent air return over the cabin filter. The thin cloth cover was already compromised anyway. The cabin air filter had no further mouse debris present. So no new entry paths were available.

This weekend I'll try to take the air intake rain cover off... below the wipers, and install a good metal screen in front of the Prius rodent door... oops!.. I mean the air intake opening. This rodent thing has gotten well up into the ridiculous level now.

 

If you have a look you'll see it's not easier, nigh impossible. And very impractical for maintenance access. Just look in the wheel wells for starters.

 

I suggest spraying the engine bay down with well-used engine oil. Did you ever hear of an old car with a leaky, messy engine attracting rodents under the hood?

 

I tried this one after someone here recommended it/
didn't work/

 

I don't think that's a good idea at all. That will at minimum, leave a big mess and could affect functionality of some components and could lead to a health issue. Oil on hot parts like an exhaust manifold is going to burn and whatever that gives off will be sucked into the ventilation system.

My old 91 Camry at one point leaked a bit of oil under the hood (it might've been valve cover seepage, it was ages ago) and you could smell it sometimes beside seeing a bit of smoke coming out from under the hood. I don't think breathing that is good for you at all. I recall I ended up getting that fixed.

 

The fumes are only cancerous in the state of California.