FromZto5

I'd stop eating it, but the critters would eat it. LOL

VidPro

I'm still debating taking the firewall insulation off once I get this taken care of. No way I'm spending $275 for a new pad.

Getportfolio

Don't spray the urine on your car! You'll see why when you get it. Spray it on the perimeter around it and driveway. Rats and squirrels instinctively run away as they think a predator is nearby. It has never failed me.

FromZto5

But still though... the fact that urine has to be sprayed anywhere CLOSE to our pride and joy, is not a good thing. There's gotta be some residual remnants of stench

That being said, it sucks either way... I understand the need, so I can appreciate that. It just sucks having the problem in the first place, and the potential solution. Sorry man

edw794

i don't have any solutions in keeping mice and rats out of the engine bay except to keep food and such out of the area. but i know they can squeeze into any hole about the size of a quarter or so. i did have a rat living in the engine of my 2003 mach1 years ago and it was like hell getting rid of that thing. it is true that all they do is to eat and eliminate as that was all i found on the engine and the garage floor. the rat was living in my garage up in the rafters somewhere and would climb into the engine when it cooled enough for warmth, and then on occasions it would be chewing on some of the wires in the hood. i tried using sticky paper but all that did was to slow him down as he was able to free himself. using rat traps was initially not working as the rat was smart enough to avoid them. i also resorted in trying to ambush him with an air rifle after parking the car at night and shutting the lights off in the garage, then coming back in there sometime during the night and flicking on the lights. several times i caught sight of the rat but was unable to get a good shot in for it was too close to my car and i didn't want to shoot that. what led to its demise was when i was able to trace the route he took from the rafter to my car through his body waste and out of curiosity and frustration one day, just laid a rat trap across his path. about two hours later my wife came home and discovered the rat dead in the trap with his head partially crushed by the trap. when i got her call, it was about one of the best things to hear as i was beginning to think i would never get rid of it without resorting to poisons and electric traps. the rat turned out to be a pretty good sized one and it looked like it may have been at one time, someone's pet as the markings were not consistent with wild rats. maybe that was how the rat was able to avoid my attempts at trapping him as it was familiar with humans. i should also mention that during that time, i had a large dog, a south african mastiff living in the garage and that didn't faze the rat one bit.

Coyote5-0

That sounds like a terrible experience

Mustang Freak

I would have replaced the dog with a cat...end of the rat!

Coyote5-0

Cats are the best 😏

SpectreH

Yep, a bug I was trying to kill ran under our deep freezer one night right before bed. Our male cat spotted it and was waiting for it to come out. I went to bed knowing that bug would not survive the night. Sure enough, there were a few pieces of it in the laundry rom the next morning.

VidPro

So a few days and no rat activity. Two dead rats in front of the house over the past couple of weeks. Hoping the second one was the culprit. It could also be the dryer sheets and mothballs. I almost passed out opening my hood a few minutes ago with the smell. I'm not taking it easy on the deterrent though. I have some spray coming that's supposed to help.

Coyote5-0

I still love the title of this thread because he used the word "critters". lmao I pronounce it with a southern accent in my head every time. "Bunch-a got dam critters runnin' around everywhere!!!"

VidPro

A week with no visitors. Is it over? I dunno but I think I'll be taking preventative measures for a while.

Time for some engine dress up.

13GetThere

I popped the hood on my GT a few weeks ago and found that the little varmints had been chewing on the insulation around the battery. Checked it a few days ago, and there was no further damage, but I still put some mothballs under the car and some dryer sheets in the engine bay. I just hope my interior doesn't start smelling like mothballs, especially since the interior still has that new car smell.

Coyote5-0

My new car smell died about 2 years ago

Mustang Freak

Yep they were chewing on mine as well. Don't know if I need to replace it and how much it will cost?

berzerk_1980

This battery insulation thing is weird. I live in an urban area with a good number of feral cats, and I rarely have critter problems (except for car related issues). About a quarter of my battery insulation is missing (just the top layer of black covering) with no other evidence of rodent activity.

Maybe it's not critters but environmental, or some kind of defective adhesive?

Mustang Freak

Very interesting but I did find mice poop over the engine bay and chewed up battery insulation so...

TripleBlack14

Maybe those little mice are stealing your wheel center caps too.

Mustang Freak

berzerk_1980

Hmm. Maybe I had a mouse come through, steal some insulation and not set up camp before meeting a neighborhood cat then.

But it's quite curious, what about the battery cover do they find so attractive?