This has always worked for me living on the farm. I also place a few make-up sponges with a few drops of peppermint oil on them in and around the compartment of the engine bay. Works great for the tractor too. They used to eat all the tractor wires and car wires until I started using these two methods. Now I get no rodents at all.
Reading all the replies I am going to follow your advice because Farmers know best as far as I am concerned. My mother was a farmer and she taught me a lot of good lessons from her life on the farm and they were always great. Thank You for the information.
Along with peppermint oil, I also use sponges soaked with TABASCO liquid, also rugging it on all the most 'vulnerables'. Rodents HATE both !!!!! I live in an 'open woods' where rats and mice are in super-abundance and will also occasionally 'chew' though my house 'Rim Joice' to enter, especially in the late autumn... rats in spring time when they're looking to 'nest and breed'. Once they get inside the house, I prefer tabasco .... and I also set small pans of a DRY mixture of corn meal + wheat flour (50%) to 50% Plaster of Paris --- 'deadly' as it totally blocks their intestines ... rodents are unable to 'puke it up' after injestion. The only caution is to use vinyl gloves when handling the tabasco ... and thoroughly wash your hands **before** rubbing your eyes & face.... and using the toilet !!!!! :-o !!!!
One small tweak to make your fix MUCH better. Water and oil (peppermint oil) do not mix so you need a "surfactant." That is a fancy way of saying you need something to break up the oil so it can be dispersed in water. The cheapest effective surfactant is soap. If you take a few drops of Dawn and mix your 40 or so drops of peppermint oil in, and then shake that together with your water, the oil can then disperse in the water. Don't worry about the bubbles in the bottle. Over time it still separates if you have any left in the bottle but a quick shake is all you need. The soap also acts as a binding agent as the water evaporates and will hold the oil residue longer.
It's probably a good idea to spray on the floor in the garage where the car is parked, that way if your car leaks a little out of the radiator or oil out of a seal that isn't tight, you can spray it out with a pressure washer easier, and keep the mice out at the same time.
@@jesterger Actually, its the emulsive property of soap that he's after. The surfactant property is useful, too. Emollients might actually attract them if they have chapped hands.
I have several old cars sitting outside. My wife has cats that do a great job keeping the mice and rats away from them. The only rodent problem I have now is my brother in law who is visiting.
I live in Tucson Az. and have had tens of thousands of dollars damage to my vehicles from pack rats. I tried every electric and electronic stuff and all sorts of lights to no avail. i read about using peppermint essential oil and bought a 16 oz bottle from Amazon for about $20. I mix an ounce in a 25 oz spray bottle and about once a week I spray the engine bays and under the wheel inner fenders and have not had a problem since. I also bought a flat roll of copper wool from Amazon and put it around the gas tanks to block the buggers from getting to the sending unit and emissions wires. Make sure to not cram it into any openings with slightly exposed wires. i had three vehicles with top of the gas tank wire damage and no more now. The spray also keeps rabbits from eating my garden. All the other crap I tried did not work and the "guarantees" were BS. I also put a wire screen in the air box's because they made a nice nest inside using the paper from the air filter. Honda has patented an adhesive tape they make with little rats printed on it to stop rodents from eating wires, the tape is $40 plus a roll and is no more than Teflon tape. I use Teflon tape on aircraft so I have rolls of it to put on especially attractive wires. BTW, the problem of attracting rodents to newer vehicles is many are using wire insulation that is made from soy beans, yum! The tape is also on Amazon, many sizes and choices.
what a smart plan to make eatibil sp? wires .. i have had to deal with that on my wife’s new Kia Soul . i bought a teardrop thing made by Victor . it drops peppermint oil and lasts a month easy … easy peasese , Japaneasy 😎
I live in Italy and when I had this problem my mechanic pressure sprayed the engine compartment with diluted kerosene. Worked like a charm. Since, I have had him spray the engine compartment every fall and have not had any more problems in the past ten years.
how can you spray kerosene, it will burn at high temperature letting fire to catch your car. how you diluted it. Does it prevented rats and rodents? thanks
Always switch your cars AC to recirculation before turning off overnight, this shuts the ductwork from outside air, if you leave it open they will get in your ductwork and make a nest up inside where your cars cabin filter is, they use the filter as a nest. which is usually located below the glove box. they will also chew through the steering shaft boot in the firewall that separates cabin from engine bay.
@@2Hearts3 I've had ants a few times get in my car and it's incredibly annoying. I've sprayed the entire car even under the hood with spider/wasp spray, but the home defense spray from home depot works amazing. No more ants within a hour.
I have to say that this is one of the best UA-cam videos in a very long time. Let me tell you why I liked it so much: -The title explains it all, no Clickbait designed to attract people that the video doesn't address. -No demanding up front that people like and subscribe to your channel before we've even watched the video. -No complaining about all the people who watch your channel without subscribing or donating. -Best of all you don't waste our time filling up the video with useless information. You start right in on the subject and concisely explain what you're there to do and how you recommend doing it. Thank you! I wish more UA-camrs would follow your example, THIS is how you attract subscribers! Oh, and the information was also helpful, thanks.
Peppermint oil works I use it full strength with a Q-tip wipe the oil in different areas in engine compartment! I try to do it once a week! No more rats!
@@georgecummings3227 I've tried EVERYTHING, dryer sheets, mothballs (try to get the smell out!) lights, traps, everything I had read about without success... until I used 40 drops of Peppermint oil in a spray bottle of water. SUCCESS... no more rodents. I respray every 2 weeks.
One of the best tips for stored vehicles is to leave the hood opened and preferable close to an opened door. Rodents like dark secluded places so if you take that away they'll avoid that area. I also use Cab Fresh pouches and an electronic pest repeller that emits a high pitched sound and LED flashing lights. The best approach is to do it all otherwise you could face a huge bill for wire harness replacements. The auto manufacturers could do a much better job protecting wiring.
My bill is 6700.00 through insurance for engine harness damage on a 2014 Camry v6 with 40000 miles on it. Waiting on insurance approval to get the work started. 😢
Yes leave hoods up, rats and mice like dark places. Been doing this for 50 sum years out in the desert. No problems ever with mice or rats, and there are a lot of them here.
@cottydry..." The auto manufacturers could do a much better job protecting wiring" Yeah, the manufactures know Honda even sells a rat Repelant Tape at dealerships , so they know there's a problem and if so why don't they tape the wires during manufacturing after all most of the wires are hidden and not accessible or easy to wrap AFTER everything is installed. The damage rodents can do can be very very costly and sometimes insurance coverage will just total the vehicle.
I’ve used peppermint Altoids for quite awhile….place them in various area one at a time or several in small containers. Be careful on upholstery as they tend to melt slowly and may leave a stain. I even put a few in the end of my exhaust pipes on my classics that may sit for a while in storage. Works quite well on tractors, lawnmowers etc. You know they work to some extent..because they never get eaten. Nothing is totally mice proof but i know this helps.
They get to the engine air filter boxes thru the air intake ducts. They bring acorns & other debris into the compartments. I affixed fine screening to the air intake openings.
Last week I watched a squirrel jump onto my tire and never saw it leave. I thought he looked like he knew where he was going and wasn't just exploring. Ran out and found it just in time behind the engine cover. No nest or nuts anywhere or chewed up wires. Put some cottonballs with peppermint in there and sprayed the wheel area with peppermint oil and water. Has not returned. But there's other openings for them just an fyi.
It doesn't help that several companies are using an insulation on the wiring that is an extract from soybeans. For rodents, newsflash to the engineers, soybeans are rat food!!!
I am an old time Detroit engineering worker. In the past electrical wiring was petroleum based now wiring is plant based so the animals will eat your car up. Try all recommended treatments on u tube and some off the wall ideas which could work. Look at it this way if you can make gasoline out of corn any thing is possible. Be safe and have a merry Christmas.
I've had squirrels chew my wiring twice...Expensive repair!!! I was told by my mechanic that a lot of the plastic under the hood IS PLASTIC but when the parts are molded Peanut Oil is used as a release agent in the process & it remains on the plastic under the hood, they can detect a food source for years after the new wears off. I found a mix of peppermint oil, fresh jalapeños, fresh garlic, with Dawn & water on UTube. I use it every few weeks in the summer & once a month in the winter. A problem I have is my car sits outside, not driven often sometimes it sits for a week at a time without moving which invites Texas squirrels (no rats)! Good luck.
I have one of these engines. You MUST remove and clean under the engine's plastic vanity cover. Mine had the insulation pad shredded beneath it for a mouse nest on the top of the engine. And also, as they did to five of my cars, they love to make a nest in the air filter box. Last weekend, for my son's antique Buick, we removed the air box, cleaned it like this guy did with soap & hose, removing seeds, acorn shells, and rodent poop . We then used a piece of steel mesh from an old air filter, cutting it to fit the shape of the air intake pipe upstream of the filter box, and set it into place with a bead of silicone caulking. I am surprised that they don't have screens built in, as I have had to also do this to my Mazda.
I just had a similar problem in my 2011 mazda where it chewed up all the insulation on the hood and back panel of the engine bay and it stuffed all the insulation around the engine, but surprisingly it didn't get into the air filter box or chew up any wiring.
I used to get upset with my neighbors cat sleeping on top my car till I realized we had rats in the neighborhood my car and the neighbors no rats under hood. So I leave kitty treats now 😁
We have 6 cats and 3 cars. We don’t have any rodent problem except for having a dead one near the front door every 2 years or so. My neighbors complain about all the neighborhood cats without realizing that they also don’t have a rodent problem.
My RV, I USE A LIGHT STRIP, RUN FROM THE BACK TO FRONT, CENTER, THEN PUT EXCESS IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT. PEPPERMINT OIL IN SIDE IN CUPS WITH COTTON BALLS...SO FAR SO GOOD
Thank you so much. This is great. I'm in Los Angeles and when I got my emissions test yesterday they saw signs of (yikes) but thankfully no damage from rats. You made this very simple and I really appreciate that.
I used the mothballs trick suggested in an earlier comment. It worked, but next time I'll use peppermint oil instead because the mothball odor was really strong. Fortunately I didn't need to do any maintenance until after removing the mothballs and letting the odor dissipate for some weeks, because working under the hood would have been miserable. By the way, also look carefully elsewhere around the car. I also found a nest on top of my truck's gas tank, where the fuel pump is installed. Fortunately the little critters hadn't chewed up the wiring there, the way they did under the hood (causing my engine temp gauge and cruise control to fail). They also destroyed the hood liner, shredding it for nesting material. Not long ago I heard someone refer to the engine covers in wide use now as "mouse roofs", so be sure to remove and check under it, too.
I made up a bagof mothballs wrapped in cheese cloth and but them in my boat compartments. In the spring I opened a hatch and mice had made a nest on top of the bag of mothballs. Dryer sheets don't work either.
Thank you for the ideas of keeping rodents out of my car. They were living in the insulation under the hood. I placed some cotton soaked with peppermint oil in the holes they made, but after watching this video I think I should take a second and third look.
Great video. The fine points were explained fully and for us out here who "don't know what they're doing" we need clear explanations like this to keep our car on the road!
Good video. That engine cover should have been removed though. Speaking from personal experience (with two Mazda vehicles), rodents love to nest underneath it. Important wires and connections reside there. A thorough cleaning and spraying of essential oils does help, but should probably be repeated often if in a high infestation area.
Great comment on safety for cleaning (i.e. ventilate area, wear mask, wet nasty stuff and wipe, do NOTt sweep and get dry stuff airborn). Rodents in different regions carry different diseases. The nastiest I'm aware of is hantavirus (largely rural/mountains out west) which is quite rare but also has a 36% fatality rate if it does infect humans.
Great video all around. One thing many people don’t know is that a while back some manufacturers started using vegtable oils to make the plastic coating for wire. Great in theory and for the environment but it’s an absolute magnet to a variety of rodents. My neighbour had a brand new work truck at home that received $1500 in wiring harness damage over one weekend. As shown here, a little preventative maintenance can be a lifesaver.
I bought a 2011 Prius to deliver food with. It had 40k miles on it and the history showed a wire harness replacement due to rodents. There you go. I also deliver with stupid Volvo wiring that crumbled.
Yep cats are definitely the best answer, IF you don't live on the wash in the desert like we do, unfortunately the problem here in Arizona is the bobcats and coyotes will kill our cats of we let them outside. But for all other areas where cats are safe outside YES they're the answer for rats.
Thank you! Will definitely be doing this, I didn't know my engine had any mice (it is driven daily) until I took my car for an oil change and they noticed the issue, after 2 filters being replaced, I now want to make sure they don't come back. I appreciate the video!
Just had this issue with my less than month old brand new car and Toyota told me that will be $248. Didn't realize this was common but glad I have a fix.
I've been putting cotton balls with drops of peppermint oil on them in my boat compartments for several years and it seems to work well. They nest in the glove box in the winter but they haven't been in there since I started using this method. Good advice.
We’re taking the car in tomorrow because rodents died in our heater. A very expensive problem for us as non mechanical people. Best skills you can have, I got to learn how to do my own repairs.
I wonder why they can't use a metal mesh around the paper filter to keep the mice away. I just had to replace the air filter and the glove box filter for this very reason. Fortunately, even though they were filthy with debris there was never a smell in the car. I happened to see the nesting material sticking out from under a cover which I THOUGHT was the air cleaner. It wasn't but there was stuff in that spot as well. Home Depot sells a can of rodent repellent spray that is peppermint scented and it's under $10. In the fall I sprayed around the entire foundation where it meets the house but the mice have still gotten in the house as well. I have 3 cats and only one catches mice. If that cat didn't catch mice I would put out the poison bait but I don't want the cat to get sick if she catches a mouse.
Hood open all last winter plus I put a light clipped to the hood & that kept them away, last year I couldn’t find any hedge apples. This year my sister gave me 25 of them. Mice hates them.
This has happened to all my vehicles, Sierra Chicory Squirrels ate my firewalls on a half dozen of my cars and trucks from my 1983 Subaru to my $140,000 dollar Mercedes! I have tried ammonia but realized it’s very corrosive, peppermint oil! Thanks!
I was a New Zealand Dairy Farmer and have learnt alot about Leptospirosis over the years. My Vet told me to always wash food & Beer cans lids under a tap before opening. My fathers generation, most of the dairy farmers in my area, had caught Leptospirosis. The incubation period is three weeks. At Veterinary conferences, I am told, they randomly screen Vets, and discover many that have had lepto and not known it. Lepto hits some people hard and others not so much.
In a similar vein, I was told that Bounce dryer sheets work well as a repellant for mice when you leave your riding lawnmower in the shed for the winter. It has worked for me so far.
John Deere implement sells a spray for farmers equipment called mouse out I used it on my equipment and never had a problem after that and all my equipment was parked in a barn.
Since I had rodents chew up my engine air handler (which, by the way in 2002 was made with a Soy based product instead of metal) I since have regularly sprayed the engine with diluted peppermint oil, placed two perferrated bags of mothballs on top of the engine, and added one portable electronic rodent repeller which makes a high pitched noise and flashes a strobe light every minute of so. Of course remove them when the engine is turned on. So far have never had another problem with critters trying to build nests inside the engine compartment. My RV shop says that they routinely see thousands of dollars worth of damage from Rodents. So, it is worth it to do whatever is necessary to keep it from happening.
Thanks Kelly, Great tips and well presented. Here in New England we have a common problem with mice making nest in vehicles. I wired a screen in the intake for my friends Subaru WRX and it seems to work. Thanks again
Here in Northern Michigan its Chipmunks. The little buggers leave acorns and other flammable items under the hood including dry leaves. They can also chew wiring. My daughter's car ended up going up in flames because Chipmunks chewed into the fuel lines and wiring on her car. She was on her way to school for the first day of school and it caught fire.
A few months ago my car pretty much died. The shop that fixed it kept it for 11 days because they had to trace every wire to find the problem. That is when I was told that mice crawl in there and chew the wires. I'd never heard of that, and I appreciate the low-cost info to prevent this from ever happening again.
Same thing happened to me. They ate a sensor to my transmission and I could only get into first gear! Better than having to rebuild or replace a transmission. I had no idea they could do so much damage!!!!
I've read that the problem is "green" wire insulation made from Soy oils. Nobody ate the insulation made from petroleum. I'm told oil spraying the vehicle will help.
I didn't know about spraying down the engine compartment with a peppermint oil concoction. But ever since the winter the mice built a nest in my glovebox, I've been using 3 reusable peppermint oil dispersal containers that I put in the glovebox, in the spare tire compartment in the back of my hatchback, and in the backseat, to keep mice out of the inside of my car. The containers are empty pill prescription containers that I drilled 6 to 8 holes in with a small drill bit, then put in 2 or 3 cotton balls with several drops of peppermint oil on them. When the smell of peppermint starts to wane, I just put a few more drops into each container (the smell is usually pretty strong for 6 weeks). Really works well & the car smells great!
I haven't tried this for under the hood but, it works in my home for ants and roaches. I can't tolerate pest control products anymore, so I started experimenting with essential oils, the peppermint works well.
I Nice video and simple solution for everyone . I had the same problem a couple of years ago and I understand that rodents and squirrels hate any flashing light so I made an electronic strobe light which turns on at dark (dusk) through a sensor and turns off at daylight which is connected to my battery and this has worked well for the past two and half years. Thanks to the person who gave us the tip of keeping the recirculating door closed, I usually use this when the AC is on to keep the cooling in …… good tip 👍
Out here in Arizona they sell a strobe light called "Rid A Rat" for the antirodent job. Doesn't work --- AT ALL --- ! Opening the hood works, but you need to cover the plastic bits like the brake master cylinder and the cooling system overflow tank so that the UV from the sun doesn't turn those spendy pieces into little white crumbles. On one of the Rid A Rad installations, the rat chewed the power lead to the strobe light through. That kinda worried me!
Excellent video on using peppermint oil for rodent damage prevention--it's the third I watched and this is far and away the best--most comprehensive demonstration, only one to encourage safety in dealing with rodent dropping-- gloves and avoid aerosols- thanks Kelly!
Easy-Off, I'm seeing this video from 4 years ago. And yes the peppermint oil from Amazon is perfect. We use it monthly at our property line, around the cars, and engine bays. I clean the engine with Easy-Off oven cleaner.
I have found that leaving the engine hood open and the garage LED lights on has been effective in keeping mice out. An exterminator told me that rodents do not like open, lighted areas.
That idea will work way better than the peppermint oil! They don't like to be disturbed either. I inspect my storaged car every few days and make a lot of noise. So far so good.
That works! I did this to combat field rats. However our varmint hunting dog smelled a rodent visiting the engine compartment and promptly began ripping out wires to get to the rodent. I now keep the hood closed.
A mouse got in my house from the garage. Husb/me, my parrot, my dogs in the room, along with lights on, and TV playing, didn't stop it from walking around the room. Thought it was a member of the family, walked around like it owned the place. My dog was in shock and just wached it walking. So was I. I caught it in a live trap.
Such a clear and nice video with the explanation. Thank you for sharing it with us and helping us. Rodents are disgusting when they pee and leave feces. I have seen signs of them on my engine compartment. They have chewed up a couple of my wires there.
I get my car oil sprayed yearly, I use the Krown formula. Never had an issue with rodents. Can't say thats the cure for sure, but since it is oil based and does have a slight smell I would think rodents won't like chewing, sleeping or nesting there. Also as a bonus it protects against corrosion.
I live in the country with lots of rodents. The Krown oil attracts a lot of dust add dirt; seems like they aren’t interested in chewing through the goop all over everything. My boat wiring, on the other hand got chewed.
I appreciate your info. The thing i would suggest is once you have touched anything with the rat feces, change your gloves so you dont transfer their germs to steering wheel were the owner will touch it without gloves.
First of all, foreign wiring that is used is made with material that attracts mice and rats. This video info is good! Rodents also LOVE the cabin filter area, so check it often. Remove all foil ketchup and taco packs, they eat right through them! I use mothballs inside my boat and compartments.
a drawback is that peppermint attracts dirt. my new truck’s engine bay got covered with a layer of dirt and looked old quickly. I had to see ChrisFix video to get it clean again.
you should always keep a rat trap and a mouse trap or two set under your car if there's a possibility of rodent entry into your engine compartment. Good video thanks.
Another very important thing to do is take out your in-cabin air filter and inspect for mouse droppings/urine. If a rodent has invaded your engine this is one of the main places they go. If you see evidence, install a new filter and vacuum out the area with a vacuum hose tube attachment. There are car A/C ozone sprays to disinfect as well before installing the new filter. You should also do a similar inspection of the engine air filter. It is recommended to shut the outside air ventilation button when the car is parked.
When i store my classic car for the winter Ive been using dryer sheets strategically placed under the hood , in the interior , in the trunk area and also inside my exhaust pipes . Never had any rodent problems
Excellent TIP and it works! I placed the Peppermint oil on the passenger side of my F250 Super Doochy and now the girlfriend wont return my calls. She gone!
I stored my Camaro for the winter and did a couple of things. I got some dryer sheets and placed them all around the interior and placed a few in the engine compartment. Filled some socks with moth balls placed them in the engine compartment. I got copper wool like chore-boy placed in the exhaust pipes. Emptied a bottle of Sta-Bil in the gas tank for storage. Inflated the tires to max about 40psi. I didn't do the battery thing though. But the garage rental was indicative of mice. So in storing the Camaro, I had to take extra precautions. Upon the first drive remember to remove all the things you did in the fall. It started right up and I had no flat spots on the tires.
I had rodents in my Ferrari engine bay while car was covered . $60.000 damage . $5,000 parts. Harness damage and sensors were damaged . It took engine off replacement for parts to be accessible . When finished sprayed perimeter of vehicle with peppermint couple times a week and plugged in sonic anti rodent devices can’t hear them but rodents can. My insurance paid the bill. Thanks for sharing .
It happened to our Mercedes in our garage while we were in Europe for 3 months. After that, we learned to place moth balls in a small bag with small holes in it. We placed it under the hood in an area away from heat and moving parts. The moth balls will last for a year or longer.
If you own a Ferrari and you couldn't afford a nice sealed/insulated/climate controlled garage to park it in, then you weren't rich enough to own a Ferrari. For $60K, you could have built one hell of a nice garage.
@@bry2k I own multiple vehicles . Not enough parking space in enclosed garage with climate control . Vehicles rotated for long term storage while travelling months at a time. Retired life :) .
@@240fxst Dude, you could buy an airtight conex container for $5K to store a Ferrari in. I don't care how you spin it - if you let a Ferrari suffer $60K of rodent damage, then you're too poor to own a Ferrari, or your brain is just not firing on all cylinders.
The best solution for me is to open the hood (garage with roof) everytime the car parks, the heat attracts local cats that sleep underneath, near, or on top of the engine. No rodent problem ever since.
I had an old school bus some years ago. It sat for several months. Found where a squirrel had been nesting in the breather where the air filter was missing. Recently we had a problem with our van with an odd reduction in power and warning lights coming on. The mechanic found some wires chewed on, likely by a rat. We had a family of rats living in our shed. Wound up costing over $700 on parts and labor. So glad I came across your video. The peppermint idea sounds really good. Thanks.
I live in a rural area and I have had my share of issues with mice. They have damaged some of my outdoor equipment. I now use bait boxes with Contact Blox. I change the bait every two weeks. This advice you give is very good but mice are relentless. My friend had 20,000 dollars worth of damage done it his Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Mice are no joke and need to be dealt with.
The mouse nest is probably under the dash to one side of the glove box compartment or in the area under the cabin air filter or actually in the center of the blower fan. From time to time in Arizona I've seen guys park their pick-up truck and open the hood and leave it open all day. The mice leave. Another trick is mouth balls in an old pill bottle with several hoisin the cap. Works like a charm inside (along with the old fashion mouse trap) a motorhome or trailer .
Good tips thanks. I am in Australia and we have native bush rats that love the soybeans extract kindly supplied by the manufacturers. I am off to buy some peppermint oil.
We are going to experience our 1st Retirement Snowbird Winter in Florida this coming winter. I’m definitely going to use the Peppermint Oil & Peppermint Altoids, suggestions. Also electronic low frequency devices in my garage to protect two vehicles, a tractor and snowblower. In addition to many mouse traps and sticky trap strips.
Spent close to $600 yesterday at my local dealership because of these pests. Chewed through the map sensor connector wires. Now using this method as well as moth balls.
best way is to open your hood on the regular. something that i have not done unfortunately. a few months back i found a nest of baby mice under my hood and i need to check it more often. this is especially a problem in the winter.
I hadn't see evidence of rodents for some time but this past summer watched a snake lift itself up under the truck and slither about as it knew alot more than I.
Irish spring (soap) works well too! Rodents got to the wires of our hybrid automobile and it cost us $650.00 at the dealership for repairs. My wife cut up chunks of Iris Spring, placed them around the engine bay and that did the trick! She also recommends clove oil on a cotton ball. Cheers!
Yep - rodents cost me $900 USD repair after eating the wiring. I found that particular car - Ford Explorer - was more susceptible to rodents wanting to get up into the engine area. I ended up trading in the car less than a year after purchased. I purchased a Ford 150 and didn’t have the same problem. Seems that automakers should come up with better ways to protect wiring, etc.
Good job dude getting right to the point and not a lot of sales bull crap thanks very much, I've had this problem for many years in the barn and vehicles outside of the barn going to give it a try tomorrow.
My cousin bought my wife's Sunbird that had been parked for a year. It started right up, he put plates on it and drove off. On the way home he tried the air conditioning. The next thing he knew a live snake came slithering out of the dashboard heat duct right by the steering wheel while he was driving down the road! He barely had time to pull over. Luckily nobody was hurt! 🏃♂️...........🐍🚙
This is great advice. I do this for my RV. I have also used a pan of charcoal- works and also add a pan of moth balls underneath the RV. OBTW the moth balls work great for rodent in your yard.
Good info but here are some additional tips. Once the mice get into engine bay, it's easy for them to get into HVAC vent and then interior. If you have a cabin filter behind glove compartment (Mazda, Toyota, etc), inspect the filter. If you have nest or feces, clean or replace filter and spray with peppermint oil. It may keep the mice out of the vent and cabin. Also, make sure cabin area has no food. The mice love kids because they drop food on the seats and floor.
just cleaned mine it was FULL of nesting material and one dead mouse. also found a dead mouse under radeator area at bottom full of i think frown worms or somthing. sorry for being so gross. now sprayed everything with a ecential oil spray eucalptus and pepermint. smells nice too. they say it works
Thank you. I definitely have a nest in that area. The plastic piece under the knee air bags is a little loose and I can hear rocks when I tap it. I heard the rat in there while doing errands and bits of leaves and sticks were falling onto the floor mat while I was driving. I'm afraid to mess with that plastic piece because it's so near the airbags. I tried to get a vacuum hose in there but it wouldn't go very far. Since the cabin air filter is in that area I took your advice and tried to check it but I couldn't get it out. I have some wiring damage and have an appointment at the dealer so I'll ask themto check that too. Thank you. BTW I caught 3 rats in 2 days with snap traps. Nothing last night. This sucks!
My Toyota Tundra is made in America. And actually the engine and transmission are too. Can you say that about Ford or Chevrolet or Chrysler???@@brandonbell6171
Happened to my car, parked in rural places. Chewed my ignition wires, caused ignition irregularity. Left hickory nut shells in my interior blower, fragments of plastic bag against the air filters.
Good Video. Even a vehicle parked in a garage and driven practically every day can have this problem. While doing routine servicing on one of our cars I found a stash of sunflower seeds in the plenum chamber upstream of the engine air filter.
My fave is hardware cloth. My buggers. nest in the air filter/heater intake points. And destroy the those assembly to the toon of 275$ dollar one year. So it's hardware cloth . Its mesh is 1/4"by 1/4" so wrapped around intakes. And painted the right COLOR seals the deal. Thanks for tips.
@@markpowers80 hi hi mate. Just good old Zink coated mesh . Ps also works well to keep the pirates out of the bird seed storage, and from around vents in my house. Quite handy stuff. Ps a can of rustolem® make a fashion state ment . Your choice thanks for asking om 73🤠
My wife’s 2018 Toyota Highlander had chipmunks getting in the engine bay, made a nest under the engine beauty cover. The check engine light came on one morning when she started it up. The night before it was fine. I checked it out, her AWD system was disabled. Found the wiring harness that plugs into the transmission had a wire that was chewed through. I ordered some new txl wire and wire pin. I was able to fix by repairing the wire and repinning the connector. I ordered the peppermint oil in a spray bottle from Amazon and for a while now, no more problems.
I use dialectric grease on plu wires and all exposed wires and connectors, I tried mouse traps and ten traps did not work , they hate dialectric high temp clear grease ,that allso protects and shines plastic parts
This has always worked for me living on the farm. I also place a few make-up sponges with a few drops of peppermint oil on them in and around the compartment of the engine bay. Works great for the tractor too. They used to eat all the tractor wires and car wires until I started using these two methods. Now I get no rodents at all.
Reading all the replies I am going to follow your advice because Farmers know best as far as I am concerned. My mother was a farmer and she taught me a lot of good lessons from her life on the farm and they were always great. Thank You for the information.
How often do you need to do this in order for it to work?
If you are putting it on sponges , I would guess about once a month in a garage or every week if it’s outside.
Along with peppermint oil, I also use sponges soaked with TABASCO liquid, also rugging it on all the most 'vulnerables'. Rodents HATE both !!!!! I live in an 'open woods' where rats and mice are in super-abundance and will also occasionally 'chew' though my house 'Rim Joice' to enter, especially in the late autumn... rats in spring time when they're looking to 'nest and breed'.
Once they get inside the house, I prefer tabasco .... and I also set small pans of a DRY mixture of corn meal + wheat flour (50%) to 50% Plaster of Paris --- 'deadly' as it totally blocks their intestines ... rodents are unable to 'puke it up' after injestion.
The only caution is to use vinyl gloves when handling the tabasco ... and thoroughly wash your hands **before** rubbing your eyes & face.... and using the toilet !!!!! :-o !!!!
How often do you have to spray the peppermint oil?
One small tweak to make your fix MUCH better. Water and oil (peppermint oil) do not mix so you need a "surfactant." That is a fancy way of saying you need something to break up the oil so it can be dispersed in water. The cheapest effective surfactant is soap. If you take a few drops of Dawn and mix your 40 or so drops of peppermint oil in, and then shake that together with your water, the oil can then disperse in the water. Don't worry about the bubbles in the bottle.
Over time it still separates if you have any left in the bottle but a quick shake is all you need. The soap also acts as a binding agent as the water evaporates and will hold the oil residue longer.
It's probably a good idea to spray on the floor in the garage where the car is parked, that way if your car leaks a little out of the radiator or oil out of a seal that isn't tight, you can spray it out with a pressure washer easier, and keep the mice out at the same time.
makes sence,they cleaned alot of wild life from exxon valdez spill years ago with dawn
Actually you need the emollient properties of soap, not the surfactant properties. But you are on the right track by suggesting Dawn.
@@jesterger Actually, its the emulsive property of soap that he's after. The surfactant property is useful, too. Emollients might actually attract them if they have chapped hands.
A product I use every fall is Dr. Bronners peppermint soap. 50/50 with water in a spray bottle
I have several old cars sitting outside. My wife has cats that do a great job keeping the mice and rats away from them. The only rodent problem I have now is my brother in law who is visiting.
LOL
Don't let your wife see this.
That's a huge rodent. You'll need a big mouse trap
Wow thats why i love Cats... Sorry no solution in the world for the In-laws yets😉
aby saly .
LOL too funny!
I live in Tucson Az. and have had tens of thousands of dollars damage to my vehicles from pack rats. I tried every electric and electronic stuff and all sorts of lights to no avail. i read about using peppermint essential oil and bought a 16 oz bottle from Amazon for about $20. I mix an ounce in a 25 oz spray bottle and about once a week I spray the engine bays and under the wheel inner fenders and have not had a problem since. I also bought a flat roll of copper wool from Amazon and put it around the gas tanks to block the buggers from getting to the sending unit and emissions wires. Make sure to not cram it into any openings with slightly exposed wires. i had three vehicles with top of the gas tank wire damage and no more now. The spray also keeps rabbits from eating my garden. All the other crap I tried did not work and the "guarantees" were BS. I also put a wire screen in the air box's because they made a nice nest inside using the paper from the air filter. Honda has patented an adhesive tape they make with little rats printed on it to stop rodents from eating wires, the tape is $40 plus a roll and is no more than Teflon tape. I use Teflon tape on aircraft so I have rolls of it to put on especially attractive wires. BTW, the problem of attracting rodents to newer vehicles is many are using wire insulation that is made from soy beans, yum! The tape is also on Amazon, many sizes and choices.
what a smart plan to make eatibil sp? wires .. i have had to deal with that on my wife’s new Kia Soul . i bought a teardrop thing made by Victor . it drops peppermint oil
and lasts a month easy … easy peasese , Japaneasy 😎
They don't like eucalyptus
I live in Italy and when I had this problem my mechanic pressure sprayed the engine compartment with diluted kerosene. Worked like a charm. Since, I have had him spray the engine compartment every fall and have not had any more problems in the past ten years.
how can you spray kerosene, it will burn at high temperature letting fire to catch your car. how you diluted it. Does it prevented rats and rodents? thanks
It evaporateds@@UpendraAhire
Yes it does. Moth balls work too@@warrentrout
Yet oiling wires would make them deteriorate and you might have a nightmare on your hands if you ruin your wiring
Always switch your cars AC to recirculation before turning off overnight, this shuts the ductwork from outside air, if you leave it open they will get in your ductwork and make a nest up inside where your cars cabin filter is, they use the filter as a nest. which is usually located below the glove box. they will also chew through the steering shaft boot in the firewall that separates cabin from engine bay.
Most cars automatically shut the flap when the engine is off
Now how to get rid of ants...
@@2Hearts3 I've had ants a few times get in my car and it's incredibly annoying. I've sprayed the entire car even under the hood with spider/wasp spray, but the home defense spray from home depot works amazing. No more ants within a hour.
@@latricet5569 But will any get aired into the passenger compartment, as it may be poisonous?
@@youtubeobserverz no, but we didn't turn on a/c either. No different than spraying it around your house.
I have to say that this is one of the best UA-cam videos in a very long time. Let me tell you why I liked it so much:
-The title explains it all, no Clickbait designed to attract people that the video doesn't address.
-No demanding up front that people like and subscribe to your channel before we've even watched the video.
-No complaining about all the people who watch your channel without subscribing or donating.
-Best of all you don't waste our time filling up the video with useless information. You start right in on the subject and concisely explain what you're there to do and how you recommend doing it. Thank you! I wish more UA-camrs would follow your example, THIS is how you attract subscribers! Oh, and the information was also helpful, thanks.
Yes I agree, not deceptive at all, I liked that he sped up the clip when he was applying the soapy solution, we all already know how to do that.
Amen!!!
Yes, amen to that, no smoke or mirrors , a pleasant change 😁
Agree. He gets down to business and keeps it that way. Mice made a nest in my engine bay and ate the wiring - $500 deductible!
@@pcm7315 how was it covered by car insurance? Comprehensive coverage?
Peppermint oil works I use it full strength with a Q-tip wipe the oil in different areas in engine compartment! I try to do it once a week! No more rats!
Yes it does work Texas AnM study proved it.
Get a shop led 48" light place it under the hood the light will keep them out
Be careful using Peppermint oil if you have cats. It is highly toxic to cats. Even the residual odor will cause problems.
@@georgecummings3227 I've tried EVERYTHING, dryer sheets, mothballs (try to get the smell out!) lights, traps, everything I had read about without success... until I used 40 drops of Peppermint oil in a spray bottle of water. SUCCESS... no more rodents. I respray every 2 weeks.
Dr Bronners Peppermint Soap.
One of the best tips for stored vehicles is to leave the hood opened and preferable close to an opened door. Rodents like dark secluded places so if you take that away they'll avoid that area. I also use Cab Fresh pouches and an electronic pest repeller that emits a high pitched sound and LED flashing lights. The best approach is to do it all otherwise you could face a huge bill for wire harness replacements. The auto manufacturers could do a much better job protecting wiring.
My bill is 6700.00 through insurance for engine harness damage on a 2014 Camry v6 with 40000 miles on it. Waiting on insurance approval to get the work started. 😢
Yes leave hoods up, rats and mice like dark places. Been doing this for 50 sum years out in the desert. No problems ever with mice or rats, and there are a lot of them here.
the insulation on wires is a soy base product that is why the mice eat it.
@cottydry..." The auto manufacturers could do a much better job protecting wiring" Yeah, the manufactures know Honda even sells a rat Repelant Tape at dealerships , so they know there's a problem and if so why don't they tape the wires during manufacturing after all most of the wires are hidden and not accessible or easy to wrap AFTER everything is installed. The damage rodents can do can be very very costly and sometimes insurance coverage will just total the vehicle.
yes just did a $8900 repair bill (BMW dealership) to replace full wiring harness on 2018 BMW 330i (thankfully insurance picked it up) @@TW-ud6sb
I’ve used peppermint Altoids for quite awhile….place them in various area one at a time or several in small containers. Be careful on upholstery as they tend to melt slowly and may leave a stain. I even put a few in the end of my exhaust pipes on my classics that may sit for a while in storage. Works quite well on tractors, lawnmowers etc. You know they work to some extent..because they never get eaten. Nothing is totally mice proof but i know this helps.
Asstoids
They get to the engine air filter boxes thru the air intake ducts. They bring acorns & other debris into the compartments. I affixed fine screening to the air intake openings.
I used 1/4” Hardware cloth. Works great. No restriction of airflow.
Last week I watched a squirrel jump onto my tire and never saw it leave. I thought he looked like he knew where he was going and wasn't just exploring. Ran out and found it just in time behind the engine cover. No nest or nuts anywhere or chewed up wires. Put some cottonballs with peppermint in there and sprayed the wheel area with peppermint oil and water. Has not returned. But there's other openings for them just an fyi.
It doesn't help that several companies are using an insulation on the wiring that is an extract from soybeans. For rodents, newsflash to the engineers, soybeans are rat food!!!
100%
They know it. It’s designed to fail expensively
@@stopglobalswarming Dirty bastards!! So they do this to make even more money!!!!
Didn't you ever think some of those engineers have rat brains? Hehe🤔😂🤗
Honda's
I am an old time Detroit engineering worker. In the past electrical wiring was petroleum based now wiring is plant based so the animals will eat your car up. Try all recommended treatments on u tube and some off the wall ideas which could work. Look at it this way if you can make gasoline out of corn any thing is possible. Be safe and have a merry Christmas.
🎄313
Modern wiring is coated with peanut oil which tends to attract rodents,I heard somebody say spraying peppermint oil would deter rodents!
I've had squirrels chew my wiring twice...Expensive repair!!! I was told by my mechanic that a lot of the plastic under the hood IS PLASTIC but when the parts are molded Peanut Oil is used as a release agent in the process & it remains on the plastic under the hood, they can detect a food source for years after the new wears off.
I found a mix of peppermint oil, fresh jalapeños, fresh garlic, with Dawn & water on UTube. I use it every few weeks in the summer & once a month in the winter. A problem I have is my car sits outside, not driven often sometimes it sits for a week at a time without moving which invites Texas squirrels (no rats)!
Good luck.
I have one of these engines. You MUST remove and clean under the engine's plastic vanity cover. Mine had the insulation pad shredded beneath it for a mouse nest on the top of the engine. And also, as they did to five of my cars, they love to make a nest in the air filter box. Last weekend, for my son's antique Buick, we removed the air box, cleaned it like this guy did with soap & hose, removing seeds, acorn shells, and rodent poop . We then used a piece of steel mesh from an old air filter, cutting it to fit the shape of the air intake pipe upstream of the filter box, and set it into place with a bead of silicone caulking. I am surprised that they don't have screens built in, as I have had to also do this to my Mazda.
I just had a similar problem in my 2011 mazda where it chewed up all the insulation on the hood and back panel of the engine bay and it stuffed all the insulation around the engine, but surprisingly it didn't get into the air filter box or chew up any wiring.
I agree. As a Mazda owner that's had this problem you should remove the engine cover, clean and treat the area.
I used to get upset with my neighbors cat sleeping on top my car till I realized we had rats in the neighborhood my car and the neighbors no rats under hood. So I leave kitty treats now 😁
The kitty treats will attract rats faster than the cats
@@K0NY718 maybe so but not my home 😁
@K0NY718 so the cats can eat the rats. Bait.
We have 6 cats and 3 cars. We don’t have any rodent problem except for having a dead one near the front door every 2 years or so. My neighbors complain about all the neighborhood cats without realizing that they also don’t have a rodent problem.
So you had hood rats?... Sorry I couldn't resist
My RV, I USE A LIGHT STRIP, RUN FROM THE BACK TO FRONT, CENTER, THEN PUT EXCESS IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT. PEPPERMINT OIL IN SIDE IN CUPS WITH COTTON BALLS...SO FAR SO GOOD
I was told every six months to spray it down. Thank you!
yes, I agree. I do mine twice a year. It works
Thank you so much. This is great. I'm in Los Angeles and when I got my emissions test yesterday they saw signs of (yikes) but thankfully no damage from rats. You made this very simple and I really appreciate that.
I used the mothballs trick suggested in an earlier comment. It worked, but next time I'll use peppermint oil instead because the mothball odor was really strong. Fortunately I didn't need to do any maintenance until after removing the mothballs and letting the odor dissipate for some weeks, because working under the hood would have been miserable.
By the way, also look carefully elsewhere around the car. I also found a nest on top of my truck's gas tank, where the fuel pump is installed. Fortunately the little critters hadn't chewed up the wiring there, the way they did under the hood (causing my engine temp gauge and cruise control to fail). They also destroyed the hood liner, shredding it for nesting material.
Not long ago I heard someone refer to the engine covers in wide use now as "mouse roofs", so be sure to remove and check under it, too.
I made up a bagof mothballs wrapped in cheese cloth and but them in my boat compartments. In the spring I opened a hatch and mice had made a nest on top of the bag of mothballs. Dryer sheets don't work either.
Thank you for the ideas of keeping rodents out of my car. They were living in the insulation under the hood. I placed some cotton soaked with peppermint oil in the holes they made, but after watching this video I think I should take a second and third look.
Great video. The fine points were explained fully and for us out here who "don't know what they're doing" we need clear explanations like this to keep our car on the road!
Pp
Good video. That engine cover should have been removed though. Speaking from personal experience (with two Mazda vehicles), rodents love to nest underneath it. Important wires and connections reside there.
A thorough cleaning and spraying of essential oils does help, but should probably be repeated often if in a high infestation area.
Great comment on safety for cleaning (i.e. ventilate area, wear mask, wet nasty stuff and wipe, do NOTt sweep and get dry stuff airborn). Rodents in different regions carry different diseases. The nastiest I'm aware of is hantavirus (largely rural/mountains out west) which is quite rare but also has a 36% fatality rate if it does infect humans.
Great video all around. One thing many people don’t know is that a while back some manufacturers started using vegtable oils to make the plastic coating for wire. Great in theory and for the environment but it’s an absolute magnet to a variety of rodents. My neighbour had a brand new work truck at home that received $1500 in wiring harness damage over one weekend. As shown here, a little preventative maintenance can be a lifesaver.
I bought a 2011 Prius to deliver food with. It had 40k miles on it and the history showed a wire harness replacement due to rodents. There you go.
I also deliver with stupid Volvo wiring that crumbled.
Just totaled my 2007 x-type jag! The wiring har Ed’s replacement was going to be $5500 IF we could get it from England!🤬🤬🤬
@@divenursok Scotty Kilmer warned you 😆
U would think oil based anything is a nightmare for the environment.
No that's actually peanut oil what they used not vegetable oil
Good advice. Thanks.
Used to use sticky traps but nothing can beat my cat patrolling the area.
Rats will eat sticky traps.
Unfortunately, stray cats that prowl in and out of our garage at night don't mind the rats, like its live and let live.
Yep cats are definitely the best answer, IF you don't live on the wash in the desert like we do, unfortunately the problem here in Arizona is the bobcats and coyotes will kill our cats of we let them outside. But for all other areas where cats are safe outside YES they're the answer for rats.
Thank you! Will definitely be doing this, I didn't know my engine had any mice (it is driven daily) until I took my car for an oil change and they noticed the issue, after 2 filters being replaced, I now want to make sure they don't come back. I appreciate the video!
Yup. They enter late at night and leave well before sunrise.
Just had this issue with my less than month old brand new car and Toyota told me that will be $248. Didn't realize this was common but glad I have a fix.
I've been putting cotton balls with drops of peppermint oil on them in my boat compartments for several years and it seems to work well. They nest in the glove box in the winter but they haven't been in there since I started using this method. Good advice.
We’re taking the car in tomorrow because rodents died in our heater. A very expensive problem for us as non mechanical people. Best skills you can have, I got to learn how to do my own repairs.
protect the airbox, and in cabin filter as well, they like the cotton / paper from the filters for bedding
I wonder why they can't use a metal mesh around the paper filter to keep the mice away. I just had to replace the air filter and the glove box filter for this very reason. Fortunately, even though they were filthy with debris there was never a smell in the car. I happened to see the nesting material sticking out from under a cover which I THOUGHT was the air cleaner. It wasn't but there was stuff in that spot as well. Home Depot sells a can of rodent repellent spray that is peppermint scented and it's under $10. In the fall I sprayed around the entire foundation where it meets the house but the mice have still gotten in the house as well. I have 3 cats and only one catches mice. If that cat didn't catch mice I would put out the poison bait but I don't want the cat to get sick if she catches a mouse.
@@dottiekonarski5340 I just got pure peppermint oil and no more mice. I also make my own cabin filters that are better and pennies on the dollar.
mice can get into you're car through the air vents, 1/4 inch screen over inlet works on older cars.
When I store my sports car over the winter I put the hood up. This discourages rodents from nesting on the engine. They love enclosed places.
Had my hood up last night, and they STILL came and pooed and peed all over the engine bay.
Hood open all last winter plus I put a light clipped to the hood & that kept them away, last year I couldn’t find any hedge apples. This year my sister gave me 25 of them. Mice hates them.
@@jimhill6586
"can of woop ass"
OMG, laughing so hard!!!
This has happened to all my vehicles, Sierra Chicory Squirrels ate my firewalls on a half dozen of my cars and trucks from my 1983 Subaru to my $140,000 dollar Mercedes! I have tried ammonia but realized it’s very corrosive, peppermint oil! Thanks!
I was a New Zealand Dairy Farmer and have learnt alot about Leptospirosis over the years. My Vet told me to always wash food & Beer cans lids under a tap before opening. My fathers generation, most of the dairy farmers in my area, had caught Leptospirosis.
The incubation period is three weeks. At Veterinary conferences, I am told, they randomly screen Vets, and discover many that have had lepto and not known it. Lepto hits some people hard and others not so much.
Check air filter they got in mine and chewed off filter I imagine for nest .
In a similar vein, I was told that Bounce dryer sheets work well as a repellant for mice when you leave your riding lawnmower in the shed for the winter. It has worked for me so far.
I’ve heard that too, also moth balls. They can’t handle strong smell
I did this in my camper. They loved them and used it for a toilet. Did not work at all
Bounce sheets are chemicals
They didn't work for me.
Floral or Lavenders scent
John Deere implement sells a spray for farmers equipment called mouse out I used it on my equipment and never had a problem after that and all my equipment was parked in a barn.
Since I had rodents chew up my engine air handler (which, by the way in 2002 was made with a Soy based product instead of metal) I since have regularly sprayed the engine with diluted peppermint oil, placed two perferrated bags of mothballs on top of the engine, and added one portable electronic rodent repeller which makes a high pitched noise and flashes a strobe light every minute of so. Of course remove them when the engine is turned on. So far have never had another problem with critters trying to build nests inside the engine compartment. My RV shop says that they routinely see thousands of dollars worth of damage from Rodents. So, it is worth it to do whatever is necessary to keep it from happening.
Thanks Kelly, Great tips and well presented. Here in New England we have a common problem with mice making nest in vehicles. I wired a screen in the intake for my friends Subaru WRX and it seems to work. Thanks again
Here in Northern Michigan its Chipmunks. The little buggers leave acorns and other flammable items under the hood including dry leaves. They can also chew wiring. My daughter's car ended up going up in flames because Chipmunks chewed into the fuel lines and wiring on her car. She was on her way to school for the first day of school and it caught fire.
Scary
😮
that sounds more like red squirrels...
A few months ago my car pretty much died. The shop that fixed it kept it for 11 days because they had to trace every wire to find the problem. That is when I was told that mice crawl in there and chew the wires. I'd never heard of that, and I appreciate the low-cost info to prevent this from ever happening again.
Same thing happened to me. They ate a sensor to my transmission and I could only get into first gear! Better than having to rebuild or replace a transmission. I had no idea they could do so much damage!!!!
@@w.r.carman3328me too.
I've read that the problem is "green" wire insulation made from Soy oils. Nobody ate the insulation made from petroleum. I'm told oil spraying the vehicle will help.
Wow thank u. My husband is so stressed about the rat in our car's engine.
I didn't know about spraying down the engine compartment with a peppermint oil concoction. But ever since the winter the mice built a nest in my glovebox, I've been using 3 reusable peppermint oil dispersal containers that I put in the glovebox, in the spare tire compartment in the back of my hatchback, and in the backseat, to keep mice out of the inside of my car. The containers are empty pill prescription containers that I drilled 6 to 8 holes in with a small drill bit, then put in 2 or 3 cotton balls with several drops of peppermint oil on them. When the smell of peppermint starts to wane, I just put a few more drops into each container (the smell is usually pretty strong for 6 weeks). Really works well & the car smells great!
Great advise: cotton balls in prescription containers. Thanks.
Excellent idea ! I'm going to do that for my Austin and Morris. Thanks a lot. Colin ( England ).
I haven't tried this for under the hood but, it works in my home for ants and roaches. I can't tolerate pest control products anymore, so I started experimenting with essential oils, the peppermint works well.
I
Nice video and simple solution for everyone .
I had the same problem a couple of years ago and I understand that rodents and squirrels hate any flashing light so I made an electronic strobe light which turns on at dark (dusk) through a sensor and turns off at daylight which is connected to my battery and this has worked well for the past two and half years.
Thanks to the person who gave us the tip of keeping the recirculating door closed, I usually use this when the AC is on to keep the cooling in …… good tip 👍
Out here in Arizona they sell a strobe light called "Rid A Rat" for the antirodent job. Doesn't work --- AT ALL --- ! Opening the hood works, but you need to cover the plastic bits like the brake master cylinder and the cooling system overflow tank so that the UV from the sun doesn't turn those spendy pieces into little white crumbles. On one of the Rid A Rad installations, the rat chewed the power lead to the strobe light through. That kinda worried me!
Excellent video on using peppermint oil for rodent damage prevention--it's the third I watched and this is far and away the best--most comprehensive demonstration, only one to encourage safety in dealing with rodent dropping-- gloves and avoid aerosols- thanks Kelly!
Thank you. We've had a severe rodent problem during the past year.
Easy-Off, I'm seeing this video from 4 years ago. And yes the peppermint oil from Amazon is perfect. We use it monthly at our property line, around the cars, and engine bays. I clean the engine with Easy-Off oven cleaner.
I put mothballs in the fin shrouds of my small engines and if possible fine chickenwire screening. 1/4" mesh Hardware Cloth also keeps them out.
I have found that leaving the engine hood open and the garage LED lights on has been effective in keeping mice out. An exterminator told me that rodents do not like open, lighted areas.
That idea will work way better than the peppermint oil! They don't like to be disturbed either. I inspect my storaged car every few days and make a lot of noise. So far so good.
That works! I did this to combat field rats. However our varmint hunting dog smelled a rodent visiting the engine compartment and promptly began ripping out wires to get to the rodent. I now keep the hood closed.
A mouse got in my house from the garage. Husb/me, my parrot, my dogs in the room, along with lights on, and TV playing, didn't stop it from walking around the room. Thought it was a member of the family, walked around like it owned the place. My dog was in shock and just wached it walking. So was I. I caught it in a live trap.
...much like my co-workers.
I am so proud of r yea yes yes I
Such a clear and nice video with the explanation. Thank you for sharing it with us and helping us. Rodents are disgusting when they pee and leave feces. I have seen signs of them on my engine compartment. They have chewed up a couple of my wires there.
I get my car oil sprayed yearly, I use the Krown formula. Never had an issue with rodents. Can't say thats the cure for sure, but since it is oil based and does have a slight smell I would think rodents won't like chewing, sleeping or nesting there. Also as a bonus it protects against corrosion.
I live in the country with lots of rodents. The Krown oil attracts a lot of dust add dirt; seems like they aren’t interested in chewing through the goop all over everything. My boat wiring, on the other hand got chewed.
I appreciate your info. The thing i would suggest is once you have touched anything with the rat feces, change your gloves so you dont transfer their germs to steering wheel were the owner will touch it without gloves.
First of all, foreign wiring that is used is made with material that attracts mice and rats. This video info is good! Rodents also LOVE the cabin filter area, so check it often. Remove all foil ketchup and taco packs, they eat right through them! I use mothballs inside my boat and compartments.
a drawback is that peppermint attracts dirt. my new truck’s engine bay got covered with a layer of dirt and looked old quickly. I had to see ChrisFix video to get it clean again.
Good to know. Not that it is a big deao to me. ChrisFix taught me how to detail my interior Full circle. Lmao
you should always keep a rat trap and a mouse trap or two set under your car if there's a possibility of rodent entry into your engine compartment. Good video thanks.
Another very important thing to do is take out your in-cabin air filter and inspect for mouse droppings/urine. If a rodent has invaded your engine this is one of the main places they go. If you see evidence, install a new filter and vacuum out the area with a vacuum hose tube attachment. There are car A/C ozone sprays to disinfect as well before installing the new filter. You should also do a similar inspection of the engine air filter. It is recommended to shut the outside air ventilation button when the car is parked.
When i store my classic car for the winter Ive been using dryer sheets strategically placed under the hood , in the interior , in the trunk area and also inside my exhaust pipes . Never had any rodent problems
Excellent TIP and it works!
I placed the Peppermint oil on the passenger side of my F250 Super Doochy and now the girlfriend wont return my calls. She gone!
Did it worked? Please provide real experience. I am facing this issue and searching for options
Thank You so Much! I had to have Amy car towed to a dealership because of squirrels. Expensive repair!
What’s a Amy car
Have used this in kitchen drawers but never thought of using it under my hood, will do tomorrow.
used what?
@@mlaugh3 Sorry, peppermint oil or spearmint oil.
I stored my Camaro for the winter and did a couple of things. I got some dryer sheets and placed them all around the interior and placed a few in the engine compartment. Filled some socks with moth balls placed them in the engine compartment. I got copper wool like chore-boy placed in the exhaust pipes. Emptied a bottle of Sta-Bil in the gas tank for storage. Inflated the tires to max about 40psi. I didn't do the battery thing though. But the garage rental was indicative of mice. So in storing the Camaro, I had to take extra precautions. Upon the first drive remember to remove all the things you did in the fall. It started right up and I had no flat spots on the tires.
I had rodents in my Ferrari engine bay while car was covered . $60.000 damage . $5,000 parts. Harness damage and sensors were damaged . It took engine off replacement for parts to be accessible . When finished sprayed perimeter of vehicle with peppermint couple times a week and plugged in sonic anti rodent devices can’t hear them but rodents can. My insurance paid the bill. Thanks for sharing .
It happened to our Mercedes in our garage while we were in Europe for 3 months.
After that, we learned to place moth balls in a small bag with small holes in it.
We placed it under the hood in an area away from heat and moving parts.
The moth balls will last for a year or longer.
If you own a Ferrari and you couldn't afford a nice sealed/insulated/climate controlled garage to park it in, then you weren't rich enough to own a Ferrari. For $60K, you could have built one hell of a nice garage.
@@bry2k I own multiple vehicles . Not enough parking space in enclosed garage with climate control . Vehicles rotated for long term storage while travelling months at a time. Retired life :) .
@@240fxst Dude, you could buy an airtight conex container for $5K to store a Ferrari in. I don't care how you spin it - if you let a Ferrari suffer $60K of rodent damage, then you're too poor to own a Ferrari, or your brain is just not firing on all cylinders.
@@bry2kwhy are you so offended over him saying he has a Ferrari? Lol
The best solution for me is to open the hood (garage with roof) everytime the car parks, the heat attracts local cats that sleep underneath, near, or on top of the engine. No rodent problem ever since.
You should always bang on the hood of your car before you start the engine in case any of the cats are still in there sleeping.
Cats are way more Clever @@bonriver9420
I had an old school bus some years ago. It sat for several months. Found where a squirrel had been nesting in the breather where the air filter was missing. Recently we had a problem with our van with an odd reduction in power and warning lights coming on. The mechanic found some wires chewed on, likely by a rat. We had a family of rats living in our shed. Wound up costing over $700 on parts and labor. So glad I came across your video. The peppermint idea sounds really good. Thanks.
Fleas and ticks have a thing about peppermint oil also.if the flea gets sprayed it dies.
I find Tomcat brand rodent range cubes are very effective.
I live in a rural area and I have had my share of issues with mice. They have damaged some of my outdoor equipment. I now use bait boxes with Contact Blox. I change the bait every two weeks. This advice you give is very good but mice are relentless. My friend had 20,000 dollars worth of damage done it his Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Mice are no joke and need to be dealt with.
Peppermint oil 4:30
The mouse nest is probably under the dash to one side of the glove box compartment or in the area under the cabin air filter or actually in the center of the blower fan. From time to time in Arizona I've seen guys park their pick-up truck and open the hood and leave it open all day. The mice leave. Another trick is mouth balls in an old pill bottle with several hoisin the cap. Works like a charm inside (along with the old fashion mouse trap) a motorhome or trailer .
My understanding is that moth balls are very toxic to breath.
Good tips thanks. I am in Australia and we have native bush rats that love the soybeans extract kindly supplied by the manufacturers. I am off to buy some peppermint oil.
Ross, did the peppermint oil work, cheers, mate.
We are going to experience our 1st Retirement Snowbird Winter in Florida this coming winter. I’m definitely going to use the Peppermint Oil & Peppermint Altoids, suggestions. Also electronic low frequency devices in my garage to protect two vehicles, a tractor and snowblower. In addition to many mouse traps and sticky trap strips.
I had a lot of rodent damage and the mechanic said you really can't prevent it. So thankful to have found this video!!!
I put my ex wife's panties under the hood no rodent comes near them fucking things
Nesting, urine, feces, are all annoying, but the rats chewing up the wires, that's way worse.
They can total a car
Spent close to $600 yesterday at my local dealership because of these pests. Chewed through the map sensor connector wires. Now using this method as well as moth balls.
@@hiyellagal what do you own?
@@glennnichols4220 2005 Chrysler 300
@@hiyellagal i thought Toyota like others have mentioned was prone to this that is why he had a Toyota in the picture.
Amazon sells rodent repellant , its a mint smelling spray .Good for camping trailers .
whats it’s name?
best way is to open your hood on the regular. something that i have not done unfortunately.
a few months back i found a nest of baby mice under my hood and i need to check it more often.
this is especially a problem in the winter.
Had my hood up last night, and they were still hanging out and peeing and pooping all over the engine bay.
I hadn't see evidence of rodents for some time but this past summer watched a snake lift itself up under the truck and slither about as it knew alot more than I.
An excellent presentation: clear, relevant, to the point. The tips are easy to execute and not costly. Thank you for this!!
Irish spring (soap) works well too! Rodents got to the wires of our hybrid automobile and it cost us $650.00 at the dealership for repairs. My wife cut up chunks of Iris Spring, placed them around the engine bay and that did the trick!
She also recommends clove oil on a cotton ball. Cheers!
Yep - rodents cost me $900 USD repair after eating the wiring. I found that particular car - Ford Explorer - was more susceptible to rodents wanting to get up into the engine area. I ended up trading in the car less than a year after purchased. I purchased a Ford 150 and didn’t have the same problem. Seems that automakers should come up with better ways to protect wiring, etc.
Good job dude getting right to the point and not a lot of sales bull crap thanks very much, I've had this problem for many years in the barn and vehicles outside of the barn going to give it a try tomorrow.
My cousin bought my wife's Sunbird that had been parked for a year. It started right up, he put plates on it and drove off. On the way home he tried the air conditioning. The next thing he knew a live snake came slithering out of the dashboard heat duct right by the steering wheel while he was driving down the road! He barely had time to pull over. Luckily nobody was hurt! 🏃♂️...........🐍🚙
Thats some Indiana jones shi right there!
I had a rat snake that kept getting in my old car. I finally speared it when it came out of the door
Snake was there eating the rats.
That’s a GR8 story,
Talk about an exciting drive !
Unless it was a rattlesnake(or the other of the poisonous snakes in your region), you have nothing to worry about.
This is great advice. I do this for my RV. I have also used a pan of charcoal- works and also add a pan of moth balls underneath the RV. OBTW the moth balls work great for rodent in your yard.
I use a small brush and a powerful handheld vacuum. The stuff goes into a bag and is disposed of that way. No muck or gooey globs of stuff.
Good info but here are some additional tips. Once the mice get into engine bay, it's easy for them to get into HVAC vent and then interior. If you have a cabin filter behind glove compartment (Mazda, Toyota, etc), inspect the filter. If you have nest or feces, clean or replace filter and spray with peppermint oil. It may keep the mice out of the vent and cabin. Also, make sure cabin area has no food. The mice love kids because they drop food on the seats and floor.
just cleaned mine it was FULL of nesting material and one dead mouse. also found a dead mouse under radeator area at bottom full of i think frown worms or somthing. sorry for being so gross. now sprayed everything with a ecential oil spray eucalptus and pepermint. smells nice too. they say it works
Thank you. I definitely have a nest in that area. The plastic piece under the knee air bags is a little loose and I can hear rocks when I tap it. I heard the rat in there while doing errands and bits of leaves and sticks were falling onto the floor mat while I was driving. I'm afraid to mess with that plastic piece because it's so near the airbags. I tried to get a vacuum hose in there but it wouldn't go very far. Since the cabin air filter is in that area I took your advice and tried to check it but I couldn't get it out. I have some wiring damage and have an appointment at the dealer so I'll ask themto check that too. Thank you. BTW I caught 3 rats in 2 days with snap traps. Nothing last night. This sucks!
@@mist4926 I had them over my headliner. One ate the sunroof drain hose and it leaked.
If they eat on Mazda, Toyota etc who gives a fuck buy American!
My Toyota Tundra is made in America. And actually the engine and transmission are too. Can you say that about Ford or Chevrolet or Chrysler???@@brandonbell6171
I tie wrap the smelliest dryer sheets in the engine bay, usually 2 after every oil change and have had no problem!
Thank you for the advice!
Can you explain where you tie them? I’m not sure what’s a safe thing to attach them to. I don’t wanna start a fire.
Happened to my car, parked in rural places. Chewed my ignition wires, caused ignition irregularity. Left hickory nut shells in my interior blower, fragments of plastic bag against the air filters.
Good Video. Even a vehicle parked in a garage and driven practically every day can have this problem. While doing routine servicing on one of our cars I found a stash of sunflower seeds in the plenum chamber upstream of the engine air filter.
Thank you for these tips, Am going to do this tomorrow. Those little rodents ate 4 wires in my car.
I hadn't heard of the mouse blocker thing. That's such a good idea!
My fave is hardware cloth. My buggers. nest in the air filter/heater intake points. And destroy the those assembly to the toon of 275$ dollar one year. So it's hardware cloth . Its mesh is 1/4"by 1/4" so wrapped around intakes. And painted the right COLOR seals the deal. Thanks for tips.
So what IS the right color?
@@markpowers80 hi hi mate. Just good old Zink coated mesh . Ps also works well to keep the pirates out of the bird seed storage, and from around vents in my house. Quite handy stuff. Ps a can of rustolem® make a fashion state ment . Your choice thanks for asking om 73🤠
Is there an oil that you recommend. So many choices out there so was curious which brand works well
Great video , I left my RV and wires got eaten. Will try, got to do something. Thanks
My wife’s 2018 Toyota Highlander had chipmunks getting in the engine bay, made a nest under the engine beauty cover. The check engine light came on one morning when she started it up. The night before it was fine. I checked it out, her AWD system was disabled. Found the wiring harness that plugs into the transmission had a wire that was chewed through. I ordered some new txl wire and wire pin. I was able to fix by repairing the wire and repinning the connector. I ordered the peppermint oil in a spray bottle from Amazon and for a while now, no more problems.
Any thoughts on how this strategy would impact an electric vehicle's "engine" bay?
@Ryan Brower Rodents : “ Oh look, an electric one!! Hey guys- All you can eat buffet!! “ 🐭🐭
My husband and I have 2 hybrids. I wonder about this strategy for them, too. I think I’ll try the peppermint oil.
Don't use dish soap it contains salt.salt corodes metal.Use car wash or pressure wash fluid.
I use dialectric grease on plu wires and all exposed wires and connectors, I tried mouse traps and ten traps did not work , they hate dialectric high temp clear grease ,that allso protects and shines plastic parts
Very good advice that is safe and easy. One comment to add is to replace the cabin filter in your car (located in the back of the glove box).
100% trying this!! Just picked up my car after $2700 in damage from a mouse.