Rodents chewing into vehicles.

[power napper]

Hopefully some one can help solve a dilemma we are currently having. Mice or squirrels or some other rodent is chewing into our venicles, mostly through the firewall where a wire or tubing goes through. I do not see any mice but they are here. Cats are here and are seen frequenty sitting in the higher grass mousing I assume.
What is your best tried and true remedy for mice erradication? Our vehicles are sitting ourside with one in a metal roof shed, this is the newest vehicle and the latest one chewed into.

Help!!!!

Thanks

[Barry Digman]

Leave the vehicle outside with the hood up in a position that it's getting full sun in the engine compartment. It's hillbilly, but it seems to work. I was down in Las Cruces a couple of weeks ago in a fancy schmanzy neighborhood where all the cars were outside with the hoods up. I asked about it, and they said that's how they keep the ground squirrels from getting into the engine compartments and chewing stuff up. These were cars like Lexus, Mercedes, etc. Pretty funny looking, but hey....

Maybe a low wattage trouble light left on in the engine compartment might work too.

[Sundance]

Out here and in Minn we always leave a good
chunk of bar bait under the back seat and front
seats. They will get in..........

[Dan Williamson]

I've had the same problem. They also seem to like the air cleaners for nesting locations. Someone told me they got some all spice and sprinkled it around the engine compartment and that seemed to help alot. Don't know if it works but I tried it adding some to the air filter area and I haven't noticed any mice since then.

[carbide]

We had this same problem with my wife's Firebird where we used to live. The lousy animals were chewing up the wiring, plug wires and vacumn lines under the hood. We bought some D-con and put it in the nooks and crannys under the hood and kept it well stocked. After maybe a week no more problem.

[Sundance]

The nice thing about bar bait is they don't drag it
and store it elsewhere.

[power napper]

Thanks everyone.
We had that problem also with the air intakes of our cars, we covered the ends of the air shafts with a quarter inch wire mesh and it worked to keep them out of there.

[MapMan]

Back in the day, when my brother was a teenager he worked at a filling station - you know, when they actually filled the tanks for you, at the same price... Well anyway, he was checking the oil in a Caddy - he popped the hood, and on top of the manifolds was a mountain of dog food. He was scratching his head at this, wondering what the heck that was all about, and the lady said "Oh that's from the squirrels. I keep the dog food in the garage, and the squirrels get in, and put it on the engine to warm up their meal when I get home."

MM