Glove compartment full of rats

[CountAllVotes]

I've been distressed about the used car I bought in 2023. It hasn't lived up to what I was told it was supposed to be by a long shot.

That said, I have a friend that bought a 1999 Toyota Camry with 91K on it.

She seemed to have it all with her new used car. Even the A/C works on it, something mine does not have working.

Well, she opened up the glove compartment and found a nest of rats breeding inside of it.

Now she is afraid to drive the car as she fears they may have chewed through some of the wiring in it, etc.

is all I can say.

Never heard of such a bizarre thing, have you?

When life has gone to hell, it really has in my book!

[FSogol]

1. I had a mouse in my Jeep wrangler's glove box. He ate a ketchup pack and was making a nest amongst the napkins.

Trapped him (alive), deposited him in the woods, and he hasn't been back.

Back in the 80s, a friends car wouldn't start, we opened the air filter to spray some starting fluid in the carburetor, and it was full of mice.

[CountAllVotes]

3. I think this car she bought was sitting around empty

Well, supposedly empty, perhaps for many years.

I think she paid $3K for it and I remember when she first got it the windows didn't work properly.

Its been one thing after the other with it since she's had it.

It makes my situation with the car I bought look almost stupid, I'll admit it.

That would freak me out so bad, I'd want to get rid of it ASAP!

Creepy as all hell.

I wonder if this is a common problem OR WHAT?

[OneBlueDotS-Carolina]

2. Not uncommon...

especially with vehicles than aren't driven much. 91K in 26 years...rats, mice love nesting in the engine compartment, often they chew the wires, it seems some manufacturers used wire that is coated with a product that rodents like. I would suggest an eviction, plus an inspection by a mechanic, letting the mechanic know there has been squatters living in the car.

[CountAllVotes]

4. I suggested she call a mobile mechanic

There is one in the area where we live. ONE.

I hope she isn't driving the damn thing around.

It could be very unsafe to say the least!

[OneBlueDotS-Carolina]

5. Not to knock mobile mechanics...

But often they lack the tools to do a proper inspection, especially with electrical. A good shop will have the latest scanners, that can trace the electrical system. Such scanners cost $1000s, whereas a mechanic with a $300 scanner from amazon, while great for the home DIY person, often doesn't have the wireless & subscription ability to download diagrams & problems with that car. One can do a visual inspection, then again, the wiring looms they use, often one can't see if a loom has been chewed on. Plus they should have all the seals, vacuum line are good. A failed vacuum line can cause more problems than a chewed wire.

[CountAllVotes]

16. I don't know

She in a pinch and was afraid to drive the car so I told her of one I had recently heard of here locally.

I hope she is ok!

I've never used a mobile mechanic but I would if I had to do so.

[OneBlueDotS-Carolina]

17. Maybe get a car cat...n/t

[Probatim]

6. You can pick up vermin sprays at auto parts shops -

spray the engine bay and clean out the glove box and do the same.

If they've chewed through wires, you'll either get a check engine light or it won't start at all.

She should also set some traps in the car. I know it sound horrible but that's a possible reality.

I have a friend whose son is an auto mechanic and mice found a way in to his car after he left a big bag of dog food in the car overnight. The spray didn't run them out fast enough, so he set traps and caught two mice over the next three days. He's removed lots of mice, a few squirrels, and a kitten from cars (the cat now lives with him). It was the first time for mice in his car.

[CountAllVotes]

12. I know the check engine light keeps coming on

I hope this isn't the reason why!

I feel sad for her. She had to really hustle hard to find a car in this price range. The guy she bought it from was calling her after she bought it from him and he wanted her to give him MORE money for it! She refused to give him anything more luckily.

What a damn hell is about all I can say.

That said, I wonder if she might be interested in my car that I'd really like to be rid of.

It is mechanically sound and only four years old.

[lark]

7. Yep, it happened to us.

We moved here and at first had no issues. Then the city began to cut down the tress and clear cut the forest that was naturally here and put up housing. The mice and rats had no place to go so they came to the houses. We kept hiring exterminators and the problem would go down but increase once the poison wasn't going down. One day my car stopped running and it was due to rats/mice chewing up the wires. There was no nest, and we never saw them, but after that we changed. We started feeding the dogs inside and put out our own traps where the dogs couldn't get to them and no more problems with the rats/car.

[nuxvomica]

8. I twice had to have the air ducts replaced on my 2007 RAV4

The service people showed me pictures of the nest made in there that included pistachio shells and I suspected chipmunks because I would see one running from under the car sometimes when I approached. After the second time, I got some peppermint oil and sprayed it inside the wheel wells. That seemed to work.

[CountAllVotes]

15. I don't know what she has done about it

I haven't heard from her since she called and told me about it.

I hope she is ok and to hell with that car.

I'd give her a deal on mine if she's interested.

[murielm99]

9. I have a twenty-year-old Volvo.

I have had mice nest in it twice. The second time, I had sent it to a restorer who had found a new fender for me. He found a mouse nest and took care of it. They seem to smell each other out, and figure they have found a safe place to live. Not any more!

[samnsara]

10. i had an entire box of kleenex chewed up

in my glove dept....i think it was a squirrel.

[eppur_se_muova]

11. Could be worse ...

?

[Annie Moosee]

13. aww... at least opossums

tend to eat mice and rats! I'd rather have an opossum in my car any day!

My old chicken coop was a rat feeding frenzy place. But the rats would scram if an opossum came around! And every once in a while, I'd find a half a rat left by "someone" with an appetite.


Looks like two different cars & nests, second one looks much more cosy.

[CountAllVotes]

14. She is in a tough situation

She is a caregiver and living in an RV of some sort that can't be moved.

She's stuck.

So sad as she is a lovely person and a good friend.

When my phone was dead for a week, she was the one that showed up at my front door banging on it wondering if I was ok.

We need more people like her in this world.

So much for dump's AmeriKa. Caregivers that are living in broke down RV's in the winter.

[LeftInTX]

22. Well I've got rats, possums, skunks and racoons. They all seem to get along!

[marked50]

18. This is a never ending saga where I live.

I live in a forested area and have been dealing with rodents in the cars since moving here- about 20years ago.

Rodents are either mice, pack rats (specifically mexican wood rats), squirrels, and rabbits. 2 Cars- used rather frequently but can sit for maybe a couple of weeks without use. They have built nests on top of the intake valve head, under the designer valve cover (which covers the valve cover and spark plugs, the inside fan housing and beyond, in the trunk, on top of the lower splash pan cover and other misc spots.

The sequences of attempted remedies: I have a carport.
-Installing lights above open hoods and under the cars. Did not deter but I still do the task.
- Used items called "cabs"- which are natural substances in a small burlap bag that are "designed to repel critters". Need to
be replaced after 3 months. In the engine compartment and cabin and trunk. Not effective.
- Moth balls in pouches. Not effective
- Shaved Irish Soap bars on ground around car exteriors. No use but smelled great.
- Peppermint oil in many engine compartment area including splash panel.- Nope
-Snap traps around the tires and key places in the cars. These did not appear to work but I stopped using them when I
found a bird in one.

After all these tries, I just sort of just kept checking things often and removed nests, sometimes dead mice smells were the
clues to hard to see places.

I bought a new Mazda 6 in 2016 and brought it home. Had if for a couple of days but neglected to open the hood (a sometimes occurrence but not often) and the next day tried to start it and it ran very rough. Sure enough some critter(think a mouse) chewed the spark plug harness wiring. Brand new car, brand new $600 repair ( not a warranty item of course).

Now this has been a long reply but I want to get to what seems to be the most robust solution to this problem.
The learning for the new cars is that the Japanese cars use predominately a soy-based plastic for their wiring. Some other car types too. They have made available rodent repellent wire wraps. I have done this on the Mazda. No sign of chewing on those exposed wires. Can't do the whole car tho. This is not the robust solution.
I have created a Metal Flashing (used for roofing) 10inches in height corral for the car with a back slide in insert for removal from the rear to move the car in and out with ease. It is "small" rodent sealed at the flooring of the carport and additional spread at that area, entirely coated with grease( rodents don't like grease odor). This has been in place since I got the car back from the rodent repair- now at 9 years. No mice/rats or their nests. But rabbits can hope over it (seen them) and they jump up onto the splash pan. They don't seem to bother anything and haven't built any nests. I just tap the pan with a stick and they high tail out. The only thing to pay attention too is having the right height of the metal wall for opening the car doors. It's all sort of a pain but worth the effort to live here.

Good Luck to everyone who has this problem

[CountAllVotes]

19. Soy based paints

Lot of good info. here!

Thank you so much my friend.

[Kali]

20. happens all the time

mice, rats, squirrels, pack rats can't leave a vehicle sitting for more than a week or two around here or they will be in there chewing up everything, stashing food, and shitting everywhere.

[LeftInTX]

21. Hubby had rats in a vehicle. That was before I met him.

[Wolf Frankula]

23. Nest of rats. Has Top Cat been informed?

I think he and the Unscratchables could deal with it.

Wolf