Of Mice and Men...& winter storage of our cars

[RickM]

This is a refresher post for tips on the prevention of visits from our beloved rodent friends. I'd like to see the best "Tried N True" methods for protecting our cars from nesting and damage created by mice.

To date these tips sound promising:

- A cat - I'm very allergic to them so this is out for me
- Bounce sheets strew throughout the car (Does this really work?)
- Mouse traps - These work. I catch lots in & around my car.
- Moth balls - Testing this now. So far no mice caught since implementing this detterent.

Any others?

I use the convenient Moth Ball Disks in my car...seems to work...

[azasadny]

I used moth balls under the car last winter and it kept the rodents away. I'll do the same thing this year, along with several glue traps.

[Eric Coffey]

Make sure to pull your heat levers up (on) to close the heater boxes underneath the car.

[hermzz911]

I use the hanging mothball thing, and haven't had any little visitors. Also, I put several cedar blocks in the interior to pull moisture, and keep the mildew odors away. Seems to work well.

Mine is going into hibernation today. An oil change, filled up with gas and stabil, tires @40 lbs., cleaned inside and out, car in 2nd gear with brake off, and finally the battery goes in the basement and the cover goes on. Let's hope for an early spring!

[dhoward]

Q: Did you ever smell mothballs?
A: Yes.
Q: How did you get his little legs apart.....?

[Doug Zielke]

Here in the (mild) Rainforest, many of us don't really need to store our cars for an extended period. However, if we do get a period of evil weather, and the car has been sitting several weeks I do this.....

1). Pull the fuel pump relay.
2). Crank the engine until some oil pressure is built up.
3). Feed cat (or change mothballs).

This keeps things lubricated, without starting the motor needlessly. You should only start the car if you are going to drive for an hour or more.