If you are a classic car owner, chances are that you have had to store your car at some point. Mice, rats, chipmunks, and squirrels love nesting in warm places, and they can take up residence in a classic car’s cabin or under its hood. Once there, these rodents can cause severe damage to a car. This is especially an issue if your car has been sitting for a long while we provide some tips to keep rodents out of stored cars that have been winterized as well.
Why Do Rodents Love Cars?
Regardless of the wire coverings, rodents are drawn to finding shelter where they can. Homeowners and car owners alike have wrestled with this issue for years.
The damage caused by rodents can be costly, and although some repairs may be covered by your car insurance.
If your car has an infestation, you are at risk of contracting the diseases that the rodents carry. Rodents such as deer mice, rice rats, and cotton rats can transmit various hantaviruses. These viruses are contained in urine, droppings, and nesting materials.
Are They in Your Vehicle?
Rodents are everywhere, and they can do considerable damage when they invade your vehicle. They might decide your car is a safe place to make a nest and a handy site to store food. If you can discourage them, you may win the battle.
Steps To Take
There are dozens of techniques used to prevent mayhem by the destructive critters, and they work especially well in combination. Multiple lines of defense seem to work best:
Park or Store Your Car in a Garage
Parking outdoors can make your vehicle more attractive to rodents. Rodents are drawn to grass and vegetation. The risk of infestation is especially high for vehicles parked in tall grass or near heavily wooded areas.
Keep Your Car’s Windows and Sunroof Closed Overnight
Even a slight opening in your car’s windows or sunroof could invite rodents in. Make sure your windows are closed all the way when parking your car for the night.
Keep Your Car’s Cabin Free of Clutter
Items such as paper, garbage, tissues, and fast-food bags are potential food sources for rodents, and they can make your car a desirable destination.
Use Scents, Like Peppermint Oil, to Deter Mice and Rats
Treat your car with essential oils or commercial products that emit rodent-repellent smells. Certain essential oils emit smells that do a fantastic job of deterring rodents. Peppermint oil is a natural rodent repellent, as are essential oils derived from cloves and cayenne pepper. You can spray one of these oils in and around your car to ward off invaders. These oils may also be used to soak cotton balls that are placed in your car’s cabin and under the hood. This process will need to be repeated a couple of times a week as the smell will wear off. Certain pest control companies also make products you can use that give off odors designed to repel rodents. Other products like moth balls and garden sulfur are a reliable source to ward off the critter by spreading them along the garage opening and the outside of the car.
Sprinkle Cedar Shavings, Sawdust or Mulch Around Your Vehicle
The strong scent emitted by cedar contains phenols that repulse rodents, and these phenols can kill them. As another advantage, cedar also repels fleas, moths, cockroaches, and venomous snakes. There are different varieties of cedar, and they are not all equally effective at rodent control. Western Red Cedar has been hailed as a top choice for warding off rodents. Place shavings, sawdust, or mulch around your car to discourage pests.
Wrap Your Car’s Wires in Rodent-Deterrent Tape
Some manufacturers like Honda make a rodent-deterrent tape that is treated with capsaicin. This is a substance found in hot peppers, and it is a turn-off for rodents. This tape may be purchased from Honda dealers, and it is also sold.
Use a Sound Repellant
You can use ultrasonic pest repellants to ward off rodents. These devices work by emitting sound waves that can cause confusion, convulsions, and they can kill rodents. The sound waves are not audible to humans. Note that while these sound waves are not harmful to humans, dogs, and cats, they may cause negative symptoms in domesticated rodents such as rabbits and hamsters. Ultrasonic pest repellants do not all provide equal levels of effectiveness, so choose one that has received good online reviews. These devices have a short range. If you are using one to keep rodents away from your car, you will need to install it close to the vehicle.
Set Rodent Traps
If you suspect that you are already experiencing an infestation, rodent traps can help to eliminate the problem. Rodent traps can be placed in front of the seats, behind the seats, or in the trunk when the car is parked overnight. These traps should be removed from the car when it is being used. Several traps are available. We would recommend choosing a hygienic rodent trap. These seal the dead rodent within an opaque container once it has been caught. The trapped animal is kept out of sight, some help for those who may be squeamish.
Hide Your Dog Food, Cat Food, And Birdseed
Dog food is the gold standard of rat society. Rats will stuff pounds and pounds of it into the air cleaner, glove compartment, or other empty spaces in your car.
Remove Or Seal Off Rat Hiding Places Near the Car
Cut down nearby thick shrubbery and vines where they can hide. If you have a garage, block rat-sized entrances to the building, or spray openings with substances that rats hate.
Other Tips: Tape, Jacks, ‘Tom Cat,’ & Lowered Visors
Do not forget to put tape over the tail pipe opening and the air intake.
Maybe go a bit overboard, but I would rather spend a few dollars and be safe than lots come spring by putting the vintage car up on jack-stands so only mice that can pole vault or jump high can reach it. Also, the use of lots of Bounce dryer sheets inside and under the hood.
“Tom Cat” mice packets which sealed packets (6/ box). Do not open the packets but place in trunk, under seats on floor, on top of the air filter cover under the hood. If packets remain closed the bait will remain fresh, if broken it will indicate the presence of an intruder, (who will not remain within the vehicle but leave and search for water). Remove the broken packet and replace with a new sealed packet. The indication known to ‘nest’ behind the sun visor and cause damage to the visor and headliner. Always lower the visor to eliminate the chance for the critters to establish residence on them.
Finally
Unfortunately, there is no inexpensive means to totally prevent the appearance of rodents, short of obtaining a complete airtight trailer; but these processes have worked to assist in keeping the unwanted guests from a restored vehicle. I also recommend that classic cars not be stored in old barns or garages that present means for rodents to have access to the interior of the building.
Today my car wouldn’t start no matter what I tried, so I called the mechanic. When he went through my car, he found wires bitten off. He told me that there was nothing wrong with my car; rodents were living in my car. I have read your blog and will try the Sound Repellant method for my car. Thank you for uploading this blog.