mice eating wiring

vwdsmguy

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2004
Location
Syracuse, NY
TDI
2002 Golf black 5-spd
I recently had an EPC code on the dash. To the dealer I went thinking it was a warantee issue. They said it was mice eating the wiring coating [which is now soy coated]. I got it back $450 later. They said to put clothes dryer sheets in the cab.??? What could I put under the hood that will work best and not smell?
 

Uberragend

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 1, 2009
Location
Tulsa, OK
TDI
'02 Golf 2Dr 5M Indigo blue, '03 Golf 2Dr 5M Candy white
Peppermint drops. My father in law was having a problem with mice under his hood in several places. A few drops of peppermint oil (essential oils type) and they will stay away. You have to stay on top of it, it doesn't last forever. Won't stain or damage paint that I have seen. best places were in soft material, like sound deadning material, battery cover, etc. Good luck.
 

fatmobile

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2019
Location
north iowa
TDI
an ALH M-TDI in a MK2, a 2000 Jetta, 2003 wagon
Or put it on old pieces of blue jeans or cotton balls and put it in places.
The farmers around here use peppermint in their tractors to keep mice out.
 

tgray

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2004
Location
Marengo, IL
TDI
'02 Beetle, '05 Golf, 2000 Jetta, 2001 Jetta, 2002 Jetta
Where I live I always keep a bait pack or 2 under the hood. They usually eat one every year. Even if they do decide to make it their new home they don't live long enough to eat the wires and hoses.
 

nicklockard

Torque Dorque
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Location
Arizona
TDI
SOLD 2010 Touareg Tdi w/factory Tow PCKG
Pack rats attacked all 3 of my vehicles. I've done the dryer sheets and peppermint oil. It's really frustrating and expensive. Rats love VW wiring. It's crazy. My old neighbor said it's the coating which has residues that attracts them.

The bait boxes did nothing. The dryer sheets and peppermint spray seem to help though.
 

Powder Hound

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 25, 1999
Location
Under a Bridge, Crestview, FL, USA
TDI
'00 Golf 4dr White 5sp, '02 Jettachero 5sp, Wife's '03 NB Platinum Gray auto(!)
For me in my A4 chassis, the favorite place for rodents is behind the cabin air filter if not directly on top of it. They make the nest there, using fibers chewed out of the hood liner or even the battery blanket. I have eliminated both, and did that up in NH in spite of the cold.

My solution is to use green mouse party food sold at hardware stores for killing the rodents. Half a block behind the cabin air filter, and the other half in the bottom of the engine air cleaner box. I have had them in there chewing fibers from the snow filter that is glued to the underside of the air filter, and using that for nesting material as well.

That mouse party food is great. They party, eat up, do weird dances the next day, then never dance again. And they don't chew up the wires because, like above, they aren't there long enough.

Cheers,

PH
 

Prairieview

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2017
Location
Too close to Sturgis 'ithole
TDI
Two 2000 Beetles, 2002 Jetta, 2002 gas avh Jetta, fleet of older 1.6 turbo and non's
If you truly love your rig enough to care, you will soon find most of the above snake-oil hokus-pokus "cures" are just that. Buy a sheetload of good ol' snap traps and use creamy peanut butter on them. Have the discipline to set and "run" your trapline daily.

Nothing beats the "practical" cure....and there will be a few mice that will momentarily outsmart THAT. But, eventually they get greedy and take the spring. Glue traps are an alternative. NOTHING beats a filled glue trap making contact with the side of curb or wall! Let them experience max velocity on their way out. Wear leather or nitrile gloves if needed.

Poison allows them to die INTERNAL to places like heater cores and vents. WOW....you ever spent time around a fermenting mouse?????? it doesn't exactly make you hungry for pizza!
 

ToxicDoc

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2018
Location
Virginia, US
TDI
2001 Jetta, S7, .216
If you truly love your rig enough to care, you will soon find most of the above snake-oil hokus-pokus "cures" are just that. Buy a sheetload of good ol' snap traps and use creamy peanut butter on them. Have the discipline to set and "run" your trapline daily.

Nothing beats the "practical" cure....and there will be a few mice that will momentarily outsmart THAT. But, eventually they get greedy and take the spring. Glue traps are an alternative. NOTHING beats a filled glue trap making contact with the side of curb or wall! Let them experience max velocity on their way out. Wear leather or nitrile gloves if needed.

Poison allows them to die INTERNAL to places like heater cores and vents. WOW....you ever spent time around a fermenting mouse?????? it doesn't exactly make you hungry for pizza!
Poisoning them doesn't kill them instantly. They slowly bleed and become thirsty, typically making them leave to look for water.
 

JB05

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Location
Il.USA
TDI
Golf,2005,anthracite blue
Squirrels have always been my problem. I installed an ultra sound device under the hood. Don't know how effective it is, but have not had a problem since.
 

Andyinchville1

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2016
Location
Virginia
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI wagon, 5 sp, 226K miles
Lots of good ideas if i ever get a mouse problem but so long as we have our cat i dont think we'll ever have that issue .... he loves hunting them and leaving the trophies! ;-)

True story my dad told me : as a kid, he used to hunt mice and rats at the restaurant ... he said the bb gun he had didn't seem to do much to them except to make them angry

So maybe it it takes better equipment? .... maybe a high powered air rifle with scope (thermal or night vision optional ) since dad was only using iron sights at the time.

even cooler might be a baited m80 on a remote detonator or trip wire? ...optionally pack bb's around it to take out several vermin at the same time when they gather for dinner ... truly a last supper !

Oh yeah its starting to get good now! ;-)

Ill let somebody take over on for ideas on the poisonous gas front!

Andrew
 
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prsa01

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2000
Location
mpls,mn usa
TDI
14 jsw 6m, 96 B4v, miss my a4 :(
I used this, or a very similar product, when my old merkur scorpio was being ruined by mice when stored outside. It did seem to help quite a bit. For our outside AC unit i've used peppermint oil refreshed a couple of times per season. I wouldn't say it has worked quite as well as the above product but seems to help some. For those that haven't had your outside AC unit messed up mulitiple times by the little b***ards, it is less than fun.

Good luck, all, in our ongoing battle against those that will ultimately displace us (along with the cockroaches).
 
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