Why haven't you put traps out already? Who all rides in your car? If I were single, poison sprinkled on the floor might be fine too. I also think a trap outside your car under the front wheel might get them before they come in. We had the bat man here and he also told us how to go to war with the mice that get in the house so traps and poison are on my mind.

The mice can do great damage to your vehicle. They can chew up your wiring for one thing. Nesting in your vents. Chewing up the seats, carpet, doors and dash. Burning mouse nests on top of your engine when you are driving can cause a car fire. ( I know someone this happened to ) Make sure there is no food or wrappings in your car. Mouse traps...plenty of them!

Mouse pellets could be in the air intake of your ventilation system. Open the hood of your car and prop it open as far as it will go. Examine the air intake screen for the ventilation system. If pellets have fallen through and lay in the air plenum, you'll have to remove the screens (grills) to clean out the plenum.

Arcy: It's 99% of the time it's just me in my car. Both my kids drive and have their own cars. I don't have a problem using poison or traps. I can't see anything obvious in the engine area. I thinking the car needs to be put up on a lift and checked out from underneath. The mechanic will have to do that. I will start with traps inside and outside tonight and putting out poison outside around the car too.

As Elizabeth said, they can do great damage. Mice totally destroyed the wiring in my DD's vehicle. Seems the coating on the wiring (in newer vehicles) has soy in it and they love to chew it up.

Be careful!

Mice don’t like the smell of ceder,pine, and are also not fond of lemon.

I have heard peppermint also repels them, but don't know for certain.

If you must take action, I advise traps in place of poison. Poisons are not species specific, but will affect any animal that ingests it. A poisoned mouse or rat wanders away from its home to die. If a cat finds and eats it, it too will be poisoned. We lost a barn cat this way when a neighbor put out poison for his rat infestation. Although our and the neighbor's buildings were 1/4 mile apart, a sick rat wobbled along the road between our buildings and one of our cats caught that rat. The cat died.

I do catch and release.

Havaheart trap. Then you have to let the mouse go quite a distance from where they come from.

I know many people don’t like them, but a sticky trap and a bit of peanut butter does the job! We put out 2 when we go to Florida. Haven’t caught a mouse in a couple of years. The word must have gotten to Mouseville to avoid our house.

Normally there should be no openings that a rodent could use to get into the passenger compartment or the trunk. Something has been chewed through or broken to provide an opening. Have that checked out, otherwise, the problem is likely to repeat.

When cleaning up, make sure to wear plastic or latex gloves and an appropriate face mask. Rodent droppings can be very dangerous to humans.

PS, please don't use poison or a glue pad. Traps only.

Cost us mega-bucks to get the mouse nest cleaned out of the air intake vent on our truck. Since then DH has added a mesh so they can no longer get inside.

But inside the passenger compartment is a whole 'nother issue. I agree, use traps, not poison. But if a mouse has died somewhere, there's no way to eliminate the smell unless you eliminate the carcass.

I watched a few videos, maybe traps inside aren't so smart because that is inviting them IN, although if they are coming in already, I'd like to catch them. Maybe I should bait and traps outside of the car and watch for new poop inside. If the inside poop keeps showing up, then traps inside.

The a/c motor was making a heck of a racket in our old car. Mechanic took the dash apart and found mouse nests with dead baby mice and peanut shells. Cleaned everything, the a/c motor etc and all was well.

They said putting dryer sheets repel mice so I got some from my neighbour and stuck them in the holes in the underside of the hood and hadn't had any since.

My neighbor suggested dryer sheets also. I'm not super savy when it comes to what's what under the hood, but I did unclip a big boxy thing that did have some type of filter in there and it was perfectly fine and clean. I'm sure my mechanic will know what nooks and crannies to look in...

Jasdip: besides the noise, did you notice any smell??

I have a pretty good sniffer, so I knew I smelled dead mouse smell. But knowing they were inside my car REALLY grosses me out and possibly one dead somewhere....YUCK!!

I park a car outside in an area with rodent activity. How come they can get into your passenger compartment and trunk and not into mine?

You are just plain lucky, Elmer......I park my car in the garage and mice got in it. I spent over $1,000 to get rid of the smell they left behind. A mechanic took apart the whole air flow system, found three dead carcasses and plenty of urine. Before that, I had taken it to the dealership, they couldn't find any signs of mice (don"t know what was wrong with their nose) but they replaced a filthy filter for $50.00. Also had the car completely detailed. That was over a year ago and while tolerable, I can still detect a faint odor. I always spray my car with an ozone spray before taking on passengers. Since a garage my car, I keep traps underneath it now. Caught two mice immediately after setting traps.

That isn't what the mechanic said who repaired the mouse damage in the engine compartment when I asked. He said something like "the engine compartment is open to the bottom and they can jump and climb up, the interior and trunk should be entirely closed.

It's been a few years, maybe five, but I think the repair was covered by the comprehensive coverage element of my car insurance.

I have other cars in a garage and there are traps there. After ridding your garage of any infestation, cleaning it up, and plugging entry holes, you'll prevent further problems by closing the garage door immediately after a car enters or exits.

Always1step, no smell. They weren't inside at all, but the mechanic accessed the a/c behind the glove compartment. The receipt said they dismantled a 'mouse house' :-) They found lots of evidence, nesting stuff, peanut shells etc.

I park outside.

My husband’s truck is outside. A pack rat filled his air filter box with corn, birdseed, rat poison and dog cookies. The mechanic was surprised the truck would even run.

I hope you figure out where the smell is coming from. That would be very annoying. When a mouse dies in our wall, it takes a good 2 weeks for it to stop smelling.

This happened to our plow truck years ago . DH kept a mousetrap on the front passenger floor and checked it every day. He caught quit a few. Not the approach I would take!

All this talk of mice in cars has me a little concerned. I have a car that I bought about 18 months ago. Last winter I parked it in the garage and drove my 4x4 Explorer. Planning to do the same this winter but now I am worried about mice.

Many years ago, I had a mouse take up residence in my Miata's trunk in the garage. I had thrown a box of tissues in the trunk, and the mouse tore up the tissues and nested.

Once years ago, I took my car to the mechanic for something and when he opened the hood there was a squirrel sitting on top of the engine staring at us. Another time I found a finch having a grand time while flying around the inside of my car.

I know a woman who found a snake in her car. It was coiled up on the floor of the passenger side. She didn't notice it until she was already driving and it was all she could do to keep her cool and pull off the road. It's funny, I'm always worried about a wasp getting into the car; it never occurred to me that a snake might find it's way in!

My hubby hadn't driven his work truck for a while. When he did go to drive it, it wouldn't start. He looked under the hood and to find that a chipmunk take up residence under there. The entire engine compartment was lined with dry grass, leaves and full of acorns, apples, seeds and berries. That chipmunk thought it had found a terrific place to spend the winter.

Interesting, I've never heard anyone use the term "chipmunk" around here but I think you said you live somewhere in the mountains and I don't.

What's the difference between a chipmunk and a squirrel?

Gray squirrel:

Chipmunk (not my photos):

Thanks. It's the stripe then. I've never seen one.

Chipmunks are ubiquitous around here. They're sometimes referred to as ground squirrels, but are in a completely different genus than the gray squirrel we commonly think of. They're smaller and much cuter.

We only have red squirrels in my part of the country and they are very destructive getting into people's vehicles and homes.

And don't even get me started on the flying squirrels !

ok. So what are your thoughts on setting traps inside if the traps would be "inviting" in the mice? But if in fact, the cabin area is sealed off from the engine area, the mice shouldn't be able to get in, right? It's possible a mouse came in through an open window...I've accidently left my windows open over night.

I'm on the coast (Washington) not mountains and we have chipmunks. I've only recently seen a squirrel in my yard for the first time, a red Douglas squirrel. The first time I saw it was just three years ago. It's made two appearances this year, although we've heard it other times. No gray squirrels around town or in the woods and I don't know why. They are common not that many miles away.

My husband was convinced someone cut the a/c hoses under the hood when we parked in the street years ago. When we had it repaired, the mechanic said it looked like rodent damage, not human. After that my husband checked under the hood daily. One day about a week later he popped open the hood to find beady little eyes staring back at him, gnawing through the a/c hoses again. This time mechanic said to put mothballs scattered around the engine compartment...never had damage again.

Chipmunks are ground dwelling squirrels. PBS.org's Nature had a wonderful episode about squirrels awhile back and they are fascinating, very cool creatures. They can also be terrible pests. I'm glad there are none on our barrier island, when I see/hear the horror stories of others not so fortunate. I do enjoy observing and interacting with the ones living in the park where I work, though.

And we do have Asian roof rats, and they are a plague. No mice that I've ever witnessed, other than the ones we used to have as pets. I used cedar bedding for them, so I do not understand the comment that they don't like it.

I will say that the 'mouse-y' smell may likely be from the males' urine, which might be soaked into soft surfaces. I speak from personal experience as a former mouse owner. Rats do that as well.

There are odor removing products for urine & other such excreta. Pet stores usually have the kind specifically for animals.

Agricultural extension services can be a good resource on dealing with pests in and around the home and garden. Our state university has a great website with loads of info.

Here's the final recommendation from this article on controlling rats and mice:

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/dh044

"...Check with your local county health department to determine whether a rodent control project is active in your neighborhood. They may be able to offer advice and aid in controlling rats. Remember it is no disgrace to acquire some rats, but it is a dangerous to maintain them."

And here's a cautionary article on using mothballs:

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pi254

HTH

P.S. The only wildlife I've had in our car so far is little geckos.

We have quite a few chipmunks and squirrels running around. Once they got into a large 50 lb bag of seed for the birds but other than that they’ve never been a problem until the other day. Way up in the trees, there was a squirrel running around the tree tops violently shaking the branches and dropping acorns to the ground. Then when it got bored doing that, it jumped on to our roof and started gnawing at the edge of our gutter!! He was looking straight at me while he was chewing too, so now I’m a bit concerned.

I took my car in for maintenance recently and they found rat droppings. No damage yet. I don't know what to do. I can't bear to kill them. I'll try some of the repellent ideas.

Chipmunks are really small. We turned on the AC, in a truck we parked outside and nesting material blew ALL over the cab! DH took the ac unit apart cleaned it all out....and the chipmunks rebuilt the nest....started ALL over again. Had to put chickenwire around the AC unit.

After this....I set Havahart traps on the ground outside the truck.. Hauled off/relocated 41 chipmunks.

Not really relevant, but a funny story anyway. A few years ago, my son noticed that something had eaten part of an apple he had left in his car. So he found the nest, complete with babies. He came in to get “suited up” with rubber gloves and a broom and dustpan to remove the nest. I was watching out the window to see how it was going. All of a sudden, I saw him doing a fanny dance around on the grass. I guess Ashe was removing the nest, his cell phone went off on vibrate in the pocket of his jeans. Freaked him out! That was funny!

We have had two cases where rodents did damage to our vehicles. Both are parked in our garage. Of course we live near woods and have squirrels, chipmunks, and the occasional mouse. We put out sticky traps on occasion, and under the house where I keep my gardening supplies I have set spring traps. I prefer the spring traps.

DH had a mouse nest in the air filter of his motorcycle once. It was found via a routine scope when he took it in for maintenance and an oil change. My car had damage due to rodents chewing wires a couple of years ago. That was around $800. Don’t know if it was a mouse or a chipmunk but suspect a mouse although we never found any sign in the car or engine itself. Just one day some warning lights started coming on for check this and that and the car was due for maintenance anyway so I took it in and they found the damage.

I had mice make a nest in, and shred up, the insulation pad underneath my hood, so I ended up removing the pad and not replacing it because it was too expensive to replace. Then I found mice poop in my car on a regular basis. I also ended up having to replace the air filter because it was stuffed with seeds from mice. Luckily my wires never got chewed, knock on wood. But I did end up having to put mouse traps in my car and caught about half a dozen. It wasn't something I wanted to do, but I didn't want my car destroyed. I also read about peppermint, plus something that has seemed to stop them from getting inside the car is I make sure I keep the vents in the car closed before I park my car.

Every time I look at the title of this thread I think it says” I have mouse poop in my ear.”

Just got word from my mechanic...cabin area filter was full of mouse poop. He had just serviced my car and replaced the cabin are filter so this is recent activity...I'm so disgusted...He said he cleaned as far he could get. He didn't find any mice dead or alive.

always, I'd set traps around the car (where you park) and some inside (just to be safe.)

When the rodents ate the wiring in my DD's car, the cost was over $4000 to have it replaced. And it took 3 or 4 months to get a wiring harness. Her car was brand new, and she'd only had it about 2 months. It was at the dealership for 4 of the 1st 6 months she had it!

No insurance coverage?

insurance often excludes rodent damage.

As I mentioned earlier, when I had rodent damage (that required replacement of a an expensive wiring harness and some other things) it was covered by the "comprehensive" section of my policy. Whether it depends on the company or the particular policy I don't know.