Pray for my wallet

[ripperAZ]

Story time: I went on a weeklong vacation Oct 14th with no cell service and let my sister borrow my car so she could save on fuel. On the 16th she was at work and the alarm went off 5 times and she couldnt figure out what was happening. On her way home a mouse dropped from the steering wheel column onto her. She then jumped out of the car (luckily it was in the parking lot and one peddle drive stopped it from rolling away).

A few days later my car started sending out an alert that it has an electrical drain. We set 4 different types of traps and no mouse found other than its droppings.

The car was just dropped at the dealership so they can tear it apart and find what wires the mouse has chewed through.

The security alerts delete after a week so no screenshot with them.

Put your guesses below with how much this will cost and ill report back when i pick up the car in a few days.

S

Jes sayin. Chomp.

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[phil]

"Pray for my wallet"

May it rest in peace.

 

[Raymondjram]

Are mice more likely to get into am electric car? Never had a mouse in any of my cars before. I did have ants once though

I had a cat under the hood of my 1980 Mustang, resting in the engine bay. After I left for work, my wife called me later to report a dead cat where the Mustang was parked. When I returned from work, I saw the dead cat and its head wound. Seems that it could not get out as soon as I started the engine, and it was killed by the rotating fan blade on the water pump pulley.

Nowadays cars have shrouded electric cooling fans and only the accessory belt could harm one in the engine bay. And in my Fusion Hybrid there are no moving parts in the engine bay nor belts, so a cat can get out alive if I started it.

Edit: We have no mice or rats due to the many cats my neighbors have.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

$2 - $3,000.

That’s a pretty wide range there. But I’d be shocked if it was only $2.

 

[SV8T]

Oh, man, we had mice in our last Honda Odyssey minivan, even. They had gotten everywhere and had taken residence in the area under the roof but above the headliner. You could hear them scurrying overhead as you drove. Miserable.

Wow! My wife would have set that thing on fire! She threatens to move out when she sees a mouse OUTSIDE in the yard.

 

[MW1515]

I've never had a mouse in any of my cars before either... I'm genuinely curious if EV's are more suseptible



Never had a mouse in any of the vehicles i've owned either... lol. I'm genuinely curious if EV's are more susceptible to this kind of rodent intrusion.. lol

OK MachLovin, you win for best user name
Do you have that on your Hawaii issued license too?

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

That’s a pretty wide range there. But I’d be shocked if it was only $2.

Did the OP indicate this contest was using “The Price is Right” rules? The closest guess without going over? We need to know if we’re going to have a proper contest.

 

[AllenXS]

That’s a pretty wide range there. But I’d be shocked if it was only $2.

It’s like ADM from $1-15000, with the average about $12000

 

[Socalsp3]

Ill let you know if they find anything.
Ill try the peppermint too. Anything to help keep them away. I park in a garage and i think our two mice killers are slacking on the job.

The best and only way to keep rats out of your car is a weighted car cover. Don't waste your time on chemical deterrents unless you're actively exterminating them.

 

[JohnnyForensic]

Ill let you know if they find anything.
Ill try the peppermint too. Anything to help keep them away. I park in a garage and i think our two mice killers are slacking on the job.

This is the stuff that’s worked best for me.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07TPBQSVP?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Apply liberally. Everywhere.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

Ill let you know if they find anything.
Ill try the peppermint too. Anything to help keep them away. I park in a garage and i think our two mice killers are slacking on the job.

It happened to a friend who had a big rat problem in and around his rural home. His Volt had about $3K worth of damage (I don't know if he tried to collect from his insurance.) The rat exterminator recommended he keep the hood propped open a bit as rats (and I presume mice) like to nest where it is dark with limited airflow. He uses the narrow side of a 2x4 to prop it open - i.e., it doesn't take much. That said, the MME presents a unique challenge as the frunk is lined with trim so even if you open it, I doubt it would deter the rodents from getting in there.

I met a nice couple at a charging stop on a recent road trip who discovered that a small hole had been chewed through the rubber trim on the driver's side in the corner near where the air vents are between the hood and the windshield. (It was clear that it was a mouse or rat that made the hole, and it was definitely big enough for either rodent to crawl through.) At the next charging stop when I saw them again they told me they took the trim off around the frunk and didn't find any other damage, but obviously they were concerned, as I would be.

The only thing I can think of to maybe deter them from getting into the car would be to put a fan and/or a light under the car when you park, but what a PITA!

Hopefully peppermint spray works for you (and hopefully no one in the house dislikes minty smells as much as my wife)!

 

[MachLovin]

OK MachLovin, you win for best user name
Do you have that on your Hawaii issued license too?

I cant believe I havent tried to get that license plate before... Thank you! lol. I'll be making a call to the DMV shortly. Should be an interesting phone call.

 

[kennethjk]

I have been dealing with mice for the last few weeks after one got caught on a glue trap used to catch crickets. i have solved my cricket problem but when I saw the mouse I put more traps down

up to 8 caught now, half in garage and half in basement. I am fighting this battle on my own as my wife and run and cut bait (staying in the bedroom as I check all traps every morning) leaving me as the sole defender around here.

All this leads me to say that I did have one electrical drain a few weeks ago after not using the car for three days or so but nothing since.

I am hoping, believe it or not, that’s it’s a typical Ford electrical ghost and not a mouse issue.

 

[Bikespace]

Are mice more likely to get into am electric car? Never had a mouse in any of my cars before. I did have ants once though

Only because your car was improperly maintained.

 

[MParkour]

Did the OP indicate this contest was using “The Price is Right” rules? The closest guess without going over? We need to know if we’re going to have a proper contest.

Lets go with those rules!

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