Octavia Mk3 - mice in cabin

[francisC]

Update:

Bumper removal is as mentioned above about a 20min job - the two screens in the top of the wheel arch are a pain to get to and took 5 mins of the 20 mins overall job

 

These rodents have a map - as mentioned two cars - one silver one blue - and they attacked the vent in exactly the same corner - the actually munched through the plastic grill in exactly the same way in each car 

 

The approach I have taken to stop this happening 

1 - snap traps in the car which go off as you drive a long so have to be reset once parked up again (nothing caught for around 3 weeks - using Nutaella and peanut butter and a piece of chocolate as bait) 

did not like the idea of the sticky trap and the poison will leaving the smell in the car if they die 

2 - fine zinc gauze (€5 form local hardware) cut to shape and stuck down with metal heating/ventilation ducting tape (€8 from hardware store) 

 

 

Lets hope that's the end of the matter 

thanks to all who offered up advice 

Happy New year - its the roaring '20s now 

 

 

[francisC]

And as we also have two Rapids - same treatment just in case 

 

 

[francisC]

[Octaviarse]

Serious question ... If they chewed through the original material, do you think the gauze is strong enough to stop them chewing through again?

 

As funny as this is for an an observer, I do feel for you as it must be a right ballache and their ingenuity is quite something. 

 

[francisC]

We shall see 🤞🙏

[KenONeill]

49 minutes ago, Octaviarse said:

do you think the gauze is strong enough to stop them chewing through

Probably, because they won't find expanded metal very palatable.

[J.R.]

I have had mice chew through multi-wall per water pipes to give themselves a 24/7 warm shower under the floorboards at my expense, the outer layers are plastic but then there is a hard aluminium layer and they went through it as if it wasn't there, shame I cant do photos without a huge workup because I have kept the damaged sections as souvenirs and am in the property where it happened.

 

A larger diameter pipe would have stopped them because they have a maximum bite radius and can only open their jaws so far, 15mm multi-couche pipe falls within their capabilities.

 

If they wanted to get through that they could, maybe it will put them off, if they do get through then use a stainless mesh.

 

The aluminium pan scourers stop them, the ones that are big balls of swarf from a lathe tool, something about them they dont like because they are well capable of noshing through the material.

[Lingnoi]

On 02/01/2020 at 00:44, J.R. said:

The aluminium pan scourers stop them, the ones that are big balls of swarf from a lathe tool, something about them they dont like because they are well capable of noshing through the material.
 

 

I read somewhere that the thicker steel of those scourers (and you can buy thicker stranded steel wool precisely for keeping out rodents) slices their gums to ribbons when they try to eat through it, hence they stop chewing it. 

Edited 3 January, 2020 by Lingnoi
unnecessary apostrophe

[Stewart7]

On 20/12/2019 at 23:32, francisC said:

Search this forum for “workshop manual” someone has kindly posted them 

Thanks francisC.