New to the forum. Used to have a Mazda Bongo, for which forums were an invaluable resource in keeping the van on the road on a sensible budget. Our Yeti has a full Skoda service history and has only covered 36k, so hope I dont need too much assistance just yet.

Bought the Yeti (1.2 auto) privately a couple of weeks ago. Disappointed with the fuel consumption, having come from a diesel E-Class which averaged at least 10pmg more, despite driving it very gently.  Other than that and the gearbox that is taking some getting used to, Im delighted with the car so far.  

Went to top up the washer fluid earlier and noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. It seems a mouse (picture 1) has set up home inside my front offside wing. I then noticed some damage (picture 2) where said mouse has been nibbling. Thankfully I cant see anywhere else thats been eaten.

Anyone know what has it eaten and what, if anything, should I do about it ?

 

Sadly the mouse will have to go, but its well hidden. For now....

 

Rgds BigTim

Cheeky little beggar!  I wonder how it got into the car (and why!).  Some Christmas fare (I've had most luck with sultanas) and, sadly, a trap are called for, somewhere close to that hole.  Just a suggestion - try it overnight without actually arming the trap gets the visitor used to the lump of wood with sultanas round it; the second night should give a result.  Personally, I prefer to use a humane trap so that the victim can be returned to the wild, but it's your choice.  Luck! 

5 minutes ago, Brijo said:

Cheeky little beggar!  I wonder how it got into the car (and why!).  Some Christmas fare (I've had most luck with sultanas) and, sadly, a trap are called for, somewhere close to that hole.  Just a suggestion - try it overnight without actually arming the trap gets the visitor used to the lump of wood with sultanas round it; the second night should give a result.  Personally, I prefer to use a humane trap so that the victim can be returned to the wild, but it's your choice.  Luck! 

The car has been parked overnight in a barn in rural wales for the first 3 years of its life, or it may be local.  I threw a rugby ball in its direction and it hid, so suspect its probably Welsh.... Useful tip regarding removal....Thanks

In answer to the title, this is breather line (item 2) of the charcoal canister, here: activated charcoal container; vent hose - Yeti(YET) [EUROPA 2016 year] (7zap.com)

If you view that page on a big screen rather than a phone, you'll see part numbers in the table. sometimes these aren't visible on phones.

 

Can't really tell from the picture if the damage includes o-ring or the canister itself. Disassembly of the breather line should show you.

Edited 21 December, 20205 yr by Wino

6 minutes ago, Wino said:

In answer to the title, this is breather line (item 2) of the charcoal canister, here: activated charcoal container; vent hose - Yeti(YET) [EUROPA 2016 year] (7zap.com)

If you view that page on a big screen rather than a phone, you'll see part numbers in the table. sometimes these aren't visible on phones.

 

Can't really tell from the picture if the damage includes o-ring or the canister itself. Disassembly of the breather line should show you.

Much appreciated. Its eaten a little more since I discovered it earlier. Now covered in gaffer tape, till I can find a suitable mouse remover. No idea what the charcoal cannister does, but should he eat any more, would you know if the car going to stop, run badly or something else ?

Does the hose that's been attacked appear to go to the engine or head rearwards towards the fuel tank?  If towards engine it might cause an air leak which could make for rough running.  Gaffer tape will probably suffice in the short term to prevent problems,

There's a school of thought that suggests that "humane" traps aren't very humane insofar as (a) if they're in the trap for anything more than a short time they will drive themselves mad trying to escape and suffer considerably and may well die an unpleasant death in there, and (b) if they haven't injured themselves in the cage by the time you get there - and you then transport them to another place, then they (apparently) find themselves in an unknown place and either can't find food and die slowly or they fall prey to a fox/owl/cat (and die a bit quicker). We're told they're territorial and become familiar with their patch and are at a bit of a loss if removed from it.

 

I hasten to add these aren't my theories, they're just what I've read (quite a few times).

 

If you go to Plan B, a snap trap, then try to get one powerful enough to do the job efficiently.

 

Plan C is poison/bait and apparently that's not a nice way to go.  Drowning isn't particularly nice either.

 

My neighbour bought a £600 air rifle in an attempt to get rid of the rats in his garden. He shot one dead but was too upset to pick it up and dispose of it so he called me round to do it.

 

On another occasion his next door neighbour found a half dead one on the grass and, again, I was called to finish it off with a lump hammer - this also caused some upset.

 

In summary, I don't have the complete and final solution but agreee rats and mice are a nuisance and you have to deal with them by whatever means you think is best.

 

EDIT - I should have added ... if you go down the poison or the trap route PLEASE be careful where you site the poison or the trap so as not to catch or poison hedgehogs or birds or anything else that unwittingly passes by. Traps left out in the open are best covered in some sort of tunnel (they like tunnels) and ditto poison. The stronger type of rat traps (Fenn Traps) are required by law to be sited in some sort of enclosure for the reasons stated above.

 

AND FINALLY   DON'T EVER USE GLUE TRAPS.  THEY ARE HORRENDOUS THINGS.  Animals caught on a glue pad will chew they're own feet off in order to escape.  Not nice.

Edited 21 December, 20205 yr by oldstan

Hi.  I found this description for a VW Golf, which should give some idea of what the charcoal canister does:

 

Evaporative emissions system

Function description of EVAP canister system               

Depending upon the air pressure and ambient temperature, fuel vapour will form above the level of fuel in the tank. The Evaporative Emissions system prevents these HC emissions escaping to the atmosphere. In limited quantities, fuel vapours pass through a gravity valve (which closes at an angle of 45) located at the highest point in the tank and through a pressure retention valve into the evaporative emissions (EVAP) canister. The EVAP canister stores these vapours like a sponge

When the oxygen sensor control is active when driving (engine warm), the EVAP canister purge regulator valve -N80-, is activated (pulsed) from the engine control module depending upon load and engine speed. The opening period is dependent on the input signals. Intake manifold vacuum draws fresh air through the vent opening on the underside of the EVAP canister during the purging procedure (regenerating the activated charcoal in the canister). The fuel vapours stored in the activated charcoal and fresh air are pulse-fed for combustion

I thought the charcoal canister was only a legal requirement in California.

It's been on UK/EU petrol engines for quite a lot of years now. Most if not all of this century.

Just imagine it's a pregnant female. Really nothing to joke about as they can cause massive damage to electrics. My local garage has been trying to evict / kill an infestation in a customer's car which is now, at three years old virtually finished due to mouse activity. A little pack of Warfarin or an overdraft; choice is yours.

On 21/12/2020 at 15:43, oldstan said:

There's a school of thought that suggests that "humane" traps aren't very humane ...........

 

Agreed so far, but it does depend on the trap.  I use a clear plastic type, with a door that trips as soon as there's a visitor.  They sometimes don't notice until they've consumed the sultanas, by which time they're not too bothered for a while.  Never leave a trap uninspected for more than 24 hours, preferably only twelve for mice - you can check at a glance, even with a torch.  Longer than that and they'll chew themselves out via an extended ventilation hole, so nothing inhumane about that. 

 

No poison, no glue, no water and best not to use spring traps (in case of non-kill) unless many mice, when the first victim can provide a demonstration that rather discourages others.  Rats?  Short-term,  an airgun only if you're competent, and have plenty of time and a good perch over a clean safe killing ground that's totally on your own premises, otherwise call in a professional.  Long-term, buy or breed a good hunter - cat or dog.  

 

Good hunting... (but m'lady says 'It's Christmas - give it a chance!')

"it's Christmas -  give it a chance."    

31 minutes ago, Creakingjoints said:

"it's Christmas -  give it a chance."    

Yes, definitely.  Years ago I got a particularly persistent rat, only to realise that it was Christmas Day.  I still feel horribly guilty about that and apologise yet again, here. 

54 minutes ago, Brijo said:

Yes, definitely.  Years ago I got a particularly persistent rat, only to realise that it was Christmas Day.  I still feel horribly guilty about that and apologise yet again, here. 

It's a rat! Kill it any day of the year and rejoice. They are vermin, spread disease and damage property and people. 

30 minutes ago, Expatman said:

It's a rat! Kill it any day of the year and rejoice. They are vermin, spread disease and damage property and people. 

Yup.  Being rural, we're always alert for the next wave.  Nevertheless, I'm an old (very) softie, and I hate having to kill. 

Instead of feeling guilty you should've called oldstan who seems to have a sideline as a sort-of humane killer of rodents.  I have a vision in my head of him dressed as Thor in gleaming armour and a large red cape, carrying a large hammer, and dispatching little furry creatures by throwing it at them.

 

On second thoughts though, if the mouse is living inside the Yeti, probably best not call him.  The bodyshop work to clean the gore and repair the large dent might be a tad difficult to explain on the insurance claim. 

1 hour ago, Brijo said:

Yup.  Being rural, we're always alert for the next wave.  Nevertheless, I'm an old (very) softie, and I hate having to kill. 

Empty house nearby had rat nest in garden, shot 9 at the bottom of our garden in 2 days. Professional ratman got the rest with traps and poison. Good target practice as I only shoot if I can get a head shot so quick kill, a lot quicker and more humane than poison I suspect.

Edited 24 December, 20205 yr by Expatman

Thanks to all for your responses. Nice to see how caring the Skoka community is and a special thanks to the post that actually answered the question regarding the charcoal filter.

Now to the mouse that has won so many hearts...Given the time of year, goodwill etc, I stuffed a couple of blobs of cotton wool soaked in peppermint into the nest/front wing and some bleach (nowhere near the paintwork-in a container), both of which, Im led to believe mice find unbearable.

I also taped up the bits hes been nibbling and no apparent activity since, so hopefully hes moved out. If hes moved into my wifes car, you will ned to check the Hyundai forum for further updates.

 

Have a good Christmas, Kim John Son permitting...