Mice in Cowl area

[rockinrosie]

Mice have been getting in the cowl area of my '01 996 coupe. What are the access points?

It looks like there are 4 drain holes with rubber 'nipples' (2 on each side).

I've also just noticed on the driver's side, sort of below the shock tower there is a small round hole that is vertical and parallel to road direction....can critters get in here?

Other places?

[White987S]

rockinrosie, I would say the access point is your garage or storage area. Stop them from getting in first. If there is any damage to the car, try to make a claim with your insurance.

Also buy a big freaking cat! :)

[1999Porsche911]

Mice can actually get into your engine's cylinders. As suggested above, keep the mice out of your garage. If necessary, throw down a few of those traps that the mice will stick to if they do get into the garage.

[rockinrosie]

Mice can actually get into your engine's cylinders. As suggested above, keep the mice out of your garage. If necessary, throw down a few of those traps that the mice will stick to if they do get into the garage.

Good ideas, but the nature of having a 90 year old garage surrounded by woods, meadow and farmland means there is an endless supply of mice. A longer term solution is new garage, but today I need info on access points to my car!

[Loren]

Sorry, but the bottom of your car is basically open and there are lots of wires to chew on.

I know of ABS, brake wear wires and fuel tank sensing unit wires all being chewed by rodents.

[1999Porsche911]

Mice can actually get into your engine's cylinders. As suggested above, keep the mice out of your garage. If necessary, throw down a few of those traps that the mice will stick to if they do get into the garage.

Good ideas, but the nature of having a 90 year old garage surrounded by woods, meadow and farmland means there is an endless supply of mice. A longer term solution is new garage, but today I need info on access points to my car!

If you have mice in your garage, you are not going to stop them from gettiing into the car, short of completely wrapping the car up. They will get into your engine through the tailpipes, into the passenger compartment and eat your seats, etc, etc. Sealling the access points to the garage is your best bet and include traps in the garage to catch them if they do get in. Remember, mice only need an openning of about 1/3rd their body size to gain access. It's a pain to do but is doable.

[rockinrosie]

Mice have been getting in the cowl area of my '01 996 coupe. What are the access points?

It looks like there are 4 drain holes with rubber 'nipples' (2 on each side).

I've also just noticed on the driver's side, sort of below the shock tower there is a small round hole that is vertical and parallel to road direction....can critters get in here?

Other places?

Loren-

Not good news! But, so far, the cowl area is where I notice them.....are the above sites the access points or are you telling me that there is no way of knowing how the mice get access to the cowl area?

[Loren]

I do not know how they get in there but I know of several instances where they got in under battery and chewed the fuel tank level sender wires.

My guess would be that the follow the openings from the left front fender fuel filler to the tank.

[White987S]

Did someone say mice?

[whs]

How about one of these?

http://www.clickscarcover.com/indoor.html

[SNaray8442]

Mice aren't such a problem down here in the South but snakes sure are.

We employ half a dozen "outside cats" at any given time for this purpose.

[fokinel]

Not the most 'green' solution out there... but here goes...

On my uncles farm our family stores things like trailers, snowmobiles, quads, in-progress auto projects, and various other sorts of things that mice like to chew on. Each fall my uncle tosses another few handfuls of grain heavily laced with pest killers - since he started doing this 25 years back he hasn't had any real problem with mice chewing wires, seats, or anything else mice like to chew on. It's pretty much impossible to mouse-proof the country, so sometimes the brute force approach works.

There are also ultrasonic options that I've read about - they will make a nose similar to fingernails on blackboard that is supposed to chase rodents away, but I'm not aware of anyone using these - it might work for you if you have green sensibilities?

[geoff]

There are also ultrasonic options that I've read about - they will make a nose similar to fingernails on blackboard that is supposed to chase rodents away, but I'm not aware of anyone using these - it might work for you if you have green sensibilities?

I used one of these in my garage, as well as other areas of my house, and have much fewer mice around. Most hardware stores sell them in packages of one to a dozen. The thing just plugs into a 120v outlet (assuming your 90 year old garage has electricity). Sealing all the cracks and openings with chicken wire or snake wire will also help keep rodents out. Hungry outdoor cats are good - just keep them out of the garage or they will scratch the paint on your car