When dealing with mice...

[jbh1989]

....don't ever ever ever poison them. I saw someone recommend that a couple of weeks ago to fix a problem with mice in their E34, and it was quite possibly the worst advice I've seen on this board (which is saying something). Why?

The answer is clear: if you have a nose on your head, it's the most miserable thing in the world. I didn't poison my mice, hell, I didn't know they were still there. Just one day I hopped in after a day in the hot sun--and choked. It took two days to get all of them out, and the car will probably never smell the same. I started Sunday evening with some canine help, my terrier was going nuts at the driver's footrest after scanning the entire car. I pulled it apart and found one dead mouse, just starting to rot. Stench was just incredible. The smell didn't clear up though. It just got worse. So Monday after work I decide to check the cabin air filter. I didn't even need to go that far. After removing the carpeted piece that covers the passenger's side of the heater box, I found the nest. There were between 6 and 8 dead mice. At this point, this was easily the most disgusting thing I had ever seen. At this point you could smell it across the driveway and into the office. At that point, it was time to disassemble the interior. She was down to the bare essentials (didn't remove dash) by 6:30. Spent hours vacuuming and shampooing the carpeting. Put back together, applying febreeze liberally. Some of the dash insulation had to be removed and tossed because of the "juices" that were soaked in. Tossed the carpeting over the cabin air filter cover because it was ruined.

This is the first time I've even considered dumping the car, and I would if I had something to replace it with. So please, for the sake of your car, if you have a mouse problem, trap them. Don't poison them. You'll thank me later.

[BoldUlysses]

That's heavy. Thanks for the heads-up.

How did they get into your car in the first place?

[jehu]

So small living things can get up in there?

I flipped on my blower today and it sounded like the wheel was spinning over a bird.Sounded like feathers were stuff next to the cage.. I expected I'd hear or smell something but nothing appeared..

[richinvan]

Glue traps with candied peanuts always worked for me... and you can decide to set them free or 'disposing' of them as you will.

[jbh1989]

jehu, just wait for a nice hot day. You'll smell it then.

Matt, I have no idea. My boss thinks they get in the trunk through the air vents in the back (the rubber "check valve" is useless). Once there, my ski-pass is knocked out and it's home run into the battery compartment, which has channels that lead everywhere.

The crazy part is that all the left side of the car was torn apart to run new RCAs last Wednesday. There was no evidence of mice infestation at all. So I'm confused. I usually leave my windows cracked, and occasionally my cat hops in; I wouldn't be surprised if he brought one in (maybe a pregnant mouse?). I don't know. The carpeting in this car is nice and thick, but it makes for some nice channeling and mouse-runs.

[e34armour]

I cleaned a flood damaged car that smelled awful once. I shampoo'd the carpets, seats everything, and I had the car running with the floor vents on full blast. I thought I heard water running under the passenger seat so I poked my head under there, only to see an inch deep puddle of the foulest smelling water imaginable pouring out of the vent for the rear passengers feet. In the vent I saw what I thought was a leaf, so I poked my finger in there and pulled out a decaying mouse carcass, the skin actually came off like a sheath and stuck to my finger :eyecrazy

Mice suck, and OP I feel your pain :shifty

[zubbie]

had the same problem in an old civic I left for the winter beside the garage. They can slip through the tinyest of holes and like to nest in the dash, particulary in the heater box. sick, sour smell when you apply heat. The only solution is to completely dissasemble all the vents and heater box to disinfect the whole unit.

In my case it's a junk / parts car so I don't care.

[attack eagle]

if you use poison you use the green stuff that desiccates them into mummies.

[cdnalpina]

I feel your pain OP. I have been fighting with mice ever since moving to the country (and now I am contending with moles in the lawn as well). A few bad experiences...

- in my Alpina B12 5.0, I always kept a protein bar in there for an emergency snack. Opened the glovebox one day and there was a shredded wrapper and bits of bar everywhere. After sorting that out and later that winter, I go to pick up my Skullcandy FMJ headphones and the wire is chewed through. GRRR And I noted a bunch of nest material in the trunk. Caught the mouse in the trunk with a trap.

- I found a nest in the airbox of my biturbo one winter, luckily it was on the top of the airfilter. I think a mouse through a turbo would be a rather unpleaseant experience for the mouse and my engine.

I hate these little buggers, I think I have trapped about 50 to date. Gets old in a hurry...

[HotRodBimmer]

Wow this thread is kinda gross... But yeah i've found the suckers in my glove box, truck, wrench drawer... everywhere.
But last summer i topped it off by discovering a 6 foot snake living under the gas tank in the Porsche.
I need to get a shop mongoose... cut down on the pests.

[CO535i]

I need to get a shop mongoose... cut down on the pests.

Yep or a Honey Badger. I found a pair of mummies in the hood insulation of the sedan. Not sure if I cooked them the last time I ran the car to Denver. Since then I made a point to seal up the garage and set out those green pellet baits at the entrance. I know it may be pointless but every little bit helps.

[cornflakecwl]

I used to use those electronic critter sirens in the storage where my Integra was parked over the winter. Never had an issue, but that was only 3 winters so hard to say if I just got lucky or the thing actually worked.

[HotRodBimmer]

Ha honey badger :lol
I just laughed out loud at my desk seeing that thing waddle around

[sfgearhead]

Yup, always trap mice so you can remove them from the car.

Reminds me of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pEhqiCD27E&feature=player_detailpage#t=34s

[kalevera]

My boss thinks they get in the trunk through the air vents in the back (the rubber "check valve" is useless). Once there, my ski-pass is knocked out and it's home run into the battery compartment, which has channels that lead everywhere.




They do get in through the trunk vents (I always tape them up when the car's going into storage for a while) and can move through the rear firewall and into the interior via the rear shock towers/under the parcel shelf, but primarily they get in through the recirc flaps on the heater box. Heater core retains a lot of heat in the winter (or whenever the dials are set to hot), so it attracts them. Par for the course to find a couple of dead mice in E32/E34 heater boxes, life is easier when there's a microfilter to buffer them.

[wastedincome]

I F'n HATE mice. I deal with there destruction all the time @ work. IF you think the mice around your are tough, YOu should see New England mice!!! I've seen em' make a nest with product MADE to keep them away..

This winter I had a customer w/ a brand new (less then 1yr old) $9k Hot tub that called cause he "thought" had oil dripping out (dumb ass there's nothing w/ oil in it). After a few days at our shop the tub was totaled.

Almost every day right now I'm running into 3 out of 5 $3.5K pool heaters destroyed by mice.

Last year my girl said the blower fan in her SUV made noise's and smelled. Sure enough I pulled the blower and found one.

I should find some pix


EDIT: OH SH!T, I just remembered that MY blower in the e30 started making noise after being pulled out from storage....F@ck !!!

[Meeve]

I had mouse in some of my car several time. I have too much and lots don't move a lot. I've never had any problem with them though... When I want to run the car with mouse, I just drive it and within a week there is none left. They just can't live in a moving car I guess.

It happened to me 3-4 times.

[paperplane94]

Yup, always trap mice so you can remove them from the car.

Reminds me of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pEhqiCD27E&feature=player_detailpage#t=34s


He drives an e34.:D

[jerryspiess]

Sorry to hear the little critters launched an olfactory assault on your car. I've been fishing them at all stages of decomposition from behind my dash and engine for the past week. I gave up when I got as far as the airbox--probably my worst mistake as there were plenty behind the cabin filter. Did you find any in the back seat/under carpet area? I'm still smelling something, but it isn't coming from my front vents (hence my justification for abandoning the airbox removal). Any input you could offer would be greatly appreciated. I'm learning as I go. Not super savvy when it comes to cars, so please speak in Bimmer101. Thanks much and keep those windows down!:help

[jbh1989]

Haven't found any in the back of the car. I thought they were gone but found a bunch of turds this evening. I'm about to go apesh*t right now. I'm at a loss for what to do now. I'm thinking of starting to tear down again but I'm lazy and don't have my power tools at home so I think I'll wait till work on Monday. When I removed the cabin filter the first time, there was no evidence of mice. I'm considering removing it again but doubt that I'll find anything. Can they still get in with a cabin filter up front?

Even if you get them all, I doubt the smell will go away entirely for a while. Most of mine is gone, but whenever I turn the heaters on at night (72*) I get a little funk now and then.

[rav31]

Been there, done that....

[1990525i]

^ that is some gross stufff... enough said -_-

[roche90]

^^ holy hell that is disgusting.
Now I should check my air filters :shifty