Going to take the maverick to work and store it in an empty garage until we move and get a new house. I am pretty sure there are rats in that garage, they leave lots of "evidence" behind. I don't want them eating my wires and hoses, or nesting in the fenders. How can you keep rats out of your car if they are around?
Set you a few boxes of D-Con around. We get them at our shop every now and then. As soon as we see any signs I set out a couple boxes. You can see the poison starting to disappear. No more tracks after a few days. Might have to do it every 3-6 months.
I was going to mention moth balls too but that won't kill them. Just make them nest elsewhere. Still won't hurt to put them in the car...as you said...if you can stand the smell.
have also seen people that store cars over the winter that lay down a very large piece of thick clear plastic, drive the car onto the plastic and then wrap the plastic up and over the top of the car. Basically saran-wrapping your car.
I agree we use mothballs in all the old trucks/cars. DO NOT place them on any car surface. You will not get that smell out. Put them in a glass dish and set it under the hood, in the trunk, and on the floor in side. You don't need many at all. Rats have very sensative noses.
Wow! 5 hits in 20 minutes!!! I had them poison the place last year, when we started storing my boat there. The "evidence" disappeared for a while, but lately, I am seeing it again. I guess I can poison them NOW and park the car there after a couple weeks. I have some strong poison out in my garage from a personal infestation several years ago...
If you go with D-Con...put it under the car. If you put it in the car....be prepared for some dead rats stinking up your ride.
I had a couple rats living in my attic, and had to kill them to get them out. Then a few years later, one decided to nest in the fender of my truck, and was crapping in the cowl making for a very interesting smelling car for a while. There is a thread somewhere on here about that. I do have a headliner. And starting to think I may just be better off NOT putting it in that garage.
I remember reading lifebuoy soap placed in a small dish works. Get a handful of cats I know that will work.
MY buddy owned a farm and he swore by a ring of cayenne pepper around the car. They wont go anywhere near it. I guess they could jump off something onto the car though. They are smart little buggers.
I read that Irish Spring soap works for a while ... then they get used to it and it becomes a food source. Some other posting suggested using scented dryer sheets. I won't use them in the dryer, (plugs up the lint screen, wears dryers out prematurely), but I do have a few stuffed into a pile of bucket seats I am storing. If you do put out rat baits, I would place them a bit away from the car, etc. You are trying to attract them to the bait ... if it is under the car, you are drawing them there. We have a composter outside our house, 15 feet from the garage, and that makes the best home here for rodents. It is probably more cozy for them than the garage. I will throw a bait in there sporatically if I suspect activity and the stuff does disappear. Had to get rid of a litter of baby rats out of there. My wife thought they were cute ... I was known as "The Baby Rat Killer" for a while here ...
