BAD Mouse Problem!!!
 

I am not sure exactly where to stick this post but I figure interior and exterior is a start.

Does anyone know common areas underneath and inside the 350z that mice can get through? I have a 2006 350z and unfortunately live in upstate NY so I don't drive it in the winter. The last few winters I have kept my car in the garage covered. In the last two years I have had a mouse problem. It started with some droppings here and there. Now the car smells TERRIBLE, it is absolutely disgusting. I finally decided to do something about it and am currently ripping the entire interior apart. I believe they have been living behind the rear speakers but there are trails everywhere (trunk, mid-section, behind the seats, behind the cd deck, everywhere, I also saw droppings in the engine bay. When I removed the panels behind the seats I almost couldn't breath.

Please help if you know ways to prevent this from happening in the future, I plan to set lots of traps but I need to prevent them from even getting into the car if possible!

Thanks!

i would bet that many cars where you park , and where you live , for prolonged periods of storage have this issue

its not unique to your car and i do not think you can stop it , if it is parked where it has been for these time periods

sorry i am sure not what you want to hear

The Z33 is pretty well insulated from the factory, so it's somewhat surprising you have a pest problem. I'd check the area underneath the windshield cowling to see if they're getting in through the interior climate control system. That could be a real problem...

After its cleaned up, to prevent it in the future, get some small tins (like take out food), and put mothballs in the tins.
Rodents hate the smell and will stay out, and the tins will prevent the mothballs from dissolving into the carpet, seat, or wherever you place them.

I heard the mothball methed also.. Ive seen people do other methods like dryer sheets and peppermint oil soaked cotton balls.. I think a mix of dryer sheets and mothballs might be a good start. Mice will get in if they want they suck.

Who's your Buddy?

https://my350z.com/forum/maintenance...hate-mice.html

Haha I don't know! Thanks everyone, I will definitely try the moth balls and peppermint oil. I did seal off my garage recently because of the mouse problem so that may help too. I'll check the window cowling, it definitely seems like they are getting in through the engine bay area and working their way to the rear end of the car. I'll let you all know what I discover. So far I have half the interior out as of today and it seems like they got everywhere. It is just amazing because the outside of the car is so clean, they must have been sneaking around under the panels for some time.

When I first saw the title of this thread, my first thought: "Call tech support."

OK, with that glib out of the way....

http://how-to-get-rid-of-mice.com/mo...ellent-smells/

Moreso, do a good inspection of wiring, belts, and hoses underhood and as best as can, under dash. Them varmints love to chew s**t just for the helluvit.

Good luck, OP. That's a nasty problem. :icon14:

Thanks for the link! Yea, I am hoping they didn't chew anything too bad.

Check your cabin filter for a nest. There is an area under the passenger side windshield cowel. There is an open area where mice can get in.

There is no cabin filter on Z33s. The open area for ventilation under the cowl is simply that- open.

Will do! Thank you, do you think there is any chance I could install some kind of screen to prevent them from getting into that area? I didn't realize there was no cabin filter.

I would thing the vents in the trunk out be where they come in.

Ah I'll look at those too! Didn't even think about that.

This is the kind of situation where a digital inspection camera is worth its weight in gold. I use an AC Delco scope like the one in the picture at the bottom of this post.

I've worked on farm trucks with mouse problems and will attest that they can (and will) explore every corner of your car, from the spare tire well to inside the seats, the HVAC system, behind the stereo, etc. I once found a bunch of dead baby mice behind a factory head unit while doing a stereo swap on a farm truck that was sitting in a field for 2 years. The HU was covered in droppings and urine and the mouse/mice used seat foam to build a nest with.

Another time, I found a dead mouse stuck to the foam on a door in the blend air control box of a Ford Explorer. I charged the guy $40 extra on gross factor. He hadn't mentioned that the car sat next to a rodent-infested wood pile for over a year until after I found the thing. I had to cut the box out with a Dremel, clean everything out and spray everything down with Lysol before putting the box back together with epoxy. The Lysol smell never really went away, but at least it was better than the way the dead mouse smelled, which depending on their heater or A/C usage, was either bone dry musty or soaking wet disgusting.

You absolutely DO want to use a respirator and gloves when you're dealing with this stuff because of Hantavirus and other respiratory issues associated with rodent feces.

Good luck. Hope you can get it all worked out. I've heard people with rodent problems will sometimes put mothballs around the outside of their cars with some success.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/my350z....1ac2ace1c7.jpg

Thanks for the response! I'll see if I can get my hands on one! So far I have most of the interior apart. Hopefully I'll find the source soon.

Just buy a cat and let it live in your car.

Haha I wish. One spot they were getting in was under the windshield cowl where the blower unit connects to the outside of the car, this was to be expected but I created a little fix.


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/my350z....7efc4d143c.jpg




Metal lath is sturdy and just small enough that mice can't get through.

2004 Touring. I've had the same problem. Set traps behind the seats, put packets of mint oil (3) inside the cockpit (smells pretty good-not like mothballs). Since November 2016 I've probably caught enough mice to make several pairs of gloves. I found one of my traps with a leg sticking out and the trap hanging from the leg on the thin area under the dash on the passenger side-it was still attached to the live mouse! and have since put steel wool in under the dash on the passenger and driver sides. I have not found any evidence in the rear area. All of the areas near the windshield wipers are covered so they are not getting in there. Any other ideas like wheel well or something where they might gain entry? Thx.

Theirs some vents in the back on each side (under all the carpet and Styrofoam... By the Bose amp) that mice could easily enter through. Thats the only place I know of for sure that a mouse could easily enter.