Hello!! After many many hours of research, I am super excited to finally publish this article so that YOU can benefit! And THANK YOU to everyone who provided their email addresses who wanted to be notified when this article was published. This helped in motivating me to go the extra mile, so thank you again. Alright let’s get right to it!
It is my goal to provide the most valuable and accurate information I possibly can to visitors of this website. When I had both of my cars’ engines chewed up by rats, I searched the internet desperately and frantically looking for solutions. I know that if your cars are currently under siege, you are probably doing the same.
To be honest, in my search on the web, I was super disappointed with what I found. It seemed like every suggested solution to deterring rats from cars was followed by people commenting that the particular solution doesn’t work. There’s also TONS of different solutions being suggested: bounce sheets, moth balls, peppermint oil, used cat litter, predator urine, tobacco, antifreeze, black pepper, sweet potatoes, etc. (even live snakes! Haha)… all with seemingly varying levels of success. Ultimately, how can we know how to tackle this problem?
It is very difficult to see through all the conflicting comments and suggestions on websites. In order to gain any sort of valuable knowledge from what is found on the internet you need to take a step back, filter out all the noise, and look at the big picture. So that is exactly what I have done here.
This article will arm you with some extremely valuable information that should enable you to feel comfortable that you are going into this battle with an educated plan. Now, in conducting this research, I pulled the data for success rates solely from the comments sections (1,300+ comments reviewed!). I feel that the author of any website/article can post any suggestion they want, but the true facts may be revealed in the comments.
Note: It was difficult to distinguish mice versus rats from some of the comments so the majority of this data should suffice for mice as well as rats.
When analyzing each comment, I first looked to see if there was reference to a solution. If so, I then determined if it should fall within 1 of 3 categories:
- Recommendation
- Mention/Suggestion
- Negative Recommendation
A Recommendation is essentially when the author of that comment is placing their stamp of approval. They mention the solution in a positive light, they entail that they have used it or have experience with it first hand and they provide backup information as to its effectiveness. Examples could be: “I used moth balls and I haven’t had a rat problem since”, “You should use bounce sheets. They have worked great for me over the years.”
A Mention/Suggestion is a comment that has reference to the solution but no clarification on its effectiveness. It could also be a comment that references a solution and effectiveness but through a third party (it is third party suggestions that has gotten us into this mess!). Examples could be: “I use this..”, “I heard this works..”, “Don’t use this..” “I am going to use this…”, etc. The comment sections are LOADED with these types of comments but we really shouldn’t put any weight on them.
A Negative Recommendation is a straight forward comment that states the ineffectiveness of the solution and entails that the person had actually gained this knowledge from first hand experience.
Success Rate: The percentage of Recommendations to the total of Recommendations + Negative Recommendations.
Now that we have the lines drawn in the sand let’s look at the numbers!
[wpsm_comparison_table id=”2″ class=””]
Important Takeaways:
- If there is anything that you learn from this post, please pay attention here! The internet is littered with people talking about Moth Balls, Peppermint Oil and Dryer Sheets. Take a close look at the success rates. Please do not be influenced by people stating that these solutions worked as a rodent deterrent by itself. If it worked for them, then great. They are one of those small %’s that worked, but if you follow suit you are setting yourself up for failure. These solutions MUST be used in a combination with other methods.
- CATS! Now this came as a shock to me. I have never owned a cat but I had no idea they would be this effective in killing rats/mice. A super interesting fact is that only 18% of websites reviewed had cats as a solution to this problem (and I am guilty as charged!! New section to be added soon!). And, one website even recommended against using these killing machines! Please really consider this option people!
- The two classic solutions of Traps and Poison Bait still hold their weight. Still pretty solid solutions and I would argue that the success rates can be even higher if you identify the rats normal walking path.
- Leaving your hood up needs to absolutely be a part of your defense. This solution has worked great for me so I was not surprised to see that it is working for others as well. Best of all, it is free.
- If you are going to store your car for a long time, the absolute best solution is to put your car into a capsule or car bag. Every single person that mentioned this, raved about how well it works.
- Ultrasonic Repellers are highly effective but moreso with mice versus rats. Please just keep that in mind when reviewing the success rate on this one. Definitely not a bad solution though to add into your lineup.
- Irish Spring Soap, Red Pepper, and Tobacco are the best of the non traditional methods. I would argue though that their success rates would have been lower if more people had commented on them.
I hope that this information was helpful for you and can give you a sense of comfort in putting a plan together. I want to let you know that my research will not be ending here. I plan to be releasing some online polls that may help us dive even deeper into finding the absolute best solutions.
If you have any questions about the above, please leave a comment. I will be happy to share everything I know! Thank you!
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I am so glad that somebody take the time to set up a website to share the experience of the battles against Rat. For the past 2 monthes I am fighting with this Rat(s), He beats me 4-0 , just hit and run, I am so frustrated and have done everything but still not score any yet. I won a Honda HRV 2016 and Here is my story (1) Right before Thanksgiving, first I found that my tank always show empty even when I fill up, I took it to the dealer and they said it’s rodent damage and replace the wire, I paid deductable , insurance pay the rest (2) I drove 600 miles out of town and get back , stay home for couple days and see that my engine check light on plus parking light, I take it to the dealer again, they said there is a hose that get chewed up, another deductable , got fixed (3) I take the care home and this time put a bar of Iris spring soap under the hood, when I am on the freeway, the dashboard light said my engine is hot and I see smokes and I have to exit and call AAA to toll my car back home .. Only 1 night, I can see plastic from the hose on my garage floor and it even bite on my iris soap, so that doesn’t work, verdict is a hose get chewed and cooland leaks (4) after this I park my car outside in the drive way instead of the garage, have rodent company comes and set mouse trap and bait station outside, still my friend said he smells coolant and the dealer found a small leaks thru pressure testing.
I just paid $299 to by a Rodent Proof car cover from Amazon, by Rodent Defense Spray to spray all over my engine, have an battery operated ultrasonic device in my engine , a plug in ultrasonic device in my garage.. It’s only been 2 days, I’ll continue doing this until we catch it, so far no luck. I saw on you tube a guy has a much more expensive car get carcapsule to resolve the problem, but I don’t know if the carcapsule would last longterm on a day to day basis if I drive over the zipper to get into it. I considered paying for the Honda rodent tape but I call the car dealer and they said it didn’t work, there are people pay a lot to put it on and still Rodent chewed thru it. They said it seems to attack the same area over and over… For my car it attacks 3 different areas so everyday I am on google searching hoping some genius would invent something to help us because it’s not uncommon…
Hi Binh! Thanks for your comment! I apologize for the delay in my response. WOW, 4 different attacks…oh my. I hope that you were able to make it over to the Home page where I have a specific step by step plan. Please let me know if the Rodent Proof cover worked. I have heard mixed reviews. In regards to the car capsule, I think those are more for cars that will be sitting for prolonged periods of time but if you don’t mond going through the hassel of putting hte car in and out everyday, I would say go for it! I have heard mixed reviews on the honda tape too. Well, if you are still having this issue, please read through the steps on the Home page and if that still isn’t working, please let me know! Thank you – RKD
Dave the rat king, have you ever heard of using something called a “Mite bomb” to drive rats out of your attic, garrage or other non inhabited places? He claims it works but does it?
You say that those electronic pest repellents also work but some other sites say they don’t, have you had much input from users of those electronic repellents?
Mite bomb, that’s one of the suggestions I got from my mechanic along with leaving the hood up, using peppermint oil & snap traps around & on top of the front tires.
The first time after the rat had chewed through my wire harness at his advice, I left the hood up, put hot pepper on the wires & the rat STILL came back & chewed on those wires! That hot pepper was super hot, perhaps I needed to use more of it.
Leaving the hood up did not deture that rat!
Poison bait did & fortunately, he died inside the garrage so I could bury it out of reach of preditors.
Hi Sheila! I’ve never heard of using a Mite Bomb for rodent control, so I can’t really comment on it’s effectiveness. We’ve used them for fleas some years ago, though i’m not sure if it was more effective than just vacuuming our carpet more often. For the pest repellers, they are more effective against mice than rats. I would not suggest solely relying on a pest repeller, because some rodents just seem to be immune to them. If you have rats in your attic, you might want to try shining some bright lights up there combined with the repeller. For your rat in your car, it sounds like you had one determined rodent! I’m surprised that leaving the hood up didn’t do the trick, but no one solution is guaranteed to work. Though I’m glad to hear that the poison worked. Gotta get them rats.
It still gets dark in the garrage cuz I don’t leave the lights on, wasteful, I too was skeptical about the “mite bomb” causing rats to leave, that’s one I never heard of before.
I would also suspect that rats & mice would soon get used to the electronic pest control & just ignore it, rats are pretty smart little animals!
I keep trying different baits to see what will turn them on enough to just try it, I’ll try puppy chow with chicken broth, puppy chow alone, peanut butter, turkey meat, raw meat, bird seed, sunflower seeds, what ever I think might tempt them to take a nip.
I don’t hear any more activity in the attic, I smell another dead rat in the garage – PU!
NOTHING smells worse than a DEAD RAT! Even worse, I can’t get to it.
The only bait I have out now is “RatX” it’s suppose to clog up the lining it’s lower bowel so it doesn’t get thirsty & stops drinking dehydrating itself to death. It’s not suppose to be toxic to anything else & it’s ingredients look safe to use around pets, water, wildlife, children etc.
I saw a different rat trap at the grange today, it has the same mechanics as the Tomcat but it looks like a common snap trap, I hope it has the sensitive trigger of the Tomcat without the easy breakage. It’s also made of plastic, a tan plastic that I hope will be less brittle.
You have a great site here Rat king Dave, lot’s of info here, no matter how old you get, there is always more to learn.
Never stop learning Rat King Dave!
Hi Sheila! Haha you are correct that rodents get used to the noise machines so after a while it just becomes an annoyance. In order to deter them we need to mess with their heads and make them scared (bright lights, taking away the warmth and cover from the engine compartment, peppermint spray to cover up their scent, etc.)! And I’m sorry to hear about the dead rodent.. that smell is atrocious! Let me know how that trap works! And, thank you for the nice comments! I agree that continuing to learn is essential. The moment you think you’ve made it or learned enough, you are dead in the water. Take care! I look forward to more comments! RKD
What’s a car capsule? I need to make sure my future car doesn’t get the same damage my new 2016 Mazda has. My car has been in the shop for 3 months. Mazda doesn’t have my replacement part so it’s considered a Lemon. Lawyer is working on it now. No matter which maker I go with next, looks like I will have the same problem.
Hi Sabrina! A car capsule is essentially a bubble that you park your car inside. There is a fan constantly running and it fills up with air in order to prevent dust from settling. Here is a non-affiliate link that explains a little bit about how it works. It is more common for when you are storing cars for a lengthier period of time versus something you might want to put your car into every day. The only comments that I found in reference to car capsules which led to the stats in this article were from owners of classic cars.
In reference to your Mazda, I’m really sorry to hear about the damage! And it’s been in the shop for three months! Oh man!
I know this sucks right now but keep your head up! This game CAN be won. You don’t need a car capsule to fend off the rodents. The problem with your Mazda was that the damage went unnoticed for too long and the rodents had marked your car as “safe” and it was part of their habits to visit your car. When you get your Mazda back make sure implement the 5 minute check immediately and the following immediately each night: Leave your car hood up, Place snap traps around the car tires (see video here for exact placement) and bait with peanut butter, spray the inside of your engine compartment with pepper mint spray (I use Rodent Defense), shine a flashlight under the car, and (this isn’t absolutely necessary) place a fake owl (here is the one I use) on the ground in front of your car and move it every few days.
The combination of all of these things will almost guarantee that the rodents will no longer be interested in visiting your car. This will break their habit of going into your car and over time you can loosen up the strategy a bit. I really hope this helps you and convinces you that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Please be sure to keep me in the loop and let me know how the progress is going. I am certainly available for more questions if you have them. Thank you!!