An update:
Been a month or so since the engine compartment of my car served as a rat lounge.
As of my last post I was using cayenne pepper, which thankfully stopped them from chewing anything, but didn’t stop them from hanging out.
First thing I did was stop parking in the same place all the time.
I move around about a half block away to break their routine.
I read somewhere they don’t like Irish Spring soap.
So I tucked in a couple bars, still in their boxes to avoid a possible mess from melting.
Their odor was quite strong. This was the result:
I noticed they were snacking on one side of the engine compartment and pooping on the other.
Then I looked into rodent repellent spray. Most are mainly diluted peppermint oil.
So I got some full strength. Boy is that stuff pungent!
I also folded up some strips of metal window screen and filled in the open spaces with horizontal surfaces, clear of moving parts.
I know this makes anyone into “detailing” their engine compartment cringe.
But it seems to make it a less than pleasant place to be.
