# RODENT is eating insulation behind the engine

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/rodent-is-eating-insulation-behind-the-engine/78646>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [April 13, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rodent-is-eating-insulation-behind-the-engine/78646 "2013-04-13T03:55:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Selma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Selma](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Selma)\
**Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rodent-is-eating-insulation-behind-the-engine/78646/1 "2013-04-13T03:55:22Z")

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My poor new car ! My VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI Manual (2012) that I waited a year for, and got last year, has a problem.  
My husband pulled up the hood and pointed out to me that the insulation on the wall at the back of the engine is being chomped on. We know it’s a rodent, a mouse-- it happened before to his very old Toyota truck, and at one point he saw an animal. It didn’t happen to my old Honda Civic because there’s no insulation and maybe Hondas don’t taste as good.  
My car is outside next to my house in a rural area under foliage on a small dirt road. There is truly no other place I can keep it.  
Please give me some advice for reasonable non-toxic action to take to keep the car rodent-free.

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**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\
**Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 6:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rodent-is-eating-insulation-behind-the-engine/78646/2 "2013-04-13T06:12:38Z")

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Trap the critter and or spray under the hood with Tobasco Sauce or a similar pepper spray …

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**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\
**Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 6:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rodent-is-eating-insulation-behind-the-engine/78646/3 "2013-04-13T06:28:45Z")

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You might want to look at this website to see if this might help. [http://www.messinawildlife.com/](http://www.messinawildlife.com/)

We buy this product from the local Menards store.

Tester

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**Author:** ![dagosa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/dagosa/32/9837_2.png) [@dagosa](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dagosa)\
**Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rodent-is-eating-insulation-behind-the-engine/78646/4 "2013-04-13T19:50:43Z")

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Might I add to @caddyman’s good advice…KILL the critter by drowning or otherwise. You must be aggressive with these animals. They will give you no quarter till you have diminished their population. If you just slightly discourage them from one place, they move to another…maybe worse, your wiring.

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**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\
**Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 10:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rodent-is-eating-insulation-behind-the-engine/78646/5 "2013-04-13T22:44:08Z")

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I think Tester has a good idea. I just took a class at the local ACE hardware, and they also had a product that repels animals.