Glad you're driving your Boxster again! *NM*

Hey everyone,

It had been kind of a crazy week for me. Thought I'd share what happened. On Wednesday I scheduled an appointment with Pedro (yes, THE Pedro) to have my starter motor looked at because it was making an odd noise that I know others have experienced. Minutes after taking out the firewall, we found a mouse nest in between my engine and transmission. Those little buggers had eaten away at several wires in my engine bay. The car is fixed now, but sheesh, who knew that they could cause so much damage! I suspect that the nest came with me from Buffalo when I moved to Florida since I know that the mice like to escape the freezing winters up north and my garage down here is much more secure. Anyways, just wanted to see ... Has anyone else experienced this problem?

PS - A big thanks to Pedro for getting it all worked out!

2001 - 2.7L

But one time I had left some dog food in the garage in the winter. The mice had broken into the bag and the dog food was gone. Later I found it filling up the golf bag!! Not to bad, but even later, I found that I had a dog-food pre-cleaner for the air intake on my Explorer. I was probably driving around with it for months.

At any rate, be glad you are no longer in Buffalo - nice place, but winter seems to have retired to there this year.

I had a minor problem with that last year. They only chewed up the cabin filter. Since then, I have put a little oil of peppermint in strategic spots and have not had a problem since. A little weird but it seems to work - although the trunks smell like chewing gum.

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

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Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

I had mice build a good-sized nest on top of the cabin filter of my RX-8. I never got rid of the smell. Had to get rid of the car!!

Also, last month, I had a bad problem with my BMW X5. In Germany, the have Marders, which I think is another name for weasel. Anyway, we had one in the engine compartment, chewed wires, caused a fire, which melted the vacuum lines for the brakes. My wife was at speed on the autobahn when all this happened, so she had some pretty scary moments.
they sell a spray for your wheel wells which repels rodents, but I have heard peppermint oil is just as good, probably lasts longer.

dealer service department that was homesteaded by a family of rats.

The owner brought the car in because the engine was not running right and the check engine light on. As the tech dug into the cause of the symtpoms he found signs of rodent infestation. The kicker was when he dropped the belly pan and found it solid with rodent litter.

The damage was extensive. The engine had to come out and the engine wiring harness along with some hoses and such had to be replaced. Some of the interior of the car was damaged, but not anything visible to the driver or passengers. All the gnawing/tunneling and such were inside the seats and behind the cabin.

Big mess and very expensive to put right. IIRC the insurance on the car or the owner's homeowners insurance covered the cost.

The car had not been parked up that long either. Just a few weeks. Rats (and mice) when they're in the mood and the environment is to their liking can settle into a car in no time.

Sincerely,

MarcW.

Glad The Pedro got it squared away for you.