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A Different Strategy to Protect Your Car from Rodents
Ah, fall. Bonfires, crisp breezes, and the inevitable need to consider how to keep rodents out of stored cars.
Unfortunately, the cars at my house are no strangers to visitors. Seemingly every spring, the interior of my race car—a 2000 Miata that, according to one of my friends, “smells like barn”—has a half-eaten acorn or two and a trail of mouse droppings that need to get vacuumed out. A couple of weeks ago we even discovered a mouse nest in the spare tire compartment of my wife’s daily driver. The rodent problem is real, and it can be costly.
It’s not for lack of preventative effort on our part—we put cinnamon-mint pouches out diligently and set traps regularly. For a short while we had a barn cat, Destroyer, who was so-named because of all the presents she brought us. Unfortunately, as effective as she was, she really didn’t get along with our dog, Turbeau, so we had to find a new home for our four-legged rodent solution.
Therefore, the several cars in Eddy’s Barn of Wayward Toys, most of which get parked for the winter, are still fair game for wiley creatures. This year I had been content to play the odds and order up a bunch more packets of those fragrant pouches—my wife also uses them to protect her dahlia tubers—when an email showed up in my inbox from a company called CoverSeal.
The brand makes car covers (along with grill and patio furniture protectors) with a weighted lip that’s designed to make it impossible for rodents to find their way onto, and into, what the cover’s protecting. CoverSeal asked if I’d like to try out one of their heavy-duty weighted car covers. Since my aunt’s Buick Centurion was freshly revived, I thought this would be a nice opportunity to try a different way to protect a cherished possession.
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The cover arrived soon after. The company wasn’t kidding about it being weighted—the large comes in at a hefty 42 pounds. The weather-resistant material is thick, soft on the inside, appears sturdy with quality stitching, and most of the heft comes from the band around the bottom. First blush suggests it’s a well-made product more than capable of protecting from rodents and the elements, though I don’t have to worry about the latter.
At over 224 inches, the Buick takes up a lot of space, and it definitely needed every inch of the large cover. Once it was fully on the car, I checked to see that the lip of the cover was in contact with the ground all the way ’round. The cover is vented on either side at window height, and I left the passenger window on the car slightly cracked to help the interior breathe a little (the car was musty after decades of storage, and I’ve since put in new carpet and thoroughly cleaned the interior, so I don’t want to take a step backwards). Having done the other necessary prep like adding fuel stabilizer to the tank and a few extra pounds of air in the tires, the car is now ready for the winter. I did decide to pull the battery and put it on a Battery Tender outside of the car just to be doubly sure I wasn’t creating an opportunity with the cord, no matter how small, for entry.
Will the CoverSeal keep the rodents at bay? I imagine it will, and our team plans to take stock of all of our winter storage activities in the spring and report back on what’s been the most successful. In the meantime, the Buick is under wraps and ready to emerge when the weather breaks.
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Oho! A very clever low-tech solution to a perennial problem! I imagine that heavy edge would stay fairly much in place in moderate winds too, though could actually turn into a problem in a gale.
Looking forward to hearing if this works for you.
Our mice eat through WOOD, stroll through cracks the size of a pencil, and seemingly levitate onto the roof and into the attic. I seriously doubt any fabric that isn’t the consistency and thickness of chainmail will keep them out. Ditch the dog and go get your cat back. A good mouser is hard to find.
I was about to say the same thing on both accounts. I’ve been telling my car collector buddies this for years. When my cat-hating neighbor had a mouse chew a hole in the headliner of his GTO, he got a cat. He now has three.
Three holes or three cats ?
Three GTO’s, obviously. Now that he doesn’t have to worry about mouse damage, why not load up!
Man, I surely agree with you, Ed – we have field mice that come into all of our outbuildings, especially during the winter, looking for warmth, feed, and nesting opportunities. There are three cats on our little ranch (only one of which we claim as our own), and they are all fat and happy to stick around those buildings. I’m not as inclined to let them roam freely on/in my shiny paint, nice interior cars, but they can patrol the garage floor all they want.
I own a Car Capsule Outdoor Showcase. I used to own just a regular Car Capsule. They are fantastic. It’s basically an inflatable garage or bubble. Rodents can’t get in. Highly recommended.
Yes. Those inflatables are amazing. Even with heavy wind our stayed intact for months while my son was in college. We have had severe rat issues on our property even with daily drivers. The bubble was the only thing that was 100%
Have used the same “Car Capsule” for 20 years. Not a mouse in sight, plus the clean car that exits in the Spring, is a treat.
I expect this will help but never say never. If a mouse wants in they will get in.
True statement.
I put mothballs in the car, put the tires on rollers which I spray with deterrent and and I put electronic pest repellents in the trunk and interior as well as in the plugs around the car and I have never had any mice in my garage.
These work. I lived in the boondocks for years and used a cover called CarBag. It is fiberglass reinforced polyester and comes with 8 bags of reusable desiccant. These are indoor only. The car has to be clean and bone-dry and have a flannel cover over it first. I got mine at Carlisle back in the mid to late 90’s. I still have one, not needed where my cars are now. Never had a problem with corrosion or mold or critters.
Wow. Thats a great solution. My method was Bounce dryer sheets all over the interior and under the car, steel wool on the exhaust pipes, and one of those sonic devices that deter rodents. I was trying non-lethal solutions at the time. Side benefit, the interior smelled nice and fresh! lol
Ditto on the Bounce sheets, put them everywhere and never had a problem
I’ve used the CarJacket from CarBag to store my 1967 Camaro for the past 9 winters. It isn’t as hefty as the CoverSeal and it’s intended for indoor storage only (garage or barn). There have been no rodent issues while using the CarJacket.
My son just told us his Pembroke Welsh Corgi killed a rat in the yard so that might be a Dog Friendly solution,
Leave her in the garage.
Anyone had experience with peppermint oil as a rodent deterrent?
Yes. I heard it works so I tried it. Works great, no more mice plus it smells far better than mothballs (which I tried too). The only drawback is having to respray at least every 2 weeks. Also… keep the vent control on recirculate. They will get through there.
Peppermint oil works a charm for me. Spay around the car and the garage perimeter and the little buggers wouldn’t come near. Plus, that minty fresh smell!
but the mice are so cute! THE LITTLE BUgGERS!
Red Pepper flakes. Bio degradable don’t stain or stink like moth balls. put them anywhere in and around whatever your protecting cars , trucks ,power equipment such as lawn tractors. Then vacuum them up later. Works in my garage.
I am in no way advocating what appears to be my solution for keeping the mice at bay but my detached garage has more than occasional visits from a couple of very large black snakes. They get into the rafters and shed their skin. They have never gotten into any of my cars or motorcycles, but I have seen zero evidence of mice in 19 1/2 years. Make of this what you will. The only downside is that, of course I have a phobia about snakes, so I spend half of my time while in the garage checking the rafters for visitors.
The snakes are probably there hunting mice; or birds!