Can we please talk about rodents inside Model Y and Model 3s

[phatcow]

Over the past 18 months,, ive had a Model 3 (performance) without any issues with rodents or nest inside the car. Recently, approximately a month ago, i had a bizarre issue where it looked like my washer tank was chewed through from the outside. Paid 300 bucks and went on with my life.

about 30 days ago i took delivery of my second Tesla, a model Y LR. After a few weeks i opened my glove box and noticed all the papers including the plastic packaging that the microfiber cloth was packaged in, was chewed through. Also noticed mouse droppings were inside the glove box.

I then opened the glove box in my Model 3, and to my surprise, the same chewed papers were inside, along with few droppings.





THIS MEANS WAR


I went to my local hardware store and bought various mechanical, sticky, and electronic traps. No Poison though. Dont want that a-hole stonking up the car when it dies.

I installed a few nest indoor cameras (with nest aware) inside the car overnight, and noticed that it comes up from the bottom vent area where the footwell lies.

I backed out my car into my driveway today at 8:00am, and opened all doors, hatch, and windows., and set the temperature to LO and i allowed it to blast cold for hours. Then about 3:30pm the mouse comes out of hiding.

at this point, the mouse APPEARS to jump out of the car, but tough to confirm due to the angle of the other camera. I sure hope so.,



One thing of note : none of the traps trapped the mouse. Not the stickies, not the electronic zappers, nor the mechanical traps.




There is a theory floating around that these things crawl inside your car using the AC Vent inlets. I dont believe this is the case. On both cars, i replaced the air filters and they do not appear to the chewed through nor was there any damage to them. They are entering the car somehow and i dont understand where it came from

 

[DavidAsheville]

Great pictures. If you figure out how they're getting in, let us know. Had that problem with my previous car, and I don't want to go through that again.

 

[rijc99]

Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t see any bait on your trap. Put some peanut butter in the center.

 

[Mike_TV]

Great pictures! Bad mice! I would eliminate any food source you have in the garage or wherever you park your cars plus make sure there isn't any food or snacks inside the car.

 

[jacklail]

Consumer Reports had a piece on rodents/cars last week that you might find interesting.

 

[hellobye]

Consumer Reports had a piece on rodents/cars last week that you might find interesting.

I will have to try this capsaicin tape.

I also had this issue with rodents in two of our cars (ICE) this past winter. Inside garage, outside, everywhere no difference. I recently pulled the rear bumper cover off and decided to see if covering this vent with wire mesh would help.

Both my vehicles have this, and I assume the Tesla does as well, usually hidden behind a bumper cover or a body panel. It's an interior exhaust flap to prevent pressurization of the cabin (and allow air to go out if you have recirculation off) It worked to keep the mice out of our crawl, hoping it will work here also.

Unfortunately, I can't confirm if it works until next year!!

 

[phatcow]

Got him . This came 10 minutes after I caught him roaming inside MY car . Had a piece of stuffing from one of our cars in his mouth as well. Had the unmistakable insulation material in his teeth


there is DEFINITELY a conduit between the cabin and the outside world. Trying to brainstorm on ways to figure this out. Perhaps I could rent a massive fog machine like they have at discos in Ibiza ?

 

[jcanoe]

I have no experience with repelling rodents, only trapping them. I have had success with an electronic trap called the Rat Zapper (mine is black, the new ones are white.) I place the Rat Zapper in my attic close to the attic access panel. I have the optional Mouse Tail remote indicator (I don't see this accessory for sale currently) that hangs down outside the attic, (The Mouse Tail remote looks like a mouse with red LED eyes that light up when the trap has been tripped. Uses 4 D cell batteries, last a full year. I place a bottle cap with a small amount of peanut butter inside the Rat Zapper. I also use a bait station in case the mouse is not enticed into the Rat Zapper by the scent of the peanut butter.

My old stand by method is a Victor snap trap (the one with the metal bait holder not the crappy yellow plastic scented bait plate that you are supposed to use as is or smear with peanut butter. (Peanut butter in a snap trap does not work well because the mice have learned the trick of slowly licking the peanut butter off the trap without springing the trap.) My proven bait is a small piece of partially cooked bacon tied onto the bait holder with thread or dental floss so it can't be pulled out of the holder. (Mice can't resist the scent of bacon.) Also, always secure the Victor trap with a short string so that if you happen to catch the mouse by a foot they can't run away with the trap.)

I would try an lure the mice, place the trap(s) outside of the vehicle. The last thing you want is to have the scent of peanut butter or bacon inside the vehicle which would only attract more mice.

 

[angus[Y]oung]

(Mice can't resist the scent of bacon.)

@jcanoe I must be a mouse....!

 

[jcanoe]

Rodents want the same things we want when they go looking for a home; warmth, safety, close by food, good schools (ok, maybe not that.) Mice will build a nest within approx. 12 feet of their primary food supply (no one likes a long commute.) Mice will chew up insulation, fabric, cushion stuffing etc. to make their nest. Besides a source of food mice need almost no additional water as they get most of their water from the seeds, insects and other foods they eat. Rats will travel further for food, need a source of water or so I have read. I used to catch more mice in my attic before I had an exterminator treat my home for insects including camel crickets (cave crickets), those alien looking insects found in dark spaces frequently misidentified as spiders. A camel cricket is a banquet to a mouse. Mice have an excellent sense of smell, if you put out bait they will find it.

 

[hellobye]

There is DEFINITELY a conduit between the cabin and the outside world. Trying to brainstorm on ways to figure this out. Perhaps I could rent a massive fog machine like they have at discos in Ibiza ?

I looked through a few different videos (Munro and I1Tesla) there is a vent to the outside world behind the bumper cover. Couldn't figure out if there are two, but there is definitely one on the rear left. Pretty easy ingress point for a mouse, if it can get between the undercarriage panels.

 

[Fidalgo]

I had rodents in the hoses behind the trunk. Figure it’s easier to repel them than catch them. I used Gain dryer sheets tucked in corners and peppermint spray to make the area smell bad to rodents, and a Loraffe battery operated ultrasonic rodent repellent fastened in there with zip ties. So far, six months in it works but I change the sheets and spray more once a month and have to change batteries every three months or so. Have had identical problem with ice vehicle parked in an entirely different place. It’s a hassle, but repairs are a nightmare.

 

[BrianBigNFun]

Awww they’re cute

 

[pg3ttt]

Although I appreciate the suggestions that I have received related to dealing with Tesla pests, I think the magnitude of the problem deserves professionally designed kits, specifically for Tesla models. I have created a group called "Tesla Pests" and hope that people will promote it to attract the attention of people and organizations that can make that happen. The group is on an extremely popular social media platform.

 

[Calliope]

My sister was told that the scent of Irish Spring soap in her glove box will work to keep rodents away -- so far, her car's been rodent-free, though it's weird that her car smells "manly, yes, but I like it too."

Warning: this experience may not be transferrable.