Mice In Subaru
For a few years now, I've had mice in my Forester. It's clean...no food items in car. We've tried everything, new filters, peppermint oil, mice poison pellets....you name it we've tried it. Subaru service says they are coming in from the front air hose/filter. But that they don't know how to stop it from happening. We've changed the filter several times, doused it with peppermint oil, etc. We did see they are coming in through the glove box. I'm so tired of having to clean my entire car every time I drive it. It happens winter, spring, summer, and fall. We live on 20 acres, so yes, there are mice around, but there should be some way to stop this. Subarus are supposed to be the rugged outdoor elements cars, right?
5 Answers
Mice can infest any car. How about a cat in the garage?
Remove the glove box like you would if changing the cabin air filter. You will see holes above the filter. You could block the holes but the mice will build nests on top of the filter.
Keep a open bar of Irish Spring soap in the car. Works great in my camper.
There is also an access point for mice in the rear bumper. Take a look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUT1hErSwtg . To solve, you will need to take off the mud flaps (held on with plastic clips), followed by the bumper (held on by ~4? screws/bolts and at least 5-10 plastic clips). Note that not all plastic clips are the same size. Keep track of where you are removing them from... Also, when attempting to remove the bumper, start at the top of the wheel-well and start pulling the bumper up and out (directly away from the side of the car). There is a stronger plastic piece under the bumper. It DOES NOT come out with the bumper. If you pull too hard, you will damage the plastic holding the bumper to that piece, or that piece to the rest of the vehicle. Instead, attempt to look in between the bumper and the panel above it. You will be able to see some clips there. Using a screw driver, you can depress the clips that slot into the holes in the bumper and carefully remove the bumper. Note which parts the bumper is on top of/under/inside. You may want to walk around the bumper and take a video, especially from the underside of the bumper, to ensure you put it back on right. Once the bumper is safely removed, you will see the vents from which mice may be entering (1 on each side, identical). The next step is to remove that vent, place some thin, strong metal mesh on it, and put everything back together. You may wish to place some foam pieces on the metal mesh to prevent it from contacting another component and vibrating, creating noise.
