I still think it is the perfect solution even for a car of occasional use
The silly stuff works...

 

As far as spring traps, you need to tie a long string to them, and secure the string to something solid
Not only does this make removing the dead rodent easier, but after the rodent trips the trap and starts to move the trap, the string allows you to retrieve the trap without having to move a ton of stuff out of the way to find the missing trap

 

Just got home from Home Depot. I bought traps. I also called the HOA and told them. The message I had on my phone from them said that we have more than the normal rodent population due to receiving so much rain this past year. The HOA will be placing bait on the slope.

 

The string is an excellent idea since the trap can fall into areas where you can't reach it easily.

 

I just went to the Toyota dealership for a different problem and spoke to a service writer about rodents chewing on wires. She said (as Matt mentioned) that dryer sheets work as deterrents. She told me to tie them around cables under the hood, where they won't get in the way. She said the rats will climb the wheels and have been known to go into the interior of the car through the cabin air filter. She claims one customer had to replace four seat belts that had been damaged.

 

It's also nice when you have to carry the trap to the place where you are going to empty it from the nasty thing stuck inside it...

 

But the Peppermint Oil is the most excellent idea

 

Peppermint oil also repels house plant insects. But please be careful, it is also very caustic to your eyes. I got some in my eye once and spent 6 hours in an ER getting my eye irrigated!

 

Peppermint oil also repels house plant insects. But please be careful, it is also very caustic to your eyes. I got some in my eye once and spent 6 hours in an ER getting my eye irrigated!
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Exactly!!!
I believe people read my posts, here and elsewhere about Peppermint oil and they dismiss it
Little do they know just how effective it really is
And the best part, when a stranger gets into my 21-year old CRX-Si they almost always say the same thing
WOW! It smells great in here, what do you use?
I tell them Peppermint, but not why I use Peppermint

And for the record, and this is why I'm a huge proponent of Peppermint oil
Mothballs contain Naphthalene, and it is nasty stuff. No thanks, I have zero desire to be around this stuff.
Aside from a blood and neuroligical poison, it is believed to prevent the bodies' immune system from terminaing abnormal cell growth, which occurs on a daily basis.

 

Good information, Doug. I wonder if peppermint oil will keep the black bears away when you are camping. I don't want to be the first to try it, though. In the Grand Canyon big rodents ( rats and squirrels ) are a big problem. I'll try peppermint oil on them.