Will not start

Would you believe both are the problem. With full daylight I was checking the wiring in the engine compartment to figure out why there was no battery power going to the system. That's when I found a slightly fried mouse whose furry body was burned a bit and the wire he had been chewing on was shall we say severed. I suspect he stripped enough insulation eating it that when the bare wire touched other metal he got a real surprise. So I got that fixed (pain in the arse to fix it too). Then got in and started the car up like a champ. And then discovered the dome light was on in the car. Suppose I should thank the mouse for making sure my battery did not get run down. Or maybe I can say its the new Subaru mouse trap.

On the plus side it is the first time I have had mouse problems in that car. The Ford Taurus on the other hand I been waging war with them. But I have discovered a way to win that one too. Just get dryer sheets spread a little peppermint oil on them and tie them in strategic places in the engine compartment and your mouse free for at least 6 months. Just remember to remove them before you have your car serviced, the mechanics will thank you profusely.

Yeah I have been fighting mice in my Ford Taurus for years. At first they ate all and I really do mean all the small hose lines that link the window washer fluid to the windshield. Even had them do that on the Subaru. But they also attacked the wiring in the Taurus even the spark plug wires had to keep a extra set just in case they severed one during the night. I spent nearly a year investigating why, when the place I usually take my car too told me that many of the hoses and wires are rubbed with peanut oil to keep them flexible and that the mice and rats are drawn to the peanut oil and will literally eat everything. I have yet to find out how you get wire and the small hose that is not treated with peanut oil but there is some out there. Most sellers have no clue if the wire and hose they sell is treated with peanut oil or not so the only way to dig through it is to check all the manufacturers themselves. There are very few ways to keep these critters locked out of the cars. I know that there are 4 I know actually work though a couple of them are not really worth doing.

1 Turn your garage into a fort knox that not even an insect can get into, with lasers to kill any offending critter that appears trying to get in. (Not really doable). Though getting rid of the standard garage door and replacing it with an actual large door that fits better is actually worth doing, pain to get out and open and then close all the time but trust me its worth the effort.

2. Use mothballs in the engine compartment in mesh bags. Problem is you often have to remove them before driving the car and put them back when you are done. But this really works and you need more than one mesh bag (think 2 or 3) in the engine compartment.

3. Dryer sheets you can tie these around lines and wires and they really work but not long (3 months). If you put some peppermint oil on the dryer sheets they last a lot longer (6 to 9 months) and you do not have to remove them before driving (just remove them before you take the car in for service please!). Have even found that the organic plant protector called Hot Pepper wax sprayed on the metal in the car helps as well.

4. Lots of traps. Traps everywhere, engine, underneath the car, around the car, in all the corners of the garage. But yeah you have to dispose of all the furry little bodies and remove all the traps from the engine and replace them once you done driving. That is why I'm still working on number 3 above.

Anyway thanks for the suggestions they were right. Think I will take a picture of my Subaru and display it as a mouse trap.