My Mk1 is garaged during the winter and I only take it out from time to time. It’s been out on the last two consecutive weekends and each time I have noticed a small patch of maybe a dozen bits of black cloth like material on the garage floor. The bits are all about 2-3mm and contained in an area about 9 - 12 inches across on the centre line of the car roughly at the back of the engine by the bulkhead. For the life of me I can’t think what is causing this and beginning to wonder if some rodent is eating my 5! Is that likely? Equally I can’t figure out what is made from that sort of material in that area of the car that could be nibbled in the first place. Anyway I will check next week and if its there again will get the car up on ramps and have a good look. Meanwhile any (sensible!) suggestions appreciated.
It certainly is possible that a rodent, probably a mouse, is having a bit of fun gnawing away at whatever part of your car it is.
You could experiment with a couple of nuts on the floor - see if they are still there a day or two later.
Check the clutch flexi pipe that runs over the top of the bell housing, it has a spongy foam type covering on it or the gearbox under tray, this has a cloth insulator on the top of it.
Thanks. Yep its the spongy foam around the clutch flexi pipe that’s the problem. I can now see there is lots of bits on top of the bell housing and most of it has gone from round the pipe. It looks horribly like its been nibbled away to me by some irritating rodent so I will now adopt appropriate measures! Does the foam do anything other than stop the pipe vibrating against the bulkhead?
Got em! Two fieldmice who have eaten their last 5…[:@]
[:D]
As someone used to say, this thread is worthless without pics [;)]
Time to be borrowing a neighbours cat me thinks!
Well its a bit of a wake up call for anyone who thinks their car is safely tucked away for the winter. Its not as if we live out in the country. The car is in an integral garage in a modern house on a town estate…so the little beggars obviously get everywhere! So if you find strange bits of material underneath when you back it out…be warned!
If you have power in your garage then invest in a plug in rodent repeller. Then you can rest easy knowing your 5 is safe.
…guess what Father Christmas brought me?? So far so good!..and thanks for the advice.