Just like the UB40 song suggests (though not in me kitchen') there has either been a rat or a mouse in my engine bay! There are droppings near where the spark plugs go and on the drivers side strut.
Can anyone tell me if this little critter could hide anywhere or whether it is likely to have scarpered when I took the car out? I hope its not hiding in the airbox

If it didn't scarper, would you not have a cooked rat sitting inside now from the heat?

Hmmm, good point. I'm still paranoid that I'll open the glovebox one day and there will be a rat in there

I know that this topic may sound funny, but funny it is not.

When i went to start my car a few years ago after visiting my Brother, all sorts of noises came from under the bonnet resulting with smoke bellowing from the engine; My car at the time was a brand new Fiesta Silver with about 500 miles on the clock.

After calling out the RAC it was soon apparent that a 'Squirrel' had climbed into my engine bay for warmth.
The result was.....A Squirrel without a tail, and my engine drive belt hanging off.

Luckily, after removing all of the evidence, (Furr), replaced the belt under warantee scratching their heads.

So beleive me, it is well worth investigating.

Luckily, no more evidence of a rodent in my car. I checked the engine bay and airbox but all looks ok! It must have sheltered there for a couple of days when it was really cold ....

Oh dear ..... it seems I have a disaster on my hands. Something has chewed through my washer pipe and looks like it has made a nest in my engine. There is chewed engine insulation and looks like minor mayhem. I am going to have to take my car in to Ford now, as there are also odd noises from the engine too. I am really, really annoyed to say the least, I can't begin to explain .... any suggestions ??? I don't want to spend the money getting it sorted only for it to come back again !!!

jack russel mate, or a crosman king ratcatcher.

It will need to venture out for food so invest in one of the humane traps you can get. Set it up in front of the car with some bait, then you can catch the little critter and release it miles away so it can't cause more damage.

Do you keep your car garaged over night? if this is the case i recon the rodent is somewhere in the garage and not in your car. Get some mouse traps down around the inside walls.

If you don't garage it then it must be somewhere in your car, and the only place it will feel safe is behind the dash board, probably around by the heater matrix. Check all of the wiring loom Grommets are in place on the bulk head, it needs an exit hole of some sort.

Don't forget mice can get through extremily small holes though...and no messing get the deadly ones is what i'm using atm at home as they keep coming in the house from the field behind

Yeah those little critters are a right pain , had them in the loft, had been using 3 different sorts of traps and they kept taking the bate but not getting trapped. Had to use poison in the end, but that was a last resort .

In you case I guess the little critters need to come out for food (unless your washer fluid is really tasty!). So maybe some traps by your wheels or any other point where you think thay might be gaining access. For safety reasons mice normally wun along the edges of rooms and along side beam as this is natural cover and stops them getting picked off by owls and things. Maybe a trap under the bonnet would be good as I doubt they will expect a preditor in there.

Good luck

Thanks everyone! I will be booking it in for a once over, I will def need the washer hose replaced. It has managed to mess up the insulation towards the car and pulled it all out, there are bits of material everywhere!! Also, the car decided to die and give me an error of `engine management failure`, which is not great news. Have used it since then and seems fine but I know there is more damage!!
No, my car is parked outside, near some bins, so I have a bit of a problem here I think. It is my designated parking bay for the flats.
Do you really think it may be living inside the car? I hope not, I don't like the sound of it to be honest!!!

My other half has her money on it been a squirel they chew everything and like warm places to make nests

Our cat use to climb in the engine bay from the wheel arch at sleep there...every morning open the bonnet ..chuck the cat out...normal kind of thing

The droppings are very much like hamster ones, I would imagine squirrel droppings are bigger?
Adam08, I wish it was as simple as picking it up and taking it out!!? Cats tend to run when engines are started, I have a feeling this little sod doesn't mind a bit .... Wonder what my Ford dealer will make of it?