Little vandals

sir – My Mercedes was attacked by vermin (Letters, September 13).

The coolant pipes – which, strangely, are made with a soy-based material that is attractive to vermin – were eaten and rendered useless. This happened twice within 14 days, causing £1,500 worth of damage.

Vermin damage is excluded from the warranty. According to Mercedesbenz and Which?, this problem does not exist. The car ombudsman declined to comment, though Mercedes technicians at my local dealership told me that it was a fairly regular occurrence.

I have hopefully cured the problem by putting an electronic anti-vermin device under the bonnet. I have also placed four sachets of rat poison in strategic positions around the rubber pipes and sprayed the entire bonnet area with Dinitrol. So far, after eight months, the car has been vermin-free.

Tony Foulkes

Sandholme, East Yorkshire

sir – My husband had the same problem with mice in his car.

The solution is to put some oldfashioned mothballs into a thin mesh bag and hang it under the bonnet, well clear of moving parts. They do need to be replaced every so often. Stella Bell

Stanwix, Cumbria

sir – Mice do not like lavender. I place six lavender air-freshener sachets in various parts of the engine and two inside the car. This seems to work.

I always leave a note in the car to remind me to remove the sachets before driving off.

Alastair Ball

Eastbourne, East Sussex

sir – We appear to have rats around our property – and, consequently, no mice. Tony Hughes

Wilmslow, Cheshire