I was surprised as to how many people when doing a search, have problems with rodents spending time in your cabin filter in your automobile.

Took 2012 Toyota Camry to dealer for their advertised OIL and FILTER with Synthetic OIL, and there complimentary inspection.

Their Comp inspection brought up $800-$900 items that needed attention. I delclined and yesterday I worked on the first item

The dealer wanted $129 to R and R the Fan Motor just under the Cabin Filter and replace the cabin filter, as it was said that their was a Rodent Nest in it and if they just pulled out the filter it would drop all the mess into the fan.

I went to Youtube, and saw the easy bottom cover to take off, Unplug one plug. Three 8 mm bolt and the fan drops right out. No sign of any nest there. Had trouble getting the cover off the Cabin Filter, but with a little help of a thin screwdriver and pressing those end clips was able to remove. Carefully pulling it out, I would say that something was bringing pieces of crap on top the filter as it pulled out nicely , but a wad of pieces of material and cotton mass type looking material.

lNothing else above or below, fell, so replace the Cabin Filter with new., and will watch closely for a return of this problem.

So just the cost of the Cabin Filter. Went with the FRAM Fragrance one, which I had used in another vehicle and always covers up any smells, that might occur.

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Bill
Flagler Beach, FL 32136

Carpe Vino!

Fermentation may have been a greater discovery than fire.
— David Rains Wallace

I've had mouse nests in cabin filters, engine air filters, etc.. Any car that sits will end up a mouse house in the winter. Pulled the cabinet filter, vacuumed it and the ductwork, sprayed the ductwork with cleaner, rinsed it out with a steam generator, ran the fan with the windows and doors open until it blew clean, all done. Fan motor replacement not needed. I mean, yeah, if I hadn't had the vacuum on while I was removing the filter mouse poop would have ended up in the fan. As it is the duct cleaning was needed for the mouse pee smell.

The biggest issue with rodents in cars is them chewing on wires. To save about 25¢ per vehicle, many manufacturers went to wires that are made from soy rather than plastic. While they work fine, they also smell like food to the little critters. In can cost $1000+ if they chew the wrong wire or short out the CPU. I had a mechanic recommend put mouse repellant packs in the engine bay.

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“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.”
-- François de La Rochefoucauld

Growing older is mandatory. Growing up is optional.

I had to read this as I have a 2013 Prius Plug-in, and to replace the cabin air filter is about 3 minutes work. Most of that is emptying everything in the glove box. To do the fan is about 10 extra minutes, similar to yours. As much as the Prius is a VERY ugly car from the outside, it sure is engineered well.

The spark plugs will be a pain in the arse, but that is understandable. With platinum or iridium plugs, I will not have to do again for a few years.

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********************************************
The police have no duty to respond. See Castle Rock v. Gonzales, 545 U.S. 748 (2005) or Warren v. District of Columbia[1] (444 A.2d. 1, D.C. Ct. of Ap. 1981)

Never, ever go to a dealership service department for anything other than warranty or recall work. It's a profit center, and they will lie to you and rip you off without batting an eye.

i took my 2013 Volt in for an oil change last fall. dealer said my cabin filter was dirty and it would be $70 for them to replace it. I pointed out that my Volt did not have a cabin filter and if i decided to install one i would do it myself. it's an easy install through the glove compartment.

the oil change price included a tire rotation. i had marked my tires before i took it in. when all the work was supposedly done i checked and no, they had not rotated the tires which i proceeded to point out to them. 3 hours of my life i'll never get back.

The apologetic service manager gave me a coupon for a free oil change for my trouble. I have a Volt. I told him i'd see him in two years.

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"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama

Quote
graylocks
The apologetic service manager gave me a coupon for a free oil change for my trouble. I have a Volt. I told him i'd see him in two years.

Check the expiration date on that coupon.

There's a reason they are called "stealerships"!

Quote
graylocks
i took my 2013 Volt in for an oil change last fall. dealer said my cabin filter was dirty and it would be $70 for them to replace it. I pointed out that my Volt did not have a cabin filter and if i decided to install one i would do it myself. it's an easy install through the glove compartment.

the oil change price included a tire rotation. i had marked my tires before i took it in. when all the work was supposedly done i checked and no, they had not rotated the tires which i proceeded to point out to them. 3 hours of my life i'll never get back.

The apologetic service manager gave me a coupon for a free oil change for my trouble. I have a Volt. I told him i'd see him in two years.

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“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA

Quote
Will Collier
Never, ever go to a dealership service department for anything other than warranty or recall work. It's a profit center, and they will lie to you and rip you off without batting an eye.

This.

My wife insisted on taking her new Subaru to the dealership rather than our trusted, local mechanics. That is, until the day she was in the waiting room and overheard a little old lady complaining to the service manager that they wanted an additional $1000 over and above the $600 they had already spent in failing to fix the air conditioning.

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--------------

Embarassing myself on the Internet since 1978.

Quote
Will Collier
Never, ever go to a dealership stealership service department for anything other than warranty or recall work. It's a profit center, and they will lie to you and rip you off without batting an eye.

ftfy and I agree!
My all time favorite was the Chevy dealer adding $200 to a set of new tires
for nitrogen (not requested) filling.
Not a nitrogen tank could be found on the premises.

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39°36'17"N 75°44'43"W

The search engine that doesn't track you.

Quote
raz

Quote
Will Collier
Never, ever go to a dealership service department for anything other than warranty or recall work. It's a profit center, and they will lie to you and rip you off without batting an eye.

This.

My wife insisted on taking her new Subaru to the dealership rather than our trusted, local mechanics. That is, until the day she was in the waiting room and overheard a little old lady complaining to the service manager that they wanted an additional $1000 over and above the $600 they had already spent in failing to fix the air conditioning.

After we bought my wife's last car (from an auction broker), we had to go to the local Honda dealership to get a fully-working key with all the remote functions. Honda made the electronic unlocking system proprietary, so you can't just go to a locksmith or hardware store any more. Bastards charged $200 for the key, and then had the gall to call me and complain when I gave them the lowest possible score for "value" on the post-service survey.

I told the service manager what he could do with that, and other than the air bag recall that was the last time that car ever rolled into that lot.

Quote
Will Collier
Never, ever go to a dealership service department for anything other than warranty or recall work. It's a profit center, and they will lie to you and rip you off without batting an eye.

99% of the time, yes. A couple years back, I decided to take my car to the dealer for something rather than a local indy. The drivers side carpet was getting wet. I knew of some possibilities and researched my specific model. It could have been either the sunroof drains or the plenum drains. Cleaned the sunroof drains and the plenum drains looked clear. Still the issue persisted.

I took it to the dealer because I knew the had a shower and were set up specifically to test for water leaks. My indy is not. The dealer got in there, discovered it was not anything any of us thought it was. There was box with a seal on the lid. It was no longer sealed and water was getting in. Now came the fun of finding a replacement. There was only one in the US they could find, and it was on the other side of the country. They offered use a sealant instead, and said it would probably last longer. So we went that route.

A couple years later, and it's still working well. So while there are plenty of dealer horror stories, sometimes they are better prepared to hand issues.

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Quote
graylocks
i took my 2013 Volt in for an oil change last fall. dealer said my cabin filter was dirty and it would be $70 for them to replace it. I pointed out that my Volt did not have a cabin filter and if i decided to install one i would do it myself. it's an easy install through the glove compartment.

the oil change price included a tire rotation. i had marked my tires before i took it in. when all the work was supposedly done i checked and no, they had not rotated the tires which i proceeded to point out to them. 3 hours of my life i'll never get back.

The apologetic service manager gave me a coupon for a free oil change for my trouble. I have a Volt. I told him i'd see him in two years.

Beyond being apologetic (and the coupon), did the service manager try to explain what happened? I always like to hear the excuses when they're caught on things like this.

I was quoted $120 by the dealer to replace the cabin filter in my Honda. Wife’s dealer quoted $80 for her Subaru. This is a 20 minute, $12 job. As Racer X said, most of that time was spent cleaning out the glove box.

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Where is there dignity unless there is also honesty? - Cicero

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. —Wendy Mass

It's probably a 30min job to replace the HEPA filter in my car, unless someone it trying to impress.

There's a whole metal tray that needs to be removed, but it's not a daunting task.

I don't know what it costs, but replacing a simple antenna (manual) lists at $70 just for the mast.

Installation was easy, of course, and the mast cost me $26.

Mice nesting is a problem for motorcycles too, depending on where you live.

Some goes for the tasty spark plug wire.

Mice seem partial to soy.

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When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

Everybody matters or nobody matters.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

-An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

Mister, that's a ten-gallon hat on a twenty-gallon head.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.

Quote
wurm

Beyond being apologetic (and the coupon), did the service manager try to explain what happened? I always like to hear the excuses when they're caught on things like this.

no, not at all. the coupon was his business card with Free Oil Change written on it. we'll see if he's still there in November 2021 or if the stealership will honor it if he isn't.

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"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama

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GGD

Quote
graylocks
The apologetic service manager gave me a coupon for a free oil change for my trouble. I have a Volt. I told him i'd see him in two years.

Check the expiration date on that coupon.

And make sure they actually do the oil change and use a new filter.

Another reason why my next car will be a Tesla.....a lot less to ‘service’ and no stinking dealers!

What squirrel repellent works? the ones that are peppermint? squirrel vehicle repellent bitter apple?