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I Just Had My Toyota 2024 Prime In For Its First Service (5K Mile), and "Mechanics Found Mouse Fur On The Cabin Air Filter. They Say It'll Cost $550." Can Owners DIY Fix and Prevent This Problem?

A Toyota Rav4 owner discovers mice have infested his new car, which is an expensive fix. Here is an explanation of how to avoid the repair cost and an inexpensive solution to prevent this from happening again.

On a recent Rav4Worldforum, a new Toyota Rav4 owner reports that he took his Rav4 in for its first service check with the intention of taking the best care of his car by ensuring it was maintained properly and having a mechanic perform its first recommended service.

Unbeknownst to the Rav4 owner, his car had already developed a problem that could lead to serious engine and health problems: Mouse infestation.

According to the owner:

"I just had my 2024 Prime in for its first service (5K Mile), and they found mouse fur on the cabin air filter. I was told that there is an opening in the duct system somewhere behind the wiper cowl that has to be covered with a screen. God forbid they just design that screen into the part in the first place!! Anyway, they say it'll cost $550 because they have to take the wiper motors off and a bunch of other things. Does anyone know if that's true or if it can be owner-accessed to fix the problem?"

The answer to the Rav4 owner's question is not simple.

No information about whether the owner has the tools, garage space, time, and skills to attempt a DIY repair is given.

The risk of attempting a DIY repair―especially a brand-new car―is that the owner must consider whether saving $550 on repairs is worth the risk of creating new and even more expensive problems during a DIY repair. And/or voiding his Toyota car warranty.

In fact, the owner has taken the first correct step by seeking advice from other Rav4 owners who may have faced a similar rodent problem with their car before attempting to tackle the problem himself.

Helpful Rav4 Forum Advice

Of the comments other Rav4 owners recommended regarding the repair question, two main pieces of advice provided the insight the rodent-beleaguered Rav4 owner needed:

  1. How to access the Rav4 duct system where a mouse nest might be found (look for the FKHeath comment).
  2. How to prevent mice from getting inside your Toyota Rav4 again.

The first piece of advice is online service instructions about how to install an accessory wiring harness for trailer towing. The usefulness of what seems to be an answer unrelated to the rodent repair is that the first part of the instructions for the accessory installation details how to remove the wiper blade system while removing the cowl vent, which presumably was how the mouse or mice entered the air duct system, to begin with.

The second piece of advice was that an aftermarket part for the Rav4 air vent is available from AliExpress to prevent this problem from occurring for only $20-$25! It is advertised as an "Air conditioner air inlet rat-proof mesh double-layer stainless steel protective filter cover."

Should the Rav4 Owner Do The Repair?

From my DIY experience, this has proved to be a truism for any first-time repair:

  1. You can expect problems to develop even when following a detailed repair manual.
  2. Oftentimes, you will have to spend money on a particular tool to accomplish a specific repair task.
  3. The job always takes longer than you think, meaning you will need a backup set of wheels until the job is done.
  4. You must reassess your skills and comfort level before tackling a DIY repair on a car.

With that in mind, the reported $550 repair bill might not seem so overly priced.

Questions and Alternatives Available to the Rav4 Owner That Might Help

As I said, the owner had taken the first correct step by seeking advice from other Rav4 owners. From the accessory installation of wiring harness instructions, there is ample opportunity to get in over your head. Proper disassembly is often not a simple "unscrew this" or "pull back on that" scenario. It would be easy to unintentionally cause damage to his new car.

The real question is: What are the consequences of doing or not doing the repair?

The owner told readers that mouse fur was found on the cabin air filter. That's it.

Is this true? Or is it a scam by the garage, not unlike an insect terminator service coming to you with a small bottle showing the bugs he presumably found in your home?

Related article: Avoid This Common Car Repair Scam with a Simple Touch Test

Was there mouse scat or nesting material in the filter as well, which could indicate that the mouse lived in the duct system for a while?

Do you live in a region known for rodents carrying Hantavirus?

Is there a dead mouse in the duct system that you cannot smell yet because the weather is so cold?

In other words, the concern about spending money on any repair sometimes has to go beyond the cost, to the value of the repair to yourself and your health.

If it were my Rav4―which now will have me hurrying to my garage today and checking the air vent cowl and cabin filter―I would recommend begging, borrowing, or buying an endoscope/borescope to examine the air ducts to answer the concerns above. Then, reassess the situation and determine how to proceed next.

Here is one example of a very useful type of endoscope/borescope that will do the job:

The Ultimate Inspection tool | Articulating Borescope | Mechanics Endoscope

 

Tell Us About Your Vehicle Rodent Problems

I hope the information provided will be useful to you. As a favor, please let me know if you have experienced a car rodent problem like mine (or similar) and explain what happened and what you did about it. Advice from you is appreciated.

Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati who currently researches and works on restoring older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. He also reports on modern cars (including EVs) with a focus on DIY mechanics, buying and using tools, and other related topical automotive repair news. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites as well as on Facebook and his automotive blog "Zen and the Art of DIY Car Repair" for useful daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.

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