I've been fixing up the 06 2.5i I bought earlier this year and it's now time to tackle the mouse smell (urine) in the vents. The nest I found on the cabin filter was empty, but quite large, when I found it, and the smell is really only urine rather than something rotting so I'm confident that there isn't a mouse carcass in there. I've gone without ac, because there's only a smell when the air is on, but with winter around the corner I need this solved. Does anyone have advice on how to clean the vents? I've thought about pulling the dash but I don't have $500+ to spend on getting a smell out nor do I have the technical knowledge to pull it myself safely (unless someone has a video specific to this model that breaks it down and it's way easier than I've been led to believe). My plan of attack is to spray strong lysol into the vent intake (not sure what the actual name is) in front of the hood, then take the vent covers inside the car off and spray as thoroughly as possible and let that dry out, also going to pull the glove box and spray around where the cabin filter goes in. I've also seen videos of people spraying with the vents on full blast and circulate mode. If the lysol doesn't work then I'll move up to bleach to really try to get the bacteria out. I don't want to fry the blower motor or any fuses but I'll be honest I have no idea what to do to make sure that doesn't happen so any advice on executing this plan or a better plan would be great. P.S. - Be wary when you buy from a private party that has strong air fresheners in every vent and a stack of dryer sheets in the door slot.
It's common for mice to nest on the heater core. To clean that, you need to pull the dash at least somewhat apart. Spraying Lysol in the running vents will kill some bacteria, but you can't get the smell out unless you clean out every nest. I had mousey evidence in the back of my 2016 Forester last fall. I loaded the car with traps and fortunately they apparently only visited and never came back. To keep them out this fall, I spent 5 hours this summer using brass wire to hand sew stainless mesh on the vents behind the bumper. This is the common entry point. They can just waltz in those vents. I also put traps at 5 different points in my garage, including a mouse drowning bucket device. They must die. I had an 87 Civic that was affectionately dubbed 'the rodent motel'. I didn't tear it apart and the smell did dissipate over a long time but it was gross. I had no idea how to deal with it at the time. Sorry. Got sidetracked. Mouse intrusion is not fun. I'm sorry you have to deal with it.
Have you swapped out the cabin air filter yet? Don't until you've treated the cars ventilation system. I have access to an Electric Thermal Fogger that i'm planning to use on mine. It is typically used after i clean and treat homes that have had fires. The thermal fog acts like smoke and gets into all the nooks and crannies. Like this... I also have access to an Ozone generator. Very effective on malodors as well. Just want the car to air out plenty before driving it(with the windows up), as ozone can cause lung irritation in some people. After you mentioned the Lysol thing, i had to look it up. Not a route that I'd go, but interesting that people do it! Edit: All of these methods are just masking agents, with the exception of ozone which attaches to the odor. The best way is to locate the source and remove it completely. Unfortunately with the ventilation system, this isn't a simple task.
I use those all the time in my own vehicle like air freshener. They even have a "New Car" scent! Hahaha
treat it kinda like pet urine. use a blacklight to find the urine (and semen). then spot clean with vinegar, then an enzymatic pet urine spray. finish with an O2 generator (if you wanna be thorough... you will) and fragrance of your choice. yeah Hejny (and similar)
A gallon of gas and a road flare would also take care of the problem. And all those phucking little Christmas trees hanging from the mirror too.
Thanks for the responses everyone! I've done a little research, the black light technique is probably out, it seems that the visibility of the urine fades over time. I've owned the car for four months, the lady I bought it from "stored" it except during the summer for the past three years (I put together it was "stored" in a barn), so the infestation could have happened a very long time ago thus the visibility off a black light probably wont be significant. I bought the car because it only has 100k on it and I wanted to learn more about cars/subaru on a N/A before I join the big boy turbo league, and because I don't make the kind of money that can justify turbo yet, but now I've gotten properly screwed on this car (the lady said the head gaskets and timing belt had been done, they hadn't been but I had JM do them a month ago). As a result I'm thinking since I have so much invested and its going to take a while to pay off I'll keep it for a while so I would really like to hit this urine smell issue at the source (I also wouldn't feel good selling it to someone down the line with this kind of bs problem) rather than masking it, which in the short run may be what I have to do. But from what I'm picking up, I'm thinking I'm going to have to pull the dash and clean by hand or have a shop do it. So two things: one, does anyone know a shop around the metro that has a service like this that they've had experience with? Two, do you guys think I should have them replace the blower motor, evaporator, and/or heater core if I am able to have this done professionally? The second one I ask because I don't want to spend $500+ just to find out it wasn't just in the vents but throughout the whole system. I really appreciate the advice, I'm out thousands of dollars on this car but this community has helped me a lot. Also, this was the old cabin filter, there was a decent amount of mouse waste in/around the blower motor when I replaced it and vacuumed as much as I could.
They probably didn't go past the cabin air filter. Which means that they only traveled between the engine bay to the blower motor. I would just treat it for the odor and try to wipe as much as i could. Take the glovebox out, then clean any reachable surface around the blower and heater core. You can remove the blower to really deep clean it. Use vinegar to wipe everything. It will cost well over $500(more than likely) if you have a shop tear apart your dash. Alot of labor to pull everything apart and put it back together. Go to a rental place, pay the $40 and get an ozone generator. Run it inside the car with all of the windows up. 10-12hrs would be good, 24 hrs would be even better. Wouldn't hurt to run the car with the recirc on and hvac on max for a bit while the ozone is running as well. Let the car sit for a couple of hours to air out after.
Do you have the tools and space to tear the dash out yourself? I know it probably seems a little overwhelming but if you take your time and label everything/take pictures I'm guessing you could probably do it. It also helps to keep a notebook and write notes as you go. Basically an order of what you take off/out, and which bolts you use. Then when you're done, just go through the list from bottom to top. Also, Ziploc bags are your friend! And I use masking tape and a sharpie to label wiring harnesses/plugs.
Maybe. If this was stored in a barn for an extended period, the mice may have taken advantage of multiple entry points. Air intake, firewall crannies, vents in the rear bumper. They can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime. Just look for their tracks in the dust, for droppings, and empty seed shells. They pee along the way so they can lead others and follow their own path back. They will nest and store food anywhere. I found a stash of uneaten seeds in the rear of the center console. I know they entered from the rear of the car, though. Finding their traffic lanes will lead you to any other nests. But for sure check the heater core.
I'm definitely going to pull the blower and get into as much of the venting as possible in that area because that's definitely the heart of the problem. The oz gen sound simple enough to give it a try. I have a little driveway behind my apartment, but no garage at all, I'm meticulous when it comes to doing work for the first time but I'd have to do it all in one day max, so if I ran into any kind of issue I'd be screwed. But I'm definitely still considering pulling myself. Would you know where the heater core is located? I think videos I've seen people say it's buried in front of the steering console, so that might be tough but possible.I don't know every nook and cranny of the car yet but I've pulled the wiring for a sub out of the side rails and I haven't seen anything that suggests they got anywhere else other than the vents (probably look again to be sure). I'm definitely going to try and find where they got in though, using my brothers jack and stands to get it up to do brakes soon so I should be able to get a decent look around.
I mean, you can still drive the car with the dash out. If it were my car, I'd check under the carpet too. But yeah, what Josh said re: shop cost. Heater core replacement alone is around $500 and you'll want to be really meticulous if you're going through the effort of pulling the dash. Not a job I'd want to do twice, personally. I'd basically wipe down every surface I could reach, remove and soak the vents, etc. I guess you could spray diluted vinegar though the HVAC intake but then you're just swapping awful smells till it dissipates.
I'd also consider checking under (technically above) the headliner if you can. They seem to love running up the a pillars and hanging out in the foam that insulates the headliner. I've pulled many a headliner that had a nest or two in/on it.
This is what it looked like when we pulled my bugeye apart after it was in a flood. If you look over the steering wheel, the heater core is located in the middle of the dash(dead center). If you take out the blower from under the glovebox, you should be able to reach into part of the heater core venting (but not all of it). Remove the vents above the radio to clean and treat in there. Also pull the trim rings on the side vents and the vent itself so that you can treat in there also. 1)Pull it all apart. 2)wipe as much surface areas as you can with vinegar.(use black light if possible). 3)treat with ozone for as long as possible.10-12 hrs would be ideal. 4)run the hvac on high to pull the ozone through the system. 5)air it out. 6)hang a fresh tree air freshener. 6)profit.
I have been wondering why the roof and my driver door sound so hollow. Wow, this is seriously frustrating. Looks like it's time to get familiar with ripping everything apart. The other thing is I don't need to drive right now, I'm biking to work, but I need it in a month for school. I may just start pulling the dash and do it piece by piece.
If you have a month and don't need to drive it, then tear into it! It is nice to become familiar with how things go together and come apart. I doubt that they were in your headliner. But it's pretty straightforward to remove the a/b/c pillars and then the headliner. It's a handful of steps too tho now that I think about it because the seatbelts have to be removed from the b and c-pillars. And dome lights, and visors...
I'm at work for a few more hours, I'll have more time to post later. But a few questions. Do you mean pull the whole heater core out? I probably won't worry about the roof or door or searching anywhere else, this car has consumed my whole summer already. But I think I will start ripping into the dash, blower first and start getting the center out tonight. Also, is there anything to look out for when pulling the dash? I've read that you want to disconnect the battery and let it "discharge"? for a half hour to avoid any air bag issues. Or any ac lines that are pressurized or anything? Literally never done this before, thinking of making a little tutorial since I'll need to be thorough anyway, just want to do it right.
Do not pull the heater core out! Your coolant lines run through it. I'm saying to pull the blower motor out, and then wipe inside of the vents on the heater core that removing the blower motor exposes. Then remove the trim ring around the stereo and undo the screws where the center two vents are(just above the stereo). Those pop out and you can reach back into the vents a ways. Especially if you get all McGyver with some towels and a coat hanger. Then remove the two circle trim rings(drivers side and passengers side). Remove the vents, wipe back as far as you can McGyver! lol I REALLY think that taking out the dash is a mistake, especially if you are trying to reclaim your summer! But if you do choose to do so, the airbag needs to be unplugged for the passengers side. As well as the gauge cluster and fog lights switch and cruise control... Disconnecting the battery would probably be a good idea. Highlighted are the areas that i am referring to with the "vent removal".
Awesome! Thank you so much tangled! So you're thinking I should leave the dash, pop the vent covers off to clean vents with towels and get crafty, pull blower to clean thoroughly, and clean heat core as much as possible with the blower and vent covers out of the way? Because that's what I'm leaning towards at this point, I'd be really happy to just do that because that would be a few hours max. I'm also thinking if a new blower isn't too expensive I could just buy a new one since the massive nest was right above it. Also, will I want to avoid too moist of a towel when cleaning those vents? I'm guessing I shouldn't get a dripping wet towel in the vents, but if there's no electrical to worry about shorting or frying then a fairly wet towel would definitely clean it faster. Then follow all this up with the ozone generator for a good 24 hours with a half hour or so vents on circulate?
You got it man! I would ring out the towels pretty well each time. Don't need excessive moisture. But good and damp for sure. I'm guessing that the blower is pretty spendy. I have one that i'd offer up free for you out of an 06. It fell and has a small hole in the casing tho. I'm not sure, but maybe you could just RTV a small piece of flat plastic or aluminum on it? Pointing to hole in the pic.
Hell yeah dude! I'd absolutely take that off your hands, it still works and everything? I could definitely fix that hole no problem.
Done. It did when it came out of the car! All you have to do is sign up for the LaXCruise and it's yours! Hahaha https://mnsubaru.com/threads/2017-laxcruise-saturday-august-19th.52295/
When I read this for some reason I thought this was a cruise to California and I dismissed it, after reading the event info I'm totally down! This is my first subaru and I convinced the lady to get her first, a legacy, in January this year. I start class again the monday after the cruise so this will be a great end to the summer.
A solution of water, dish soap and hydrogen peroxide is a excellent organic chemical cleaner neutralizer. Blood, pee whatever. Might want to check it on materials before dousing things though.
We had a dog that like to hunt skunks when we were out west hunting pheasants. Always had the ingredients on hand.
I've used high strength hydrogen peroxide for clean ups that were covered in blood, cigarette residue, grease, etc. It works amazing! I want to say it was 30% hydrogen peroxide? Potent stuff!
That solution was handed down from Grandpa Bowman who was a chemistry prof at UW-O. He explained the chemical reaction of H2O2, the soap is there to make it adhere and water to make the solution spray bottle useable. I recommend using the over the counter stuff. Unless you are a professional.
What would the name of the over the counter product be? And thank you for your advice, looking to start the clean up process this week, hopefully it'll be quick and easy.
Hydrogen peroxide. Get it at your local pharmacy next to the isopropyl alcohol. Over the counter is something like 3%. His point is you can get much stronger concentrations if you're a chemist or other professional, but must be handled very carefully.
Yeah, i was cleaning up suicides and homicides. Definitely not something that you can pick up for personal use!
Part of the gig. I signed up for a Water Mitigation Technician and Fire Restoration Specialist position and ended up cleaning up chunks of eyebrows off of ceilings. I looked at it as an opportunity to continually heal myself of PTSD symptoms. What better way than to face your fears "head on". lol
Really? I would have thought that kind of gig would contribute to PTSD. Hope it helped, and if the PTSD was military induced, thanks for your service.
I would have thought so too. But I think that it made death a little less normal being around it. My PTSD was work related, I've never had the balls to join the military. lol
