Smelly Car

[StefanBBK]

Couple days back I had my Fortuneteller at Toyota for a regular check up. All was covered by warranty, but paid for the oil and bits such as a new filter for the air-conditioning.

I also got an ozone treatment, whatever that is good for, but it was free.

Next day I noticed a slight smell in the car, faintly like spilled milk. Got the maid to clean out the interior and silently blamed the kids for spilling something.

Next day the smell is back, so off to shop for some really good airfreshner and keep the car parked with the windows down.

It helped a little, but soon it got worst. Now it smelled like a mix between sour milk and vomit.

Finally I went to a small garage near by. The guy took one whiff, and said I had a rat!

30 seconds later the new air filter was removed and in between the lamellas was, to no surprise to the mechanic, a rather dead ad stiff rat along with its droppings and bodily fluids.

It took about an hour to get AC and car steamcleaned an sanitized, as well the filter being replaced. Best 900 baht I ever spend on the car.

So I recommend to all, if you notice an otherwise unexplained smell in you car, bring it quickly to a garage. You may not save an animals life, but surely safe yourself a lot of grief over the odor.

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[edwinchester]

If the rat was obvious when the filter was removed then presumably it was obvious when fitted at the service.

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[wprime]

Should've been nicer to the staff at Toyota, rats only choose to go into the filters of unappreciative customers.

[kevvy]

you are lucky Toyota did not charge you for the rat , they seem to charge for extras you dont want when you got for a service

[Gsxrnz]

Seems odd - a checkup should include checking the filter. I think the Toyota staff had a crack at you, did you have or have you had any conflict in the past with them?

If you look at the air filter hosing configuration, you'll note that it's virtually impossible for a rat to get there by itself.

A better trick is to tie-wire a fish on top of the the muffler.

[StefanBBK]

Trust me, I am a friendly guy and have not even the slightest beef with the guys at Toyota.

The Rat could have entered after the old filter was removed. There was a bit of time, as the sales Ladies first showed me the old filter, to ask permission to change it.

On the other hand the guys at the local garage were not the slightest bit surprized and obviously dealt with same problem before. So there must be some other way for the beast to get in. Probably the same where the air gets in....

Next time I will just get myself a car-snake. ...

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[h90]

I spilled 1 liter milk in the car back in farangland and didn't clean it.

Even at -20 degree celcius I had to drive with the window open.

[impulse]

Years ago, (in China) my housekeeper and secretary/translator very politely suggested I may want to shower more. About the same time, I started smelling something amiss myself. Looked over my entire apartment and could not find it. Finally, a week later, I moved the bed an inch and found a very dead bat had been crushed between the bed and the wall.

It's interesting that the guy at the dealership recognized the smell right away. I guess they must get quite a few.

[transam]

I seem to have a strange odour in my ride. Cleaned the filter, searched under the dash, nothing. Seems a critter is somewhere in the air ducts, rat, know l mean drat.

[Songhua]

Years ago, we agreed to look after our friends' car while they went on holiday. They dropped off the car and we locked it in the back shed.

When they returned about a week later, we opened the door of the shed and were hit with the most rotten stench I've ever sensed.

On the morning they'd gone away, they'd been to the butcher and bought a side of lamb for freezing .... but had forgotten to take it out of the boot of the car. Took them weeks to get the smell (and the maggots) out.

[BSJ]

Luckily the usual smells in my pick-up emanate from my rear orifice. Guess I've been lucky.....no rats!

[transam]

Luckily the usual smells in my pick-up emanate from my rear orifice. Guess I've been lucky.....no rats!

They wouldn't dare enter.

[Songhua]

Luckily the usual smells in my pick-up emanate from my rear orifice. Guess I've been lucky.....no rats!

That particular smell can be confused with a catalytic converter that's gone bad.

[transam]

Luckily the usual smells in my pick-up emanate from my rear orifice. Guess I've been lucky.....no rats!

That particular smell can be confused with a catalytic converter that's gone bad.

But he can't use that excuse in the bedroom eh. ..... ..........................................

[richardjm65]

Just today, I noticed a smell like cat piss in my Fortuner. I tracked it down to wet carpets, a result of water slopping out of a water container. Easy to fix.

A week or so ago I also noticed unusual noise and also spotted black foam fragments in the driver seat well. That turned out to be a rat attack on the seal that fits around the brake pedal at the bulkhead - without the seal, engine noise intruded. That required the whole damn fitting to be replaced, it was both costly and time-consuming.

Bugger the rats!

[bra]

In Malaysia one of our guys left 2 durians in the boot/trunk of his car parked outside at the airport for a couple of days. The stench can be imagined! His amah cleaned the car then put pandan leaves in the boot - removed the remaining odour very quickly. Don't know if it works for rats, milk etc.

[Isee]

About a month ago I had the same thing with my Triton. Air conditioning started to smell. Not a dead rat but a nest with droppings etc. Took it to the dealer and got a clean out and new filter - total cost about 700-800 baht. Seems to have fixed the problem.

[retell]

you can prevent rats getting in by putting the switch on circulate air from your ac in stead of outside air

had it a couple times till i started doing that since then never a dead rat

[retell]

my dad brought some eggs to boil at his work and forgot all about them until 2 weeks later when they exploded in the glovecompartment

spend long time cleaning the mess but the smell was so bad that days later you could still taste it

ended after he put a new glovebox in and ritually burned the old

[Mousehound]

I left a ziplock pack of prawn bait on the back seat of my Merc (beautiful new Marino custom sheep covers) and went on a trip fro a week. The car was in a secured compound but in the sun - temp got up to C35+ during the week. When I returned the rotting prawns had caused the bag to open and the juices had soaked all the way through the seating - great ride home with three kids in the back! I sold the car shortly after!

[belg]

so you got your rat together with your car maintenance?

should you go complain someone at toyota wishes you bad health or worse ?

[sunshine51]

I left a ziplock pack of prawn bait on the back seat of my Merc (beautiful new Marino custom sheep covers) and went on a trip fro a week. The car was in a secured compound but in the sun - temp got up to C35+ during the week. When I returned the rotting prawns had caused the bag to open and the juices had soaked all the way through the seating - great ride home with three kids in the back! I sold the car shortly after!

Was the buyer desperate?!

[Suradit69]

"I had my Fortuneteller at Toyota"

With your own fortune teller you should have received a message about the rat without the need to consult a mechanic.

[StefanBBK]

555 I did not realize that that the auto-correct made fun of the car. I may refer to it forth on as "fortuneteller". I think it is funny.

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[sunshine51]

I had a 4 foot Diamond Back rattlesnake curled up on the top of my old 1952 Dodge

Power Wagon's transfer case once, way back in the late 70's. The snake didn't smell

one bit, however I can't say that about my britches & me after I saw it.

[StefanBBK]

so you got your rat together with your car maintenance?

 

should you go complain someone at toyota wishes you bad health or worse ?

Nah, not even sure if one has something to do with the other. Problem is solved and car now has the best odor, ever.

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[sunshine51]

@StephanBBK...

For the sake of amusement for all of us readers...could you please describe:

"best odor, ever"...in your own words of course.

Thanks much!

[Suradit69]

555 I did not realize that that the auto-correct made fun of the car. I may refer to it forth on as "fortuneteller". I think it is funny.

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Yes, my iPad is forever "correcting" things I've typed with results that suggest I'm dealing from a deck of 49 cards.

[writeshack]

I had a dead paddy rat in my car aircon too, a few years back. It managed to chew through some wires about the time it, and the aircon, died and then just cooked in there for several days. Not pleasant. Guys at Ford said I had probably left the vent open when out in the fields or at home at night, and the rat crawled in and was electrocuted next time I used the aircon. Not uncommon apparently. I always make sure the vents are closed now.

[StefanBBK]

@StephanBBK...

 

For the sake of amusement for all of us readers...could you please describe:

"best odor, ever"...in your own words of course.

 

Thanks much!

OK, Sunshine, you asked for it.

I wish I could describe the odor as that of rumpled up bedsheets the morning after, or that of thinly shaved truffles over some pasta. Much more boringly, it was just the smell of a steambath with a hint of fresh Jasmine (the plant, not the lady). Anyway the best ever as cars go, not being a petrol-head.

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