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      12-04-2018, 11:19 PM   #1
theothegrey
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Rocks in the Airbox

Last weekend I wanted to check out the airbox in the car. The car is new to me and I bought it with 125k miles on it. Overall, the interior, exterior, and the engine bay are super clean. It was detailed before I took delivery.

So I opened it up and found that the previous owner installed a K&N Air Filter. I’ve never used one so that was a cool find. But after lifting it out I discovered that the airbox was filled with a bunch of little colored rocks. I took one out and started searching online to see if this was some oddball mod. I figured if someone went through the trouble of an aftermarket filter, the rocks must have been placed there on purpose. Nothing.





I showed it to my wife. This had me perplexed. “Those aren’t rocks. That’s dog food!”

Of course it was dog food. We’re not pet owners but she has taken care of our friends dogs. So, I googled "dog food in airbox." Much to my to dismay, I discovered a lot of references online. The likely culprit? Mice…

So I pulled out the airbox and sprayed it with SuperClean, hosed it thoroughly, and let dry before reinstalling. Problem solved.



But then I started wondering. Could the mice have holed up anywhere else around the car? So, I went back to check with a flashlight, under the car, around the front lights, under the car. A definite plus of the Z4 is roomy engine bay. You can see a lot.

Then, I found this - dried leaves coming out of the hole beneath the windshield wiper. I tugged on it and a lot more leaves fell out!



I walked around to the other side of the car to get a better angle. I saw white cotton stuffing.



Tonight I had some more time to work on the car and decided to remove the windshield cowl. It’s old and brittle and needs replacing anyways. This is what I found after removing it.





I cleaned it out. Took out a bagful of leaves and stuffing. Sprayed it with alcohol. Shop vac. Cleaned it some more with a waterless wash. It looks pretty good now.



So this has been my introduction to my Z4. I love the car. It’s been so much fun to drive. I’m looking forward to some road trips. And on top of all of that, I now have a bizarre story to tell that started with finding “rocks in the airbox."

Last edited by theothegrey; 12-07-2018 at 09:54 AM..
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      12-05-2018, 10:03 AM   #2
racerbruce
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CRAZY!
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      12-05-2018, 10:53 AM   #3
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That's pretty funny. At least it looks like the little bugger didn't chew up any wiring.
I guess access to dog food kept it well fed and happy.
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      12-05-2018, 02:12 PM   #4
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Wow, you truly can't make this stuff up. Glad to hear there is no apparent damage and consider getting a cat to patrol your garage!
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      12-05-2018, 04:24 PM   #5
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Yeah- I tried the dog food mod but my car growled alot lol! Glad u got it sorted out.
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      12-05-2018, 11:06 PM   #6
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How the hell would they have gotten that into the airbox? was there more dog food around where they were sleeping? (under the cowl?) Wow, amazing story

Oh and welcome!!
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      12-06-2018, 12:12 AM   #7
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Obviously the air box was the pantry, the cowl was the bedroom.
Uh, Oh, you've yet to find the loo.
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      12-06-2018, 04:11 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by StickMon View Post
Obviously the air box was the pantry, the cowl was the bedroom.
Uh, Oh, you've yet to find the loo.
Indeed lol.

I too have had evidence of mice in the airbox. Fortunately they didn't chew through the air filter or any wiring. I check every couple of months especially in winter.

I can't find if now but we had a guy here who had mice putting dog food in the exhaust system, while got machine gunned out and created quite a bit of stink.

"You have mice"
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      12-06-2018, 05:13 AM   #9
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I get actual rocks in mine...about the same size as your kibble, but I guess they’re from all the little bits of stone that get thrown up from my motorway commutes.

Reminds you why you really need a filter on there - imagine if rocks/kibble got into the intake chamber
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      12-06-2018, 11:00 AM   #10
theothegrey
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Thanks for the responses, haha! Hilarious! I'm laughing at this now but I was pretty stressed out when I first found the dog food and the nest.

I've looked a few more times and haven't found any mice droppings nor signs of chewing damage. I imagine the dog food kept them content as Vanne mentioned. I didn't find any other food there. They really did keep food and bedroom separate. I did fine a ball-point pen under the cowl but I have a feeling that was left by a tech.

The car spent all of it's life in Georgia. I bought it and had it shipped to Texas. Thankfully, we don't have any problems with mice where I live. I deal with wasps a lot but that's another story.

I'm curious if any of you use K&N Filters. Mine looks pretty clean so I'll probably keep it for now. Didn't see any fur or hair on it!

Last edited by theothegrey; 12-06-2018 at 12:41 PM..
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      12-06-2018, 01:42 PM   #11
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I have the K&N. Works great.
I clean and re-oil it about every other oil change.
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      12-06-2018, 05:03 PM   #12
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Lmfao!!! 🤣🤣🤣
Great story and the pictures help!!

Thanks for Sharing 👍🏻👍🏻
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      12-06-2018, 05:15 PM   #13
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That's an awesome story - welcome to the community, and thank you for taking the time to document your intro!
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      12-09-2018, 06:57 AM   #14
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I bought my Z4 4 years ago in December 2014 from.... CarMax. It was a 2008 with only 23,000 miles, so it sat a lot. In June 2015 I was replacing the engine airfilter. Found the air box half-full of mouse nest. News paper, rags, etc., none of which came from my house; my cars sit under a carport 80 feet from the house.

Never buy a car from CarMax, they are full of BS just like any other used car dealer, they just look legit.
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