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Mice Nest in Trunk - ISO Help ID-ing nesting material source
I just got home from a week long trip and found a nest in the trunk when I opened it today. Also heard a bunch of seeds and debris fly out of the passenger footbox blower fan when I turned it on. I've searched a bit for any signs of chewing or where the nesting material was coming from but can't find the source yet. Does anyone recognize this material and its source?
Looks a bit like jute which is the underlayment pad under the carpet inside the passenger compartment. Might be some in the trunk area as well, I'd suggest pulling the trunk panels and having a look.
Also - very excited to be apart of this community! Just purchased a 02' Grand Prix White with Red Interior S2K with 59K and drove it home from Michigan to where I reside, Mazama WA - northern part of WA State just east of the cascade crest. Happy to get it home safe and sound from the 40 hour drive on Hwy 2. Drove it home with some all-season tires that came on it but since I live in a desert and would like to bring it out to the nearby track in BC, I purchased a second set of OEM Rims and mounted them with Kuhmo Ecsta v730 tires, which I have on right now.
Yes indeed that is the original soundproofing called "jute". Essentially it is recycled threaded material made into mats to help kill sound. It does not work as well as modern materials and absorbs water creating a rust environment, extra weight, smells from mold and other problems. Plus rodents love it.
Modern noise, vibration and harshness NVH materials include hydrophobic materials (3M Thinsulate is used by Honda) as well as vinyl and metal embedded vinyl applied to metal to change resonance and waterproof. Rodents hate it. Rodents do however like to chew on newer "Green" vegan soy based wire insulation. Ask Mercedes how engine wire bundles held up during the 2000-2010 period that were made with that. Nearly a 100% failure rate but I digress.
Looks a bit like jute which is the underlayment pad under the carpet inside the passenger compartment. Might be some in the trunk area as well, I'd suggest pulling the trunk panels and having a look.
Same thing happened with my car; the mice love going into the spare wheel area where the fuel pump is located and tearing up that underlayer carpeting. I live in a very rural area and park my car outside so there's really no way to avoid the mice since I'm living in their territory. All the usual tricks didn't work for me in trying to keep them out of my car (peppermint oil, moth balls, dryer sheets, etc). Based on where I was seeing mouse droppings, I came to the conclusion that they were getting in the car via 2 locations:
1. The soft top drains located in each rear wheel well (2 total)
2. The air pressure vent located in the trunk under the latch
So far I am in the process of covering/securing a thick metal mesh screen over each soft top drain exit hole and the trunk pressure vent. This would still allow water to escape from the soft top drains and air to escape from the pressure vent but hopefully give the mice a harder time of getting into the cabin. Mice also get into my engine bay but unfortunately its looking like I'm going to just have to live with them there since there isn't really a way to block off the engine bay easily. Its been occurring for 2+ years and they haven't chewed any wires in my car yet surprisingly.
Mice Nest in Trunk - ISO Help ID-ing nesting material source
