Lurker for the last year since I got my G but never posted until now...

Last week I got in my car to drive to work and saw some little pellets or pebbles on my center console slide door. Thought nothing of them until I saw that they probably came off of the handle where some of it had been worn (chewed) away. Sorry for the crappy phone pics.

Since I was pretty sure my elbow couldn't gouge the plastic that deep, I was very confused until I saw some similar tiny pellets on the passenger mat and remembered some threads I looked at a while back about mice nesting in the in-cabin air filter. I have a nice gaping hole in my front bumper/ excuse to buy a Nismo front and parked in an airport garage for the past week. Although since that was the first sign I saw of the little bastard in my car, he probably just got in when I was parked outside at work or home. Not sure how but I wasn't thrilled about letting him stay.

Bought a $4 Home Depot "live capture" trap that day thanks to memories of my childhood gerbils and my preference for not having brains on my floormats, loaded it up with peanut butter and set it out that night.


Sure enough, the next morning I had a furry intruder inside the box who had apparently spent the entire night ****ting uncontrollably. Amazing really. I forgot to take a picture of it before I drove it miles away to a local CC where he could get an education on not breaking into my car and chucked him into the woods.

I've been meaning to switch out the filter anways since I'm at 38k and never have, so I ordered a charcoal one from Amazon. Good quality, it will "protect my family", and it was only $30 shipped to my door in 3 days.

It came with decent directions, but ByThaBay's how-to video is much more helpful. Just make sure not to disconnect or break the yellow air bag plug on the left side after you detach the glovebox. Very easy install though, if you have a Phillips head and 10 minutes, just get it done. But don't slice your finger open on the underside of the box when the side panel finally snaps loose... Once I got the old one out, sure enough... he had chewed a nest hole in the filter and the pleats were full of more mouse crap.


Looks like it hadn't been there long and no signs of baby-making, so adventure over. Not sure how he got into the cabin (vents?) or even why since I never have any food in there and it's not like it was trying to get out of the cold... I haven't gotten into the bay yet to look around, but some people have said to check the battery compartment, cover up the brake fluid compartment (i'll splurge the $60 now that it's for more than just engine bay cosmetics), and put strategically placed mothballs under there. I never would've done that before, but one run-in is enough. I don't want any more chunks of my interior missing or worse yet, $18k in electrical damage like some Audi online had. Alright, time for a TSB on rodent-proofing the G!!!

 

hahaha thats great. He must of got in a couple good rides before he was tossed haha.

 

HAHA....see everyone likes to go for a ride in our Infiniti G35s!
Gary

 

Good catch!

 

Imagine if you didnt know and you spotted him running by your feet while you were driving lol

 

Yeah, I would've had to do like the French guy in Mission Impossible 1 when the rat creeps up on him while he's holding Tom Cruise's rope.

If him eating my car wasn't enough of a reason, him making me crash into a tree would be

I was also afraid of it or its babies rotting and smelling somewhere I couldn't find them, ugh. So if this happens to anyone, catch those bastards and evict them ASAP!