I`ll keep the story as short as possible. `I was contacted about an odor removal job in a Chrysler Town and Country, in which other `detailers` failed miserably. `The vehicle was an hour away, so we opted to meet in a central location. `I was informed there was a dead mouse that was removed from the van by someone else and then shampooed. `I meet up with the lady and I can smell death from 5-6 parking spots away. `I get closer and pretty much start dry heaving, real professional huh? `lol
I catch my breath and look around the van, MAGGOTS EVERYWHERE. `I was also informed that the smell has been in there for a week and a half now, and only getting worse. `After catching my breath I decided to see if there were any mice dead on the cabin air filter. `I brush the maggots to the side, lay on my back on the passenger side, and remove the carpeted piece under the glove box. ` Maggots dumped all over my face. Back tot eh dry heaving, I told them I spotted a tail WAY up in the dash. `Next step, besides puking, I told them to contact the insurance company.... `It was a dead FULL SIZE CAT!
`
Maggots:
`
Animal Tail:
`
The Insurance company agrees to me doing the job and had the van towed to my house a few days later. `As if the smell was gonna get any better.
`
The wanted me to pull some of the dash so the adjuster can see if there was any wiring damage.
`
All Geared up and ready to get in the van. `
`
It didn`t take long for the smell to go right through the filters... `I had to stuff dryer sheets in it.. haha
`
Time to get dirty.....
I will skip all of the pics of removing the pieces one by one and skip ahead a little.
Here is with all the plastics stripped away.
`
EVERY SINGLE plastic piece removed was cleaned and sanitized with an enzyme cleaner.
`
In addition `to removing all of the plastic pieces, some had electronics that had to be removed and cleaned individually.
`
`
`
`
As you can see, the fluids from the cat were on everything.
`
Still tearing into it to to get to the cat
`
And the pile gets bigger
`
By this time, the adjuster pulls up to check out the van....hahaha, his face .....I was dying laughing. `Basically said charge whatever.
`
`
`
All of the seats were removed and the carpet was pulled up. `Under the carpet.....Maggots and Fluids from the dead cat. `All the padding had to be stripped and replaced..
`
Found the cat, in the worst place.....behind the heater/AC box, stuck between that and the firewall. `Crap
Look away now if you get sick easy......
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
Here`s the culprit
`
`
`
`
The cat started decomposing on the heater/AC box, all the wires were pretty much `in` the cat.
I gathered enough courage to pull it out....sort of. `It was stuck. `I grabbed the head (wearing gloves of course) and the head started coming off. `I had to reach down with my other hand to grab the body....which squished right through it..... `nice.....
Got it out.
`
`
`
After it was removed, the van was a mess. `More had to come out.
`
`
`
Looking straight down
`
`
Bye-bye metal dash support....and steering column.....and wiring harness
`
`
`
Had to order new firewall padding
`
`
After further inspection, the entire heater/AC box had to be removed and completely dismantled. `The fluids leaked into it.
`
I had to call a mobile mechanic to come remove the Freon so I could remove it. `I called him back when I had the van back together to re charge the system after an hour vac on the system.
`
`
Everything was taken out, cleaned, sanitized. `I ran the ozone machine in the van for a several hours to kill the smell. `Everything was shampooed from the headliner down.
After making sure everything was taken care of, it was reassembly time.
I was lacking on afters, as I wanted to get it done.
Here is the heater core assembly and dash support back in. `(as well as new firewall padding.
`
`
I stopped here to ozone the van again for a few hours. `Then re-shampoo the carpet, new padding. (seated were shampooed out of the van)
After the carpet was laid back in, the seats were put back in, then ozone for another 2 hours. `
`
DONE
I bought her a stuffed dog and set it on the dash as a joke. Told here it will keep the cats out of her van.....and to keep her windows rolled up!
`
`
Delivering it back..
`
`
`
`
Thanks for reading!
Bookmarks