Rats! (Well maybe just mice...)

[John Bergen]

I have a 2000 Boxster S. Yesterday I came out to find crushed up leaves and shredded foam rubber sticking out of the right hand side air intake that provides cooling air to the engine compartment. I removed the intake shroud and plastic louvers and found the entire duct packed with the stuff! I opened the engine compartment and found that in addition to building a nest, the critter(s) had been storing and I guess eating fruit from the oil palm that grows to the side of our driveway. There was a big heap of it on top of the engine under the intake manifold! It was a real pain to vacuum it out. The shredded foam rubber had come from a chunk of missing insulation on the front of the compartment. I glued back the remaining flap. Today I bought some black expanded metal gutter screen. I cut out a piece to fit the inside of the plastic louvers and secured it to them with six small black plastic wire ties. With the shroud back on it is hardly visible and hopefully will keep the little vermin out of there! Thankfully it doesn't appear that they did more damage such as chewing on wiring! Have others experienced this?