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Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive June 2004: Update: Chipmunk Woes
I used to think chipmunks were cute! For those of you not familiar with the whole story, a chipmunk took up house in my van and left behind a smelly mess. I've taken my van to the dealership twice to fix the problem. They cleaned out the blower motor and emptied an entire can of deodorizer into the venting system. It still STINKS!! Every time we turn on the air it fills the van with a horrible stench.
I can't believe you have had to live with this for so long. Its been a about 3 or 4 months hasn't it? I would vote for the new van, if it is not going to cause you financial hardships I would rather have the payment than the smell. Will the dealership take your van as a trade in?
We realized the chipmunk was in the van and caught it in mid April. I was concerned about the trade in as well, but the dealership has the resources to fix it, as opposed to charging a customer for labor. DS (smart kid!) was concerned this would happen again with a new van. However, we now *know* to switch the venting system to "Recirc" when parking in the garage for the night so that the door underneath closes. Yes, we're leaning towards a new van. We can afford it but we like to pay off our vehicles and drive them until they start having big problems. Oh well...
Thanks for the tip on switching the venting system to recirc. We have chipmunks galore and I don't want them in my van.
You're welcome, Colette! I *wish* we knew of this trick earlier. LOL!
Oh, c'mon, just get the new van! You'll love it!
If you are choosing between a new van (with car payments) or spending $400-800 to find the root cause of the smell and get rid of it, I'd vote for spending the $400-800. It is a lot cheaper in the short and long run.
When we used to go camping in NH when I was a kid, we always used to feed the chipmunks peanuts. We thought they were so cute. Now I would never let my kids do that for fear that they might bite. Yuck just thinking about the germs.
What a mess mother nature can cause. I guess you just need to look on the fun side, a new van! Enjoy the hunt for a new vehicle.
I'd vote to have it cleaned out first. I know I surely wouldn't want a car note if I didn't *have* to have one. Surely there has to be something to get the smell out! Have you searched on the net for other ideas?
I would take this as a sign to get the van you have been drooling over for months!
My parents just bought a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica...It is really nice
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It really is unbearable. The dealership said they could further investigate by digging deeper into the innards of the van but it could cost $400-800! Yikes! This won't even guarantee they'd find the source and be able to fix it. DH is talking a new van. Although the thought of getting a new van is exciting we really don't want to go that route. Our current van (1998 Sienna) is paid off and running GREAT. It has never given us any problems. We can afford a new van, no problem, but we'd prefer not to have a car payment, if you KWIM. *If* we do decide to replace our current van we want to get the new 2004 Sienna body style. DH and I have to sit down tonight and talk it over and do our homework. Yes, I wanted a newer Sienna but I was planning a few years down the road! LOL! DARN chipmunks!! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr... 
