Rep Power: 0

Hello,

Please assist me with this thing that has just happend in a Honda Civic 1997 Hatchback

A cigarette butt fell down into the grate of the passenger-side defrost vent. I am wondering what I should do in order to fish it out.

My main concern is the it may catch on fire. If this was a peice of metal I would just ignore it, but I am concerned because it is near car parts that heat up.

Is there a way that I could just pry open the defroster grate to reach down there somehow?

Or is it possible that it could just fall through down to the bottom of the car somehwere?

When I open the glove box and look behind it, there is what seems to be a metal tube that may be some kind of heating component. It seems that behind the glove box may be a way to access the defroster area where the cigarette may have fell into.

Also, between the driver-side defrost vent and the passenger-side defrost vent there is a square panel with a knotch in it that seems like it can be pulled up to access the underneath of the defrost grate area.

Should I just bring it to the dealer to have them fish it out? Or is it something I can do on my own inexpensively? It seems like something like this could happen often enough to make Honda build in a way to easily access this area if something were to fall in.

Thanks very much for any help!!
-- carperson

 
Rep Power: 308

Leave it.

 
Rep Power: 518

If it was not already lit at the time it fell down, there is absolutely no possible way it would ever get lit by sitting inside the dash.