What happened here?

Looking at buying a 2017 Tundra Limited. Everything looked good until I popped the hood. Any ideas what caused the firewall insulation to get messed up like that? Please see attached picture.

 

Welcome from NY.

Looks like mice were getting in.

 

Mice or other rodents...they LOVE that insulation!

 

Is the brake fluid super clean or just absent?

 

I also noticed the reservoir looked empty so i reached over and bumped it. It was empty.

 

I would say move on from that Tundra. Empty resi might be a bad omen.

 

Rodents. They love the insulation and also the wiring in Toyotas because Toyota uses some kind of soy based products in it. Had that issue and some dryer sheets and peppermint oil spray solved it.

Edit: unless its the lighting that empty brake fluid resi is not confidence inspiring on how that truck was taken care of.

 

The empty brake fluid reservoir would scare me far more than the insulation. There's a pretty serious leak somewhere that the previous owner ignored. I'd be afraid of other maintenance issues that have been ignored, or even worse, crudely patched. I shudder to think about what condition the engine oil is in, and whether it was ever changed on a regular basis.

 

I wouldn’t buy it. Do as you please.

 

Looks like it is at a dealer. See if they have the service records on it just for shits and grins. I would stay away personally unless they are giving it at a fire sale price with a full warranty.

 

That wiring looks like it’s been repaired too, which could also mean something chewed through it.

 

Did you end up purchasing the Tundra?

 

Same thing, same place on my 2019, vermin of some sort. I found the start of a nest on top of the engine cover, went to the car wash, soaked the entire down and the engine bay down in engine cleaner and washed away all the grime and scent of what ever it was trying to build a home there, no problems since.
Check your cabin air filter, I replaced mine after that as well in case it had made it to there.

 

Here’s the pics from my 2919

 

Those with, and without, rodent damage might want to invest in a can of this.