This was certainly a surprise. Has anyone ever seen this much dirt under the air filter before?

 

Probably rats or squirrels or something.

 

I've see a few nests in the air filter box, but that looks like someone dumped lawnmower clipping in there!

 

Could be a "message" from a rival;

"Stop cutting my grass mate"

never seen something like that behind an air filter

 

I suppose it could be rodents, but that doesn't look like the usual material that rodents use to make a nest in the air box.

Three questions. 1) How is this XJ used and if offroad....what kind of offroad? 2) When was the last time the filter was changed? 3)Any evidence of rodents where you park it?

 

1) I just bought it in November. No signs of offroading.
2) Yesterday. Before that, who knows.
3) There’s rats in NYC for sure. This material was a mixture of dirt, what appeared to be dark lint, and parts of a tree that isn’t in NYC. Car came from Colorado via Maryland.

 

Likely some kind of rodent.

 

The dealer did a full inspection, including the air filter, right?

 

I have no idea what the dealer did. I took it to an independent shop for a PPI and they highlighted a couple of issues they found. I guess they didn’t check the air filter.

 

They may have checked the air filter but if they weren't going to replace it, why would they remove it?

 

Because you normally look at the dirty side of the filter to check it?

 

Fair comment &, I suppose, having got the top off for what's involved in turning the filter over, I suppose you might as well, even if it looked new (but not sure I always have, because I'd normally only be opening the box when the filter was due to be changed)