Dash Dusting or Invasion?

Look for critters hiding stuff in your air system under the hood.

Critters may be responsible, but what is it? animal or bug byproduct?

I forgot to mention this was taken under a microscope. The actual particles are the size of a flea.

Apologies for omitting the scale of the particles...

In that case, tell him to get a bottle of Armorall and clean the dash every couple days.

Well, ArmorAll is not a good substance for dashes.

Better to attack the problem at the source. I think that the stuff is coming from the vents where rodents or bugs have set up shop.

If he doesn't want to do the dirty work himself, take the car to the dealer and have the vents inspected and cleaned.

Those are alien spores come from outer space to steal our souls nothing - they are nothing at all.

I prefer the alien spores over the nothing answer, if it was nothing how did I get a picture of it? Don't they use corn-husks in some insulations? Maybe it's plant related...

I'll try not to imagine more nothings onto the screen in the future

It's surely plant spores of some sort.

Hi Hellcat

Collect an amount so that you are able to roast them. If it is plant matter it will have a distinct smell. If insect, or animal the smell will be different. If alien, the smell would be like burning flea Pooh. What ever it is, it looks dehydrated. Put it in soil and see what happens after a few days. One sample in the dark one in a light place. It's alive, it's alive. Ky.

another view...

Arrrggh ... fatal mistake ... you havn't included anythingin the pic to show us an idea of scale.. ( small coin or a pin would help )

Could be anything from pollen grains to Dragon's scales... depending on the actual size.

Dell the Hell

So sorry Del, see post 2. (flea sized)

I realized my error, but had to move on to other things.

So you know where I can get some dragon scales?

Meow!

Yes. Go to Puff's Weight Loss Clinic. They have several, all with bad zeros.

They look like plant material to me. Just carries on the air and settles in your relative wind free car.

Why don't you take a large air sample from where you drive most and see under the microscope what you can collect that way. I am sure you will find the same stuff (if you look long enough).

I agree the pictures do remind me of plant seeds or spores etc...

Great, lets leave it at that then. Maybe I'll get another sample and see what happens when I hydrate them.

Del, I'll try and remember the ever important 'relative size to a commonly known object' next time.

Cheers, Hellcat

Looks like Clover seed with the hulls on.

Does he have an outside air filter in the vehicle? Has it been change recently? It may have a hole in it allowing plant material to get in..

Just an idea.. I am may be wrong, been wrong before....

Sounds like u got a ventilation (system) leak! Have him check outside air pickup system for leaks/open joints, etc. (look at air intake system especially if there is one just below the windshield (in the wiper housing area).

Donzi

They look like seeds to me. Try planting them on wet cotton wool and keep them in the sun.

If they have come from the air whilst driving the car, the air filter on the carburetter will likely be full of them.

Does this guy park outside downwind of some type of plant that produces this kind of seed husk? I don't recognize it but I've had this kind of thing happen with other varieties of plants.

Of course the alien spores theory is interesting, but it's probably nothing, nothing at all.

It would help to know where in the world/country this happened. I concur it more resembles plant-related material than insect parts. Could be wind-borne seeds of some sort, but flea-sized is large for fern or fungus spores, even more large for pollen grains. What kinds of trees are nearby when it is parked? What kinds of flowering plants/shrubs?

Is the dash the only place they appear? The more background available, the better the forensic guessing. Really difficult to tell from a photo, but some of the earlier suggestions are valid - place on wet cotton batting, see if they hydrate and swell, or sprout.

Will do

I'll have to wait a few days to get more samplings as my colleague is out for jury duty. The person travels allot, so I will get more detail on where the vehicle has been and when this started to occur.

I can only narrow it down to Eastern side USA at the moment.

Thanks for the suggestions, Hellcat

Looks like cottonwood seed to me. Ya'll.

I see 24 answers, several of which propose the valid suggestion of trying to make them sprout (thus proving 'seed' or spore) ... and yet, I haven't seen any suggestion to whisk them off to an expert in THAT arena (i.e., Ag Center, or local college Bio prof) ...

Does CR4 need to initiate an "MD" section, Horticulture section ... maybe a "Name That Fungus!" section...? ...?

Perhaps there is an infestation inside the Heater Ducts!

Try holding some white cheesecloth over the heat vents and turning on the blower.