Dropped a screw down the defrost vent

Has anyone had experience retrieving a screw they dropped down the windshield defrost vent? I have to expect that some approach with partial disassembly of the HVAC ducts and magnets might work? Looking for tips/advice.

You need a magnetic snake tool.... Amazon Amazon

And get one of these while you're at it (Link to 3.5mm endoscope for your phone) : Amazon Amazon It has a light on the end.

A magnet on a string might nab it. If it's not rattling, I wouldn't spend too much time trying to fish it out. Replacement screws are cheap.

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Made something like this when I was an idiot and dropped a washer down a new engine when I was connecting it to a hoist. Zip ties strung together with a magnet tapped to one end worked really well, little rigidity but still flexible enough to maneuver.

I had this happen and was able to get it out with a magnet and a string.

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Did you drop through the defroster vent? Or cast into the hvac box by the drivers feet after removing the crossover pipe?

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Wow, that's a scenario where you continue searching until you find it.

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Down the defroster vent. Was installing the GPS antenna and dropped a screw down the defroster vent. Dropped a thin super strong magnet on a string down the defroster vent and was able to retrieve the screw.

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it�s been there about 4 months now and rattles. I think it might be infringing on the mixing vane too, because sometimes it blows COLD and sometimes it�s just � not.

Try the magnet on a string trick.

I worked for a company that invented a robot to remove a lost dosimeter from inside a nuclear reactor; it fell of a technician's shirt. That was not cheap! The power company that owned the reactor plated the found dosimeter with 24k gold and presented it to us mounted on a nice plaque. (A dosimeter is a device about the size of a cigar that absorbs radiation, and is periodically tested to determine how much radiation it - and it's wearer - has received.)

Look on the bright side: at least it wasn�t a Hershey bar.

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I "***-ume" they checked it for radiation prior to plating and presenting...

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I "***-ume" they checked it for radiation prior to plating and presenting...

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I saw this reply and had to. Sorry. I hope that screw has a thin candy shell on it. In all seriousness. Those endoscopes like Strangelove posted are super helpful and many come with a magnet attachment, so you don't have to fish blind. I was an idiot and managed to drop something in a Corvette diff years ago and one of those saved me. I have also found that I use it decently often for various things. Definitely worth the $30-$50.