[fastdriver]

Shhhhh........covert operation.......they did ask me if I knew anyone that could "slip or slide" into the transmission department.........I sort of "dropped" your.........name:biglaugha:

Let me tell you that if I was in charge of quality control in the transmission department, NONE of this crap would be passed off as "operating as designed" when they know **** well what BS that is! :angry: While they may feel that they screwed me, they did me a big favor! I got a nicer car for NO money down out of MY pocket and 2 free years of directions and connections and only $10.00 more a month for a car that cost thousands more! ccasion14:

I'm just happy that your car is finally fixed and you can now enjoy it like you should have been able to do from DAY ONE!

 

[BigSkyMontana]

I did have the opportunity to get a few pics during my HVAC case assembly R/R. I am hoping that posting these pics will be helpful for others to understand the process of moving ahead to resolve the HVAC lube smell issue if this problem ever surfaces with their Cruze. My intentions are to pass on what I have learned about my Cruze and what I have personally experienced while patiently waiting for a resolution. Initially, I was hesitant about having this work completed. This past week I turned over 8600 miles and knowing that my dashboard and other miscellaneous parts needed to come out of a new vehicle was not a pleasant thought. But, I knew I had a great service department, and once again they showed that they knew their stuff and deserve a 5 star rating I spent some time tonight driving and looking over the car. So far everything appears to be functioning well and the glycol-based lube smell is completely absent.

Preparation to remove the frame with the attached case assembly.......

HVAC Case Assemblies.......

Old Case Lube.......yellow in color

New Case Lube.......white in color

I am not an expert on lubes, but thought I would Google some info. It appears that the new lube is Uniflor 8172. Here are a few links I found that may be helpful with some info.......

http://extranet.titaniumprint.com/service/HP_manuals/8172_copy3.pdf

http://www.nyelubricants.com/_pdf/UniFlor/uniflor_brochure_english72.pdf

After looking over the case assemblies I would think that the supplier would refurbish the case as it appears to be a simple process of removing the identified parts and old lube, cleaning up the case and parts, and reassemble applying the new lube. Hopefully that is the plan as it appears to be more cost effective. Additionally, if refurbishment is the process the supplier could turn case assemblies around rather quickly. I couldn't imagine my old case being discarded.

 

[brian v]

You win .. had to distract the spam bot and a few others along the way .. good read big sky !


Fast driver it is full well .. I worked with a man that had never used profanity ever it had a lasting impact we do have over 3600 words in our vocabulary .

 

[gt_cristian]

Replacing the HVAC seems complicated... they have to remove a good part of the dashboard. I am afraid it will rattle afterwards. Just like BigSky was saying, "knowing that my dashboard and other miscellaneous parts needed to come out of a new vehicle was not a pleasant thought."

As of today, after exchanging my 2011 for a 2013 and ending up with the same problem, hearing my dealer say they don't smell any coolant makes me mad again. I even printed out the PI0935 and handed it to them because they were not aware it existed...

 

[BigSkyMontana]

Replacing the HVAC seems complicated... they have to remove a good part of the dashboard. I am afraid it will rattle afterwards. Just like BigSky was saying, "knowing that my dashboard and other miscellaneous parts needed to come out of a new vehicle was not a pleasant thought."

As of today, after exchanging my 2011 for a 2013 and ending up with the same problem, hearing my dealer say they don't smell any coolant makes me mad again. I even printed out the PI0935 and handed it to them because they were not aware it existed...

I believe the Cruze is a solid car and the interior appears to be solid and well designed. I think there are 4 or 5 of us on this forum who now have reported that the HVAC case assembly replacement was successful in eliminating the smell. We have also reported that the procedure was performed with great results and no rattles. I am thinking that if a service department has someone who knows what they are doing, that your car will be fine and most likely not experience any problems after the job is done. The dashboard area appears to be pretty solid so, I am thinking the odds of any rattles may be slim, but anything is possible.

Identifying the problem may be a process in narrowing down either the engine compartment or HVAC case assembly, but with a good technician and service department you will get the job done with good results. I believe since the problem has now been identified, the next hurdle will be dealing with your local dealership. They need to be on board and have the knowledge and expertise to tackle this issue. If your dealership appears that they are not able to support your case, then someone in GM needs to make something happen. I did have a great GM customer service rep and she did contact the dealership on a weekly basis to coordinate my case. I feel like I just didn't have the best service or results with anyone above her level to answer my questions when she wasn't able to help me. So, if your dealership appears to be in the "dark" I would at least start with your GM customer service rep. Your problem needs to be addressed and I don't think GM will allow a dealership to set "idle" now and not handle your case when there appears to be a resolution to the problem. Now this issue is not "what is the problem" it may be "how to take care of the problem" at the local level and hopefully this is not a burden for Cruze owners in getting this problem resolved.

 

[Blue Angel]

Replacing the HVAC seems complicated... they have to remove a good part of the dashboard. I am afraid it will rattle afterwards.

Although I have not disassembled the entire dashboard, I did disassemble the console, HVAC control, radio trim and removed the radio faceplate and cd player unit. I was very impressed with the robustness of the parts in general. They are all strong parts that are fastened and/or clipped together in a very sturdy manner. If the entire dashboard assembly follows the same design principles I would be fairly confident that rattles would not be an issue after reassembly. Of course, if the technician was to not assemble the dash the same way it came apart by forgetting screws or something, that's a different issue.

Many of the parts I took out had flock tape on them where they mate to other parts, and the wire harnesses all appeared to be wrapped with either flock tape, foam, or some combination of the two. Cars I've worked on in the past have not shown such a level of detail or sturdy design with regards to plastic trim, etc.

 

[obermd]

The tech who did the swap on my Cruze said the only thing to watch out for is that the A/C control unit and the PDIM use the same style and color control plug. It took him some time to figure out why my A/C didn't work during reassembly.

 

[steve333]

I believe the Cruze is a solid car and the interior appears to be solid and well designed. I think there are 4 or 5 of us on this forum who now have reported that the HVAC case assembly replacement was successful in eliminating the smell. We have also reported that the procedure was performed with great results and no rattles. I am thinking that if a service department has someone who knows what they are doing, that your car will be fine and most likely not experience any problems after the job is done. The dashboard area appears to be pretty solid so, I am thinking the odds of any rattles may be slim, but anything is possible.

Identifying the problem may be a process in narrowing down either the engine compartment or HVAC case assembly, but with a good technician and service department you will get the job done with good results. I believe since the problem has now been identified, the next hurdle will be dealing with your local dealership. They need to be on board and have the knowledge and expertise to tackle this issue. If your dealership appears that they are not able to support your case, then someone in GM needs to make something happen. I did have a great GM customer service rep and she did contact the dealership on a weekly basis to coordinate my case. I feel like I just didn't have the best service or results with anyone above her level to answer my questions when she wasn't able to help me. So, if your dealership appears to be in the "dark" I would at least start with your GM customer service rep. Your problem needs to be addressed and I don't think GM will allow a dealership to set "idle" now and not handle your case when there appears to be a resolution to the problem. Now this issue is not "what is the problem" it may be "how to take care of the problem" at the local level and hopefully this is not a burden for Cruze owners in getting this problem resolved.

It's GMs responsibility to make sure all dealers know about this issue and the fix for it. You, the customer, should not have to jump through hoops and repeatedly return to the dealer to finally get it fixed properly.
You may the patience of Job and kudos to you, but most people will throw the middle finger at GM and never buy one of their vehicles again.
There are lots of choices to make out there and GM isn't in any position to piss even more people off

 

[fastdriver]

It's GMs responsibility to make sure all dealers know about this issue and the fix for it. You, the customer, should not have to jump through hoops and repeatedly return to the dealer to finally get it fixed properly.
You may the patience of Job and kudos to you, but most people will throw the middle finger at GM and never buy one of their vehicles again.
There are lots of choices to make out there and GM isn't in any position to piss even more people off

EXACTLY! It should NOT be up to the CUSTOMER to go into the dealer with the PI number and whatever else they can find here to INFORM their dealer! This is GMs job! Shame on GM for not keeping their dealers in the loop! GM should penalize these dealers who act like jerks and think that the customer knows nothing and they have all the answers!

BSM- you did indeed have a 5 STAR dealer! I think you should post the name of this dealer so that anyone else in Montana who might be looking for a Cruze will know that the service department is top notch!

 

[Jim Frye]

I'm sorry, I keep trying to stay out of this stuff, but this ignorance issue with the Chevy service departments is not just GM's fault. GM makes many, many offerings available to the dealerships for information flow and education. Many, many dealerships don't bother with them. Last month, TechLink reported that many dealerships were still running outdated, unsupported software. There is a weekly "Emerging Issues" webcast, but it seems few dealerships log in to it. Is it any wonder they can't/won't be knowledgeable about problems? Remember, they are franchises and are not owned by Chevy or GM. If they really legally misbehave, Chevy can pull a franchise, but they aren't really making them toe a mark. I'd say it's Chevrolet that is at fault here with all of the reported bad service experiences you see. Have you seen the TV and print ads being run this month about "Chevy Certified Service"? Does anyone know what that entails? The web site has absolutely nothing on it about certification criteria.

The problem for the customer is, you don't know you are dealing with a bad Chevy service department until you waste your time and money on them. There is no way for a customer to know until they get the short end of the service stick. Your sales experience is dependent on how knowledgeable you are about buying a car. You shouldn't have to be an ASE Certified Mechanic to get good service at a Chevy dealer. Chevy isn't doing a proper job on the service end of the business.

Now I'll shut up.

 

[fastdriver]

I'm sorry, I keep trying to stay out of this stuff, but this ignorance issue with the Chevy service departments is not just GM's fault. GM makes many, many offerings available to the dealerships for information flow and education. Many, many dealerships don't bother with them. Last month, TechLink reported that many dealerships were still running outdated, unsupported software. There is a weekly "Emerging Issues" webcast, but it seems few dealerships log in to it. Is it any wonder they can't/won't be knowledgeable about problems? Remember, they are franchises and are not owned by Chevy or GM. If they really legally misbehave, Chevy can pull a franchise, but they aren't really making them toe a mark. I'd say it's Chevrolet that is at fault here with all of the reported bad service experiences you see. Have you seen the TV and print ads being run this month about "Chevy Certified Service"? Does anyone know what that entails? The web site has absolutely nothing on it about certification criteria. I'll shut up now.

I've said it a thousand times before and I'll say it again! There MUST be something in these franchise agreements that gives GM the UPPER HAND here when it comes to service! If GM can make the dealers spend $$$$$$ to redo their buildings so that every Chevy dealer looks the same with their blue/silver buildings, they can certainly do something to get these inept dealers on the ball! MAYBE, someone needs to get OUT of their IVORY TOWERS in Michigan and hit the road OR hit these dealers in the pocketbook if they do not sign in to these webcasts or update their computer systems! Something is just not right here! The other part to this dilemma is the dealership OWNER! It is HIS responsibility to see that the people working for him are up to date with EVERYTHING that GM is offering them!

I've been seeing these Chevy Certified Service commercials a lot lately too! More PR like the 4 million miles of testing!:angry:

 

[Starks8]

I too laugh at those commercials after all the negative things regarding the Chevy/GM "certified service" that I've heard on here.

 

[obermd]

What's interesting is that most GM dealerships are good and do honestly try to take care of their customers' cars. What we get here are reports of the worst dealerships as well as the few flat out outstanding dealerships.

 

[Blue Angel]

Well I got my new surge tank installed yesterday. I'm still waiting on the new cap to come in, but that's a simple swap later this week when it gets here.

A couple pics. The first is of the drain kak (**** is not allowed) on the radiator. It points rearward instead of down, which makes it tough to drain without getting coolant all over the lower rad support. I came up with a quick and easy solution to this:

This is a piece of 3/8" wire loom about 5" long. I couldn't find a piece of hose or anything else that would work, but this worked great. It might not stay in place if the drain kak was all the way open and coolant was pouring out at full flow, so holding it in place somehow might be necessary.

Here's a shot of the surge tank. As it drained I tilted it up on an angle to get all the coolant out, only to find I couldn't get all the coolant out! The way the baffles are set up inside, when you tip it up like this some coolant gets trapped in the front. Funny enough, I kept draining more out of the rad and the tank stayed at the same level, as seen here:


Anyway, I did a good bit of stop and go "city" type driving today without the heater on so the car got good and hot. I'm happy to say that, based on today's driving, I have not smelled any coolant with the new tank. A little more time will be necessary before confirming the fix, but it certainly seems good so far.

 

[obermd]

Finally odor free after 25K miles. I ran my defroster this morning on full hot and full blower for as long as I could stand the heat. Then I switched it over to defrost & footwell. Then I switched back to defrost only. No odors of any kind. I didn't even have chemical odors from the mold/mildew cleaning I had done a month or so ago. I also took Rob's advise and had some of the coolant removed last Friday. I didn't have an exterior odor either.

 

[BigSkyMontana]

Snowy weekend with low temps. Had the opportunity to run the heater this weekend in all mode settings. Burnt plastic rubber smell finally gone and odor free cabin. After 8700+ miles I can finally say "GOODBYE" to the engine compartment and cabin smell. No rattles and everything appears to be "operating as designed." Time to move on

 

[obermd]

Snowy weekend with low temps. Had the opportunity to run the heater this weekend in all mode settings. Burnt plastic rubber smell finally gone and odor free cabin. After 8700+ miles I can finally say "GOODBYE" to the engine compartment and cabin smell. No rattles and everything appears to be "operating as designed." Time to move on

Wonderful. Don't be a stranger here.

 

[BigSkyMontana]

Wonderful. Don't be a stranger here.

I will still be here. I have found that this is a great community and many are working together to share their achievements and disappointments. When I joined this community my intentions were to learn and hopefully be part of the solution. I have gained a lot of knowledge from other members and hopefully what I've shared will be helpful in providing some insight to this "smell" issue. I have been primarily focused on this thread since I joined. Now I will move around the forum more often and enjoy the other topics. I am sure I will learn more about my Cruze and other interesting issues.

For those who continue to tackle this issue I hope you will have success in getting this issue resolved. There are solutions now and I contribute the success of where I am at today based on the information I have received on this forum. Just imagine if we didn't have this type of media technology at our fingertips today! Many of us would still be trying to solve this issue, but with the technology at our fingertips, the problem has finally been resolved.

Since I first purchased the car, my wife finally drove it yesterday for the second time (first was the test drive before purchase). She has her own vehicle (2012 Honda Odyssey). After we finally resolved the smell issue she was looking forward to driving the car. She was impressed with the car and more importantly extremely excited that I am not dealing with this issue any longer!

 

[obermd]

Your patience and relationship with your dealership were definitely part of this solution. :goodjob:

 

[BigSkyMontana]

Your patience and relationship with your dealership were definitely part of this solution. :goodjob:

Yes, you are absolutely right! I am in the process of generating a letter to the general manager of my dealership to recognize the individuals who supported me through this process.