A/C Condenser

kthomas72 · October 13, 2017

7 hours ago, Snoringbear said:

Interesting; my ac went out back in June while towing my 6,000 lb TT from a campout down in Big Bend back to DFW. Temp was 112 down there so guessing the extreme heat stressed the ac too much and caused it to pop a leak. Had no issue with the dealer as my truck only had 32,000 miles at the time. However, it sat on the dealer lot for 32 day waiting for a condenser as they were on national back order at the time. But, I was provided a Silverado loaner to drive at no cost. So, can't complain too much. Anyway, finally got it back in july and works fine, yeaa ? !

Yeah I think its just a matter of time and not necessarily mileage. It was only about 85 degrees out as well during the fall so I don't feel ambient temp has anything to do with it. My big gripe is I spent a ton of money on a truck that I wanted to keep forever and have had nothing but failures over and over again. With my job and schedule I do not have the time and or patience to constantly keep going back to the dealership to fix a vehicle that is barely two years old.

bcbz71 · October 14, 2017

On 10/12/2017 at 11:38 PM, kthomas72 said:

Yeah I think its just a matter of time and not necessarily mileage. It was only about 85 degrees out as well during the fall so I don't feel ambient temp has anything to do with it. My big gripe is I spent a ton of money on a truck that I wanted to keep forever and have had nothing but failures over and over again. With my job and schedule I do not have the time and or patience to constantly keep going back to the dealership to fix a vehicle that is barely two years old.

I'm with you...my ownership hasn't been smooth. Original tires had flat spots, complete steering system had to be replaced, multiple recalls, and now the A/C system and battery. The only one that really bothers me is the condenser since everything else was under warranty and my dealer always gave me a loaner truck to drive. Going forward, I will continue to take care of this truck, but when it hits its 10 year birthday, I think I'm going to Toyota. No vehicles are perfect, but the boys at work driving Tundras seem to never have issues.

Spurshot · October 14, 2017

On ‎10‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 2:57 PM, bcbz71 said:

Nope, it's a sealed system and has nothing to do with the external temperature. The condenser is flawed and develops leaks over time....just a matter of time before it happens unless you have the newer ones that fixed the design flaw. Some people get 60K miles out of it, some get 100K miles, I got 38K miles.

My condenser was a 100% replacement and has the silver square area like shown up a few posts. I know they didn't patch mine, so maybe the new design is to strengthen the corner?

Flawed or not, higher temps cause the AC system pressures to dramatically go up. The condenser is on the "high side" of the system. At 113F, the pressures would be around 350 psi in the condenser, compared with around 250 psi at 85-90F. AC refrigerants are highly temperature reactive.

Edited October 14, 2017 by roaniecowpony

Snoringbear · October 15, 2017

Interesting. Thanks for the info. Although a fairly good shade tree mechanic back in the day, working on ac systems was never in my wheel house. Actually, once my timing light and dwell meter became obsolete I pretty much stopped wrenching. However, technology and old age kinda came on the scene concurrently, along with having less time (can you spell wife and three daughters, lol). Btw, although new autos have their problems their quality continues to improve every year. When I was a teenager (60's) my dad and I usually spent some time every weekend doing something to one of the family cars. Now, it's not unusual for the first 100k miles to be trouble free requiring only routine maintainence. Ok, enough ...

Spurshot · October 16, 2017

On 9/28/2017 at 7:18 AM, mattpest said:

I'm 6,000 miles away from my warranty expiring in my 2016 Silverado. I haven't had issues with my condenser, but I want them to put in a new one and take care of as many potential issues as possible before my warranty goes out. Think they'll change it?

Maybe, if you were a long time customer of that dealership or they want you to be... You might start a conversation with the salesman that sold you the truck or the sales manager

Spurshot · October 16, 2017

On ‎10‎/‎15‎/‎2017 at 6:02 AM, Snoringbear said:

Interesting. Thanks for the info. Although a fairly good shade tree mechanic back in the day, working on ac systems was never in my wheel house. Actually, once my timing light and dwell meter became obsolete I pretty much stopped wrenching. However, technology and old age kinda came on the scene concurrently, along with having less time (can you spell wife and three daughters, lol). Btw, although new autos have their problems their quality continues to improve every year. When I was a teenager (60's) my dad and I usually spent some time every weekend doing something to one of the family cars. Now, it's not unusual for the first 100k miles to be trouble free requiring only routine maintainence. Ok, enough ...

It’s interesting how we’ve all slid into complacency about vehicles being so reliable. We now not only expect nothing to fail on a new vehicle, we demand it. We also think maintenance should be easy, seldom needed, and cheap. I’m as guilty of it as anyone. It seems unrealistic if you’re knowledgeable in any mechanical product field when you think about it. Oh, and we also want every power and technology device invented to be on our vehicles. It’s no small wonder that there isn’t a list of things that don’t work every time you drive.

Edited October 21, 2017 by roaniecowpony

JDBVINO · October 16, 2017

If anyone figures out what the silver area on the replacement condensers represents please post it. it make me wonder if I received an old unit or new & improved unit.

Thanks

Blackpearl#1 · October 19, 2017

Sorry guys, I've been reading a lot here and can't find the bulletin Number? Or is there even one? My 15 GMC with a 6.2 is going in tomorrow for a few thing and want this done too. Thanks in advance.

Kris

jonesumd · October 19, 2017

4 hours ago, Blackpearl#1 said:

Sorry guys, I've been reading a lot here and can't find the bulletin Number? Or is there even one? My 15 GMC with a 6.2 is going in tomorrow for a few thing and want this done too. Thanks in advance.

Kris

No product bulletin number, no recall, no nothing. You have to wait until your condenser goes.

Zrodie21 · October 20, 2017

Add me to the list. Smh

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Blackpearl#1 · October 20, 2017

14 hours ago, jonesumd said:

No product bulletin number, no recall, no nothing. You have to wait until your condenser goes.

OK Thanks for the clarification.

Kris

jonesumd · October 20, 2017

I highly recommend complaining to your AG. This should be a recall. I don't understand how GM is getting away with this.

Snoringbear · October 20, 2017

On October 16, 2017 at 8:51 AM, roaniecowpony said:

It’s interesting how we’ve all slid into complacency about vehicles being so reliable. We now not only expect nothing to fail on a new vehicle, we demand it. We also think maintenance should be easy, seldom needed, and cheap. I’m as guilty of it as anyone. It seems unrealistic if you’re knowledgeable in any mechanical product field when you think about it. Oh, and we also want every power and technology device invent to be on out vehicles. It’s no small wonder that there isn’t a list of things that don’t work every time you drive.

Yup, you're right, expectations have gone up for sure. So, has complexity. So, when you weigh quality measured as maintainence free driving against increased options and complexity of today's autos I would say the industry measures up pretty well. Btw, I don't own any auto stock. My 2,000 shares of GM stock that I had in my 401K before GM went bust turned to dirt. Just saying ...

Spurshot · October 21, 2017

Just a point for clarity...a recall definition I found on the NHTSA website:

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What does it mean when a manufacturer initiates a safety recall involving vehicles or items of motor vehicle equipment?

A safety recall involving a motor vehicle or an item of motor vehicle equipment can be independently conducted by a manufacturer or ordered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In either case, the manufacturer must file a public report describing the safety-related defect or noncompliance with a Federal motor vehicle safety standard, the involved vehicle/equipment population, the major events that resulted in the recall determination, a description of the remedy, and a schedule for the recall. NHTSA monitors each safety recall to ensure the manufacturers provide owners safe, free, and effective remedies according to the Safety Act and Federal regulations. Manufacturers are obligated to attempt to notify owners of recalled products. For vehicles, that means manufacturers merge their own records of vehicle purchasers with current state vehicle registration information. For equipment, where state registration records do not exist, manufacturers are obligated to notify their distribution chain and known purchasers of the recalled equipment. However, even if you do not receive a notification, if your vehicle, child restraint, or other item of equipment is involved in a safety recall, the manufacturer is obligated to provide a free remedy.

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I think what some people are asking about is called a "campaign", which is an activity driven by the manufacturer's motives rather than a regulatory driven recall. I don't think a condenser issue would lead to a safety recall.

Edited October 23, 2017 by Spurshot

bcbz71 · October 22, 2017

On 10/6/2017 at 6:01 PM, bcbz71 said:

Had mine changed today after my a/c started blowing warm on the drive home from work on Tuesday 38,300 miles and 2 years 11 months after I bought the truck--no extended warranty. Dealer had condenser in stock and the service advisor said, "yeah we been changing a lot of them".

Also, my battery was dying, so I had that replaced too.

$1080 + tax to have the condenser changed (they gave me 10% off)

$175 to change the battery (again 10% off)

I had them do the #PIT5331 bracket also. They charged me the $6 for the part, but put it on for "free".

Was as pissed as all of y'all are about it, but I paid $13K less for my Sierra Z71 than I could have got a Tundra for, so I guess I'm money ahead (until the next big thing breaks).

Update: I went online and chatted about my condenser with a GM rep. Also sent an email to the CEO (Mary Barra). Got assigned a Reference # online and got a return email and phone call from Mary Barra's office. An assistant worked my case for the past 2 weeks always calling to give me an update every 48hrs. Got my final verdict this week...they offered to refund me half of the repair charge. I don't know if the amount was negotiable but I did accept the offer so GM will be sending me a check for $520. They said the battery was only warrantied for a year, so it was not considered. Assistant said each case was different and that what I read online about someone getting coverage is not really relevant to my case.

I will say that my a/c is colder than I remember it being. I was driving every day with it on LO and rarely did it ever get too cold. Now, I have to bump it up to 70 or else I get too cold....and it's still 90 here in FL.

So, I'm less pissed than when I wrote my first post. Still love this truck and think it's one of the best looking trucks out there.

Edited October 22, 2017 by bcbz71