Hvac experts 2009 Denali

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lost1wing

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Quick question for anyone that knows. How is the evaporator accessed on a 2009 Denali? Shop only charged 8 hours but had to remove the running boards to do it. It doesn't sound right. Only 8 hours, I'm thinking maybe my father-in-law only had evaporator lines replaced. Parts bill was $1700. Total bill was $3600. Cadillac dealer did the work . I thought $1700 for parts was high. $2000. for 8 hours of work sounds like dealership rates. I kind of thought an Evaporator would take more time.
 

petethepug

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If it’s the rear evap for the rear a/c it’s a hell of a job. Think one compressor, and then two of everything else for both the front & rear a/c.

Imagine refrigerant evac, filter / dryer replacements, keeping system contaminant free, remove / replace leaking lines from up front to back, through flooring back to rear a/c, verify no leaks, reassemble, recharge, re initialize controls, update software in modules.

That’s all if no other issues are found AND he was lucky enough to find some to do the job and find the parts. It’s a 1 year only 09 Denali without AFM / cylinder deactivation and a motor & chassis good for 300k+ miles.

If he got a warranty and it was as done right 1st time. He did good. It’s an 8-$10k job on a Land Rover.

I have the 09 Caddy version of that truck and coming up on 200k mi. I’d absolutely do the same. We have e85 for $1.97 here in SoCal so fill ups are under $60 on that 6.2L. That’s pretty nice considering a (single motor) cybertruck is 30-$60 to recharge with same range
 
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lost1wing

lost1wing

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If it’s the rear evap for the rear a/c it’s a hell of a job. Think one compressor, and then two of everything else for both the front & rear a/c.

Imagine refrigerant evac, filter / dryer replacements, keeping system contaminant free, remove / replace leaking lines from up front to back, through flooring back to rear a/c, verify no leaks, reassemble, recharge, re initialize controls, update software in modules.

That’s all if no other issues are found AND he was lucky enough to find some to do the job and find the parts. It’s a 1 year only 09 Denali without AFM / cylinder deactivation and a motor & chassis good for 300k+ miles.

If he got a warranty and it was as done right 1st time. He did good. It’s an 8-$10k job on a Land Rover.

I have the 09 Caddy version of that truck and coming up on 200k mi. I’d absolutely do the same. We have e85 for $1.97 here in SoCal so fill ups are under $60 on that 6.2L. That’s pretty nice considering a (single motor) cybertruck is 30-$60 to recharge with same range
Thanks for the reply. The truck is at about 50k miles. Unfortunately it is a northern vehicle in the salt zone. Not a dent on it, but the cancer is going to win on this one. It has some lifter noise that I pointed out. My father-in-law can't hear it and that same dealer gave him a quote of $8k to repair that.

I believe he had the front evaporator replaced. Is it accessed from under the dash or under the hood.
 

PG01

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Quick question for anyone that knows. How is the evaporator accessed on a 2009 Denali? Shop only charged 8 hours but had to remove the running boards to do it. It doesn't sound right. Only 8 hours, I'm thinking maybe my father-in-law only had evaporator lines replaced. Parts bill was $1700. Total bill was $3600. Cadillac dealer did the work . I thought $1700 for parts was high. $2000. for 8 hours of work sounds like dealership rates. I kind of thought an Evaporator would take more time.
You can look under and see if the running board was removed on the passenger side. If its as rusty as you say you will be able to tell. And yes the lines run from the passenger side engine compartment down along the frame rail right where the running board bolts to and they are prone rotting and get hit with everything the front tire kicks up… salt, rocks etc and then they run right up into the passenger rear corner of the truck and those lines there get the kick up of the rear wheel. That line set from front to rear is pricey from gm and i think they still manufacture it if not they may have used an aftermarket set and charged gm pricing?
Check to see if it looks new under hood and you will be able to see if they pulled the rear panel inside passenger compartment apart if they replaced anything in the rear but i believe those lines can be disconnected from under the truck. Take a look.
 
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lost1wing

lost1wing

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You can look under and see if the running board was removed on the passenger side. If its as rusty as you say you will be able to tell. And yes the lines run from the passenger side engine compartment down along the frame rail right where the running board bolts to and they are prone rotting and get hit with everything the front tire kicks up… salt, rocks etc and then they run right up into the passenger rear corner of the truck and those lines there get the kick up of the rear wheel. That line set from front to rear is pricey from gm and i think they still manufacture it if not they may have used an aftermarket set and charged gm pricing?
Check to see if it looks new under hood and you will be able to see if they pulled the rear panel inside passenger compartment apart if they replaced anything in the rear but i believe those lines can be disconnected from under the truck. Take a look.

I will take a look. Thank you.
 

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