[Dale&Bonnie Hall]

Do the 2018 ct5 have the same a/c chemical smell as the 2017??? Dimmitt Cadillac after several trips to service my 2017xt5 is not repairable the chemical smell burns our eyes and is not toleratable the a/c was completely replaced under the warranty we were greatful $7k warranty item but the chemical smell is back worse then before. Today the dealer we Stated the car is not repairable and they are trying to sell us an 2018 with more features for $11k plus my car they are giving us $22k for my car and want $11 k more - how is that fair the dealer was not honest about this new deal offering me their 2018 for my car plus $13,500 then haggled down to my car plus &11k -I don’t feel they should profit off this situation since they fully admitted all of the employees smelled the chemical smell and had to get out of the car - burning their eyes - that smell is awful and sometimes makes me dizzy!! Confused and feeling taken advantage of by the GM of Dimmitt

 

[AAIIIC]

Where are you located? Does your state have a Lemon Law of some sort? If there's an acknowledged problem that they can't fix, then it seems like you would qualify for a Lemon Law replacement, but they way that works varies from state to state.

 

[Byrdman]

Where are you located? Does your state have a Lemon Law of some sort? If there's an acknowledged problem that they can't fix, then it seems like you would qualify for a Lemon Law replacement, but they way that works varies from state to state.

From his IP address, he seems to be on the Gulf coast of Florida near St. Pete.

 

[Dale&Bonnie Hall]

Where are you located? Does your state have a Lemon Law of some sort? If there's an acknowledged problem that they can't fix, then it seems like you would qualify for a Lemon Law replacement, but they way that works varies from state to state.

Florida and yes we will look into that today thank you

 

[rudeney]

I doubt a MY2017 would be covered under Florida's Lemon Law:

Florida Attorney General - How The Florida Lemon Law Works

Official website of the Florida Attorney General.

myfloridalegal.com

It's only for 24 months from the date of delivery (original new-car purchase date). It's "possible" that a new MY2017 was purchased new in the last 24 months, but not very likely.

 

[Dale&Bonnie Hall]

Where are you located? Does your state have a Lemon Law of some sort? If there's an acknowledged problem that they can't fix, then it seems like you would qualify for a Lemon Law replacement, but they way that works varies from state to state.

I need to know since we r the second owner of the vehicle certified by Cadillac of Lemon law applies in FL

 

[Dale&Bonnie Hall]

Update:today was productive opened a case with GM. They are listening, also spoke to Tom Hardeman GM of Dimmitt Cadillac Clearwater FL. He listened and looked into our case with his service team, they think it is an organic smell ( I disagreed) he asked if we had pets I was honest and said yes a dog - he asked if the dogs had been In The car? I said yes once to vet but we recently got the dog the chemical smell was in for service twice before we even got the dog - Mr Hardeman stated they are going to deep clean the interior and the a/c it has not been done before on this car and it should be ready tomorrow. I disagreed that it will resolve the issue but agreed to try. My husband called Mr Hardeman as well because he believed this deep clean to be a waste of time -Mr Hardeman told my husband they only replaced the evaporator on the car not the entire a-c my husband questioned the cost was $7k for just an evaporator?? We were not told the truth service stated they replaced the entire a/c system. More to follow tomorrow when I pick up my car.

 

[FTSS]

I was merely 'on the side' and listening to what sounded like 'a lot more to this than what the dealer is letting on' kinda thing. The part about the initial "the whole AC system replaced for warranty $7k" and now progressing to "we just replaced the evaporator (but for the same $7k ?????)" tells me to sit back and get the popcorn out. Best luck keeping up with their latest story(ies). Document everything eh.

For reference, mold can cause the chemical burning smell and irritant to nose and eyes as you described before, and the first hit searching basic keywords netted this:

AC Moldy Smell

I have a 2017 XT5 that I love everything about, except for the awful smell that comes out of the AC during warmer months. I've taken it in to the dealership and had it cleaned a couple of times. They tell me to run the AC in the fresh air mode (non recycle) but the Automatic function defaults to...

www.cadillacforums.com

Extra demerits for the dealer attempting to blame your dog for a condition where clearly, "You're not the first one" with this issue. Deep cleaning carpet sounds like their cheapest out compared to ripping the dash apart for all the places where mold may have taken (permanent) root on whatever substrates will support it under there.

 

[Dale&Bonnie Hall]

I doubt a MY2017 would be covered under Florida's Lemon Law:

Florida Attorney General - How The Florida Lemon Law Works

Official website of the Florida Attorney General.

myfloridalegal.com

It's only for 24 months from the date of delivery (original new-car purchase date). It's "possible" that a new MY2017 was purchased new in the last 24 months, but not very likely.

Thank you for the info

 

[njacobsen]

Along with the "deep clean", have the dealer enable "After-Blow". That is a function built into all GM cars which must be activated by the dealer. It will run the HVAC fan several times after the vehicle is shut down to completely dry the evaporator. It will not get rid of existing mole, but will prevent creation of new mold.

 

[Dale&Bonnie Hall]

I was merely 'on the side' and listening to what sounded like 'a lot more to this than what the dealer is letting on' kinda thing. The part about the initial "the whole AC system replaced for warranty $7k" and now progressing to "we just replaced the evaporator (but for the same $7k ?????)" tells me to sit back and get the popcorn out. Best luck keeping up with their latest story(ies). Document everything eh.

For reference, mold can cause the chemical burning smell and irritant to nose and eyes as you described before, and the first hit searching basic keywords netted this:

AC Moldy Smell

I have a 2017 XT5 that I love everything about, except for the awful smell that comes out of the AC during warmer months. I've taken it in to the dealership and had it cleaned a couple of times. They tell me to run the AC in the fresh air mode (non recycle) but the Automatic function defaults to...

www.cadillacforums.com

Extra demerits for the dealer attempting to blame your dog for a condition where clearly, "You're not the first one" with this issue. Deep cleaning carpet sounds like their cheapest out compared to ripping the dash apart for all the places where mold may have taken (permanent) root on whatever substrates will support it under there.

Popcorn popped! Ty for taking time out to read this! Yes the GM Mr Hardeman stated he never heard the 2017 issues with a/c my husband told him to look at his used cars all 2017 perhaps there is a problem also told him to research online as we did! The car was in for this issue to long before we rescued the dog but I was so frazzled they came up with deep clean I did not think to say that. I will remember to say it tomorrow! I pray our claim with GM will hold merit and a possible resolution because I’m almost certain this deep clean is NOT GOING TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE! Rant over thanks for listening!

 

[Dale&Bonnie Hall]

Along with the "deep clean", have the dealer enable "After-Blow". That is a function built into all GM cars which must be activated by the dealer. It will run the HVAC fan several times after the vehicle is shut down to completely dry the evaporator. It will not get rid of existing mole, but will prevent creation of new mold.

Very helpful ty

 

[Notstar]

Does it smell like fingernail polish remover? If so, in all likelihood it is a refrigerant leak, which definitely should be fixable.

 

[C&C]

Without smelling the fumes you describe it sure sounds like a mold problem (especially that the car is in high humidity environment). I'm assuming that the deep clean will involve an injection of a systemic mold killing foam which will usually be sufficient for rectification of this type problem. I've used a product made for this very problem on my older '04 Bravada (brand name: Kool-It) residing in the Charleston, S.C. area (also very humid climate). Hoping you have a complete resolution to your problem; it sounds as you are now getting the attention you deserve. I wouldn't take offense to the dog question; they seem to just be trying to find or eliminate a cause. And thinking outside the box (a little), sometimes a rodent takes residence in a ventilation system and pees, deficates and or dies causing odors and an environment for mold.

 

[Excalibur]

Not sure if the '17 XT5 is the same as my '19 XTS, but mine has an A/C desiccant that takes care of any moisture build up that would cause mold (I don't know how mold would cause a chemical smell though). It is supposed to last 7 years and then be replaced. Maybe yours was missed being put in during production, or somehow is not working as it should? Sometimes a chemical smell can happen from engine paint being burnt off on new cars, though I think it should have already been burnt off a '17...were any new painted parts recently put on the engine?

 

[Submariner409]

Dale & Bonnie, the symptoms you describe are very similar to my wife's "allergy" experience in her parents' home - mold and mildew in the Celotex wall linings. She was miserable for years, on steroids, and it finally cleared up - totally - when she moved into her own condo then in with me.

GM/Cadillac has a cleaning procedure that involves a mildew/mold killer sprayed into the HVAC stack intake ducting. I saw it discussed in the Seville/Eldorado forums years ago.

Yes, ask the servicing dealer to enable afterblow. When you shut down the A/C evaporator and all downstream ducting is cold and wet. Afterblow runs the blower for a few minutes after shutdown in order to dry the system ducting and coils.

cadillac forums seville mildew spray - Google Search

 

[Maximumkk]

I would also suggest checking the cabin air filter. It may be trapping some noxious debris. Use caution as to not drop anything lodged on top of the filter down below when pulling it out. Insert a piece of cardboard below the filter, then pull the filter. Any large debris on top will fall onto cardboard.

Max

 

[Dale&Bonnie Hall]

Does it smell like fingernail polish remover? If so, in all likelihood it is a refrigerant leak, which definitely should be fixable.

No it does not smell like nail polish remover but it is not an Oder like dirt or stinky it is a chemical smell that blows in ur face the car does not smell when u go to get in it or if ur just sitting in it Only smells with ac running and it comes and goes - drive for an hour with ac on it may do it 3 times for 10-15 minutes the rest of the time the ac smells fine while driving it is frequent but intermittent sometimes ac smells fine while it is running then for a time period it burns ur eyes then stops for awhile then comes back but it occurs daily

I would also suggest checking the cabin air filter. It may be trapping some noxious debris. Use caution as to not drop anything lodged on top of the filter down below when pulling it out. Insert a piece of cardboard below the filter, then pull the filter. Any large debris on top will fall onto cardboard.

Max

Dealer has done this since I owned the car 3 times but ty 👍😊

 

[njacobsen]

Today the dealer we Stated the car is not repairable and they are trying to sell us an 2018 with more features for $11k plus my car they are giving us $22k for my car and want $11 k more - how is that fair the dealer was not honest about this new deal offering me their 2018 for my car plus $13,500 then haggled down to my car plus &11k -I don’t feel they should profit off this situation

What is the difference in MSRP between your 2017 and the 2018? The deal may not be that bad is the features are significant enough and you are going up one model year. What is the difference in miles on the two cars? You did haggle them down by $2,500 so they are willing to give up a significant amount of their profit.

 

[Notstar]

No it does not smell like nail polish remover

Dang. Would be so simple.

I experienced this recently. At first I called it a "chemical smell," and it never would have occurred to me to associate it with an A/C leak. I thought it might be something someone used to clean the interior. Then I happened to read about an A/C leak smelling like nail polish remover (which is acetone), and I sniffed some acetone I have, and while not exactly the same, it was pretty close. And sure enough, some 250 miles later the Climate Control system complained about low refrigerant pressure and turned the compressor off. In other words, I was smelling the refrigerant leak away until none or very little was left. The smell seemed to come and go, but I smelled it at least two or three times every time I drove, much like you describe. It was stronger at first and then got weaker over the miles.