New Van Fills With Smoke and Makes Me Sick
I knew it was too good of a deal to be true. I knew there had to be something fundamentally wrong with this vehicle I bought. This morning, my unnamed friend who has a valid drivers license was driving me to work, and the inside of the vehicle started filling up with noxious smoke! It made me feel sick all day. Something is fundamentally wrong with the heater/defrost system.
Here’s the letter I sent to my salesman and the owner of the dealership where I bought it just two days ago. We’ll see what kind of response I get.
_________________________
Hey Scott,
Wanted to remind you that you said you’d call me on Saturday to let me know about the part price for that back gate latch that was missing on the Pontiac you sold me Friday. Didn’t get that call. I know Saturdays can be busy, but I would be still be interested if you guys can help me get that fixed.
Of greater concern, I was driving on the freeway my new purchase from your dealership today when the cab of the van started filling up with smoke/steam.
Whoah! Needless to say, I was a little freaked out. I got off the freeway and the smoke stopped filling in, and it seemed to be driving okay. All day after this incident, I felt nauseaous, sick to my stomach. I know the vehicle was sold as-is with no warrantee, but I hope you guys didn’t sell me something that will make me sick if I use it as was intended to be sold. That falls into selling a dangerous product territory that legally goes beyond any automotive warrantee thing.
Talked to a couple of friends today and they think the problem is with the heating core. On the way home, I left the heater/defrost system off and it was okay. I turned it on momentarily, and a really bad smell started filling the cab. I still have a headache from the fumes that filled my van.
Look, I spent every dime of my disposible income on that cash purchase of the car. You told me that your mechanics had checked out the vehicle and no major problems showed up. I’m hoping you guys will step up and take a look at what’s wrong with the heating core for me for free. If there are parts involved that I gotta buy, I can deal with that. If it’s just a matter of a hose that’s come loose or worn out, I don’t have the cash to pay a 3rd party mechanic to diagnose & fix that otherwise minor problem for me. I can’t drive something that makes me sick.
You said your dealership would have normally have just passed this vehicle off to a smaller lot due to its age and value. Well, with that choice, I think the reputation and resources of a big group like Chuck Olson Kia/Chevy comes with the purchase and you will help me out with this vehicle you sold me.
Best Regards,
Joko
Yep, it is the heater core, Joko.
Been there , done that, a few times.
Problem is, if you don’t get it fixed soon, not only will you continuously get fogged over windows from the humidity it expels (even with the heater/defrost off), but it will also sooner or later start to leak water to your floorboard.
Depending on how much casing is around it…changing a heater core involves removing quite a bit of the underdash and lots of screws. (its a pain). Sorry to hear of your misfortune.
Howdy Joko
Ya poor bugger!
Sorry to hear that…
Radiator fluid is extremely poisonous. Ethylene Glycol
Really hoping they do the right thing by you.
You have an unnamed friend? Poor bastard! How the hell did he manage to get a driver’s licence? 😛
Joe.
Well… they’ve agreed to let me return the car and give me my money back…
I suppose that is for the best.
I’m just the kind of idiot who would drive a car around that was slowly poisoning me.
Time to get the bicycle back out…
🙁
I drove a truck without a heater for about 6 years because of this exact same thing. We used some PVC and some clamps to bypass the core and take the heater completely out of the loop. Luckily, we don’t have especially harsh winters down here. 15 degrees is about our lowest.
The trick to driving without a heater in the winter is keeping your vehicle’s internal temp cold enough to keep the windshield from fogging up. Generally this means driving with your window down partially to allow the cold air to circulate freely within the vehicle. It helps to bundle yourself up in a blanket while driving.
yippie!! more awesome tricycle stories!!!! (trying to be positive here ok?) 😉