Evaporator replacement

[Freakinoldguy]

A quick question. First off I've got a 2015 GMC Sierra SLE 4x4 with 40K on it. But since it's getting older I've had to replace a few of the "wearable" parts despite it's low K's . So while doing some research on the location of some of the more failure prone parts, I came upon a strange fact. Apparently GM thought it'd be a great idea to put the AC evaporator inside the dash, thereby requiring a complete dash removal to replace it.

So the question I have is, has anyone had to replace their evaporator and if so did they discover an easier and less costly way of getting at it because paying thousands of dollars to a repair shop to change out what is essentially a $100.00 part is utter insanity? And yes I could do the repair myself but at 70 years of age I don't have the inclination to spend my time on fixing another insane decision by some auto designer who is likely related to the same twit who designed the Chevy Monza engine compartment. So, the reason I ask is because at one time it was recommended to dismantle the front clip to change out the headlight bulbs but someone found a much easier and saner way to access them that didn't require hours of work and the removal of half the body panels.

Thanks in advance

FOG.

 

[Smokin' Denali]

No mechanic here but........a condensation generating item under dash?? Sounds fishy to me. Double check!!

 

[Freakinoldguy]

No mechanic here but........a condensation generating item under dash?? Sounds fishy to me. Double check!!

I was hoping like hell it was just an urban myth but it isn't. If it was just the Condensor that might present an issue it'd be fine since it's fairly easily accessed but from everything I can find the evaporator is located in the Dash along with the heater core and the entire dash has to be removed to access either one.. What really scares me is that there's a class action lawsuit against GM for the AC system which means that it's almost inevitable that it'll fail at some point in the future and unless I can do it myself it'll cost a ton of money because the dash has to be removed.

GM and GMC Air Conditioning Failure Class Action

GM and GMC Air Conditioning Failure Class Action Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against GM Over AC Failures On January 31, 2018, Lieff Cabraser and co-counsel filed a consumer fraud class action lawsuit against General Motors Company in Tennessee federal court on behalf of all persons who...

www.lieffcabraser.com

Here's where I first ran across this issue and if you watch the video because at min 2.29 Scotty Kilmer says as plain as day that the "evaporator" is in the dash.

Oddly enough there's no english video's of anyone replacing the evaporator but I did find one in Taglog. It's not for a Sierra but it's a Suburban and they have basically the same dash.

So ack to my original question. Has anyone found a quicker less labour intensive way to replace the evaporator in the dash? Maybe it's time to wander over to the Toyota Dealer and be done with GMC's little quirks that cost a fortune to fix. LOL