The heat in our Tahoe stopped blowing hot on the driver's side about a couple of weeks ago.
Still blew warm on the passenger side so I knew it wasn't a heater core or coolant issue. What an age we live in, though. No sooner had we noticed that we had a heating problem than I was able to deduce, by using my iPhone, that the issue was most likely a bad actuator. A trip to our local Chevy dealer's parts counter and consultation with a friendly tech confirmed my diagnosis. Our 2006 Tahoe LT has dual climate controls up front so it needs this device to help regulate the passage of cool or warm air into the cabin dependent on the seperate dash settings for driver and passenger.
What killed me was the cost of the part; $263.56 Holy crap. The tech at the dealership told me that they sell a lot of actuators as they become problematic as they get older. Add three hours of labor at $100 an hour on top of the cost of the part and you can see how new car dealership service departments can afford to have gourmet coffee in the waiting room. The tech gave me this print out of our Tahoe's HVAC system and hit I the internet when I got home for some instructional videos. I did not buy the part from the dealership.
I don't know why there is but there are millions of videos for do-it-yourselfers on the internet. Perhaps these people just like helping out people and I think that's great. Not all of them, mind you, are created equal. I found a couple of different videos about replacing "Temperature Controls" but this gentleman at 1AAuto.com came through for me once again. His videos are the best. Over the last year he's saved me nearly $2,000 in repairs between my 2002 Monte Carlo and now my Tahoe. His videos outline everything you need to know to do what would be very expensive repairs on your car or truck and better yet, they sell the parts you need at a steep discount from the dealership prices.
How much so? How about $74.99 for this actuator the dealership wanted $260.53 for. Booyah. NAPA wanted $140 for it - less expensive than the dealership but still almost double the 1AAuto.com price. The toughest thing about this job was twisting my body, arms and hands into position to get under the dashboard. I've never thought myself fortunate for having small, delicate hands before but the more repairs I do on my cars I find myself lucky in that regard. It's also been stupid cold of late so that didn't help either.
How much so? How about $74.99 for this actuator the dealership wanted $260.53 for. Booyah. NAPA wanted $140 for it - less expensive than the dealership but still almost double the 1AAuto.com price. The toughest thing about this job was twisting my body, arms and hands into position to get under the dashboard. I've never thought myself fortunate for having small, delicate hands before but the more repairs I do on my cars I find myself lucky in that regard. It's also been stupid cold of late so that didn't help either.
Onto the next project. Whatever that may be.
You can do your own repairs to on your out of warranty car or truck and save a bunch of money. Have faith in yourself, take your time, do the research, plan ahead and remember, a tow truck is your backup. Cheers.
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