Took a test drive in a wonderful 2021 Sierra SLE Crew 4x4 5.3 this afternoon (bright red, of course). This would be a replacement for my rapidly aging 2004 Silverado. The way it is loaded with options, it is literally an SLT... but it has cloth seats (making it an SLE).
When I got in it, I didn't smell anything, no cigarette smoke, no moldiness, no mustiness, no air freshener or strong cleaning solution smell... nothing at all. But about halfway through the test drive, my throat started getting raw. By the time I got it back to the dealership, I was starting to lose my voice. I do have allergies, and cigarette smoke or mold would be definitely be a trigger for me.... but I didn't smell anything in the truck. There have been times that 15 seconds inside of a vehicle is all it taken for me to walk away (mainly cigarette smoke). The only thing that I did notice was some pet hair still in the cab, what I believe was dog hair.... but there was absolutely no dog smell.
Not sure why dog hair would trigger me, because I had a dog in the house for 16 years, and no problems. The only thing that I can figure is that it was that it could be a particular breed of dog, or possibly there was a lot of dog dander in the cab. But again, no dog smell.
So that one is a real head scratcher. Of course, the salesman would really like to sell me the truck.... but how do you spend that kind of money for a truck that might make you sick every time you drive it? Salesman was going to talk to his head detailer on Monday about giving it a super thorough cleaning on the inside and whatever else might be possible, but I'm afraid that whatever it is (possibly dog hair/dog dander), it will be all through the HVAC system, and there won't be any "cleaning it up" to the point where it won't affect me. If it is dog hair/dander, it is going to be all underneath the seats and under the dash as well. And I guess it could also be mold, although I never sensed or smelled any moldiness.
Salesman did check and the service paperwork showed that the cabin air been changed with a new one.... and it clearly didn't help any.
Unfortunately, this is one that I'm likely going to have to walk away from, for the oddest of reasons. I'm scratching my head on this one.
When I got in it, I didn't smell anything, no cigarette smoke, no moldiness, no mustiness, no air freshener or strong cleaning solution smell... nothing at all. But about halfway through the test drive, my throat started getting raw. By the time I got it back to the dealership, I was starting to lose my voice. I do have allergies, and cigarette smoke or mold would be definitely be a trigger for me.... but I didn't smell anything in the truck. There have been times that 15 seconds inside of a vehicle is all it taken for me to walk away (mainly cigarette smoke). The only thing that I did notice was some pet hair still in the cab, what I believe was dog hair.... but there was absolutely no dog smell.
Not sure why dog hair would trigger me, because I had a dog in the house for 16 years, and no problems. The only thing that I can figure is that it was that it could be a particular breed of dog, or possibly there was a lot of dog dander in the cab. But again, no dog smell.
So that one is a real head scratcher. Of course, the salesman would really like to sell me the truck.... but how do you spend that kind of money for a truck that might make you sick every time you drive it? Salesman was going to talk to his head detailer on Monday about giving it a super thorough cleaning on the inside and whatever else might be possible, but I'm afraid that whatever it is (possibly dog hair/dog dander), it will be all through the HVAC system, and there won't be any "cleaning it up" to the point where it won't affect me. If it is dog hair/dander, it is going to be all underneath the seats and under the dash as well. And I guess it could also be mold, although I never sensed or smelled any moldiness.
Salesman did check and the service paperwork showed that the cabin air been changed with a new one.... and it clearly didn't help any.
Unfortunately, this is one that I'm likely going to have to walk away from, for the oddest of reasons. I'm scratching my head on this one.
