2015 BMW X5: Strong chemical odor surfaces in the mornings

[cfm56d7b]

The vehicle has only 34K miles.

Overview. Leaving the vehicle overnight. In the mornings, a very strong chemical odor (refrigerant?) is present. Once the car is ventilated, only a faint trace remains as the cooled air flows through the AC vents.

My mechanic inspected the engine - no leaks. He suspects the problem could be a faulty AC evaporator.

Diagnostics will start next week.

Did anyone experience a similar issue?

[bmwx5er]

Could be a leaking evaporator. Was fairly common in early LCI E70s, especially ones from humid areas. Unfortunately, very expensive fix, as the entire dash needs to come off to access the evaporator (about 20 hrs in labor).

[cfm56d7b]

Originally Posted by bmwx5er

Could be a leaking evaporator. Was fairly common in early LCI E70s, especially ones from humid areas. Unfortunately, very expensive fix, as the entire dash needs to come off to access the evaporator (about 20 hrs in labor).

Wow. 20 hours in labor.

I will update this thread next week with findings and next steps.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

Wow. 20 hours in labor.

I will update this thread next week with findings and next steps.

Please do! Many thanks.

[cfm56d7b]

Sharing an update.

Faulty AC evaporator turned out to be the root cause.

Parts to be replaced: AC Evaporator Core, Expansion Valve, AC O-Ring Kit.

Total cost with parts and labor - $4K.

Apparently AC evaporator on F15 models can fail early regardless of mileage.

[tlow98]

Thanks for the update, but certainly sorry to hear that

[bmwx5er]

Sorry to hear!