[drumsdaddy]

• I'm getting a faint odor of anti-freeze coming from the dash vents in my '05 Escape. More prevalent with heat but now starting with A/C. No signs of anti-freeze on the floor mat or carpet and no signs of any on the garage floor. No signs of oily film on windshield either. My worst fear is the heater core. Haven't performed a pressure check to date. Anyone replaced a heater core? Also, where is the cabin filter located if there is one on this beast?

Thanks in advance.

[drumsdaddy]

I decided to take the '05 Escape to a repair place and let a friend make the repairs. Sure enough the core was bad. Over 7 hours to make the repair due to the fact you had to pull the dash and center counsel. Something that would take me at least 1.5 days taking my time. I'm not the fastest turtle in the race. $705 later and I'm back on the road.
To the engineers who designed this fiasco....you have never had a wrench in your hand your whole life have you?

[Poppy]

Yeah... you'd think that they would design cars so that they are easier to work on. That would make repair costs less, and increase the value in the used car market, thereby making new cars more desireable.