Automotive AC Repair Frustration

[HawkeyeNFO]

Why not rent a car? Let Hertz's car get all the miles, you don't have to buy a new car, and you'll be nice and cool. Depending on the road trip, maybe rent a convertible!

 

[Kings over Queens]

It just turned into too much work for something that we consider a luxury anyway. We've never had a fully working AC in any of our cars and managed just fine.

Well, there is your answer.

No point beating up the AC issue anymore. Tell us about the trip.

 

[Golden Mean]

It just turned into too much work for something that we consider a luxury anyway. We've never had a fully working AC in any of our cars and managed just fine.

Regardless of the outcome of getting it purged (or just letting it leak out), you'll need a vacuum pump to pull a vacuum on the system when you are done replacing parts (and to check for leaks). I have rented vacuum pumps from Autozone in the past. Price was reasonable. You'll also need gauges. No need to buy or rent a big expensive AC charging machine.

 

[mountainsoft]

Maybe buy an electric vaccum pump and some gages?
This should empower you to do much of your own AC work.
I have worked on many vehicles over the years as well as at least 4 residential AC central air systems.

This YouTube site has lots of good information that I used when I started working on the residential systems AC Service Tech LLC

-gauss

I might tackle this in the future when I have more time, but right now it's not a big priority.

I ran into similar issues with the residential AC industry a couple years ago when our mini-split ran low on refrigerant. I called a few places around town to have it inspected and recharged, but none of the shops wanted to touch the DIY Mr Cool brand. Funny since all of these systems are basically identical from all manufacturers.

I eventually tracked it down to a slowly leaking schrader valve. Apparently this is common on these systems. I bought a specialized tool that was supposed to allow me to replace the valve in place without leaking any refrigerant. I was able to unscrew the valve successfully, but it wouldn't pass into the tool for replacement. After numerous attempts I gave up and screwed the original valve back in place. I bought a small recharge kit to add more refrigerant, and ordered new caps with a seal inside the cap. The new cap sealed up any leak coming from the valve, and the system has worked fine for well over a year now.

 

[aja8888]

I've done a fair amount of automotive A/c work on my cars. Sorry to hear about the issues.

1. Rent a vac pump,
2. You can buy a gauge set at Harbor Freight for ~ $80.
3. Get refrigerant at a parts store by the can.
4. Replace leaking components.
5. Make sure you have the correct compressor oil (some come with it).
6. Pull vac, let it sit for 30 minutes.
7. If no leak down, charge the system.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I made a few hour long drive's on hot sunny days and it didn't even begin to cool the car down inside (even with recirculation on). It doesn't really matter what the vent temp is, what matters is if the car cools down. Otherwise it's useless.

Measuring the temperature of the air coming out of the vents is THE test to see if your AC is working. (What else is there?) If the air coming out of the vents is 45 degrees and your car is not cooling down after hours of driving then there is something else going on.

 

[homestead]

I might tackle this in the future when I have more time, but right now it's not a big priority.

I ran into similar issues with the residential AC industry a couple years ago when our mini-split ran low on refrigerant. I called a few places around town to have it inspected and recharged, but none of the shops wanted to touch the DIY Mr Cool brand. Funny since all of these systems are basically identical from all manufacturers.

I eventually tracked it down to a slowly leaking schrader valve. Apparently this is common on these systems. I bought a specialized tool that was supposed to allow me to replace the valve in place without leaking any refrigerant. I was able to unscrew the valve successfully, but it wouldn't pass into the tool for replacement. After numerous attempts I gave up and screwed the original valve back in place. I bought a small recharge kit to add more refrigerant, and ordered new caps with a seal inside the cap. The new cap sealed up any leak coming from the valve, and the system has worked fine for well over a year now.

One of my MrCool units had low refrigerant after 7 years of trouble free use. Also suspected the schrader valve but couldn't localize the exact location of the leak. Looked at the caps and there was no seal from the factory so I just installed O-rings on both of the caps and recharged with more refrigerant with sealant and dye. It has been working fine all winter so far.

 

[jazz4cash]

I haven ‘t read all the posts. For a 2000 VW Jetta have you checked any online owner forums? You might find someone local with experience and maybe even licensed if it’s R12. Harbor Freight has AC vacuum pump for $100.

 

[COcheesehead]

Why not rent a car? Let Hertz's car get all the miles, you don't have to buy a new car, and you'll be nice and cool. Depending on the road trip, maybe rent a convertible!

Read post #20

 

[mountainsoft]

I've done a fair amount of automotive A/c work on my cars. Sorry to hear about the issues.

1. Rent a vac pump,
2. You can buy a gauge set at Harbor Freight for ~ $80.
3. Get refrigerant at a parts store by the can.
4. Replace leaking components.
5. Make sure you have the correct compressor oil (some come with it).
6. Pull vac, let it sit for 30 minutes.
7. If no leak down, charge the system.

Recovering the old refrigerant is my bigger issue. I'm not crazy about venting it it into the air, though I'm sure many do (and it will happen if there's a leak).

As for the refrigerant cans, those have been banned here in Washington state. I haven't seen them in stores for at least a couple years now. I might be able to get some across the border in Oregon, or order them online, but recharges aren't that expensive (~$225 or so).

In any case, I returned the parts I purchased and am abandoning the AC for now. I've spent way too much time and stress on this.

 

[mountainsoft]

Measuring the temperature of the air coming out of the vents is THE test to see if your AC is working. (What else is there?) If the air coming out of the vents is 45 degrees and your car is not cooling down after hours of driving then there is something else going on.

When I get the chance I'll have to find a thermometer to test it. I just went by what the shop said, I don't know if that was accurate. I didn't notice any significant change after an hour of driving, but maybe that wasn't long enough.

 

[mountainsoft]

Read post #20

I did a quick check again today to see what renting a car would cost. Mid size sedan, plus insurance, for three weeks came to roughly $2100. Sounds about the same as fixing my AC. Or, save the $2100 and roll down my windows...

 

[aja8888]

I did a quick check again today to see what renting a car would cost. Mid size sedan, plus insurance, for three weeks came to roughly $2100. Sounds about the same as fixing my AC. Or, save the $2100 and roll down my windows...

FWIW, the last two compressors I changed out were made in China and each lasted less than a year. Be careful if you go the fix it route.

 

[COcheesehead]

I did a quick check again today to see what renting a car would cost. Mid size sedan, plus insurance, for three weeks came to roughly $2100. Sounds about the same as fixing my AC. Or, save the $2100 and roll down my windows...

I have gotten to the point in my life where A/C in my car in summer is a given. Everyone needs to make their own decisions, but this one seems extreme to me.

 

[zangbao]

I had an old Land Cruiser where I had to get the AC fixed twice and I paid a total of $5K. The LC is 20 years old now and is still going strong. I gave it to my sister a few years ago and she camps with it everywhere in the west. She says the money I put into the truck was worth it. lol.

 

[Koolau]

I've driven old junk cars in my youth. As I get older, I don't drive junk anymore.

If you buy a $1,900 car, I would not expect much to work.

My advice: Go buy a new car. Get to put the first 30k miles on it yourself.

Heh, heh, at the rate I'm putting miles on my car, that would put me at age 86.

 

[mountainsoft]

FWIW, the last two compressors I changed out were made in China and each lasted less than a year. Be careful if you go the fix it route.

Is there anything that is NOT made in China these days?

Most parts I buy for my Jetta come from Mexico or China. The only parts problems I have had are ones I buy from Autozone. I don't know where they get their stuff, but they tend to fail quickly.

 

[Kings over Queens]

I did a quick check again today to see what renting a car would cost. Mid size sedan, plus insurance, for three weeks came to roughly $2100. Sounds about the same as fixing my AC. Or, save the $2100 and roll down my windows...

yes, but then you'd have a nice new car to enjoy on your trip, one that is reliable, and one where the head liner isn't falling among other issues your 25 year old car has, plus air conditioning.

 

[Koolau]

yes, but then you'd have a nice new car to enjoy on your trip, one that is reliable, and one where the head liner isn't falling among other issues your 25 year old car has, plus air conditioning.

The least reliable car I ever owned was brand new. BUT your point is well taken. They're usually reliable or at least under warranty.

 

[wrigley]

We're planning a road trip this summer, so I thought it would be nice to get the AC working in my car. It hasn't worked since I bought the car 8 years ago, so I had no idea what was wrong with it. I had a local mom and pop shop check it out. They replaced a pressure switch and recharged the system for about $250. Everything seems to work, but unfortunately it's not enough to cool the car down even on a sunny 60 degree day.

I contacted them again about replacing the compressor, drier, and expansion valve. No response. Two other attempts also when unanswered. I'm not sure why, I enjoyed working with them for the initial recharge. Small town shop, friendly, and close to home. Nothing but crickets now...

So, I tried contacting a few other places in town. Again, no answer on the phone, and no response to emails. How do these people stay in business? I finally got an estimate back from one place in town, $2300! Ouch. That's more than paid for the car ($1900). Another company responded today at $2100. Crazy. Obviously, I'm not going to spend that kind of money on a 25 year old car when we may only use AC 3-4 times a year here in Washington state.

I've always done my own car work anyway, so I figured I would just order the parts and do it myself. I had no problem finding an OEM quality compressor and drier for $240 total and had them in hand 4 days later. I still needed to order the expansion valve (~$30) and some O-rings, but total parts would be less than $400. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a shop anywhere in town that would evacuate the refrigerant for me so I could do the work. One shop said they could do it, but when I arrived for the appointment they said they don't work on VW's? I called a shop specializing in VW's and they don't do AC work? Grrr... So frustrating. I mean even the local drive up oil change place will evacuate and recharge AC systems, but they wouldn't do the evac by itself.

So now I have a brand new AC compressor that I'm returning back to the supplier tomorrow. If I can't get the system evacuated, I can't do anything with it. It's not a job I wanted to do in the first place, but it's not that difficult. Remove the serpentine belt, two bolts to get the alternator out of the way, disconnect the AC lines, and three bolts to remove the compressor. I watched several YouTube videos showing how it's done. Couldn't take more than two hours tops. I don't know where they're coming up with a $800-1000 labor charge, or $1000 for parts I paid $240 for. Quite the markup. Unfortunately, they have the industry locked down. I can't afford their prices, and they make it impossible to do the work myself.

Sadly, I have spent 3+ weeks stressing about this, often keeping me up at night. It feels so defeating. The only option I have is to return the parts I have and do without AC in my car. I guess I'm no worse off than I have been the last eight years...

You were upset after spending $250 that it wouldn't cool the car down on a 60 degree day, but you didn't worry about it for 8 years?

 

[Koolau]

You were upset after spending $250 that it wouldn't cool the car down on a 60 degree day, but you didn't worry about it for 8 years?

Heh, heh, I'm just spit-balling here, but maybe it was the waste of $250??

 

[mountainsoft]

You were upset after spending $250 that it wouldn't cool the car down on a 60 degree day, but you didn't worry about it for 8 years?

Maybe you missed we live in Washington state. Air conditioning isn't needed here most of the time. The only reason I wanted to get the AC working was for our road trip later this summer. Otherwise I wouldn't bother (obviously after 8 years).

We drove about an hour out of town today to visit family. It was a bit over 70 degrees so I gave the AC a test on our drive. It takes a while, but it was able to cool the car down to a comfortable level. Not cold by any means, but better than a hot car with windows up. Whether it would keep up on a 90+ degree day I don't know.

Of course, just as I was giving up on having work done, I received a more realistic quote today from a shop that specializes in VW's in Portland. $626 for parts, $468 labor, for a total of $1130 and a two year warranty. That is certainly more inline with what I was thinking and would be worth the investment.

On the other hand, if my AC is working "good enough", there may not be any reason to splurge on the replacements. We're heading to eastern Oregon this weekend and it's supposed to be in the 80's. So that should allow me to better decide if I want to opt for the replacement parts, or stay with what I have now.

 

[mountainsoft]

Heh, heh, I'm just spit-balling here, but maybe it was the waste of $250??

Nope, I don't see the $250 as a waste at all. They found the leaking pressure switch, verified there were no other leaks in the system, recharged, and got everything running again. Money well spent.

 

[Koolau]

Nope, I don't see the $250 as a waste at all. They found the leaking pressure switch, verified there were no other leaks in the system, recharged, and got everything running again. Money well spent.

Yeah, that's the problem with "spit-balling." Sorry about that.

 

[Golden Mean]

...

On the other hand, if my AC is working "good enough", there may not be any reason to splurge on the replacements. We're heading to eastern Oregon this weekend and it's supposed to be in the 80's. So that should allow me to better decide if I want to opt for the replacement parts, or stay with what I have now.

My experience with failing AC is a) it'll work harder and harder and get worse quickly. b) The more load you put on it (hotter air) the worse the system will perform. For example I had a system that worked quite well until the outside temp hit 85+, then it did almost no cooling. As temps rise, the system pressure rises, and if the compressor's seals are the issue, it'll be almost useless when it's hot out.