My shop just quoted me ~$900 to have this fixed on my 93 Intgera…are refurbished ones as expensive?
Here’s the quote:
Compressor with new clutch $425
retrofit kit $75
Flush & refill (labor $100/hr) $175
Replace compressor (labor $100/hr) $150
R134a (2) $23 each $46
AC-OIL $15
Parts $561
labor $325
[QUOTE=azzurribaggio;2036975]My shop just quoted me ~$900 to have this fixed on my 93 Intgera…are refurbished ones as expensive?
Here’s the quote:
Compressor with new clutch $425
retrofit kit $75
Flush & refill (labor $100/hr) $175
Replace compressor (labor $100/hr) $150
R134a (2) $23 each $46
AC-OIL $15
Parts $561
labor $325[/QUOTE]
HAHAHHAHA. dang. thats expensive. if anything i suggest u find a good known working a/c compressor for the da, get a retrofit kit (it might have a receiver/dryer with it already). if it doesn’t get one. also replace all the o-rings (a/c o-rings only). then just pay for the a/c oil and have them vacuum the system and check vacuum, and then recharge it as long as it holds vacuum.
retrofit kit is an average of $60. i got mine for like $8 cuz all i bought were the fittings (my high side fitting is super ghetto cuz it has a 90 degree extension on it cuz i was sent the wrong fitting so i just went and made it work). changing the receiver/dryer and the o rings for everything u can do urself, just lube them with a/c oil. most likely pag 100 or pag 150 for the a/c oil. drain the good a/c compressor, then add about 2-3 ounces of a/c oil, put the compressor in, tighten up all the lines or whatever. then put the new r-134 fittings… then have the shop pull vacuum, for at least 15-30min, the longer the better cuz it’ll boil off all the contaminants in the system. check to make sure it holds vacuum for at least 10min. and if it isn’t leaking then go for it and have it charged.
it takes about 2lbs of r-134 or like 2 lbs 1 once or something.
[QUOTE=Squeezethis;2036991]HAHAHHAHA. dang. thats expensive. if anything i suggest u find a good known working a/c compressor for the da, get a retrofit kit (it might have a receiver/dryer with it already). if it doesn’t get one. also replace all the o-rings (a/c o-rings only). then just pay for the a/c oil and have them vacuum the system and check vacuum, and then recharge it as long as it holds vacuum.
retrofit kit is an average of $60. i got mine for like $8 cuz all i bought were the fittings (my high side fitting is super ghetto cuz it has a 90 degree extension on it cuz i was sent the wrong fitting so i just went and made it work). changing the receiver/dryer and the o rings for everything u can do urself, just lube them with a/c oil. most likely pag 100 or pag 150 for the a/c oil. drain the good a/c compressor, then add about 2-3 ounces of a/c oil, put the compressor in, tighten up all the lines or whatever. then put the new r-134 fittings… then have the shop pull vacuum, for at least 15-30min, the longer the better cuz it’ll boil off all the contaminants in the system. check to make sure it holds vacuum for at least 10min. and if it isn’t leaking then go for it and have it charged.
it takes about 2lbs of r-134 or like 2 lbs 1 once or something.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the info, but what is the retrofit kit? I’m guessing the newer A/C chargers out there have a different input to charge the systems? And mine is an older one?
retrofit kit is basically a kit that allows u to use r-134. r-12 is what we ran back then but its freaking expensive nowadays. like $35-50 a pound. r-134 which is slightly better for the environment runs like $4-8 pound i think. i don’t really know the exact prices cuz i get mine for free. so yeah. but without the r-134 kit u’d have to use r-12 cuz all the r-134 machines and vehicles have 1 type of r-134 adapter for the high side and a diff for the low side. basically the connecter end is all the same throughout all vehicles with r-134. and with r-134 u can’t mix up the high or the low side, unlike with r-12.
in short… its cheaper, better for the environment (in a sense), and its easier to come by.
[QUOTE=Squeezethis;2036998]retrofit kit is basically a kit that allows u to use r-134. r-12 is what we ran back then but its freaking expensive nowadays. like $35-50 a pound. r-134 which is slightly better for the environment runs like $4-8 pound i think. i don’t really know the exact prices cuz i get mine for free. so yeah. but without the r-134 kit u’d have to use r-12 cuz all the r-134 machines and vehicles have 1 type of r-134 adapter for the high side and a diff for the low side. basically the connecter end is all the same throughout all vehicles with r-134. and with r-134 u can’t mix up the high or the low side, unlike with r-12.
in short… its cheaper, better for the environment (in a sense), and its easier to come by.[/QUOTE]
+1 ^^^
i got the fittings form NAPA auto parts. i think for both cost me like $15
depending on how long the system has not been used, i would also replace the dryer. i got the o-ring kit from autozone for under $10. i also got the gasket that fits the a/c compressor and top plate(where the inlet/outlet hoses attach to the compressor) and i got the oil from autozone under $10
[QUOTE=mantegra;2037085]+1 ^^^
i got the fittings form NAPA auto parts. i think for both cost me like $15
depending on how long the system has not been used, i would also replace the dryer. i got the o-ring kit from autozone for under $10. i also got the gasket that fits the a/c compressor and top plate(where the inlet/outlet hoses attach to the compressor) and i got the oil from autozone under $10[/QUOTE]
yup. is very cheap compared to what others sell as a kit, when u don’t really need all of that.
So do most people agree I can probably get a better deal to fix this somewhere else? I’ve never done any A/C repairs so I’m not sure if I’m capable of it.
I’ve done the normal oil change/tune-up (replace spark plugs, dist rotor & cap)/did the front passenger water leak under the hood cowl repair. And that’s about it, so I dunno where this falls within the DIY scale.
The estimate kinda shocked me cause that’s almost half of what the car is worth in reality.
[QUOTE=azzurribaggio;2037153]So do most people agree I can probably get a better deal to fix this somewhere else? I’ve never done any A/C repairs so I’m not sure if I’m capable of it.
I’ve done the normal oil change/tune-up (replace spark plugs, dist rotor & cap)/did the front passenger water leak under the hood cowl repair. And that’s about it, so I dunno where this falls within the DIY scale.
The estimate kinda shocked me cause that’s almost half of what the car is worth in reality.[/QUOTE]
lol. yes. if u get a repair manual or something that will further increase what u can handle and what u can attempt to do. replacing o-rings and stuff is extremely easy. just take off fittings, take off the old o-ring, and put the new one (usually green in color). its all fairly simple and much common sense is used.
just call back and get an estimate of how much it would be to vacuum the system, check to make sure it holds vacuum and to recharge it with r-134. that should be dramatically cheaper.
[QUOTE=Squeezethis;2037158]lol. yes. if u get a repair manual or something that will further increase what u can handle and what u can attempt to do. replacing o-rings and stuff is extremely easy. just take off fittings, take off the old o-ring, and put the new one (usually green in color). its all fairly simple and much common sense is used.
just call back and get an estimate of how much it would be to vacuum the system, check to make sure it holds vacuum and to recharge it with r-134. that should be dramatically cheaper.[/QUOTE]
What about the compressor replacement? Is that a tough job? The shop that quoted me states roughly 3 hours worth of time?
lol 3 hours? to unbolt 4 small 10mm or 12mm head bolts? no way man. disconnect the 2 lines that go into the compressor, then unbolt it (4 bolts), if u need some help ask for some when removing it, like tie a strap to it then unbolt it while someone holds the strap. but honestly its not hard. just use a rachet and socket.
once u get the old one out… get a BEAKER. or a measuring cup (same thing)… and measure how much oil drains out of it. (to drain just turn it upside down to let the oil come out of one of the holes. then put the same amount of a/c oil into it. if the things is totally dry… or has less than 2 oz of oil, then just go ahead and put 2 oz of a/c oil into the new that is going in. throw it back in, bolt it down, torque is somewhere like 20ft lbs i think. or u can just gauge it by hand. install the lines that u disconnected into it BUT MAKE SURE U REPLACE THE O-RINGS THAT ARE ON IT. tighten up those bolts that hold the lines into the compressor, and that part is done. shouldn’t take more than 30min to R&R it.
[QUOTE=azzurribaggio;2036975]My shop just quoted me ~$900 to have this fixed on my 93 Intgera…are refurbished ones as expensive?
Here’s the quote:
Compressor with new clutch $425
retrofit kit $75
Flush & refill (labor $100/hr) $175
Replace compressor (labor $100/hr) $150
R134a (2) $23 each $46
AC-OIL $15
Parts $561
labor $325[/QUOTE]
there fucking u. the labor rate for the comp replacement includes the complete ac service it says to had .5 to a 2 hour job so it should be 2.5hrs.
100 bucks an hour lol
find a new shop
The per-hour estimate does seem high, but it will vary regionally. Get some quotes from other shops in your area to compare.
They’re quoting 1.5 hours to replace the compressor, not 3. 3.25 hours for the entire job, including the flush, is actually pretty reasonable.
Flushing the system is important. The reason there is a “retrofit kit” is because the oils used in R12 and R134a are not compatible, and simply putting the system under vacuum will not remove all the old mineral oil. So what they’re quoting you is the cost of opening up and flushing every single connection. This is something you can do yourself with mineral spirits and compressed air, but it requires quite a bit of disassembly.
An R12 receiver/drier is also not compatible with R134a and needs to be changed.
You can save a lot of money (but not necessarily time) by doing the majority of the labour yourself. Find a rebuilt compressor that is pre-filled with R134a-compatible oil, disassemble and flush the condenser, lines, and evaporator, replace all o-rings with new ones of the proper type, replace the receiver/drier, and install the R134a fittings. Then take it in to have it leak-tested and recharged. I had a leak test and recharge done for about $125 Canadian.
Of course, if the system is still charged at this time, the first thing you should do is take it in to a shop and have the R12 recovered.
oh oops. regarding the older oil. considering some da’s haven’t had ac in it for a long ass time. but yes purging ur system is a good idea to pull out any left refrigerant or oil within the system. vacuuming the system will help burn off moisture and contaminants. flushing the system is only done on the condensor, evaporator, lines. the receiver/dryer can’t be flushed and is usually included in the retrofit kit. there are some controversy regarding the a/c dryer… i know about the desiccant (not sure on spelling)… and that if its an r-12 unit, and an r-134 receiver/dryer should be used. but from noticing it… i do not see a difference in a receiver/dryer that is for an r-12 unit (like originally for our da) and a r-134 one. so i just went ahead and used a replacement receiver dryer that was new. no issues for me yet, and from doing a performance test, my central vents get to about 35 degrees, and the outer ones get at about 38 degrees. i’ve rarely ever used it but i installed it back in just in case if my kid ever gotta ride in my car or if i gotta go on a long trip with others in my car.
You can save a lot of money (but not necessarily time) by doing the majority of the labour yourself. Find a rebuilt compressor that is pre-filled with R134a-compatible oil, disassemble and flush the condenser, lines, and evaporator, replace all o-rings with new ones of the proper type, replace the receiver/drier, and install the R134a fittings. Then take it in to have it leak-tested and recharged. I had a leak test and recharge done for about $125 Canadian.
Of course, if the system is still charged at this time, the first thing you should do is take it in to a shop and have the R12 recovered.[/QUOTE]
According to what I’ve read, the R134a oil will degrade the dessicant bag inside a drier intended for R12.
yes that is what i read and learned too. but speaking to an instructor and a guy that also worked in the automotive a/c field most of his life… it won’t hurt. and really tho… do they sell r-134 receiver/dryers for our vehicle? cuz i’ve seen the one that comes with the retrofit kit… and i know i can’t see the desiccant but it doesn’t look much different from the oem one. i’d like to know for future references of when i gotta service my a/c again.
Well took the car to my dad’s mechanic who is also good at A/C work (he’s just a lot farther from where I live so it’s a pain to bring my car there). He called today and said the compressor is bad. He said $600 to replace and get everything up and running.
While I was there he noticed my power steering line leaking all over the belts on the right side of the engine, which explains why my power steering reservoir is low and why my steering makes noise when I take on/off ramps on the highway. A new power steering line is $175, $200 labor to replace.
So all in all I’ll still be paying ~$950’s but I’ll get two things fixed…man I hope this will be it for repairs for a few years…
[QUOTE=azzurribaggio;2038163]Well took the car to my dad’s mechanic who is also good at A/C work (he’s just a lot farther from where I live so it’s a pain to bring my car there). He called today and said the compressor is bad. He said $600 to replace and get everything up and running.
While I was there he noticed my power steering line leaking all over the belts on the right side of the engine, which explains why my power steering reservoir is low and why my steering makes noise when I take on/off ramps on the highway. A new power steering line is $175, $200 labor to replace.
So all in all I’ll still be paying ~$950’s but I’ll get two things fixed…man I hope this will be it for repairs for a few years…:([/QUOTE]
too bad u can’t just do it yourself =/
I just don’t have time to do these repairs anymore, wish I did though.
i understand man. but wow thats a lot of money.
Fixed…it’s nice to have an A/C especially today where it’s frickin scorching!
For the record, the A/C fix cost ~$600 out the door.