A/C shop recommendations?

[VaderTT]

Need an A/C shop to check my GF's car and the intermittent ac issue.
Anyone have a place that they like and is cheap?

We're in the Lewisville Carrolton area btw.




TIA

[shumpertdavid]

cheap?


TIA

You get what you pay for. If it's an R134a car avoid the guys that want to charge it using a set of gauges and a can tap. It's almost impossible to get the correct fill amount doing it that way. Also avoid the cans that have and stop leak in them. They won't generally stop any leaks in your car, but can stop up the solenoids in the a\c machines we use. They cost about $3500 each on average and will be junk if that stuff gets in them.

[VaderTT]

You get what you pay for. If it's an R134a car avoid the guys that want to charge it using a set of gauges and a can tap. It's almost impossible to get the correct fill amount doing it that way. Also avoid the cans that have and stop leak in them. They won't generally stop any leaks in your car, but can stop up the solenoids in the a\c machines we use. They cost about $3500 each on average and will be junk if that stuff gets in them.

She was quoted almost $1100 and was told compressor was bad, so cheaper than that.

[VaderTT]

bump for help

[shumpertdavid]

whats the vehicle, most of my average a\c job's run $650-$800 that's a premium new compressor (2 year part warranty 6 months labor), accumulator \ receiver dryer, orifice tube, a\c service, dye, and refrigerant. I've had a couple front \ rear systems that trashed the compressor and contaminated the system. They included the previous, a condenser, rear expansion valve, and flushing the lines and evaporator cores, they averaged $1150-$1350

[VaderTT]

2000 accord 2.3

[shumpertdavid]

I've heard some hondas require a complete system replacement if the compressor comes apart. Haven't seen it personally though. Like $3200+ in repairs.

[JC316]

You get what you pay for. If it's an R134a car avoid the guys that want to charge it using a set of gauges and a can tap. It's almost impossible to get the correct fill amount doing it that way. Also avoid the cans that have and stop leak in them. They won't generally stop any leaks in your car, but can stop up the solenoids in the a\c machines we use. They cost about $3500 each on average and will be junk if that stuff gets in them.

Just curious, but how are you supposed to do it then? I use the gauges and a can tap for filling my cars, never had a problem.

[shumpertdavid]

Just curious, but how are you supposed to do it then? I use the gauges and a can tap for filling my cars, never had a problem.

I use a recovery machine. The newer stuff has such small refrigerant amounts that it's too easy to over\under charge them using a can. Take a 2001 cherokee. Total system charge is 1.25 lbs. There are some cars out that hold around or just under a pound full system charge. If you get an extra 1\4 pound or 1\4 can you've just overcharged it by 25%. I've recovered systems that are 2 lb systems normally, only to find that it had close to 4 pounds in it. Guy thought the gauge readings were of and kept cramming them in trying to get them "ideal". R-134-a is about getting the pressures right, it's about getting the correct system charge. I've seen them undercharged and had high pressure and over charged and running low pressure. I recover every system, get a measurement on what was in it and put the correct charge amount back in.

[Captain Crawfish]

what you need to do is pull the lines off the compressor plug them then pull vac on the system. if it holds then yes the seals in the compressor are bad. remember vac is free refrigerant is expensive if it wont hold a vac it damn sure wont hold any refrigerant.

[Captain Crawfish]

You get what you pay for. If it's an R134a car avoid the guys that want to charge it using a set of gauges and a can tap. It's almost impossible to get the correct fill amount doing it that way. Also avoid the cans that have and stop leak in them. They won't generally stop any leaks in your car, but can stop up the solenoids in the a\c machines we use. They cost about $3500 each on average and will be junk if that stuff gets in them.

lmao @ leakstop. if its leaking then fix the leak dont put friggin goo shit in there to try to seal it geez. people will buy anything for a half ass fix

[90MarkVII]

She was quoted almost $1100 and was told compressor was bad, so cheaper than that.

Vader, it is HARD to find an honest shop.
Several years ago I needed fresh o-rings, and of course a dryer because the system would be opened.
This was my 1990 Lincoln Mark VII with about 110K miles at the time.

I hit five different A/C shops, all who did their "inspection" and then claimed my compressor was shot.
The 6th shop I went in and got an estimate on the job. They did NOT try to tell me the compressor was bad, but did convince me to switch to R134-a due to future costs of R-12.

The compressor now has 230K miles on it and just a few days ago I had them pull a vacuum and refresh the 134.

Moral to the story is waaaay too many A/C shops are outright crooks, and you really need to shop around.

[SMEGMA STENCH]

I've heard some hondas require a complete system replacement if the compressor comes apart. Haven't seen it personally though. Like $3200+ in repairs.

Most of them are . My wifes 02 accord was $2500, replace the whole mofo .

We sold that sumbitch instead

[VaderTT]

Anyone have any recommendations on a shop that won't BS us? I may just need to read up on a/c systems and do most of it myself. I've always done everything on all my cars, but ac was one of the things that I didn't bother with. I really don't want to pay over $500. If it comes down to paying more, we'll just look at a new car. She has been looking at a trailblazer ss or g8 gt.

[shumpertdavid]

I'd be more than happy to look at it, but I'm in Whitesboro.