$864 reasonable cost for fixing AC?

[Viper Scot]

My AC problem has been diagnosed as resulting from a leaking section hose and a leak in the condenser. I've been quoted $864 (parts and labour) by a local Dodge dealer to fix this. This appears a bit steep to me as all that's required is a new section hose and o-ring. Any thoughts?

 

[luc]

Ask them for the parts #'s and how many hours the job take.
I can check the parts price for you but it do seems a little steep.

Luc.00GTS

 

[hemibeep]

I think the most expensive of the hoses is around $84 dollars and they come with o-rings. If it is the bottom hose, they would have go from the bottom of the car. If it is condensor, they are closer to $550. There is a source for aftermarket AC condensors that will bring the price from $550 to a whopping $215!

If they are charging you $864 for just 1 hose and replacement with recharge, that is too steep!

 

[gthomas]

Dealers will charge more than a good shop.
I worked at a shop while in high school and once they find out what is wrong, they give a prorated price (based on averages).
A condensor will take xx hours (from book) and cost xx (prorated price).
When something is going to cost more than a few hundred bucks, you're better off with a fixed price, not as-you-go.
Parts you need: hose, condensor, freon, dryer/filter.
And then, what exactly will need to be done to repair it? My dad had an '89 t-bird, and when his a/c was repaired, the whole dash had to be removed. It wasn't as simple as an older car, and cost more than your estimate.
If your car is out of warranty, find a good reputable shop.
My 2 cents, probably only worth a penny though.

 

[99 R/T 10]

On my old 96, I had my entire A/C system replaced. Cost over $2500! Thank God for the warranty

 

[Viper Scot]

Thing is that I've got a warranty but they're trying to tell me the AC's not covered. It's a dealer warranty and it's the top level you get (I can't remember the name of it). Any advice on this issue?

 

[TriJim]

$110 to fix my AC today

Timely discussion.
I had my '02 at the dealer today for an AC problem. Worked fine when it went to storage before I left for a year in Iraq, but now blows cold air to the defroster, but none from the vents.
Apparently a rodent chewed through the vacuum line to the AC control assembly while in storage. It cost $10 for the new line and $100 labor (1.5 hours). In all fairness, the dealer explained that disassembly would be required to replace the hose and provided an estimate of the labor charge.
Not sure if this helps, but thought I'd share my experience.

 

[Joseph Dell]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

TriJim - That vacuum line that you care about goes from the intake manifold (essentially) to the firewall. i replaced one the other day... same symptoms. took me about 3 minutes. maybe yours was chewed through in a different spot.

Hamish - for you, if the warrany card doesn't list AC as something covered, you are SOL. As for a real labor cost, like the other folks have said find out how many hours it will take. I replaced my high-pressure A/C hose recently and it took (with the supercharger hardware _all_ needing to move) about 6 hours. And much of that was dealing with the supercharger. Actually, i had to remove the radiator, remove the SC, loosen the Xmember...

I'd guess 4-5 hours for a dealer.

Good luck!

Joseph

 

[hemibeep]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

If anyone needs to replace their AC condensor, for aftermarket try the following:
www.acpartsnow.com
The part is identical and shows the OEM part number as a cross ref.
Cost $209 + shipping VERSUS dealer of $550 and up!
Good luck

 

[Viper Scot]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

Thanks for the info. I'll be getting back in touch with the dealer service dept tomorrow. Might just pull it out of there as I'm away for 2 weeks as of Monday and don't need it done asap.

 

[gthomas]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

Is it a dealer warranty that they give on all used cars when they sell them? Sounds like they are trying to weasel out of their obligation.
Get all the info on the 'warranty' and go over it.

 

[Viper Scot]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

The warranty was trasferred from the previous owner so I'm not too sure on it's origin. But I think it was one that he paid a bit for from the dealer, although I'm not 100% sure. It's Max Care or something? Does that make sense?

 

[Gerald Levin]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

Hammish, Is it "TotalCare" which is max coverage of the Easy Care warranty? If it is, I'm starting a new post on what they did to me (on a Dodge Ram 1500).

 

[Viper Scot]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

Yes, that's it! But you're post doesn't sound too positive...

 

[Tomer]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

Hamish, hang in there, we will work this out....The plan is the 48/48 Added Care, and there is an entire section on the AC system, which includes the compressor, clutch, coil, condenser, evaporator, drier, hoses and lines, cut-off switches, instrument panel control, etc etc and seals and gaskets for the listed components...

I think the problem must be that the dealer does not recognise that the DC warranty contract has in fact been transferred to you (since you have a new contract number, I can't understand why...)

I am having some trouble getting our HP all in one to scan, but I will work on it some more, and keep you posted...

cheers
TOmer

 

[garolittle]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

Sorry for the slight diversion, but I've always been curious about the so-called "book of labor hours" which tells the dealership how many hours to claim for a particular job. What happens when someone figures out a faster way to do things? Do they still charge the same number of hours even though the job was finished sooner? Imagine a book from the 1970's documenting how long it takes a computer to process 1 MB of data. Now imagine being charged the same rate even though today's computers are 1,000 times faster. I know the answer but I just wanted to rant a little.

 

[luc]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

Gary:

Let sat the book say that a job take 6 hours but the the tech do it in 4 hours, what happen?

1/ You the customer will pay for 6 hours
2/The dealer and the tech will share the other 2 hours,meaning the tech will get pay for 5 hours and the dealer will keep the other hour as extra profit.

A little know fact is that all cars and trucks manufacturers are so well aware that the book can usualy be beaten that,on a warranty work,since they pay for it,the time allowed by the book is LESS for the same job than on a "customer pay" book

luc 00GTS

 

[garolittle]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

...on a warranty work,since they pay for it,the time allowed by the book is LESS for the same job than on a "customer pay" book

That is what I suspected. It sounds like a giant Labor Union scheme which always penalizes the customer, kills productivity, and provides subsidies to over paid mechanics. Ok, I feel better. Let's talk about Vipers now.

 

[gthomas]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

I don't remember the name of the book, but it was to a private shop.
They test mechanics and get the average for the job. Sure, some will do it in less, and somemore.

 

[garolittle]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

I don't remember the name of the book, but it was to a private shop.
They test mechanics and get the average for the job. Sure, some will do it in less, and somemore.

Now that make sense. Improvements in productivity would be integrated into new books over time.

 

[joe117]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

A good mechanic makes his money by beating the "flatrate".

Some jobs take longer than the flatrate. I believe that the mechanics know these jobs and they are not happy when they get assigned one.
It's just like cutting their pay.

By the way,
the A/C on my 94 doesn't work. There is a leak somewhere.
I have thought about taking it to a shop.
The thing is, I keep asking myself, when would I use the A/C?

Do you guys with R/Ts use your A/C?

 

[Bonkers]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

I had a dealership try to charge me 2hrs (I can't remember the exact number so I'll just make them up) book labor on a belt replacement and 5hrs for a water pump replacement for a job that took 3hrs.

I have been quoted $1200 for my condensor and lines but I just went out and bought a $5 recharge hose and a couple of cans of R134. Takes about ten minutes each spring and the AC works right through until late August.

Eventually it has to get worse, but if you have the same problem its' a $20 fix for the entire season.

 

[got one]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

I use my AC all the time...but hell, the temp here in texas right now is 92 and with the heat index...well over a 100. You have to hate that darn humidity! So yes, needless to say, I use my AC quite often.

 

[garolittle]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

I rarely use my AC since I always drive with the top off. At 90+ degrees, the heat is bad regardless of whether I use the AC so I just leave it off.

 

[luc]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

A/C should be used for 10 minutes eveytime you drive the car,regardless of the temperature, reason being to keep the seals,o-rings,etc from drying out.

Luc. 00GTS

PS: frankly I will not care if I'm charged the book rate and the tech can do it faster,as long that the job is done 100% correctly but, the problem is that this system is an incentive to work fast and cut corners and it's why fasteners are not torqued correctly,push pin plastic retainer, wiring harness clips are broken, paint is scratched and a extra large screwdriver used as a pry bar become the #1 tool.

 

[Cal Cobra]

Re: $110 to fix my AC today

I had a dealership try to charge me 2hrs (I can't remember the exact number so I'll just make them up) book labor on a belt replacement and 5hrs for a water pump replacement for a job that took 3hrs.

I have been quoted $1200 for my condensor and lines but I just went out and bought a $5 recharge hose and a couple of cans of R134. Takes about ten minutes each spring and the AC works right through until late August.

Eventually it has to get worse, but if you have the same problem its' a $20 fix for the entire season.

I just did exactly this with this kit:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=46094&item=7978403447&rd=1

Although this is all you really need:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=34197&item=4553190845&rd=1

Cal