Auto Racing: air compressor in 97 maxima, nissan maxima, pin prick

Question
Hello, my name is maggie, and I have owned a Nissan Maxima for almost 2 years now. A few days ago, the air conditioning was no longer cold, so I took it in to a place for a freon refill. That did not solve the problem. They put in a pound and a half of a type with a dye in it, to see where it was leaking from ( I've always had some sort of leak, and no one could tell me where it was from, but oil, ect., was never low, so after 2 attempts at having it fixed, I just kept my eye on fluid levels. Anyhow, to make this long story slightly shorter, I have had my car at the same shop 3 days in a row. Now they are telling me that due to a "pin prick" hole in the compressor in front of my radiator, it will cost me 500.00 just to be able to use my a/c again! Is there nothing else I can try first? Up until 4 days ago, I had very cold air. I really don't trust the shop I went to, and am not going back. Any advise you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You,
Maggie
(P.S.) Sorry so wordy a question

Answer
Hi Maggie:

Certainly if you're uncomfortable with the shop you've been using, you should look elsewhere.  Relying on the advice of (male) friends is usually best.

I always tell people to seek out a local INDEPENDENT shop, with a good reputation.  If they advertise on TV, keep going, you'll pay a higher price for those flashy ads.  Specifically avoid Sears, Goodyear stores, Midas, and Firestone. Since car repairs cause some dirt and grease,a lot of places aren't that attractive to ladies. The shop you select should be swept, clean and orderly, and the mechanics neatly dressed, but expect a little dirt here and there.

Now to your problem. There are three major components to your air conditioner.  The compressor, which is driven by the motor, and is under the hood or your car, the condensor which is in front of the radiator, and the evaporator (where the cold air comes from) which is under your dashboard. If any of the three leaks freon, the a/c will quit working. Sadly, each of them is quite expensive to replace.

It sounds as though the diagnosis you got was right, a condensor leak would be hard to find, and would gradually get worse until it was found. Sadly the $500 price you were quoted was probably accurate. I happen to drive a similar Maxima, and looking at the condensor coil and thinking of replacing it makes me shudder.  It's NOT an easy job, nor a pleasant one. However I do encourage you to shop around. Some shops have found better prices for replacement parts, others may charge a few dollars less for their labor.

Beware of taking the absolute lowest price though. That's usually a mistake. It's important to know that until that leak is corrected, they may not know of others - - the cost can get higher as you go. Nissan though, makes very high quality cars, and a complete system failure would be highly unlikely.

I wish you the best of luck !!  Since I live in south central Florida I can easily sympathize with your need for an air conditioner that works !!!

Thanks for writing.

Dan Liddy
Sarasota, Florida