QuestionI've had two ac belts break in two days and when ruling out the tensioner the mechanic said it appears to be the air compressor going out. He quoted $700 to replace it but I didn't know if that was out of line or not. The ac is not blowing cold air but I thought that was due to the belt breaking. He did replace the belt yesterday but it started whining and broke on the way home from work later that night. Is this price out of line for a 1997 Toyota Corolla (182,000 miles) AC replacement? I checked with a couple of folks here who've had the same repair and this is still less than what they told me, their repairs were $1000.
Answerwell, if the thing was whining, I'm thinkin' thats the compressor dying out. As far as it costing 700 bucks for to replace it... well...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/92-97-TOYOTA-COROLLA-CELICA-PRIZM-A-C-COMPRESSOR_...
This is the compressor on sale on Ebay (Used, I didn't really look at shipping costs or the sellers feedback rating) but it's well under a 100 bucks. Now, the labor... If you can't do it and your mechanic is ASE certified in A/C then, he's the man you should go to. Plus, his work should be warrantied.
A new compressors goes for alot more
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-A-C-Compressor-1993-1997-Geo-Prizm-Toyota-Cor...
If you are getting 700 bucks that includes warrantied work, NEW parts, refilled refrigerant (Seeing as you CAN'T remove that part without empting the refrigerant) and labor, the I feel it's a good buy. Check around and get an estimate to see if you can get the job done for less though. As well, after you get the service done you have the right to ask for all the old parts removed from the car (tell him before he does the repairs you'd like the parts). They are your parts from your car. As well, to make sure he changes it, mark your compressor with something... Spray paint a bit with something like a red spray or black nail polish or something that way if its still marked when you get it back, then that part was not replaced...
BUT, make sure you read and understand what it is your a getting. 700 for a new part? 700 for a rebuilt part? 700 for you fixing my old one? Does it come with a warranty? What else are you replacing? Belts?
It's good to know EXACTLY what you got for you 700 bucks. I hope he also doesn't pull that.. "Ohhh.. (I'm typing non-existant parts) It seems that the return 02 measuring diagnostic port isn't reading the LC9 connector on the regulatoion evaporator ozone dehumidifier system so I need to fix that too". If it sounds like he's fishin' for more money, stop him. You can check his reputation via BBBOnline (Better Business Bureau, not sure what their addy online is). If the mechanic does pull one over on you, work something out with him FIRST, if that fails, send a complaint to the BBB.
Hope this ALL helps! Sorry for it being long, I'm just not big on mechanics after I saw how they almost robbed another user who wrote to me. It's amazing what they want to charge for stuff but I understand that they don't run a charity but rather a business and business means... M-O-N-E-Y.
-David D.
