Jeep: A/C problem Jeep Liberty 2002, jeep liberty, service writer

Question
Hi:
The a/c went out on our 2002 Jeep Liberty a few months ago. (Prior to this the #1 & #2 blower stopped working.)  We took the car to the dealer last week.  Had the blower fixed & supposedly had the a/c fixed.  The Service Dept claims they detected no leak with dye, added freon & ran the a/c for 30 minutes afterward to make sure it was working properly.  We picked the car up (to the tune of $600 -- not covered under warranty).  The a/c doesn't work!  It was on for approximately 40 minutes & the outside air was cooler.  Today I ran it for an hour & it simply does not work.
I called the Service Dept back.  They asked if I had the correct settings on!!?????  I know how to work my a/c & that isn't the problem.
We're to take it back next week & I've lost confidence in this place.  Any ideas or words of wisdom?  The car only has 45,000 miles on it.  We're kind of frustrated at this point.

Thanks for any help!

Answer
Hi Mrs M.,

First, I empathize with your frustration. It's even worse when the dealer somehow believes, right off the bat, that the customer is at fault. Sure, often times they have to remind customers that the first three settings (only) on the mode control is A/C, but they should never lead off with that -- it's very condescending. However, the frustration is often because of one person, normally the Service Writer, that somehow lacks the common courtesy that should be their primary tool. Unfortunately, the charm is only turned on to sell work.

Anyways, although I understand losing confidence, give them a shot at righting a wrong. I would ask to speak to the Service Director, and calmly explain your point of view. He/she needs to understand your frustration, and get the car repaired properly -- after the Service Director (or Manager, unless that's what they call the Writers) gets involved, things normally move at a fervent pace. $600 is a lot of cash, and I seriously hope that the repairs were more than you outlined above (service work, other repairs, etc.). If not, then maybe your lack of confidence is justified.

On a technical side, was the dye installed at this service? If not, then was it leak checked with an electronic leak detector first? The two techniques are different, with the dye being detected by a black light, and the other method just checking for refrigerant leaking, actively, with a special detection tool. The tool is (arguably) good for gross leak detection, and the dye being better at smaller leaks. Sometimes, however, the dye method takes a while to find the hole (it's physically transported through the closed A/C refrigerant system by PAG oil), so the customer occasionally has to return at a later date for a complete diagnosis. However, the small amount of time between the repair and the repeat failure leads me to believe one of two things:

1. the detection was misdiagnosed, or never completed fully
2. the leak is in the evaporator, which is the only part of the refrigeration system hidden from view, and thus, difficult to detect.

Sadly, most times it's the first one, since most techs are in a hurry to beat the clock and get to the next job (they aren't paid hourly, but by flat-rate, which is a fixed time per job). In recent years, the second has grown in regularity, and is often the case.

Regardless, the shop needs to make good by their service. The term 'customer service' seems to have lost all meaning these days, but some shops do exhibit it -- they just need constant reminders. Like a lot of things in life... give 'em an inch, and they'll take the whole tape measure. Be very wary of any additional charges -- there *will* be some, possibly -- since they'll tell you that the leak wasn't detected the first time, and if it was, the charge of an actual original repair would have been more anyways. Fair enough, but what about your additional time, and the fact that nobody prepared you for a possible return? When we let vehicles go that we didn't find an A/C leak, we told them outright about the eventual return and extra cost. From here, it's all about how much they value you as a customer, particularly a returning customer. As the saying goes, you get more bees with honey than vinegar, so calmly approaching the department head with your concerns is the best course of action. Be firm, yet understanding, and they *should* bend over backward to help resolve this issue.

Good luck!