XJS air cond. repair question

My father, at age 76, decided that my Mom needed a 91 XJS....that's it's own story.

Anyway the one he bought now needs the A/C evporator replaced. He was quoted $2500 (US) material and labor...is that out of line for this car?

Thanks!

Ron

Reply to
ron.dame
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That evaporator does have a very impressive list price of $1020.00. I would sell it for around $300.00 wholesale. I do not know what the labor time is to install it is. Most any repair shop should be able to give you the book time.

R. Scott McKernon Store Manager Olympic Auto Parts

9136 Gaither Rd Gaithersburg, MD 20874 1-800-472-9360 snipped-for-privacy@covad.net
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Reply to
Scott McKernon

Replacing the evaporator on an XJS is about the worst job anyone could ever face. The price quoted isn't all that surprising. The work involves the removal of the entire fascia / dashboard and, moreover, it's replacement afterwards. Make sure they put everything back as they found it, or you could subsequently have problems elsewhere.

But check first that the diagnosis is honest and correct. It's such an expensive job that there must be an incentive for garages to say the evaporator needs replacement, even if the car really just needs a new hose or sensor.

Regards George

Reply to
George Bray

An experienced mechanic, doing his second or third XJ-S evaporator replacement this year (probably 15 total), took 10 actual hours to disassemble and reassemble the entire front dash last week.

"The first thing I do is take out the front seats," he once told me.

Flat rate a lot more than 10 hours.

It's even worse on the 70s XJ-Ss like mine. Oh well....

However, as Bray said above, other causes are worth investigating. I'd make sure every other hose was replaced first ... it's a lot cheaper. And you may a flush of the system, etc. in order to convert to a newer freon. It is a standard GM compressor so they aren't expensive in the states.

If, after everything else, it still won't hold pressure, then the evaporator must be replaced. And even then, the new hoses etc. that you put on the system will increase the longevity of the system.

If they want to replace the evaporator first off, make them show you why they are sure that's the problem.

Reply to
bill

Dad found someone else, who happens to own several Jags...he found an o ring on the compressor was bad. This guy is guessing that the prior A/C guy couldn't find anything, and was guessing at the evap. Thanks for everyone's advise. 1 1/2 weeks after repair, it is still holding a full charge, and cooling well.

Reply to
ron.dame

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