Re: Valvoline air conditioning service?

"Service" sounds like a fixed charge for doing minimal inspection and possibly cleaning of your system. This might include easy stuff like blowing dust out of the evaporator or condenser, maybe even a belt tension check. If the mechanic is good, he might diagnose your actual problem during the base service. Then, you will have to pay extra to get the real problem fixed. Talk to them about what all is included. A leak is likely.

Earle

Purge and refill of the system is one of the big ones. I have been charged $50 a pound for refrigerant, which is one reason I decided to get my own AC tools and do the work myself. Of course your system will be empty and they will need to sell you all new refrigerant. ;o) You can determine before hand how many pounds of refrigerant are required to fill your system. There should be a sticker under the hood with this information. Labor is roughly $50 to $100 an hour, depending on your local area. O-rings are a typical source of leaks. These are real cheap and probably five to ten minutes to replace, each. If there is a "big leak" such as the compressor seals or a cracked evaporator or condenser, look to pay a lot more. Sorry I couldn't be more definite, but there are a lot of uncertainties involved in this business.

Earle

'Usually', it is just a loose fitting. You can get a special bubble solution or use soapy water on a brush to sometimes see the larger ones, for smaller ones they can add a dye to the AC fluid that will leave a stain where the leak is.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Pete wrote:

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Wow, where are you guys paying this much for A/C service? My friend does A/C service in his shop and charges $40 to recharge a system plus $5 a pound for R134. He does the dye check automatically with any recharge. I know the dealers charge a fortune for A/C service, but if you find an independent mechanic they are usually much cheaper, especially to convert the R12 systems to R134. Most of his R134 conversions are done for well under $300. It does pay to shop around.

Chris

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That's why I go to independents now, or do the work myself. ;o)

Penske in Durango, CO. Their air conditioning service sucks. The Chevy dealer in Fort Collins, CO couldn't find the leak in my Suburban's rear air. When I finally decided to take the cover off myself, there was oil dripping from the joint...

Earle

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