I now am certain I used to have A/C in my 1985 Toyota Tercel

I was so stunned when the mechanic I asked to charge my A/C told me there wasn't any A/C.

I took the car to him 3 times last month to get new rotors, an axle, and a bearing.

The latter meant the car stayed there from Saturday to Monday while I came-up with the cash.

I remember previously looking for the power steering unit and seeing the compressor there under the alternator. I remember seeing the silver pipes at the firewall on the left. I remember wondering if the A/C fuse was any good. I KNOW it had an A/C. I had planned to have it charged for over a year.

I believe my mechanic stole it in the shop that weekend, probably thinking I didn't know anything about what was under the hood, and wouldn't miss it.

There was another 1985 Toyota Tercel wagon there on the lift, just like mine with different paint at the time of the theft. Just too coincidental.

What more does anyone need?

The shock was like I had to question my sanity, but I remember far too many times seeing it while I was fixing other things.

Note to room: If you ever DO take your car to the shop, TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH OF EVERYTHING UNDER THE HOOD, OR THAT HAS ANY VALUE, and let your mechanic know you've done it.

---firefly

Reply to
firefly
Loading thread data ...

This is one type of AC button

formatting link
This is from a 90-93 Tercel
formatting link
formatting link

Reply to
hachiroku

Hey Firefly, do you know how much WORK it is to completely remove a car AC unit. It's much, much more than just the AC compressor. There's all the plumbing, the evaporator coil, the condenser coil, all the wireing and controls. The condenser would be pretty easy to remove but the evaporator is inside the heater core housing and a real bitch to get to.

Your mechanic thief would spend 20 to 25 hours pulling it all out and putting the car back together not to mention the cost of a non-air conditioner heater control. At $25.00 per hour, that's more than the unit is worth. It would be cheaper for him to pick one up at a auto-salvage yard.

BTW, why don't you give us the name of the business that stole your AC? Have you called the cops yet?

In case you haven't guessed by now, I DON'T BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU'VE SAID.

Reply to
Retired VIP

Well you can eat crow now.

I found the owner's brother tonight, and he says the car was in the family for many many years, and it had a frosty A/C. He knows because he frequently got rides to the airport and it was always cold in there, blowing on him!

His brother is going to be calling.

I hesitated to believe the truth because I was shocked that this guy after working on four of my cars over the years, would now burglarize my car.

He owns the shop and he had all weekend to do it. I don't believe his partner was aware of it.

He acted so differently than all the many other times I came to pick up my car; so excited and overly happy to give me my car. He acted strange when I asked him if he fixed A/Cs. He wouldn't come to the front of the car when I opened the hood, but rather, sat in the front seat and supposedly tried to get the A/C on to see if it was working. Why would he do that, since I told him I needed to have it charged? When he finally did come to the front of the car he only looked down on the right of the engine, and then said there wasn't any A/C. Then he looked to the left of the engine to show where one was designed to go. There is now a hose sticking up that leads to the vents in the car. I doubt the factory would have done it this way.

I'm calling B.A.R. Monday to complain.

I will say this: We have a 3rd World element in America now, and they will pull the pants right off our legs where we are walking down the street. I had one of them in my living room, a neighbor in the apartment here. I went to go pee, and when I got back I saw him fiddling with the memory cards in my computer. I thought he was just making sure they were snug. After he moved out of the apartment I noticed that he had switched my $250 memory cards with cheap ones. They aren't like Americans. Be very careful.

---firefly

Reply to
firefly

"firefly" ...

I am just so completely entertained by this whole thread. Tomes

Reply to
Tomes

Have you bothered to check the VIN number to make sure your driving the right car?

Reply to
Michael Golden

Or just look at the factory invoice that lists everything the car has.

You might want to talk to your psychiatrist and mention that you are getting paranoid again, too.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

Perhaps the thing to do is to use the VIN number to get a build sheet from the manufacturer. This would be the ultimate proof IMO. Tomes

Reply to
Tomes

Toyota is not likely to have easy access to the factory accessories on a 23 year old car.

Reply to
Ray O

Ray! Parts does! They can tell me the color of my Hachiroku!

Reply to
hachiroku

Hmmm, I guess they keep the records longer than they used to!

Reply to
Ray O

I think you are "miss remembering." Maybe a mechanic would steal the compressor, or even the condenser, but I doubt he would steal the evaporator and control panel (where the "AC" button is located - do you have one?). However, if he stole the compressor and condenser, he did you a favor. For a system that old, you'd need to convert to R134 (from R12) and the new compressor, condenser, receiver drier, and hoses will be better suited to the new refrigerant. If the AC hadn't worked in years, the parts were probably junk any way. So, I'd believe you need to give your mechanic an extra $200 for removing the old obsolete parts. As soon as you figure out where the evaporator connections are located, you can hook up the new components and have AC "again."

Honestly, I don't believe your car ever had AC.

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.