reasonable cost to charge air conditioner

IMHO:

Ever since the CFC bans, the word 'reasonable' has been banned.

Most stations by use offer a 'ac checkup' for a fee, before they even evaluate whether you need a charge, which will be an addional fee, plus materal costs.

Might want to evaluate weither you want your cool AC needs work before it will cost you some cold cash.

Myself if I didn't do it myself, I would check with coworkers that are certified to handle refrigerants, and get their rate. Or check with a local trade school if they need volunteer cars for 'checkups'.

good luck,

tom @

I had a local who has done work for me say probably less than $150 to remove old (freon?) and replace with new (non-freon?). From what I am hearing this may be acceptable.

Air conditioning on older cars can be expensive due to refrigerant regulations. But, if you are looking for a simple evacuation/vacuum/recharge service, you could expect to pay around an hour of labor plus about $40 - $50 for each can of refrigerant (R-12) that is required for your specific vehicle. Your car probably needs between two and three 12oz cans, average $80/hour for labor (depends where you live), your bill may be over $200 bucks. Just a figure off the top of my head. Sounds like its not critical, so spend some time shopping around and see what you get.

If the car has already been converted to R134-A, you should be able to get it properly re-charged for under $100. If you want it to get like ice, the system will have to be evacuated and re-charged.

Before any work is done take a look at the condenser, radiator and fan for any reduction to air flow. It is real common for leaves and junk to be hiding in the space between the condenser and the radiator so look closely.

If everything looks good then get in the car and turn only the fan on so you can hear and feel that the fan and controls seem to be working. If that's fine its most likely either slightly low on charge or been converted.

If you find out that you still have a working R-12 system then get out the phone book and find a shop that has R-12. It will be cheaper than converting and defiantly work better. But if the system had to be opened up for any big repairs it would be time to convert it.

Good Luck Dan

good idea .