technol

Im so disapointed i just bought this car for $8500.. I'm 16 and i paid for it with hard earned money i worked for and saved for 2 years..


I went to goodyear and got my oil changed and they did a ac system check and refilled the refridgerant...
Total= $62.22 ( this was fine..)

Then they show me another paper.. (i almost died when i saw this one...)

Compressor (leaking) $586.94
Evaporator (leaking) $344
Drier $44.54
Expansion Valve $86.19
Pag Oil $12.95
Evac and Recharge $105
R134 Freon $37.50
Labor $495

TOTAL:
$1712.08

They also said i needed

Upper rad hose $12.01
Lower rad hose $14.55
t stat $13.12
t stat gasket $4.78
clamps $3.00
coolant $12.95
labor $187 ( sounds like a job i could do my self, that $187 is a total rip off! or am i wrong? )

TOTAL:
$247.91

At the bottom they also said i needed but didnt price

Timing Belt
Tranny Service..


Im not giving them anymore of my money.. Feedback Anyone?

fc3s7

First off, your car came STOCK with R134A. That's the new environmentally friendly stuff that's dirt cheap.

Since it's a tire shop, they're gonna charge you for EVERYTHING they can think of - that list they gave you has pretty much every component in an AC system. Unless the compressor totally blew up and threw metal shavings through the whole system, you don't need to replace everything.

Labor on the coolant job is a big ripoff - taking my time, a coolant flush/fill takes like an hour. And that's all stuff you can easily do yourself. You also don't need new clamps - if the stock spring clamps are still on the car, use those. They last a LONG time (pretty much forever) and are WAY better than screw clamps for coolant hose seals.

I'd find a good AC shop and have them give the system a diagnosis. Most times the freon has leaked out. If everything needs to be replaced, they better have a good explanation. Never trust a tire shop to give you an estimate on work - they usually just want to replace everything and maximize profit. Back before I learned to work on cars I got burned by Firestone pretty bad.

Good thing is it's wintertime - you don't really need the AC for a few more months .

Might want to learn how to do it yourself - AC systems are actually pretty darn easy. Getting to the parts of the system might be tricky if you need to replace components, but the principle isn't hard.

Dale

technol

Thanks alot, Dale

technol

Thanks for the reply, Dale

I had it refilled, and that did not fix the problem, Do you have any information on flushing the ac system and were i can learn more about ac's? I really would like to do what i can myself, for the knowledge, I'm also not sure about the cost of possible tools i would need to use in the process..

Jeff

MadMaxSC400

Use the search function on the forums, 90% of the time a process you want to do has been done & documented by someone on the forum.

fc3s7

Here's a good site with some info -

http://www.ackits.com/

I haven't really delved into Lexus AC's yet, but here's a nickel tour.

AC system parts:
Compressor - attached to engine and belt driven, compresses freon.
Condensor - Aluminum "radiator" in front of the engine radiator. Cools compressed freon down.
Expansion valve - under the dash in the evaporator. Compressed freon goes from high to low pressure, making it super cold. This is basically an orifice.
Evaporator - radiator-looking device in a box under the dash. The cold freon travels through the evaporator, and air from the blower fan goes over the evaporator, getting cooled on the way through.
Receiver/dryer - small "can" on one of the AC lines. Has dessicant in it to absorb moisture.

First, and hardest, is finding the problem. Do some reading and understanding of AC systems - they're actually pretty basic. You don't need a lot of tools to do the work - usually a manifold set and a vacuum pump, maybe some sort of leak detector, is all you need.

You've got the whole winter to figure it out - start researchin'!

Dale

VVT-i

technol, I will go to Lexus dealer and get second opinion before I do all the recommendation from Goodyears.

darden

yeah, i think so as well. derfinitely get a second opinion.

also if your timing belt needs to be replaced, you should get that done ASAP. having a timing belt break on you will screw your engine big time.

teamgoon

AH! You beat me to it...lol.