Why Are Air Conditioning Repairs On Cars So Expensive?
I have a 1999 Cougar and got estimates from $650-1500 for replacing the compressor. What's up with that? Here I thought all I needed was a $10 can of refrigerant. It's a 4 hour job.
Answer:
On your cougar it's expensive as most places where mechanics go to for parts charge them $300 for that compressor easy.. Usually it's places that also don't give grief if the part fails whille on the car... That's why you normally won't see mechanincs at autozone and the such for except for name brand parts. I don't know the quality of the reman that is on ebay but with a 100% feedback rating, I'd say it must be initally real good (no feedback ratings if the part craps out in 6 months though.. but that's about the price you pay at the zone and such for that part) The a/c compressor on yours needs to have the fan and sometimes the radiator to be pulled out to change the compressor. that's why the 4 hour quote (and unlike the others I've done one of these little nightmares and that's what I wound up having to take out because of the long a/c bolts that hold it in place.) Depending upon what is wrong, the mechanics may also want to change other parts that were destoyed by the compressor blowing up internally and putting dirt and shavings in the system that has to be flushed/changed to be removed. the labor prices that everyone is complainng about are just normal prices for an expert these days.. don't see too many complain when the $300 bill for the plummer or home a/c tech comes... (sorry been a mechaninc for years and have that question all the time) that doesn't sound right. Your car is not old so the hoses don't need replacement. If the compressor is bad, you should go on Ebay and look for a compressor for your car. I just provided a link for a compressor that cost only $125 with $13 shipping. Check it out! I tend to work on my own cars so I never pay for labor which is where you spend all your money. If you goto a dealer you will pay the highest price possible because the dealers simply have way to much overhead cost. Independent auto repair shops with AAA membership tend to be cheaper and more honest. Ofcourse not every one is. My dad was a mechanic for nearly 50 years and always charged a fair price. Auto mechanics usually go by the recommended amount in a price book that is generally known to all mechanics. What one mechanic can do in 15 minutes could take another 2 days but the cost is the same either way. Another option is to look for neighbors who work on cars. You can ask them to install the compressor and i'm sure they would for alot less. I've done it. Others will too.