jskinnyh

Hey guys my ac recently went. I got the car in November from bernardi Acura in Boston. It has 75000. I brought it in there and they said I need the ac compressor clutch set and cool set (no condenser?) and quoted me at $1600 which didn't seem bad. I decided to check with a couple other place and the first one quoted me at $590 for parts and labor. This seems too low, my uncle said he can do it for $8-900. I'll probably have him do it, but $590 is pretty tempting. It's Honda king in Boston, has anyone had anything done there? Did they do a good job?

bulterier

Been there, done that.
Speaking as someone who just repaired their own 2004 Acura TSX A/C and it is working great, here is some advice.
1st- you need to know if your A/C system has the "black death" meaning that the insides of your compressor disintegrated and send all kinds of little black pieces through your A/C system to include going in to the condensor and evaporator. If this is so, then you must replace your compressor, expansion valve, evaporator, condensor, and drier and your AC lines must be flushed! You can tell by looking in the site glass and see if you see shards of particles, or by taking the lines off you can see the above evidence.

I purchased a new compressor, drier, condensor, o rings and expansion valve and with the cost of r134 the price was $375.00. I though this was a good price. The kit also includes flush fluid to clean your lines. I supplied to labor. This gives you an idea of how much they are charging you for labor. If this is a dealer price, that is almost unbelieveably a super deal! Or perhaps they only see the need to replace the compressor- about $160.00.

The $8-9 hundred dollar sounds more realistic because changing the expansion valve (located behind the firewall under the console) is a real BEAR! Then you also have to clean or replace the evaporator as well. This price would allow $4 to 5 hundred for labor and it is well worth it if it involves replacing the expansion valve as well.

Good luck!

jskinnyh

thanks for the information, where is the site glass and where did you get the kit from?

jskinnyh

also, do you know if there is any harm to turning on the air until I get it fixed?

bulterier

Site glass location: open the hood to your TSX, look to the left of the radiator and you will see it mounted to the lower left.

If the AC does not work, then why turn it on? More importantly, if you do turn in on and the problem is with a bad compressor, you stand the chance of spreading the black death particles throughout your whole system, ensuring that you WILL have to have the complete system replaced and flushed. If you dont and you replace say just the compressor, and you do have these particles in your existing system, you will shorten the life of your new compressor.

AC kits are available from your local AC automotive store. or you can go to Ebay and do a search for Acura TSX air conditioning kit. A good brand to go with is GDP. You can order/get it from there as well.

Miamicarfan

What year is your TSX?

jskinnyh

its a 2004, seems to be common with that year, I wish I knew that when I decided not to get the warranty.

Thanks for the info bulterier, im gonna check that stuff out tonight.

Simba91102

I have no problem with someone doing an AC rebuild on their own, but it is NOT a job for the faint of heart. And you'll need to have a serious desire to save a few bucks to even consider it. Too bad you fell into the 04 "trap" and got stuck with having to do this job. I'd check on line for AC shops, get a few prices, and most importantly, use one that offers a warranty on their work (the longer the better). Can your uncle offer you that?

bulterier

I totally agree with Simba. Auto A/C work is best left to professionals, (working with the high pressure lines can be hazardous and if system still contains freon, a professional would have the tools to recycle and not just vent into the atmosphere) or someone who is very confident in their abilities. My point was to inform Jskinny, on what the price would be for the AC hardware, so he can make a more informed decision on what theotal cost including labor would be to overhaul his AC system.
Cheers!

jskinnyh

The site glass looks clear so I may have lucked out there. I don't think I'll have a problem replacing it myself and just paying to have the ac line flushed and freon recycled. Anyone have any idea how much that costs though? I may just be better off going with the shop that will do it for 600 since the kit is around 300 anyways.

netsx04

What did you end up doing with your AC problem? I also live in Boston and brought my car to Acura of Boston. They want ~$1600 to replace AC compressor, clutch, and solenoid. I've driven past Honda King a bunch of times and was thinking about getting an estimate from them. Did you find out if Honda King is any good?

Simba91102

It looks like the last post on this thread was also the last post from the OP. Seems like he disappeared. You might want to post your question in the Regional forum.

s-atsx'n

I've got the same problems going on with my AC right now )o: