rawger

2 years ago my 2011 TSX A/C started blowing warm air from the driver vents compared to passenger vents. Took it to Honda and they added a dye and recharged it because they couldn't find any apparent leak.

Well 2 months ago I started to notice A/C performance started to get similar to how it was before the recharge. Basically was told the A/C compressor was leaking and needed to be replaced. Was quoted 1.9K for OEM Acura compressor or $710 for 3rd party compressor and $189 recharge. I tired to have Acura quote me a compressor just to compare, but was basically told they want $85 to diagnose it themselves and they couldn't quote me over the phone...

I guess what I'm wondering is, should I just go ahead and bite the bullet and have the compressor replaced or since my last charge lasted 2 years, could I possibly just pay for a recharge in the meantime and hope it lasts that long again. I was told the leak was "noticeable", compared to 2 years ago, supposedly the mechanic couldn't find it, so it may have gotten worse, I'm unsure. I just don't want to do more damage by not replacing it (if that's possible).

cu2wagon

Wow. That's a huge difference in price.

AcuraOEMParts has the compressor for $727 and the most expensive on Rock Auto is $225.

If you're planning to keep the car for a while, I'd fix it if it we're me.

You can probably limp by a while longer by grabbing one of those AC recharge cans from the Auto Parts stores. But eventually it'll need to be replaced if you want AC. I doubt you'll do any more damage at this point, I mean what's the worst that can happen? You seize up the compressor and need to get it replaced?

rawger

I called around a few shops and one of the mechanics was saying how they wanted to look at it and said if it's a mechanic failure (which I don't believe it is right now), sometimes the metal fragments get sent into the condenser, meaning it would need to be changed too, so basically I was looking to avoid that from happening since it would just cost even more.

The Honda service advisor was saying the OEM part is sold in different pieces (compressor, clutch, coil etc), which is why it was costing more. I saw the 727 price also, but I think they have to assemble it and buy all the listed parts, however I'm not 100% sure. Just know I wouldn't be going that route lol.