All,

My a/c went out the other week. There is only warm air blowing. The wiring harness and some other common failures checked out OK per the technician at an independent shop down the street. I have the following quote to get my A/C compressor and other components replaced:

Compressor and Clutch 541.99
Drier 52.99
Compressor Labor 237
Drier Labor 188
AC Evacuate and Recharge 93

From doing some research on the forum, seems like the price of the compressor and clutch is about double from what I can get online.

I plan on putting the car up for sale (2005 w/Navi 93k miles), but now I'm torn between getting this fixed or just selling the car as-is?

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

 

My answer is that if you're selling a car with no A/C and will need to disclose this at the time of the sale, expect to get lowballed in terms of an offer as the new owner will need to get this work done, so plan on knocking off a grand or so on what you expect to get for your car- you get the benefit of not fixing it but getting less. Plus, it will likely take quite a bit longer to sell without this equipment working (A/C is pretty much standard on all cars these days) and many people won't want it without the A/C working. Any buyer will expect that other equipment might be faulty and your car won't be as desirable. If you get it repaired, you can sell it as a fully functioning car and get the max that it's worth.

On the other hand, if you are selling it because of the A/C issue, I'd pay the money, get it fixed, and continue to drive it (unless you really don't want the car any more). If your TL has been decently reliable otherwise, it will last for many more miles, despite this repair (in other words, get the repair done and get your money out of it).

I love new cars, but I hate car payments (just my opinion).

 

I agree with erdoc48. Except are you sure you need to replace all of that?
Our A/C systems will 'shut down' if it's simply LOW on fluid. I would first bring it to a small shop with a A/C machine to have them discharge, check for leaks, then refill.
I just replaced the A/C compressor (clutch is part of it) and it only cost $150 at a Quick change Valvoline. I had them discharge it, brought it home to replace the Compressor, then brought it back for a leak check and refill. (It was my fiance's 06 Civic but they are all the same)

just my $.02 but most problems are just low fluid issues. (with A/C anyway)

 

check the pressure.
Go buy one of those can's of re-fill refrigerant with a gauge from autozone,

check the levels. If low, re-fill and be on the look at for a leak some where along the lines.

if you do discover a break.
Buy some of that Mighty Putty and wrap around the leaking area.

 

Based on all of the various A/C threads I have read in this forum, the shops are not that good at diagnosis of an A/C problem. Get a second opinion?

If you are willing to read a few threads, and do a little work yourself, you may find that the problem is not actually the A/C compressor itself.

Use your owner manual, and check the A/C relays and fuses yourself. The relays are only about $6 each, so it may be easier to just replace them. There should be only two of them.

Read MDX TSB 11-031 for info on why a bad relay can cause the A/C compressor to overpressure, and vent all of your Freon. Check the compressor pressure release valve for evidence of venting - oil and/ or dirt.

And if you are more motivated, check the clearance on the A/C clutch, which if too large, can be reduced by removing shims.

 

Were there any unusual noises coming from the compressor before the HVAC system started blowing hot air?

Can you feel the compressor start or try to start?

 

You can get a set of AC guages at harbor freight for like 60 bucks. The high and low pressure side will tell you whats going on. If it is the compressor, you can prolly fix it for a few hundred bucks max.

 

So what happened? what did OP do? first post for OP, question asked and several responses, but no feedback as to a decision. Frustrating. and tacky. Perhaps I will no long respond to first posts.