After just 55k miles, my '07 6MT's AC compressor has failed. Others have commented that these units have shown some reliability issues. Fortunately, this is the first repair the car has needed in 5 years of ownership. Unfortunately it is a doozy! I'd like to get a sanity check on cost, in case anyone has experience in this area.

The repair shop (a radiator/ac specialist, not the dealer) says the compressor disintegrated internally (enough to stall my engine if I engage it) and the entire system needs to be evacuated and replaced. This includes the compressor, drier, expansion valve, condenser, and evaporator. They are half the cost. The other half is labor, including 6.5 hrs (!) to replace the expansion valve. Total cost is around $2300.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated!

Dan

 

Holy ****, imagine what the dealer would want for that.

Considering their shop rate is probably half the dealers, I'd say you don't have much other choice.

 

Holy poop in pants! Sorry to hear about your troubles. $2,300 seems insane but I dont have anything useful to help. I was just hoping you'd update when you get this resolved.

maybe its worth it to have the dealer quote the repair, or at least another shop. Maybe this particular shop is taking an over-repair approach.

Keep us updated with your final resolution. Many would like to see what they're in store for as our warranties are running out.

 

Thanks. Will keep you posted.

Shop rate is $80/hr BTW.

 

I would recommend that you pick up the parts your self using the coupons for Advance Auto Parts, RockAuto or ebay and then find a shop that has an ac tech that will let you bring your own parts in. They are probably charging you 30%-40% markup on parts and then labor is @ $80 / hr. Why they have to replace everything is beyond me since when the system is exposed only the receiver/drier needs to be replaced. I would get multiple quotes and me personally sounds like you need a new compressor, receiver/drier and then evacuate the whole system and refill.

 

Are you out of warranty? If so it's not going to be a cheap repair no matter where you get parts or who you take it to to fix, sorry.

 

Out of warranty. Hit my 5 year anniversary last month.

This is the sort of cautionary tale they use to swing you into an extended warranty. Despite my bad luck in this particular instance, I still won't purchase one with my next new car. I play the averages with cars. The house is a different matter...

 

For '04 my coupe I went to Firestone last year and paid ~$1500. I thought that was high, but couldn't stand the Texas heat. Replacement of compressor, expansion valve, some filter, and a/c recharge. $2300 seems kind of steep. I guess the new sedans may have things that are more difficult to get to.

Firestone did an OK job. They took apart my dash to get to the expansion valve. I noticed that one of my bulbs in my clock was out and there was a smaller rattle behind the dash. I took apart the dash and found the bulb laying there behind my dash. That's the only thing that I was unhappy with.

 

Even though you're out of warranty, take it to the dealer, preferably the one that you bought it from and maybe had it serviced at up to this point and there is a thing called a good-will warranty, But dealers wont waste the time if you never been to their place before. You may have better luck going to the place you bought it from, since they sold it to you, you may be able to swing it.

I work at a shop, and internal A/C compressor failure is the worst that can happen to any A/C system. No this Shop is not overrepairing. As a matter of fact, A/C comp manufacturers will NOT warranty your compressor if it fails if the receipt that you bought it on, does not have the parts required for the change. Newer cars, especially *** cars, tend to combine the A/C condenser with the receiver drier, as one unit. Warranty dictates a new receiver dryer, condenser can be flushed, but since they are one unit, it make it that much more expensive.

A/C compressors, are like an engine, there is moving pistons, when crap hits the fan, and metal is sent into the whole system. Expansion valve in this case if AFTER the condenser and receiver dryer, it's a metered/control orifice/valve that control refrigerant flow, when metal gets in it, no flow or poor flow, A/C don't work. With out replacing ALL these required parts and flushing remaining lines, you leave metal in the system, it travels back to the compressor, and boom, new compressor fails too.

If going through with the repair, be sure to ask whether it's parts AND labor warranty, because these kind of failures, it's almost impossible to remove debri from the system without replacing the ENTIRE system, so you may notice that a month after repairs you get poor A/C performance, metal most likely plugged the metering valve, it'll have to be cleaned and or replaced again.

If you go through with this do it the right way the first time, because even though it being a first repair in five years, it will haunt you.

2300$ does sound steep, 1500 is more like it.

 

That's a pretty high price. I would check ebay. Take caution that these compressors have a design failure. Inifiniti hasn't gotten a clue on why this part fails. $500 will net you a new one which will probably die out again or a used one for around $240. Mines hasn't failed yet. It only doing a whirring noise when i turn it on.