Car Air Conditioning Cost - Buyer Experiences and Price Information

A/C finally gave out on my old'99 Ram 1500. Would cool when it wanted to, and not so much sometimes. The shop found a small leak at a service valve, and a pressure switch, then recharged the system. $300 Not bad for cool air. But it shortly stopped working again. The shop determined it was a bad compressor ( and other associated components ) Add $900. Ouch. But Texas summers require A/C, and the nice folks at the shop made the experience tolerable, and my old truck inhabitable. Overall not to bad, based on other comments here. My Precision Tune shop has done a lot of work for me, and I have always been satisfied

There was nothing wrong with system only Refrigerant needed to be added; two capsules, cost me $100...

How much to spend replacing all three ac components 1998 chev. Malibu 3.1

The air conditioning on my vehicle stopped working (the vents just circulated the outside air). After the shop checked the system for leaks, etc., they determined that the electrical wires to the a/c system had been chewed by rodents (probably squirrels). It would probably be a good idea for the manufacturer to install a box/cover to enclose the wires so that they are not exposed to the local wildlife.

Took car on for Recall on 12312 Oil Life Monitor Update, and ask them to check my air conditioning system. The checked it and informed me that

Est. of 1100-1500 did new air compressor w clutch rnLabor 435rnParts 546rn Getting another est. before I get this done

My experiences, rip off both times. Not one person I know has been satisfied with Firestone. ALWAYS try to get more done than what you bring your auto in for and is very costly or overcharge. Have another Firestone horror story not related to A/C.
Moved to Dallas and found a hole in the wall auto shop that has been 100% honest and affordable. Every person recommended is happy. If in Dallas, happy to recommend.

If you are handy, buy a recharge kit with UV dye or if you already have a recharge hose buy a can of UV dye for less than $20. Refill the system and then use a UV light (same light you can buy at a pet supply store to detect dog pee for $15). In less than an hour you will be able to see where it is leaking under the hood. If the leak is in the evaporater then you will have to spend some time under the dash to get access to shine the light there to see. Most of the time the leak is the high pressure hose or receiver/dryer, parts that are under the hood so access is not very difficult. If you are unlucky and it is the evaporater under the dash that will take some time to access and replace.

Paid $10 to diagnose, $70 for rebuilt compressor, need to buy a drier($17), relative who owns an auto repair shop looked up the labor hours required for my particular car( Old Compressor removed and new installed, less than an hour! Recharge 1 hour, total labor around 2 1/2 hours max! Now to find someone to do it! At least I'm prepared!

Stay away from any Firestone garage
Huge rip off experts

First, Keith at the Big M Service Counter told me it will be $43.00 to have my AC check out. They found the problem in less than 30 minutes and it will cost me $850.00 to replace the side temp actuator. I refused to have it replace. I wished I had a camera to vedio tape Keith's angry face at me, he turned around and charged me $90.00 instead of $43.00. I'm not letting him get away with my money, he is being told by his boss to credit back $45.00.

AC wasnt blowing cold when first turned it on this spring after noticing it wasnt blowing quite as cold as usual last fall. Out of curiousity,asked the father of one of my son's classmates (who is a GM dealership tech) what he thought a rough estimate would be to fix an AC issue in an '05 Suburban. Told me it would be "minimum $500" no matter what the cause. Took it to a local shop who tested it for leaks (none found) and recharged the refrigerant for a grand total of $94.00. This on a vehicle with both front and rear AC. Still blowing cold as ever 4 weeks later so must have been the ticket. Didnt replace ANY parts - just a recharge.

I was allowed to bring my own parts only because I have spent now more than 6 grand at this shop on a different car. I purchased the A/C Accumulator, Compressor,Serpentine belt, and Orifice tube. With the knowledge that I may have to replace the condenser. Just the labor was quoted at $750.(note this price DOES NOT include replacing the Condenser) Is it just me or does that sound really steep?