Quote:
Originally Posted by Tech II
Well, then, it probably will need a 134a compressor......also a new receiver/drier......the system has to be flushed....o-rings replaced......and of course the leak has to be found and fixed.....
I still wouldn't do it....you are on borrowed time with this vehicle....
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If I do go forward with this retrofit, is there a way I can save money on doing it by purchasing some of the parts such as compressor, etc, myself rather than charged for them by a mechanic?
As far as the car being on borrowed time, I could say the same thing about the newer "used" cars I looked at that had !50K miles on them and the dealer wanted over 10K for them. I looked at an Subaru Forester that had about 180K miles on it and they wanted about 12K for it. And that was the only wagon type vehicle I looked at that I somewhat liked, but it had less cargo space than my Cavalier! And a lot more miles on it than my Cavalier!
I just took my car into my local mechanic and after doing an oil change and some basic maintenance he told me that my car is still in pretty good condition, so I'm actually not too worried at this point. Another huge factor is that I don't drive much....mainly around town for errands, the rest of the time it's in my garage protected from the weather. It has a classic car vehicle license which exempts it from smog inspection due to the fact that I drive it less than 1K per year. If I put $1200 into the a/c and can comfortably drive it another 5 years,(or more), I consider that to be a win for me. I don't want power doors, power windows, power lift gate and on and on that the new cars have. I don't want dark tint on the rear window so dark I can't even SEE out of it. Most of it is overpriced junk to break down.
I've been told a few times (mainly by relatives ) that the car was on borrowed time....and I've driven this "on borrowed time" car for quite a number of years past what they thought. The interior is still excellent (back seats look brand new). Front seats are also in quite good shape. Headliner needs replaced. Anyway, thanks for the info about the parts that would be needed for the retrofit of the a/c.
If anyone else out there has done an a/c retrofit on an older car , I welcome any other feedback to assist in making the decision. Thanks so much!