AC repair

[Lizzy287]

The air conditioner in my Acura TSX (71,000) suddenly stopped working. I was traveling throug Atlanta to Jacksonville FL. I was given the name of a highly regarded AC repair shop. They told me that the expansion valve needed to be replaced and the cost would be around $420. I needed to get back to Jacksonville so I choose to continue on my trip with no air and to take the vehicle to an Acura dealer. They checked the car out and told me the compressor was shot and I needed major repair to the tune of $2500 and they were giving me a deal. I would appreciate any comments as to who should I believe and if this is a resonable amount to pay.
Thanks,
Lizzy287

[webbch]

I'm afraid nobody will be able to answer your question given the lack of details. We need technical information beyond "my a/c quit working" to have any shot at diagnosing the problem.

If your compressor bit the dust (I'm not suggesting that it did), it will tend to grenade metal shrapnel throughout your lines, in which case the compressor, evaporator and condensor all need to be removed from the vehicle (not a small task). All the A/C lines and the evaporator needs to be thoroughly flushed of all debris using a flushing solvent and LOTS of air. The condensor, depending on design, may or may not be able to be flushed (may need to be replaced. Then, and only then, is a new compressor installed. This is the "expensive" repair solution, although even with that the $2500 does seem a bit high. I'd have expected more around $1500-2000 for this level of repair. Maybe it's dealer markup, maybe your area is more expensive. Not really sure.

However, the A/C can quit working for simpler reasons as well. If I was you, I'd get at least a 3rd opinion from a reputable shop that specializes in A/C repair, and good ones probably charge a diagnostic fee. My way of finding a reputable A/C shop is to ask them if they can test the system for sealers*. If they've never heard of a way of testing for them, move on to another shop. If they have an opinion about the sealer test, but prefer not to use it, they may be alright. IMO, any shop that tests every vehicle for sealer before hooking up their equipment is going to be a very thorough and trustworthy shop to deal with. Good luck finding one though - I called about 12 different shops in my town, and only 2 had even heard of testing for sealers, of which only 1 had ever tried them, and for some reason didn't trust the result, and therefore didn't use them.

*You can find sealers sold at every automotive store as a cure-all for refrigerant leaks. Supposedly they can actually work on pinhole leaks, but they can cause damage to the shop's equipment, and most shops will refuse to work on a vehicle that is known to have sealer in the lines. However, very few shops actually test for this - It's similar to having numerous one-night stands and not using protection, utterly insane IMO.