May 15th, 2025

Springing into Summer, Air Conditioning is Coming Back

Now that we are into May, the summer heat is starting to arrive. With the rise in temperatures, many people are turning their air conditioning units on. Unfortunately, not everyone's A/C is working. I wanted to take this time to write about the common repairs that we have been seeing. As well as what to expect for A/C cost.

Due to our climate here in the northeast corrosion is our biggest problem. The most common cause for A/C failure that we see is the condenser assembly. The condenser is mounted behind the front bumper cover but in front of radiator assembly. It takes the brunt of abuse from road salt, rocks, bugs and everything that the road can throw. As a result of its positioning, condensers fail due to corrosion and damage from road debris. To replace A/C condenser assemblies usually requires that the front bumper cover be removed and sometimes the radiator depending on how it is mounted. Just the replacement cost for the condenser typically is 2 hours of labor ($340) and the part averages around $250. That brings up a total of around $590 plus the recharge service which is around $350 with added dye. Before you can blink, with sales tax the bill is around that $1,000 mark. 

If you are wondering if A/C compressors fail, I can tell you that they do. If the internals of the compressor are failing, the compressor makes awful metal on metal grinding type sounds. If the compressor clutch/hub that engages the compressor has failed, then it usually powers up but will not make noise. In the past we would replace the clutch assembly on the compressor. Unfortunately, that is not as common with newer style a/c compressor designs. A/C compressors are typically sold as remanufactured and complete units. Compressor pricing varies wildly depending upon how easy it is to access it. I personally have had to lower sub frames, remove radiator and fan assemblies in order to get A/C compressors replaced. Part pricing varies from $400 to $750. Labor can be as little as 1 hour ($170) to almost 3 hours ($510). Companies that sell A/C compressors require that the filtration unit also be replaced in order for a warranty to be valid. Sometimes the filtration unit is a separate piece that is part of a line assembly. Most of the time, it is built into the A/C condenser. So in order to get a warranty on the A/C compressor, the condenser is also replaced. Fixing the A/C for a compressor failure has shot up to almost $2,000 depending on the type of vehicle. It can be expensive to be cool.

A/C lines do corrode out around hold downs and retainers. Evaporators do fail; however, in our part of the country we do not see them fail frequently. In southern and western parts of the USA they fail more frequently as A/C is used longer and more frequently. Evaporator replacement usually requires removal of the dash. Dash removals traditionally turn into 8 hour long projects. 

If your windows work, then the old time "460" air conditioning maybe a route to consider. Back in the day, it was all 4 windows down going 60 MPH. It was enough of a breeze and airflow to make being in the car tolerable. 

If you have questions about your A/C system, then give us a call. A/C repairs do typically require several hours, so plan on leaving your vehicle for the day. 

Call us with your A/C questions