“Been driving in Texas for last 4 years no AC.”
If you’ve had your air conditioning worked on recently, you may have experienced some serious sticker shock. Prices have definitely gone up. But why? A mechanic recently explained why it’s become so expensive to fix a car’s A/C.
Jimmy Avila (@boss_shittg) reveals that a recent A/C repair job required him to take off the entire dashboard to figure out the issue. In a TikTok about it, Avila takes us on a journey into the extensive repair job.
“You know, back in the day, when Freon used to be the regular R-134a, people used to have a leak and would never fix it. They would recharge the Freon and wait until it leaks out. Recharge Freon, wait ‘til it leaks out. Recharge, recharge, recharge, and never fix it,” he begins.
However, this rinse-and-repeat strategy doesn’t work with the new Freon due to the increasing cost, he says.
“With the new Freon, you are not able to do that. Why? Each new can of Freon is $50 or $60, and in total, you are looking at around $200 for an A/C service, vacuum, and recharge. So, now you don’t have an option, and you gotta fix it,” Avila shares.
Avila shows the car that recently came into his shop.
“They brought a car. We put Freon, and it leaked out, and we didn’t know where the leak was coming from. So we stick the camera up and figured it out. Look how big a problem can be with a small leak,” he says.
The entire dashboard has been removed from the vehicle.
“We have the full dash out. Dash out, everything out because of an evaporator,” he says.
He then focuses on the dye marks left around the evaporator area.
“That’s exactly where it was coming from,” he adds.
Seeing an entire dashboard outside of the car to fix a minor leak feels extra, but according to Avila, it had to be done in this case.
“This is what you are going to be facing if you have an evaporator leak. By the way, the evaporator itself costs $600, which is a crazy price. I didn’t know evaporators were that expensive,” he concludes.
The TikTok has generated over 12,400 views as of this writing.
Ripping out the entire dashboard to fix the evaporator will hurt the wallet. A/C evaporator replacement can range from $1,300 and $1,800, RepairPal reports. The part itself costs between $400 and $550.
As commenters chimed in, one commenter tried to estimate the repair cost.
“So is that a $4,500.00 job?” one TikTok commenter asked.
Meanwhile, others made other remarks about A/C replacement.
“Ram trucks have this same issue,” one commented.
“21 Tahoe pays 20 hours,” another mechanic added.
“Most 10th gen accords and 10th gen civics have evaporator issues as well,” a third shared.
“Been driving in tx for last 4 years no ac,” another said.
A/C repairs can range from being a minor part fix to needing an entirely new compressor. For smaller repairs, the average cost is between $430 and $520, including labor, according to Consumer Affairs. If the compressor needs to be replaced, the cost can range from $1,300 to $2,500, according to Consumer Affairs’ surveys.
To put it simply, the old, cheaper Freon R-134a had multiple environmental issues. As a result, the industry switched from R-134a to R-1234yf refrigerants to reduce environmental impact.
R-1234yf has a significantly lower Global Warming Potential of 4, whereas R-134a scored 1,430. This switch to R-1234yf aligns with global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. R-1234yf has become the standard.
However, some have tested the two and preferred R-134a because it cools faster.
This switch has come with higher costs, due to the need for advanced equipment, specialized training, and stringent regulation. The complexity of A/C systems, summer demand, and a lack of preventive maintenance can also drive A/C repair costs, Rum River Automotive reports.
Labor can also play a significant role in repair costs. As Aliva showed in the TikTok, the entire dashboard may need to be removed to diagnose the leak.
Avila told Motor1 via direct message, “The reason that you see jobs are so expensive nowadays is because cars are so full of technology which causes the jobs to get more complicated when it comes to disassembling their interiors.”
He added, “They decided to install a new type of [Freon] called 1234YF which makes the Freon way more expensive than the regular Freon that they used to use.”
Regarding the car in the video, he said he had to take out the dashboard, front seat, and center console to reach the evaporator. The repair cost the customer $2,500.
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