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I got my car for a pretty stellar deal... because the A/C does not blow cold!
I took it to a very professional Corvette shop for diagnosis; they identified the compressor (edit - I originally wrote evaporator) and condenser as the culprits, but that the condenser might turn out to be in good order once the compressor is replaced. The bill is roughly $2,400, about $1,000 of which is labor. I need to have done by the shop, as this repair is outside my wheelhouse of knowledge and resources.
To clarify: the blower works, the heat works, and all the controls work... but no cold air.
My question:
Is it acceptable to negotiate on the labor a bit? I am a good customer, and intend to remain as such. Or, is the price the price, and that's it? I want to look out for myself financially, but also don't want to be cheap and unprofessional.
This being said, I bought a sports car, and am ready and able to pay the cost of ownership.
Thoughts?
Last edited by KingCorvette93; 02-11-2019 at 05:01 PM.
My question: Is it acceptable to negotiate on the labor a bit? I am a good customer, and intend to remain as such. Or, is the price the price, and that's it? I want to look out for myself financially, but also don't want to be cheap and unprofessional.
IMO most important aspect of owning a HP sportscar off warranty?
Finding the RIGHT shop.
One who's knowledgeable/familiar w/ 'a' marque, do repair correctly the first time.
There's the 'savings' when having HCI, chassis and/or bodywork performed.
IF this shop's trusted and meets above criteria, then whatever's charged is worth the money spent.
For my Z06 when it comes to proper maintenance/mods, is no time to be penny-wise and dollar foolish.
IMO most important aspect of owning a HP sportscar off warranty?
Finding the RIGHT shop.
One who's knowledgeable/familiar w/ 'a' marque, do repair correctly the first time.
There's the 'savings' when having HCI, chassis and/or bodywork performed.
IF this shop's trusted and meets above criteria, then whatever's charged is worth the money spent.
For my Z06 when it comes to proper maintenance/mods, is no time to be penny-wise and dollar foolish.
JMHO, YMMV.
Thanks a lot!
Yes, the shop is very good. Quite small, but very organized and clean. They had one corvette of EVERY generation being worked on when I was there last, the most beautiful of which was an immaculate C1. Wow!!
They even let me come into the work area while my car was on the lift to go through everything with me!
They will likely not budge. AC work requires specially trained techs, and they dont come cheap. If you try to haggle, you become a problem customer, likely not worth dealing with. They're now worried you're going to bring it back for (potentially unrelated) issues and cause them headaches. You would probably find they're booked up a lot more often.
Sports cars arent a cheap game, and you have to pay to play. I would pay them with a smile and not even ask about a discount.
From what I remember, the evaporator is seized up (it has a spinning component). As for the condenser, it appears clogged, but it might be cleanable!
The fan blows and the heat works... it's just the "cooling" part of the system does not.
I think you should at the very least watch some YT videos on how the A/C system works in an automobile so they don't try to con you, which it sounds like they are.
It's really not as complex a system as it seems and pretty easy to work on. Maybe your evaporator is leaking or clogged with debris but it is not "seized" up.
What makes a Corvette ac any higher than other autos. That sounds very high. I would check with an ac shop and be disappointed if it went over 500.00 for the item you mentioned installed.
What makes a Corvette ac any higher than other autos. That sounds very high. I would check with an ac shop and be disappointed if it went over 500.00 for the item you mentioned installed.
There is nothing uniquely special about the A/C system in a Corvette, I would find a reputable A/C shop and get an estimate; might find their parts and labor costs a lot lower then a shop that specializes in Corvettes or a dealership.
This is a GM car, not some sort of engineering marvel. If you truly don't think you can do it, (it's literally just pull and replace), then do yourself a favor and get some more quotes. The biggest issue is removing the refrigerant and refilling. Parts can be had for less than $300. Hell that might not even be the issue. Btw you might not be remembering correctly, are you sure it wasn't the compressor that has frozen?
This is a GM car, not some sort of engineering marvel. If you truly don't think you can do it, (it's literally just pull and replace), then do yourself a favor and get some more quotes. The biggest issue is removing the refrigerant and refilling. Parts can be had for less than $300. Hell that might not even be the issue. Btw you might not be remembering correctly, are you sure it wasn't the compressor that has frozen?
Yes, you are correct... compressor! Updated with screenshot of the invoice.
Thanks for calling this out!
Last edited by KingCorvette93; 02-11-2019 at 04:24 PM.
Yes, you are correct... compressor! Updated with screenshot of the invoice.
Thanks for calling this out!
Please do not take it to that shop, that quote is outrageous. If the compressor is truly frozen then you probably would've heard an atrocious noise from the belt slipping on the pulley. Can you hear the compressor kick on and off repeatedly? Or turn on at all? It could just be the compressor clutch as well. Find a small shop that can do an A/C leak test for you. It may be as simple as a leak somewhere and you're out of coolant. It sounds like this shop is just throwing parts at it, did they do an actual diagnosis? If so then they surely would've given you paperwork or charged for labor/dye.
Please do not take it to that shop, that quote is outrageous. If the compressor is truly frozen then you probably would've heard an atrocious noise from the belt slipping on the pulley. Can you hear the compressor kick on and off repeatedly? Or turn on at all? It could just be the compressor clutch as well. Find a small shop that can do an A/C leak test for you. It may be as simple as a leak somewhere and you're out of coolant. It sounds like this shop is just throwing parts at it, did they do an actual diagnosis? If so then they surely would've given you paperwork or charged for labor/dye.
As a testament to the shop's professionalism, I'll share with you that they sent me a hand-written thank you card that ended with "We appreciate you!" after I had the general and A/C inspection done.
A ploy to pull the wool over unsuspecting customers' eyes? Possibly...
A nice gesture and indicative of knowledge and professionalism? More likely... perhaps definitely!
Last edited by KingCorvette93; 02-11-2019 at 05:18 PM.
There's about 200 to 250 dollars worth of refrigerant, evac, and recharge included in the 1000 labor charge. That leaves 750 to 800 labor for the compressor, belt, expansion valve BUT NOT the condensor, which is really high. 300 for the condensor? I guess that is reasonable. however, the 120 for the initial inspection is redundant because it's an evac and recharge with dye, pressure test.
And 6 cans of brake clean? What do you have leaking under that car that requires 6 cans of brake clean to clean?
I'm sure that I have seen worse, but that quote really is on the high side.
Our compressor is a scroll type, and it is very likely to be trashed but not seized. And even if it was, it has a clutch which will freewheel. Yes, you should look at some videos and familiarize yourself, but changing it yourself? Unless you have a good set of gauges and are familiar with high pressure systems you stand to either injure yourself or blow the seals right out of your brand new compressor.
edit - holy **** they are charging you extra labor for replacing the belt. that they HAVE TO REMOVE TO DO THE COMPRESSOR!!!!! He's double billing for everything. Holy smokes.
Compressor AND condenser going out at the same time? Nope. High price to fix this on a dime-a-dozen a/c system, which likely does not need both components? You betcha.
If I were making an extra 700 profit I'd send you a card too. and maybe a box of chocolates. Hope they use a condom.
Ya I hope they pay for his uber home after that reaming.
Originally Posted by jimijam
Compressor AND condenser going out at the same time? Nope. High price to fix this on a dime-a-dozen a/c system, which likely does not need both components? You betcha.
This. To my knowledge condensers don’t “go out” it may develop a leak, but it’s essentially just a heat exchanger. More than likely you just need a new compressor or even just a new clutch.
Seems high to me, easily worth a second opinion. As already said, compressor AND condensor? Your condenser is just a "radiator" for your freon/ac system.
02-11-2019, 09:31 AM
A/C not cold, big $$$ - ok to negotiate?
There is nothing uniquely special about the A/C system in a Corvette, I would find a reputable A/C shop and get an estimate; might find their parts and labor costs a lot lower then a shop that specializes in Corvettes or a dealership.
