Reasonable price of A/C service?

[haux]

I'm thinking about having the freon serviced. I have never done anything with the A/C system in my vehicle, so I am very unfamiliar with any of it.

1) Does the freon get replaced, or get added to?
2) What is the best (legal) freon to use for a 2000 i4 Camry?
3) What is a reasonable price to pay for such a service at a shop?

A couple of weeks ago, back home, I saw a sign at a gas station (& garage combo) for $38 A/C service. Several months ago, I was quoted $100 at another place. A hundred bucks seems like a bit of a ripoff...

Lastly, when I get back home, are there A/C system gaskets/seals or other things that I may want to look at?

[93celicaconv]

Well, my first question to you is what is causing you to want to consider having service done to your A/C system?

Is there little or no cold air coming out of the vents when your A/C system is turned on?

You have a receiver/filter/dryer on this car, which is in a refrigerant line coming out of the condenser. There is a sight glass at the top of this receiver. When the A/C compressor is running, the sight glass should be clear with no, or very few, bubbles/foam in it. When the A/C compressor shuts off, the view through this sight glass should reveal a little foaming, then the liquid receding into the receiver can. Does it do this?

If so, your system is operating just fine. The worst thing you can do is open up a system that is working fine, because you certainly increase your chances of causing a refrigerant leak, which becomes very expensive to repair.

[Frodo65]

Originally Posted by haux

I'm thinking about having the freon serviced. I have never done anything with the A/C system in my vehicle, so I am very unfamiliar with any of it.

1) Does the freon get replaced, or get added to?
If the level is low, more refrigerant is added. If the level is REALLY low, the leak is repaired, the system is evacuated (think VERY STRONG vacuum pump)and a fresh charge of refrigerant and appropriate oil is added. A thorough tech will also clean the evaporator and the condenser.
2) What is the best (legal) freon to use for a 2000 i4 Camry?
All the newer cars (since 94, IIRC) have R134a.
3) What is a reasonable price to pay for such a service at a shop?
Depends on what all is needed. A leak test, performance test + top-off (if needed) is likely for and hour of labor + parts, as needed.

A couple of weeks ago, back home, I saw a sign at a gas station (& garage combo) for $38 A/C service. Several months ago, I was quoted $100 at another place. A hundred bucks seems like a bit of a ripoff...
The $38 is usually followed by a litany of 'needed' replacement parts, frequently priced near the moon.

Lastly, when I get back home, are there A/C system gaskets/seals or other things that I may want to look at?
If you suspect performance problems, then look for evidence of leakage, on connections, or front of the compressor. I don't recall if the 00 system has a 'sight glass' (a lot of the older systems did; don't recall when they stopped); if there are bubbles in the sight glass, there is indication of a low refrigerant level. A more definitive test is one of cooling performance and compressor line pressures, + either a dye based or sniffer-probe-based leak test.

[haux]

When it is very hot and humid outside, the vents do not blow very cool air. This makes me think the freon might be low. However, at night, the air blows nice and cool. Also, when the air is NOT blowing cool on a humid day of 97 degrees, driving 65+ on a highway cools down the air. Another sign that tells me freon might be low. But then again... I don't know anything about A/C so I could be way off in the diagnosis.

I'll inspect the glass sign thing (if I have one).

[gn2]

There isn't necessarily anything wrong with your system by what you describe. The newer refrigerants used are not nearly as effective as the old "Freon". The $100. price for a check is mostly profit for the garage, but the lower cost check might just be a "get you in to rip you off even more" price. There are so many blatantly dis-honest operators, I'd recommend you ONLY go somewhere with a well known reputation for honesty among local auto supply places. Ask mechanics where they take their cars...

[haux]

Originally Posted by gn2

There isn't necessarily anything wrong with your system by what you describe. The newer refrigerants used are not nearly as effective as the old "Freon". The $100. price for a check is mostly profit for the garage, but the lower cost check might just be a "get you in to rip you off even more" price. There are so many blatantly dis-honest operators, I'd recommend you ONLY go somewhere with a well known reputation for honesty among local auto supply places. Ask mechanics where they take their cars...

If something was wrong, I wouldn't pay to have something checked out. I'd figure it out myself and request a specific service. In any case, I do the work myself... unless it involves a job that requires specialized equipment.

Is it common for air to blow not-cold in hot and humid conditions? I know I don't have a leek. This has been a gradual thing... and my car has a lot of miles. It didn't happen overnight. But it feels like it should be a LOT cooler than it is.


93celicaconv, there was no sight glass.

[JohnGD]

In normal situations the system can leak 0.5 oz per year and still be called completely sealed. So over the years I wouldn't be surprised that you lost 1/2 the charge. There was one EPA study showing the average loss rate is about 10%. Hard to believe. That's like 2oz a year. I'm sure newer cars aren't that bad, most of that probably came from older systems.

There are cheap deals that just give you a little boost charge without doing anything else. But the $100 street price these days should get you a proper, plain vacuum and recharge, no more no less. The filter/dryer should be replaced at the same time if you do that but that's extra. Shouldn't be more than $50 parts and labor.

That's why the Walmart kit is a reasonable deal. Not accurate like pro service, and is easy to overcharge and mess things up. But a careful couple of oz every few years should do it and the price is right.

How to videos:
http://www.idqusa.com/instructional_videos.html

FAQ:
http://www.idqusa.com/faqs.php

Originally Posted by haux

If something was wrong, I wouldn't pay to have something checked out. I'd figure it out myself and request a specific service. In any case, I do the work myself... unless it involves a job that requires specialized equipment.

Is it common for air to blow not-cold in hot and humid conditions? I know I don't have a leek. This has been a gradual thing... and my car has a lot of miles. It didn't happen overnight. But it feels like it should be a LOT cooler than it is.


93celicaconv, there was no sight glass.

[96ToyoCam164K]

Originally Posted by gn2

but the lower cost check might just be a "get you in to rip you off even more" price. There are so many blatantly dis-honest operators, I'd recommend you ONLY go somewhere with a well known reputation for honesty among local auto supply places. Ask mechanics where they take their cars...

Yeah, like..."ugh, your evaporator is leaking: $600." Compressor: $400. Spending lots of time on the forum figuring out if you need all that shit: Priceless Come to think of it, I have a feeling that the mechanic I bought my car from stole my original compressor a couple years aho. I took it to him for A/C work, he replaces it with a crappy salvage part, and then says, whoops..its the evaporator too That compressor only had 140,000 miles...

Remember, with newer refrigerant...I believe the sight glass is not a good indicator anymore. Reason being is because the compressor oil and refrigerent mixing does not give a good indicator.

A reasonable price for a recharge is about $60 bucks. Some places charge $100, but will give discount if you have something replaced. You can also buy your own cans as well. **********s recommends buying Toyota factory freon, but you can also buy high mileage from any autostore.

Curious: How many miles on compressor? Mine was doing similar, barely getting cold on idle, but icicles when going 45+ mph. Eventually the clutch gave out, leading me to think that it wasn't spinning fast enough from the get go thus reason why my car would be so hot while sitting still.

[haux]

Originally Posted by 96ToyoCam164K

Curious: How many miles on compressor?

All of my A/C stuff is original. 357,000+ miles.

[islandboy57]

Originally Posted by haux

All of my A/C stuff is original. 357,000+ miles.

Ditto on the gen 3.5. Except it's just 89K miles, though the car was built 1/95. 15.5 years on original everything is awesome. Still gets icy cold in the hot Hawaii heat.

[Frodo65]

Originally Posted by haux

When it is very hot and humid outside, the vents do not blow very cool air. This makes me think the freon might be low. However, at night, the air blows nice and cool. Also, when the air is NOT blowing cool on a humid day of 97 degrees, driving 65+ on a highway cools down the air. Another sign that tells me freon might be low. But then again... I don't know anything about A/C so I could be way off in the diagnosis.

I'll inspect the glass sign thing (if I have one).

Diminished performance under 'rough' conditions is an indication of low refrigerant. The thing ought to be able to put out 40F air when going at full tilt. Like the others said, being a bit low is pretty normal.

I would get the thing looked at soon, though. Low refrigerant will cause high head pressures, and hasten the failure of compressors. Then your $100 service turns into a $700 service.

[bronzemaxell]

my 16 yrs old car AC was leaking a few years ago, i went to walmart and bought the r143a with leak sealer, the bottle is around $8 or $10, and the re-usable recharge adapter gauge with can maybe cost $20-$30,
easy to recharge, just turn on engine, with AC running, recharge at the low pressure port near the firewall on passenger side, shake r143a Can left and right while recharging, if the compressor or other ac component is still working, i would just recharge it, and if it is cold right after recharge, and a few weeks later, no cold again, you might have a major leak, otherwise, just leave it alone.

[haux]

Originally Posted by bronzemaxell

easy to recharge, just turn on engine, with AC running, recharge at the low pressure port near the firewall on passenger side, shake r143a Can left and right while recharging

How do I know if I've put enough in there? Is it possible to add TOO much?

Do I need to charge it through the high pressure port at all?

[93celicaconv]

Others in this thread have said to charge it at the low pressure port, and the cans of R-134a you buy say the same thing.

If you have no sight glass, you will need a set of gauges, at least on the low pressure port, to measure the low pressure when the system is running, to see if the low pressure is too low, just right, or too high. However, I'm pretty sure your model has a sight glass on top of the receiver/dryer, which is located just forward of the condenser, just forward of the radiator.

[Stillrunning]

You cannot fill the system properly using the sight glass. There are a lot of things that go into a proper charge and a set of gauges is your first requirement. If you have no knowledge and experience then take it to a pro. It sounds like your system could be low so a check would be advised.