Air Conditioner

[dchauhan]

My AC unit got busted recently at 125K miles on my ES300. Could someone please advice on the price tag to fix it. I was told by a reliable garage that the reconditioned compressor etc..plus labor will cost around $1000 to fix it. Does this sound reasonable!

Also, please advice on how often the compressor goes bad!

Thank you.

Best Regards,

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[gbhrps]

Its a Lexus, so parts will be more expensive than your average car to begin with. The cost of the compressor, an evaporator/dryer, refrigerant, labour charges and taxes quite possibly could add to more than $1000. It sounds reasonable to me. Why do compressors go bad? Usually its from lack of being used over the winter. Seals dry out, gaskets harden, and compressors don't get properly lubricated through lack of use, then the first time its used in the summer....everything has seized up, or the coolant has leaked out. I believe the coolant also has a lubricant in it to lubricate the seals and compressor, but if the system isn't used for a long time the result is premature failure somewhere in the system. Some late model cars, my wife's 97 for instance, automatically turn the compressor on whenever you use the defroster just to prevent premature failures, and to remove the moisture from the windshield. Check your owner's manual. It will say to use the AC system at least once every 2 weeks for ten minutes.

[mphughes31]

Could you advise me? I believe this is a related question.

My interior is becomming very wet on the floors, flooded. I think it is a condensate issue from the air conditioner. Could a drain be clogged and result in this condition? Is this a common problem? Is it eazy to fix?

Thanks