Did your car’s AC system just stop sending ice-cold air out into your vehicle without warning? This is obviously going to be a huge cause for concern, especially if you live in a part of the country where it’s hot outside right now. You’re going to want to arrange to get your car’s AC system fixed sooner than later. But before you do it, you should learn about the different parts that are in your car’s AC system and find out what your auto AC repair costs might be. Continue reading to see what you can expect to pay to repair the parts in your car’s AC system.
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What Are the Main Parts of an Auto AC System?
Before we dive headfirst into talking about how to repair the AC system in a car and the auto AC repair costs, it’s important for you to know about all the different parts contained in your car’s AC system. This will help you understand what’s going on when you take your car to a shop to have your AC system worked on. It’ll also help you make sense of the auto AC repair costs you might face.
The compressor is probably the first part that comes to mind when you think about your car’s AC system. It’s responsible for pressurizing the refrigerant in your AC system so that it’s able to cool air off for your car, and it’s also in charge of keeping the air in your system moving along. It’s a part that you’re going to have to repair if it ever goes bad on you and stops doing its job.
There are also several other parts in your auto AC system that make it go. This includes an AC condenser, an accumulator, a thermal valve expansion valve, and an evaporator. There are also a series of hoses that are used to keep your car’s AC system up and running. In order for your AC system to work the way it’s supposed to, each and every part that we just mentioned needs to be in great condition and firing on all cylinders.
How Long Do the Parts in an Auto AC System Last?
One of the ways that vehicle owners can avoid being surprised by auto repairs is by figuring out how long certain parts in their car are going to last. A repair won’t catch you off guard when you have some general idea of how long your car’s parts are going to stick around for. This goes for all parts, but it’s especially true for the parts found in an auto AC system. You should learn about how long they’ll last so that you’re not shocked when you have to pay the auto AC repair costs one day.
The truth is that it’s impossible to predict exactly how long the different parts in your car’s AC system are going to last you. But generally speaking, you should know that something like your AC compressor is going to continue working for about 8 to 10 years before it’ll need to be replaced. The same can usually be said for your AC condenser, too, which will often last as long as the compressor if not longer in some cases.
A good way to try and gauge how long these AC system parts and others will last is by having your AC system as a whole inspected every so often. You can typically have an auto AC inspected and tested for under $100 in most cases. It’ll help you figure out how much longer the different parts in your car’s AC system are going to last you before they’ll have to be either repaired or replaced.
What Are the Signs That Show an Auto AC System Needs to Be Repaired?
There are going to be certain instances in which you know auto AC repairs will need to be done to your car. If, for example, your car only sends out warm air when you have your AC turned on, that’s a pretty clear-cut sign that you need to schedule auto AC repairs and prepare to pay the auto AC repair costs that come along with them.
But there are also a whole host of other signs that will show you that it’s time to consider having your auto AC system repaired. They’re sometimes a little bit more subtle than the first example we used here and might not stand out right away. You should look out for these signs at all times:
- You hear loud noises coming from the general direction of your auto AC system
- You see what appears to be refrigerant leaking out from under your car
- You spot damaged wiring while looking at your auto AC system
It might be easy for you to ignore some of these signs when they present themselves. The auto AC repair costs might scare you and make you want to put car AC repairs off for an extended period of time. But that isn’t going to make the problem with your auto AC system go away. In fact, it could make the problem even worse over time if you don’t do anything about it. It’s why you should seek help with your car’s AC system right away.
Who Should You Have Repair Your Car’s AC System?
If you’ve seen any of the signs that we just mentioned and suspect that your auto AC system might not be working properly, you’ll want to spring into action right away to fix the issue. With a little luck, you can get away with making a small repair to your car and keep your auto AC repair costs on the lower side. But you shouldn’t trust just anyone to work on your car’s AC system if you can help it.
Your car’s AC system is a very complicated system that should always be worked on by a professional who has plenty of experience when it comes to working on auto AC systems. They should be able to spend some time looking at your AC system before telling you exactly what’s wrong with it and what needs to be done to fix it. They should also be prepared to make the necessary repairs to your car’s AC system quickly so that you can get back out on the road (with ice-cold air conditioning!) in no time at all.
You might be tempted to work with whichever mechanic will set you up with the lowest auto AC repair costs. It’s a great way to steer clear of paying high prices for AC repairs, but it’s also a great way to end up in a situation where a mechanic botches your repair job. You would be so much better off hiring an ASE-certified mechanic to assist you with your auto AC repairs.
Should You Ever Make Repairs to Your Auto AC System Yourself?
Another thing that some people will try in order to avoid high auto AC repair costs is make repairs to their car’s AC system on their own. This is something that might sound tempting to you if you have some experience working on cars and think you might be able to repair an AC compressor, an AC condenser, or another part in a car’s AC system.
You’re free to give it a try if you want since it’s your car and you’ll have to live with the consequences. But more often than not, this is not the best way to go about saving money on auto AC repair costs. Many people end up doing more harm than good when “fixing” a broken auto AC system and have to call on a mechanic later on anyway for help. The mechanic then has to undo everything that they did and repair the AC system the right way so that it runs the way it’s supposed to. It costs people more in the long run than it would have to go to the mechanic from the start.
What Are the Auto AC Repair Costs?
Prior to taking your car to a mechanic so that they can perform auto AC repairs for you, it would be smart to find out about what the different auto AC repair costs might be. It’ll help you avoid finding yourself in a spot where you’re shocked by how much it’s going to cost to fix your car’s AC system.
The auto AC repair costs that people might face will vary depending on everything from the make and model of their vehicle to the auto repair shop that they choose. But on average, you can expect to pay these prices for auto AC system repairs:
- Anywhere from $170 to $730 for minor AC compressor repairs and anywhere from $1,000 to $4,000 for major AC compressor repairs
- Somewhere between $100 and $140 for a car AC recharge
- About $500 for auto AC hose repair and replacement
- Between $200 and $750 for car AC compressor clutch repair and replacement
As you can see, a simple recharge of your auto AC system isn’t going to set you back very much money and will work wonders for your system as a whole. But making repairs to your AC compressor is going to set you back quite a bit of money and won’t always be worth it to you. Knowing these auto AC repair costs can make the process of repairing your car’s AC system less stressful.
Why Is Auto AC Repair So Expensive?
Far too often, people don’t know what the auto AC repair costs are and struggle to make sense of things when a mechanic tells them how much it’s going to cost to fix their car’s AC system. They can’t believe that they’re going to have to pay hundreds and possibly even thousands of dollars just to get the air in their car to blow cold again.
So, why are the auto AC repair costs so high compared to many other auto repairs? It’s mostly because both the parts found in a car’s AC system and the labor associated with working on them are expensive. And since people are getting hit from both of these angles when fixing a car’s AC system, it can drive the auto AC repair costs way up.
There isn’t much wiggle room when it comes to auto AC repair costs, either. Auto repair shops aren’t going to be able to offer you much of a discount on their AC products and services, which could very well make it difficult for you to arrange to have your car’s AC system fixed.
Is It Worth Fixing the AC in My Car?
If you just discovered that your car is in need of some serious AC repairs and you’re staring down the barrel of the auto AC repair costs right now, you might not know what to do. Is it really worth paying all that money to fix your car’s AC system? The answer is…it all depends.
If you have a car that’s on the newer side that you plan to keep for at least a few more years, then repairing the AC system is really going to be a no-brainer. You’re guaranteed to get your money’s worth since paying the auto AC repair costs will give you the gift of cold air in your car again. You won’t have to think too hard about what to do next when you find out your AC system needs to be fixed.
But if you have an older car that isn’t worth much money, paying the auto AC repair costs might not make a lot of sense for you. You shouldn’t dump hundreds of dollars into a car to fix a part like an AC compressor when there is a chance that another part of your AC system could break next week. You would be better off avoiding the auto AC repair costs and leaving your AC system alone.
What If I Don’t Want to Pay the Auto AC Repair Costs?
If you find that it doesn’t make sense to shoulder the auto AC repair costs, you might wonder what to do with your car next. Should you keep it and drive around it with no air—or attempt to sell it and get what you can for it? Only you can answer that question, but if you find that you fall into the second category, you should know that you can get cash for your car even though it has a bad AC system in it.
The junk car buyers from Cash Cars Buyer are always on the hunt for old cars and will pay you top dollar for yours. Despite the fact that its AC system isn’t working, you can get paid for it and part ways with it for good. It’ll help you avoid the auto AC repair costs and give you the money you need to go out and get a new car. Contact us now to receive an offer for your car right away.