bodybuggs

Hi all,
I took my 99 4runner ltd in for an a/c check recharge, to the mechanic, on July 20th. They had it for 4 hours, did the work and called me to pick it up. $110 later, it is blowing ice cold. The receipt says ; "Evacuate and Recycle, Includes performance and Leak Tests." There is $7.30 charge for a Leak detection Dye pack. Today, a week later, and we have another hot day warranting the a/c. It seems to not be blowing cold, so I take it back in to the mechanic. I brought the receipt in, and the mechanic came out and said "what's up?" I explained, he looked at the receipt, and said "Ohh good, we added the dye pack so we can see where its leaking." I asked "Wouldn't or DIdn't you check to see if its leaking before you filled it?" It was then explained to me that he liked to do things the right way, and could have charged me 2000$ to change out everything, but he didn't want to, nor did he expect me to want to do it that way. I sensed he was getting a bit of an attitude at me questioning his method, so i left to await his diagnosis. Is this standard procedure? Specifically, is the dye pack an instant indicator to see if it is leaking? He said they had to use a black light to trace the leak. Would they need to put refrigerant in to accelerate or circulate the dye to the leak? This just seems fishy to me, and again, I don't want to be suspicious or accusatory if I am indeed misinformed about the procedure or practice. Thanks!

bodybuggs

****update*****
Mechanic called to give me an update. He apologized for his worker, who failed to explain that further work may be needed, and that the system was not (as the receipt indicated) in fact functioning properly. The dye pack reveled a leak at the condenser, entailing 720$ worth of work to remove and replace the failed part. I declined the work at this point, gonna run this by a couple of other individuals before tackling this problem. Unfortunately, The last two times I have had work done here, i have had to take the vehicle back within a week, for more work, so I will not be returning nor reccomending this operation.
Thanks,

Godzilla

Was it blowing ice cold before initially bringing it in?/ What was the reason for the initial AC work?

bodybuggs

The first time I brought it into them, a week ago, it was not blowing cold. It was slightly cooler, but in no way satisfying, or how it was when I got the vehicle a couple years back. When i picked it up after having them refill it, it was great, a week ago. Since last friday, it has just been how it was before I initially took it in. I realized, initially, that it might need more work than just a refill, but when i went to pick it up, he said it was all good. Before taking it in the first time, I checked here on Yotatech forums to see if I could do it myself. The thread described how I could do a lot more damage, if done wrong. So, this made me think that they may have done it improperly, and caused a leak at a certain location, during the refill process. Either way, my confidence is now shot with this operation, which is a sad outcome of sloppy communication. over 700$ worth of sloppy communication.

bodybuggs

repost

Godzilla

Well it really depends. If you were blowing low to begin with and after recharge it was cold but then eventually went to its original temp then you most likely originally had the leak. They did put the dye in, so that at least helps you figure out where the leak is from. Usually a need for a recharge indicates a leak somewhere in these systems.
And you know they did recharge it since it did begin to blow ice cold.
I cannot comment on the practices of the shop or mechanic as he could have suspected a possible leak (need of recharge) and figured if the recharge did not take then at least they could find the source of the leak.

bodybuggs

thanks Zilla,
I understand that they recharged the freon, with the dye pack, and if it came back, then yeah there was a leak. I also understand that if it was low in the first place, there was probably a leak, as he stated. I just wish I was a bit more informed on what they expected/anticpated/planned. There quoted price for a new condenser of 340.00$, seems high, which i confirmed with a quick search, can pick one up for under $150. Thanks for the input,

FogRunner

When you price a new condenser also include the cost of a new filter/drier/receiver. Any time a A/C system is opened you must replace the filer/drier with a new one other wise moisture will accumulate in your system and cause allot of damage.