Car repair ******-*******s!

[GottaHavePride]

So, if someone's car had a completely broken A/C system - in the Norman area, of course - who would you take it to for repairs that would: 1) do good work, 2) give me - er, them - a good price, and 3) guarantee their work for six months or a year, or something.


(FYI, the guys at the dealership said the condenser is shot and leaking, the compressor is shot and leaking, the hoses are bad, basically the whole system needs replacing and they quoted me $2000 to fix it all - I'm thinking that has to be an ***-raping of monumental proportions.)

[Boarder]

Mastertech does good work. They're not the highest, not the lowest. but, they always seem to do good work. It's kind of like taking your car to a dealer, but with lower shop fees.

[OUWxGuesser]

Not sure if he does AC work, but Ray @ Welch auto repair worked out well for myself and several of my friends.
Welch Auto Repair. (405) 364-5561. 105 S Porter Ave, Norman, OK ..

Friendly, cheap, and has fixed our problems. Works for me!

[GottaHavePride]

Thanks guys. I'll give both those places a call and see what they have to say. Plus, I'm kind of curious what olevet has to say. I think he's the other car guy on here, right?

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

when did it stop working?
have you tried putting a can of r-whatever you use into it?

[GottaHavePride]

when did it stop working?
have you tried putting a can of r-whatever you use into it?

It's been leaking coolant for months, if not years. It's always been a slow leak, though, and every time the light comes on saying it's low on refrigerant we'd get it recharged since they could never manage to find the leak. This time, though, it went low and I had them recharge it (while they were fixing the stuck throttle), then it was saying it was low again less than 48 hours later, so I took it back. They told me it was full of refrigerant, just a false sensor reading that they cleared so it should be fine.

A couple of days after that the light is back on, I take it in, and they tell me that miraculously the car has gone from a leak they can't find to needing to replace everything that could possibly be broken in the A/C. so either they're totally incompetent to work on A/Cs and can't tell when crap is broken the first time, or after they cleared the sensor reading the compressor burnt itself out trying to pump something that wasn't there.

Either way, all that was a couple of months ago - it just hasn't been an issue until now when it's 108 degrees ouside and driving around with the windows down is pretty unbearable.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

what make/model/year is the car?

[SoonerBorn68]

Sounds like the condensor or the dryer is clogged up & might have taken out the compressor.

Metal shavings from the compressor will clog up the orifice tube in the dryer & won't allow the A/C to cool. I had this problem earlier this year.

Another thing that could cause a clog is getting it recharged frequently. I'm betting that each of the mechanics added compressor oil when he recharged the system. The oil is heavier than the R134 & will collect and clog the condensor & dryer.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

http://www.aircondition.com/tech/questions/24/

[GottaHavePride]

Sounds like the condensor or the dryer is clogged up & might have taken out the compressor.

Metal shavings from the compressor will clog up the orifice tube in the dryer & won't allow the A/C to cool. I had this problem earlier this year.

Another thing that could cause a clog is getting it recharged frequently. I'm betting that each of the mechanics added compressor oil when he recharged the system. The oil is heavier than the R134 & will collect and clog the condensor & dryer.

That's also possible. Hopefully one of these guys can take a look at it and figure out what's actually wrong.

Oh, and jkm, it's a 1990 Caddy El Dorado. Yes, I know it's a granny car - she gave it to me. ;)

[Kels]

I go to Wells Automotive on West Lindsey. They've always treated me right. If you need more info, PM.

[olevetonahill]

Ok the one nite I'm not on and I'm needed ;)
The condenser very seldom fails , its usually punctured . If it was mine or you were my customer . Id do a recovery , then pull it down on a hard vacuum and watch it for about 2 hrs to see if the vacuum leaked off . if /when it did , Id recharge and inject dye in the system and find the leak ;)
I have NEVER had the entire system fail
Odds are your compressor seals are shot and leaking , If so the system needs to be flushed , new compressor , dryer and orifice tube . should fix you up . what engine do you have ill call and get prices on the parts and tell you what id charge , to give you an idea .
The most I've charged anyone here was 737$ that was a diesel pick up

Oh and make sure they use a NEW compressor not a reman one . Ive had nothing but trouble with the reman ones and wont use anymore . A new Delphi is only 50 $ or so more

[BajaOklahoma]

I think it is worth the drive to see olevet...

[GottaHavePride]

Ok the one nite I'm not on and I'm needed ;)
The condenser very seldom fails , its usually punctured . If it was mine or you were my customer . Id do a recovery , then pull it down on a hard vacuum and watch it for about 2 hrs to see if the vacuum leaked off . if /when it did , Id recharge and inject dye in the system and find the leak ;)
I have NEVER had the entire system fail
Odds are your compressor seals are shot and leaking , If so the system needs to be flushed , new compressor , dryer and orifice tube . should fix you up . what engine do you have ill call and get prices on the parts and tell you what id charge , to give you an idea .
The most I've charged anyone here was 737$ that was a diesel pick up

Oh and make sure they use a NEW compressor not a reman one . Ive had nothing but trouble with the reman ones and wont use anymore . A new Delphi is only 50 $ or so more

It's the 4.5L V8 that came standard on the Caddy El Dorado in 1990, I think it's the HT-4100, but I'm not 100% positive, I'd have to go get the book out of the car. ;)

And every time they recharged the AC they put dye in it and never could manage to spot the leak in the condenser, so maybe they just suck at A/C work.

And I'd consider the drive to take it to olevet if the problem was something other than the AC while it's 107 outside. I've actually got relatives all over SE Oklahoma. :D

[olevetonahill]

Ok here ya go
"IF" everything needed replaced Id charge somewhere around 900 and then give a discount :D
If they injected dye and still couldnt find the leak they are blind ,
Sounds like it may be your evaporator (under the dash )
I still say your condensor is probably fine
I would definately get someone else to look at it tho
One Big ? is IF they couldnt find the leak with the dye How in hell can they tell you all that stuff Is bad ? the dye would show up

Now if you rest your codes does your A/C work for awhile ?

[GottaHavePride]

Now if you rest your codes does your A/C work for awhile ? Well, it did that once they reset them. Then after they told me everything was broken it hasn't been reset again - I figured there was no point if the compressor was shot. I'll call some people and see if I can take it to them in the next few days.

[GottaHavePride]

Update:

Took the car to Wells Automotive, they wanted to recharge the AC, put dye in it, keep it overnight and check it in the morning. So they just called me back, said they didn't put any dye in it because it was still full of freon. Also said the problem was that someone didn't reset the computer properly after messing with it last time so the AC clutch wouldn't kick in. They reset the computer, drove it around a while to make sure the computer wasn't going to go off again, and said the air coming out the vents got down to 38 degrees - coldest AC they've seen in a while. The bill? 85 bucks.

Much better than $2000 at the dealership to fix stuff that apparently isn't broken.

Verdict: The guys at Bob Moore are either idiots or crooks.



Now, the guy did say that if the computer shuts the AC off again there may be either a bad sensor or something wrong in the computer itself, but that's a whole different problem.

[Mjcpr]

Time to call the Svc Mgr at the dealer and bitch.

[GottaHavePride]

Meh, **** 'em.

[BlondeSoonerGirl]

I miss Brad Edwards.

:(

[GottaHavePride]

Just got my car back. Excellent. It got nice and cool inside on the way home, despite the fact that the repair guys parked it with the windshield facing the sun. ;)

[olevetonahill]

Ahem ??? I think I called that one ? Sounded like a puter prob .
Thank you , thank you very much ;)
Glad it worked out for you

[GottaHavePride]

Ahem ??? I think I called that one ? Sounded like a puter prob .
Thank you , thank you very much ;)
Glad it worked out for you

Indeed, you were correct. Thanks for the advice. :D

[olevetonahill]

Indeed, you were correct. Thanks for the advice. :D
Like I said Glad it worked out for you
BigD is bringing his Van down tonight , Im gonna get the Tranny rebuilt for around 500 $ when he comes to pick it up , He is gonna do the A/C on it :D
Hes gonna use My tools and Buy the beer ;)

[BajaOklahoma]

The mechanic class that my son took a couple of years ago had two groups - one learning GMs and one learning Fords.
According to him, the Ford guys >>>> GM guys.

And spek to the old guy who knows stuff.

[swardboy]

I've had the same problem with the same model car. When I disconnected the negative battery terminal and then reconnected it, the problem was solved! Maybe it resets the computer by doing so. Cost: $0.

[GottaHavePride]

I'll try that next time, then. :D

[olevetonahill]

Neg or Pos , it dosent matter but wait about 5 mins , befor reconnecting ;)

[Sooner Eclipse]

You can also try touching the negative cable end to the positive AFTER you have removed it from the battery. That will drain the capacitors and you can reconnect it after a few seconds. Might save you some time in the :hot:

[olevetonahill]

You can also try touching the negative cable end to the positive AFTER you have removed it from the battery. That will drain the capacitors and you can reconnect it after a few seconds. Might save you some time in the :hot:
:eek: :eek: :eek:

[Sooner Eclipse]

It does work, and won't damage anything - promise.

:D

[proud gonzo]

i think you need to write a letter to the cadillac peoples...a n d tell them what wonderful diagnosticians their employees are.