While my Bronco was in the shop for some repairs, I had them check the AC, since the truck had been sitting for a few months. This is a trustworthy and reliable shop. They did an AC pressure test and checked the R134a level for 20 bucks and said that everything was fine. The AC had been working fine previous to this, I just wanted it checked to make sure the refrigerant was full and everything was ok.

I picked it up and drove it home and didn't really drive it until today. Turn on the AC, the compressor does not kick on, and the air is warm. My shop is closed on Saturdays. I took it to another place. It was 2 lbs low on refrigerant. It had never leaked before, since I have owned it. The low pressure switch was also bad. $160 later I have ice cold AC again. They put the dye in and found no obvious leaks. They told me to bring it by again in a couple of days and they will run the wand over it and look for any slow leaks.

My question is, could the AC test by the original shop have caused the refrigerant to leak out, if the equipment was faulty? I like my original shop, they are honest and nice people. I don't want to go back in an accusatory way; but I will go back on Monday to ask what might have happened. Any ideas before I go?

 

Here's one possibility. Air conditioners have shrader valves that are similar to a valve core in a tire. It is possible to have a new leak after removing the guages. They should check for that as it happens fairly frequently, but it could be a honest mistake.

You sound like a good customer. Tearing your mechanics head off without the facts is bad long term strategy. But you already know that. Good luck.

 

There presure gage could be off, The may have actualy forgot to do it? who knows, . DW

 

I thought about the Schrader valve too. It might have stuck open and leaked the refigerant out after testing. When the mechanic put the new refrigerant in, it unstuck the valve. That was my fisrt though too.

I have no intentions of ripping anyone's head off, but I am going over there to ask what may have happened. I'm out $167.

 

personally would have shop #1 shoot some r134a? lube in just for safety i guess
but are they specilist on h/a service
autos are so compilcated now its like doctors now all specilized all they do they should be the best at it
would not let jiffy screw up near my ac for instance

 

"I have no intentions of ripping anyone's head off, but I am going over there to ask what may have happened. I'm out $167."

JBronco

Certainly, I would too. They most likely owe you something. When I made a mistake, I always hoped the customer would come back to me so I could make it right. It's a little more complicated when you are out 50 bucks an hour from somebody elses labor. I couldn't eat too much of that as a commissioned mechanic with a family. Hopefully the boss will meet you part way. Actually a pretty cheap way to find out how far your shop will stand behind there work. Better to find out now, rather than after a $3000 engine job for instance. The customers that came in screaming irrationally generally left in a similar condition. I didn't mean to imply that you are like that. Good luck in any event.

 

That's cool.

Even more than the $167, I want to make sure that the AC won't leak out again, and try to figure out what happened to make it leak out in the first place. I checked the Schrader valves today, I didn't feel any air or anything coming out of them, and the AC is still ice cold.

Do you think that the system should have a shot of oil added to it? Does the oil leak out with the refrigerant? I'm not sure if the shop on Saturday put any oil in it.

 

"Does the oil leak out with the refrigerant?"

Usually it doesn't to any significant degree.

 

If you really like the shop and have good rapport with them, then you might consider just eating the $20 diagnostic. After all, if they had found the problem, you would have ended up paying the $167 anyway. You could always off-handedly mention it the next time that they give you a repair estimate.

Ditto on the Schrader valve; they're commonly-replaced items.

 

The thing is that there was not a problem before the diag. The AC worked fine, I just wanted to make sure that the system was full.