AC Failed at only 2 years - $1,900 to repair

Is this a reasonable amount? Why did it fail so early? Compressor went out apparently.

I shopped around and $1,900 was the best quote I could get. The dealer quoted me $2,700! That seems absurd, but I can't find any history about 3rd Gen tundras needing AC replacement.

Am I missing something? This AC can't be brand new to the Tundra - why so much?

 

How much of the estimate was for parts?

 

That's like 10-15% of your Bluebook value, might as well total it!

 

Why doesn't this qualify as a warranty repair?

 

Not able to warranty this ??

 

he has like 500k miles on the truck already.

 

Oh, tough. Really 500,000 miles? Is that correct? Then failure may not be early.

 

lol, look at Euros posts.

 

It sounds reasonable, right now no aftermarket parts are available, so the compressor is a dealer item. Add the fact that you have 1234YF freon which is generally a $500-$800 evac and recharge cost. Most shops like mine will not just replace the compressor, because when the compressor fails you get particles that go through the system and clog up or recirculate and end up causing the compressor to fail again. I always do at least the compressor and dryer/receiver, if we are unable to flush and out the condenser then we will also replace that as well. Most of my A/c jobs with kits are between $1600-$2200 depending on the system 134a or 1234YF and what parts need to be replaced.

 

Should be under warranty.

 

@MaxPayne3
I am curious. What vehicles do you do the most AC replacements on? Also where are you located as this may affect them going bad?

The last one I had replaced was in a Chrysler just outside of warranty and the guy who did it thought Chrysler must of had a defect as he replaced so many evaporator coils in them. By far the manufacturer he saw the most. This was in Florida.

 

Euro, it all started when you removed sections of the truck for bigger tires.

 

The aftermarket has been really slow to catch up with later model vehicles since Covid. I had a 22 Nissan Rogue in the shop yesterday and it needed a mass air flow meter and air filter. Neither one of those are available as aftermarket parts. The MAF at the dealer is a $500+ sensor.

 

This is a good question. I also wonder if the Carista temp recalibration reduces the life of the AC system. I hope not because it sure improved the AC functionality.

 

Also keep the receipts. I bought a used 2003 Honda Element for the wife. The same thing happened to it. Years later I found out it was a defective part. I didn't have any of the paperwork for the repair and missed the window of reimbursement anyway. 2003 was the 1st year of the Element. Even with that repair, it was a great reliable vehicle.

 

Sorry you are getting hit with this, out of warranty repair costs are out of hand. The elephant in the room is the refrigerant and the new equipment and procedure to evacuate and recharge it. R134a is $8 a lb. at Walmart. 1234yf is at least 10x as costly and you need another machine.

 

I'm in Arizona in the metro Phoenix area, and the heat here does not discriminate lol. I do see a lot of Ford and Hyundai vehicles for A/C related issues. Also there are technical service bulletins (TSB's) for certain vehicles like Chevy & GMC trucks and SUV's where the condensers had a bad weld/solder on them and they are prone to leak. 3rd and early 4th Gen Ram trucks also had issues with evaporators, which are a PITA in any new vehicle these days because the entire dash has to come out to replace those. I had a 3rd gen Tacoma under warranty and there was a TSB for a known issue with the A/C cutting out in ambient temperatures over 100 degrees. The fix was for Toyota to add a pusher fan to the front of the condenser. Took it to the dealership twice and they would not honor the TSB because they claimed it was "intermittent". It would only do it sitting at a stop in traffic, well duh because when you start driving airflow is moving across the condenser allowing it to cool down. It was a lease and the end of last summer is when I began experiencing problems with it and if I would have kept it I would have escalated the problem with Toyota corporate this summer. Anyway, to get back on track, when it comes to A/C compressors I generally only use the OEM or in the aftermarket a Denso, Delco or similar. Stay away from Murray, Duralast, and the other "store brands", I've had nothing but problems with them.

 

Euro, what's your mileage at now! I think that even with an extended warranty, you would be past the maximum mileage to fit under the warranty.

It does seem that you got a good motor but things around the motor are failing!

 

No, pretty much anything 2018 and newer is a craps shoot on whether or not an aftermarket part will be available for it, depends on the part itself. My shop also specializes in heavy line work, transmissions and some engines and those parts are even harder to come by, even for stuff in the 8-10 year old range.

 

seems odd. have you inspected the AC condenser? all the components to see if there is any physical damage? check there maybe all the hard wheeling did something? if not then yes I would certainly go down the warranty path if you have not started that already.

 

Not literally 500k but he is well beyond warranty.

 

. The moon is 230,000 miles. He's almost there!

 

Now if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black.

 

This lives on the Sequoia.

 

The 2-1/2 Gen Gods are punishing you for speaking positively about your Tundra a few days ago

 

Works great and is much cheaper

 

Have you checked your fuses? Maybe Rock auto has your compressor?

 

This was my exact thought too.

 

OP should wang his truck shitbox off of a few more pine trees. Mebbe that'll do it.

@Eurodriver: this is your new online home. Transfer your flag now, plz.

 

But does the AC work??