i have been told by the dealership that i have a bad evaporator?

Question

in my jeep cherokee. they want 1245.00 to make the repair. is this charge out of line

Answer 1

Evaporators are a part of your Air Conditioning system. Most repairs are quite expensive to say the least. System has to be evacuated and parts have to be installed. Often times in really odd places to get at so labor time becomes quite extensive. Then the R134 is what is used to recharge the system is expensive. Not knowing the year of your vehicle the entire system may have to be converted to R134 because Freon is no longer used. That would add a considerable amount to the repair. Hope this helps

Answer 2

Although there are other components in your air conditioning system, the three main components are the evaporator, the condensor and the compressor. The system operates on the simple principle that when the refrigerant in a liquid (compressed) state expands and evaporates back into a gaseous state, it cools its surroundings. The air conditioning system taps this cooling effect in the evaporator (usually buried somewhere in the dash) and passes air across it to carry cool air into your car. The refrigerant is then returned compressed and cooled and recirculated to repeat the cycle again.

The cost of replacing a bad evaporator necessarily includes the part, which is probably on the order of $400-500 plus the cost of replacing all of the coolant which will be lost when the system is opened, plus labor. As the evaporator is almost always in some terribly inconvenient location, and labor is $75 to $85 per hour, it does not take very long for costs of this repair to mount up. Accordingly, the price you were quoted does not seem far out of line.

That said, there are more than a few disreputable shops out there, and one should be cautious. I assume that the system is not cooling else you would not be considering this. However, you did not indicate what tests had been done to determine the evaporator was the culprit.

Normally, a shop will put a special dye charge in the system to check for leaks and this dye is apparent when a special light is shined on it, so that the mechanic can see where the leaks are coming from. What has me a little concerned here is that for a mechanic to see a leak on the evaporator, he more than likely would have already had to tear apart the dash, and I am guessing that has not yet transpired.

I would either have the mechanic show me where the leak is, or take it to another shop that specializes in automobile air conditioning for a second opinion.

Answer 3

Get a breakdown of parts and labor, Ask their labor rate. The local library has books published by the manufacturer that list repair times for various components. Also consider a reputable private repair shop. Their hourly rate may be less than the dealer. No dealer specific tools are needed to make this repair. I have done a considerable number of Jeeps, Dodge pickups & autos & vans and find that it is tough to get out of a rrepair for less than about $800.00, (we are a Fleet and do not mark up for profit)

Changing an evaporator in a Cherokee can be very time intensive. The filter / dryer should be changed as the system would be exposed to atmosphere. Then it has to be put under a vacuum to boil off any moisture, and to check for leaks. Moisture is deadly to internal A/C components. I am assuming that this vehicle is a post '95 and uses R134a refrigerant. A previous answer explained the problems associated with finding R12.

Answer 4

I am a mechanic specializing in volvo.I just did an evaporator on a volvo this morning.If you know what you are doing and have all the tools you need as well as the ones you do not think you will need you can attempt it.Make sure you have a good manual and you had better be a very organized person.You will end up taking apart half of the dash if not all of it(on volvos you must remove the entire dash from the car) this will produce alot of screws nut bolts etc.Also wiring could be an issue.You can easily enough colour code the wiring connectors with some touch up paint.

If you have any questions dont be shy contact me and i will help you out.Also i may be able to find you a good price on an evap

Answer 5

Probably not out of line for a Dealer.

Last evaporator/dryer I had done was just over $700. That was 4 years ago.

Visit/call several places other than dealerships and get estimates. You should be able to get a better price.

Will definitely cost more if you have to change to new 134.

Answer 6

Well, it depends on how much you want your AC to work. After some research it appears that thispart isonly for the Air conditioning unit and won't affect the rest of your car. However, with that said, I looked on a car message board and you CAN do it yourself, but it would be difficult and very messy. Those people also said that if you don'thave the time, patieniece, experience, and can afford the repair it would be worth it. They also mentioned on another person's problem that this is ballpark cost of this repair. Sorry about your car.

Answer 7

first off, it is illegal to do a/c repairwork yourself without being properly certified. which is one reason why the price is so high. the other is the parts going into the repair. If you have the right training and equiptment then yes you can do it yourself but generally you would want to take it to a shop to have it repaired. and
this price is about average for parts and labor.

- sorry because i know this is not what you would want to hear.

Answer 8

You can do alot better than the dealership.......A /C work is very expensive......Seek for an independent repair shop.....you'll save some $

Answer 9

Yes definitely. That is a lot of cash.