Aircon evaporator

[robslade]

After working well for several years my aircon packed up last summer so I asked my local indie to look for the leak at recent service. They found and fixed a large leak in one of the hoses... but then found a small leak in the evaporator. So now I'm out of pocket but still no aircon []

Now I know this is a big job (I was quoted up to two days labour). P-car have a very good write up: http://p-car.com/diy/ac/ .... so I was wondering if this is a realistic DIY project. Has anyone tried it ?

Or does anyone know a good (& cheap !) aircon specialist ? Is it possible (and sensible) to consider a quick fix with some type of injected sealer ? I'd worry this could block the whole system...

Thanks,
Rob

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

Rob,

I've been there - and got the very expensive T-Shirt!! The one thing I WOULD advise it to check out alternative sources of the evaporator itself. When I had mine done (3 years ago) the Porsche part was IRO £500 and I have subsequently discovered that there are others available for around £150 so there is some money to be saved.

The labour is high because the whole HVAC system has to be removed, which involves removing the fuel tank and firewall. Again, when mine was done the labour charge (at JZM) was around £500.

After replacement my a/c was fine for a while - until the seals in the compressor decided to finally give up the fight - so I'm back with no a/c until I get that fixed!!!

Regards

Dave

 

[tomwinton]

Rob

What part of the world are you in? I can recommend an AC chap, but he's over here in Bristol...

Ta

TOm

 

[robslade]

Tom,
I'm in Oxford, so Bristol is fine. Can you drop me a PM ?
Thanks,
Rob

 

[robslade]

Dave,

Thanks for the advice about parts. There seem to be a few people selling them for £150-180.

Rob

 

[tomwinton]

You've got mail...!!

 

[kasspa]

Rob,

Try www.design911.com based in hainult, east london

Paul

 

[johnedwards]

Mine came from SED in Guildford. 01483300407. Evaporator £130. Dryer £12 and expansion valve ( advisable to change while it's all in bits. ref P-Car) £33.94. All + vear and tear of course. Cannot remember the OPC price but it bore no relation. If you go to the Hella Bere site you will find all the items and their respective Hella part nos. Just dial in your car.
My garage charged 6 hrs labour to change all three items. I watched it being done so know it was all done correctly. Evaporator had been leaking for some time. The oil around the unit makes a hell of a mess. It had corroded, possibly as a result of a drain clogging. It looked rusty in the area of the leak. Finally the smell in the cab, which I assume was from the gas as it has dissapeared now, was horrendous. A bit like a farmyard on a bad day.
Good luck.
John.

 

[John Maddox]

I had mine done 4 years ago and although expensive my main concern was
that it didn't rattle and creak afterwards. Often captive bolts corrode and snap when dismantled and the temptation is to not renew them and hence sounds like a bag of spanner on a rough road. I made it clear I wanted a really good job and was prepared to pay a premium if they documented the extra work. Sure enough they had to epoxy in new captive bolts and new fittings. It is still rattle free.