Am i being screwed? VN

[vpete]

My aircon doesn't get cold anymore and the compressor cuts in and out at very regular intervals. I took it in to have it looked at and the guy came back and said the whole system needs to be replaced at a cost of about $2,500. It had been working fine until i parked it for a couple of months. So is this guy trying to screw me or have the FU fairies done a number on me??? He reckons the compressor seal is buggered but i can't see how the whole system needs to be replaced just because of that???

Help me out here guys......................Pete!

[hakhawk]

might be running on the old style gas, which means a rebuild of the system with new seals and stuff i think. unsure exactly what has to be changed to run the newer gas.

[vpete]

It is running R134A gas which is the new stuff. I really think i need a second opinion on this one!

Cheers....................Pete!

[hakhawk]

yep, get a second opinion then

[jas98]

mine guts in and out but thats cause it gets cold....but it does it like every minute lol

[albert5268]

$2500? You could get 4 or 5 new VN/VP's with working aircon for that much. I just hope you're window winders work....

[vpete]

Hehehehe.......yeah i'm working on the 100/100 rule at present. 100k's an hour and window 100% down!

Thanks for the replies guys, i will look around at other aircon businesses. I have another VP wreck in the shed with aircon but the seal is probably gone on the compressor on it too as it has sat for about 18mths.

Cheers..............................Pete!

[Benboy]

I know that the VN had a thermal cut-out on the compressor. If things got too hot then it would just switch off. Apparently you can (quite safetly) disable that switch and resolve the problem - if that's what was causing it. Experiment first by just removing the plug (to thermal switch). Otherwise you could have a 'clapped out' compressor, leaking gas, insufficient gas etc.

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Normally it is the seals on the lines themselves that perish and leak the gas out, not the one in the compressor. Usually a regas with the green dye in it can pinpoint a leak.

Standard practice is to replace the receiver dryer and the seals when a regas is done.

[vpete]

Thanks guys, we did the test to bypass the cutout switch and it still didn't get cold so it is definately a low gas problem and the old mate at the aircon place had some special light and glasses that shows where the gas leaked out and it was coming out of the front of the compressor but nowhere else!

I understand why they would replace the reciever drier but can't for the life of me work out why it would cost $2500 to fix. That's just highway robbery to me!

Cheers.....................Pete!

[VSIIBerlinaL67]

just get a second hand working compressor

[Scooter79]

A brand new compressor and receiver/dryer + regas cost me $900 two years ago. Can't imagine it should cost anymore than that. My father inlaw was working for a spare parts supplier and he said he couldn't get me a compressor any cheaper than about $800 so I paid someone an ext $100 to do the lot.

As a general rule ALWAYS get at least three quotes before proceeding.