Many customers come in asking the question “How Much Is Auto AC Repair?” Every shop, vehicle, and situation is different. “Average” Auto AC repair costs range between $100 and $4000. – Kind of a broad range, and not particularly helpful for budgeting, is it?
However, in this article we’ll be taking a look at the most common kinds of AC repairs, and what customers can expect to pay for that sort of work.
AC Service
An AC Service is considered a maintenance service rather than a repair. It’s also one of the most common AC-related job in the shop, second only to Cabin Air Filter replacements. Typically, this includes about an hour of labor at your shop of choice’s labor rate. (Average labor rates by state can be found here.) to recover and measure the refigerant (freon) currently in your ac system, vacuum the system down to remove impurities, and re-charge the system to it’s full capacity. Plus the cost of the amount of refrigerant it takes to restore your vehicle to that full capacity, at about $40 per lb on average, installed.
A typical car takes a full system charge of 28-32oz of freon, so worst case scenario if your system takes 2lbs, and is found to be completely empty with no obvious leaks present, you’d be looking at ~$198.50 plus tax. Keep in mind that prices vary pretty widely across the country, and your system probably won’t be totally empty, so there’s a good chance the quote you actually get will be less.
How Much Is Auto AC Repair? – Refrigerant Leaks
If a refrigerant leak is found during an AC Service, that will need to be repaired at an additional cost. How much? That’s hard to say with any real degree of certainty. If it’s something small like an AC Service Port valve, or a seal between components, it could be anywhere between $0 and $200. If it’s a larger component like an AC Condenser, Compressor, or Evaporator leak, you could be looking at anywhere from $200 to $1000+.
AC Compressor Replacement
This is where things can get expensive. The reason is this. If an AC compressor has a mechanical failure inside, the part that broke in the compressor has a tendency to contaminate the rest of the system. On most modern cars, the components are designed in such a way that they can’t be cleaned out completely, so instead they must all be replaced along with the compressor to ensure that the new compressor isn’t ruined by the contaminants in the rest of the system. On average, you’re looking at ~$1600, though in some cases like the 2009 Lexus GS450H it could be significantly higher. (dealer price on a compressor alone for that specific vehicle is ~$5500 😲)
How Much Is Auto AC Repair? – Summary
As you can tell from the information above, AC repair costs vary quite a bit. The best way to get an accurate estimate is to give us a call at (480) 641 – 6055 or stop by for an appointment today!
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