Miata A/C

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Jerry - 29 Jul 2005 14:14 GMT

Hi all,

I recently had to take the '97 Miata in for an A/C charge. As it is
not my car, I took it to the local Mazda dealer. I was charged $160
for recharging and road testing.

I suspect that I was overcharged (in dollars, not refrigerant). How
much should that job have cost?

Thanks,
Jerry

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XS11E - 29 Jul 2005 20:22 GMT

"Jerry" <prather.js@verizon.net> wrote in:

> Hi all,
>
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> I suspect that I was overcharged (in dollars, not refrigerant). How
> much should that job have cost?

Depends on the amount of refrigerant used but that does seem WAY high.
Around $100 might have been closer to the correct amount but w/o seeing the
work order and w/o knowing if they did any other work such as adjusting belt
tension or whatever I can't say for sure.

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Ken Lyons - 29 Jul 2005 23:57 GMT

I agree that sounds a little high. We just had PBC evacuate and recharge our
'90s A/C and it cost about $150. That was one hour labor @ $85 and almost 2
lbs of R12 @ $32/lb. Not cheap either. I don't know what R134 is going for,
but seems to me close to $100 for the total job would be expected.

Signature

Ken Lyons '97 Brilliant Black/'90 Classic Red
Inside the Beltway
[Remove the first two digits to reply]

> "Jerry" <prather.js@verizon.net> wrote in:
>
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> work order and w/o knowing if they did any other work such as adjusting belt
> tension or whatever I can't say for sure.

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Mal Osborne - 30 Jul 2005 04:28 GMT

I would also suspect anyone who just did a recharge, without consulting with
the owner first to ensure they understood the implications.

1. To need a recharge, a significant quantity of refrigerant has escaped.
2. Therefore there must be a leak somewhere.
3. If you just put in more refrigerant, without locating & reparing the
leak, it will leak out again.

Just recharging is most likely not going to be a long-term fix. The A/C may
stop working again in a few days, a few weeks, a few months, or if you are
very lucky, a few years. This sort of "repair" would make sense if you are
selling the car, but not if you planned to keep it.

Mal

> Hi all,
>
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> Thanks,
> Jerry

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