My mechanic said it would cost $320 to fix the upper A/C hose on our '98 Mercury Mystique. Is that absurd?

Question

I checked autozone.com and they list the best Upper Hose at $20.99. Could I do this repair myself and then pay to have them put freon in? Where is this hose under the hood?

Answer 1

In order to comply with environmental laws the existing freon in the system has to be evacuated and stored.  Then any repairs can be done.  Afterwords the air has to be removed with a vacuum pump and new freon has to be installed.  This is especially true if the system is running on the old R12 refrigerant.  (The current standard is R134 which is less toxic to the environment.)  Afterwords the technician has to very that there isn't a leak.

It's not totally the part and the hose replacement is simple.  There is a lot of accompanying procedures to comply with laws and make sure the job is done right.  Depending on your state the technician may have to complete extensive licensing requirements as well.  And the special equipment for all of this also isn't cheap.  It all adds up to $$$.

Answer 2

I think that you are also paying him to diagnose the problem. The labor and the parts are a small part. What about the 20 some odd years it takes to know what your doing? I would only say it would cost half that but I also I didn't diagnose it that's where the discount comes in. Pay the man or find another mechanic that specializes in Ac's and see what his diagnoses is. If you keep looking for the cheapest deal you will find the worst mechanic too.

Answer 3

Not absurd.

You can do it yourself and pay an independent A/C shop to charge it.  If there's freon in it now, you should also pay an independent a/c shop to remove that.

P.S. Note to O.P. and everybody answering:  Freon does NOT LEAK OUT OF RADIATOR HOSES.  If you have to ask that question, then you cannot do it yourself.

Answer 4

Since the hose is broken, all the freon that can escape already has. Replace the hose and have a shop evacuate the system and recharge it for you. That will still run about $100 I think.

Answer 5

Oh man! Get it fixed and dump it. We had a fully loaded 99 Mystique and that thing was a money pit, we quit spending after $2500 and got a good deal on an '05 Saturn Ion, which is a little gem.

Answer 6

I believe it's illegal to work on your own a/c without recovery equipment. That is a ton of cash and plus they like to ream you out while you're there.

Answer 7

Fire your "mekanik" and go to an a/c specialty shop.

Answer 8

Upper A/C Hose??? or upper radiator hose? There is no "upper" A/C hose. $320.00 is a rip off if it's the upper radiator hose. Everyone on here is so quick to answer apparently didn't read the question that well, as of 11:45 PM on 7/27, so they failed.

Answer 9

The job they quoted you would include evacuating and recharging the system, replacing the hose and probably replacing the Reciever/Drier which should always be serviced any time the AC system is opened.

That being said, no the price is not unreasonable.  That is at least 2-3 hours worth of work.

Answer 10

Yes that sounds like he's trying to s***w you over.

The cost should be a fraction of that.