Aircon condenser leaking

[Duffryn]

Just had my car serviced and MOT'd by a Toyota dealer, and have been told the a/c condenser is leaking and quoted £854 to (presumably) replace it. My car is a 2014 Gen3 with a full Toyota service history from new, and with only 47K on the clock.

I would just like to ask anyone if they would consider this price acceptable, or would/should I do better by going to an independent garage, although tbh I'm not too keen on non-Toyota folk working on my car.

Any thoughts or advice would be welcomed. TIA.

 

 

[southsider46]

Dealer prices are always very high.  I would get a couple of quotes.  You could probably buy a condenser for somewhere in the region of £90 but, the gassing up is expensive.  Do you know if your car uses r134a or the newer, more expensive R1234yrf gas?

[Duffryn]

5 minutes ago, southsider46 said:

Dealer prices are always very high.  I would get a couple of quotes.  You could probably buy a condenser for somewhere in the region of £90 but, the gassing up is expensive.  Do you know if your car uses r134a or the newer, more expensive R1234yrf gas?

Sorry no I don't, didn't even know there were different types available!

[Bper]

Hi David,The £854 quote for replacing the A/C condenser from a Toyota dealer is on the high side but not unusual for a main dealer. Since your car has a full Toyota service history and low mileage, the dealer's experience might be worth the extra cost. However, if you're open to alternatives, independent garages can often offer lower prices for the same repair. While the quality of service can vary, a good independent shop with experience working on Toyotas could save you money. If you're not keen on non Toyota mechanics, you could get a second opinion or quote from another Toyota dealer. It really comes down to whether you value the cost savings or prefer the peace of mind of having Toyota work on your car.👍

[Duffryn]

Thanks for your reply Bob, I would like to get another Toyota dealer to have a look & quote, unfortunately that would mean a 60 mile round trip to my next nearest dealership, but maybe I'll give them a ring to see if they can give me a price over the phone (don't know why they wouldn't really). They belong to a different dealer group too, which would be good.

[TonyHSD]

What about the relax warranty you get with each service in Toyota as you are saying up to date service history and only 47000 miles. Even if it’s pass 10 years it’s a low miles car it’s worth trying to get it fix under warranty. 

[Mooly]

20 hours ago, Duffryn said:

Just had my car serviced and MOT'd by a Toyota dealer, and have been told the a/c condenser is leaking and quoted £854 to (presumably) replace it.

Possibly a strange think to ask but are you aware of any issues with the aircon in use? or did you specifically ask them to look for any issue that you may be having with the aircon?

What I'm getting at is whether they have just done a quick visual inspection and seen something gungy and gooey around the condenser and said its leaking or.... it really is leaking and you have a problem. 

A leak will render the aircon non operational in very short time so you would naturally assume you already had a non functional system before the service.  

 

[Duffryn]

Thanks for your comments Mr.Mooly. I certainly hadn't noticed a problem with the aircons' efficiency, it seems to be working fine. The dealer sent me a short video taken by the technician who briefly pointed out the damp patch on the grill, but it was very quick and tbh I couldn't really notice anything. I've checked it myself at home with a torch and still can't see anything amiss.

I'm afraid I don't have much confidence in this dealership, as an example they me charged £1.70 + VAT for w/w liquid top-up, despite the fact I'd brimmed it immediately before it went to the dealer. I think I'll get a second opinion and, if there is a leak, I'll try their Relax warranty thingy as suggested by TonyHSD above, to see if there's any help available.

[Mooly]

That's interesting. I think I would just wait and see tbh, especially as you have no obvious issues. If you can't see anything even with a torch you do wonder... can you identify the area of the condenser they are looking at from the video?

The system only holds around 400grams of refrigerant (as typical figure to work to) which is only what you have in a typical aerosol can of glass cleaner etc so a leak under that kind of pressure soon means the system would be empty. It would stop working once around 50% had leaked.

I would say fingers crossed and all that, and that you may not have any issue at all and I wouldn't don't throw money at at this point. 

[yossarian247]

As above, even the tiniest leak in an a/c condenser will let the refrigerant out within hours and the system will stop working. If you still have functioning aircon then you can be pretty sure you don't have a leak. 

[cass1]

Hello, my 20011 Prius had leaking joints from the connection with the condenser. This was discovered whilst being examined for MOT. This was backed up by a video forwarded to me with an option to address the problem.This was a Toyota dealership in Bishops Stortford Herts. The total cost of a new condenser and connection joints was £506 all in. This was In October 2024

 

 

 

 

[Duffryn]

Well, it looks as if you've got a bargain there Tony, I've booked mine in at my closest Toyota dealer who've quoted £854. As my car has a full Toyota service history and low mileage (47k) I've asked if there's any discount available, they said they'd look at it "on the day", but I won't be holding my breath! They also want £25 for C&D, which I hoped they might squash.

Just wish I lived a bit closer to Bishop's Stortford then...

[southsider46]

I'd like to see a breakdown of their price, it does seem excessively high.

[Duffryn]

1 hour ago, southsider46 said:

I'd like to see a breakdown of their price, it does seem excessively high.

So would I, but it seems to be a case of take it or leave it. I emailed my next nearest dealer (part of a different dealership group) who are 30+ miles away - they haven't even bothered to acknowledge my request for a quote!

Looking on Youtube it appears that a lot of the front of the car's bodywork etc. has to be dismantled to do this job, and tbh I'm very reluctant to let non-Toyota folk faff about with it.

[Mooly]

6 hours ago, Duffryn said:

Well, it looks as if you've got a bargain there Tony, I've booked mine in at my closest Toyota dealer who've quoted £854

So was yours actually faulty in the end? We were not sure as I recall as it was working fine at the time. Has it failed now.

[Duffryn]

25 minutes ago, Mooly said:

So was yours actually faulty in the end? We were not sure as I recall as it was working fine at the time. Has it failed now.

Thanks for your reply. It doesn't appear to have failed completely yet as it keeps the windscreen from misting up in the mornings. The car only sees use 2 or 3 times per week, and, of course, I can't tell if the cooling of the cabin is effective at this time of year.

Immediately after using the car I can now see, by peering through the lower grill and with the aid of a torch, what appears to be a damp patch on the corner of the radiator(?) thingy (I'm obviously strictly non-technical!), and this is what the technician pointed out to me in his video taken during the cars service.

Btw - is it good practice to keep the aircon on 100% of the time irrespective? I get conflicting info on this.

[southsider46]

18 minutes ago, Duffryn said:

is it good practice to keep the aircon on 100% of the time irrespective

That's not necessary, but it should be used occasionally to keep all the seals lubricated.

[Mooly]

20 hours ago, Duffryn said:

Immediately after using the car I can now see, by peering through the lower grill and with the aid of a torch, what appears to be a damp patch on the corner of the radiator(?) thingy (I'm obviously strictly non-technical!), and this is what the technician pointed out to me in his video taken during the cars service.

Sounds very strange to me given it still seems to be working OK. I really just wonder if its a patch of gunge or something. Oil from a service spilled, something like that.

 

20 hours ago, Duffryn said:

Btw - is it good practice to keep the aircon on 100% of the time irrespective? I get conflicting info on this.

Pretty much as @southsider46 says really. Usage keeps the flexible seals in all the joints and couplings supple. As I've said before, domestic refrigeration doesn't have any seals like these as all the pipework is continuous with welded/brazed joints and no possibility of leakage.

Fwiw I've had the A/C on 24/7 in my 2010 Auris (112500k miles now). 

[TonyHSD]

AC on all the time just to keep it working absolutely not necessary. aC on all the time to keep cabin comfort and for the hybrid Battery health yes, it is a good idea. 

[wass]

On 11/8/2024 at 2:27 PM, Duffryn said:

Just had my car serviced and MOT'd by a Toyota dealer, and have been told the a/c condenser is leaking and quoted £854 to (presumably) replace it. My car is a 2014 Gen3 with a full Toyota service history from new, and with only 47K on the clock.

I would just like to ask anyone if they would consider this price acceptable, or would/should I do better by going to an independent garage, although tbh I'm not too keen on non-Toyota folk working on my car.

Any thoughts or advice would be welcomed. TIA.

 

 

To be honest, the price of £854 does seem to be a bit steep at first. However, it is worth your while to ask for a parts and labour breakdown: of the parts price what did they include? You see the reason I would recommend a detailed breakdown is as follows: Most cars use an air conditioning compressor which is simply driven by fan belt and the compressor has a clutch. The2014 Prius has( I think) an electrically driven compressor instead of a fan belt driven compressor. The reason why this is important is that if your car has lost its gas due to a hole in the condenser coil, that same gas carries lubrication oil with it around the refrigeration system. Without lubrication oil it is possible to burn out the compressor. So maybe your car needs 1) the system draining down and cleaning out any contaminated oil and old refrigerant 2) the compressor replacing3) the condenser coil replacing 4) the system throughly vacuumed out so as to remove any trace of moisture 5) the system being recharged with gas and the specialist refrigeration system oil.

So when you look at all that work, £854 seems to be about right because of the high parts cost. However, if they have quoted for just replacing the condenser coil, you need their written statement that they have checked the compressor and found it to be in servicable condition. Normally when a condenser coil with an electrical compressor  leaks you can see where the oil has leaked out of the system and you can smell a very acrid odour which tells you that there is no need to carry out any test on the compressor since it is the only thing in the circuit which can burn the oil . If they are confident that the compressor is ok, that's fine but are they then going to ask you to foot the bill for a new regas and a new compressor?

Perhaps knowing a lot more than the average person about refrigeration systems makes my more paranoid since a since a lot of knowledge can be advantageous but a little bit of knowledge can be counterproductive.

So this is why I would proceed with caution and discuss the details of the work required before you proceed with shopping around. If you dont do this , you will be going from one place to another asking about a price for replacing just a condenser coil when in fact more work would be necessary for you to end up with a working system.

Stones can chip any condenser coil regardless of age. They are by and large, quite well protected these days with other cooling elements for oil and engine and you also have the plastic undertray on a lot of cars which stops stones from rattling around a ricocheting around the engine bay in addition to making the underside of the car more aerodynamic.

[southsider46]

26 minutes ago, wass said:

Without lubrication oil it is possible to burn out the compressor.

Without gas, the compressor cannot kick in.

[wass]

18 minutes ago, southsider46 said:

Without gas, the compressor cannot kick in.

Correct.... so how much oil/ refrigerant do you think the system loses before the pressure sensor operates? Its the process of running the compressor when the leak occurs which burns the oil and compressor windings. Also, how frequently is the pressure sensor  checked? I am simply pointing out that so often it is the case that one issue clouds another and the OP needs to be sure of getting a bang on job instead of a long running saga.

[southsider46]

I have a sneaky suspicion that all of that would have been taken into account when the system was designed.

[Willss]

My aircon in my 2014 auris failed a couple of months ago. Condenser leak from stone chip (probably - there were dozens of areas of stone damage).  Main dealer wanted £720 to supply and replace condenser and then regas. 

Genuine Toyota Condenser quoted £215 part only. Regas usually about £70-£100. 

In the end my local non Toyota garage got me a denso condenser and fitted and regassed it for £330.  Took an hour to replace plus time for machine to purge and regas.  Hope it lasts!

The condenser is in theory covered by Relax but all the stone chips/damage made me not bother trying to claim.