# Can anyone tell me why this repair takes 3 days to fix? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [May 29, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-anyone-tell-me-why-this-repair-takes-3-days-to-fix/79613 "2013-05-29T19:02:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![grizz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/grizz/32/2597_2.png) [@grizz](https://community.cartalk.com/u/grizz)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-anyone-tell-me-why-this-repair-takes-3-days-to-fix/79613/1 "2013-05-29T19:02:53Z")
hello! I have an appointment to have air conditioner lines replaced on my 98 Tahoe. I have lines that are leaking and I have rear air but have decided to eliminate the rear air. I was told they could cap the lines for the rear and do the repair. why would this take 3 days? i’m stumped and can’t envision why something like this would take 3 days! please enlighten me! thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 7:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-anyone-tell-me-why-this-repair-takes-3-days-to-fix/79613/2 "2013-05-29T19:09:59Z")
Maybe It takes three days to obtain the caps to put on the lines. ---
**Author:** ![grizz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/grizz/32/2597_2.png) [@grizz](https://community.cartalk.com/u/grizz)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-anyone-tell-me-why-this-repair-takes-3-days-to-fix/79613/3 "2013-05-29T19:16:53Z")
_Maybe It takes three days to obtain the caps to put on the lines._ I was under the impression they had the parts. even if they didn’t have the parts they had a week to get them before my scheduled appointment. ---
**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-anyone-tell-me-why-this-repair-takes-3-days-to-fix/79613/4 "2013-05-29T19:18:44Z")
You have lots of ideas? Why not ASK them? 3days? 24 hrs of labor? ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-anyone-tell-me-why-this-repair-takes-3-days-to-fix/79613/5 "2013-05-29T19:25:00Z")
Maybe the repair shop where you are having the work done uses the “university model”. A committee of technicians’ managers will be convened and discuss how to do the repair. When they agree on how the repair is to be performed, the job will be assigned to a technician who will complete the repair in about an hour. The committee of managers will then select a subcommittee to prepare a report on how the work was done. If this is the model being used, three days is really quick turn-around time. ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 7:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-anyone-tell-me-why-this-repair-takes-3-days-to-fix/79613/6 "2013-05-29T19:29:15Z")
NOBODY is going to order any parts for a 16 year old vehicle until the vehicle is at the shop and a repair contract signed or you pay for the parts in advance (not returnable)… ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-anyone-tell-me-why-this-repair-takes-3-days-to-fix/79613/7 "2013-05-29T19:33:46Z")
@Caddyman You are right; this is not a routine part and shops are leery of ordering anything until the car is in the shop and ready to be worked on. I find that specialty A/C shops are a lot more responsive since they woirk mostly on older cars (post-warranty) and probably use these parts all the time. ---
**Author:** ![grizz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/grizz/32/2597_2.png) [@grizz](https://community.cartalk.com/u/grizz)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 7:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-anyone-tell-me-why-this-repair-takes-3-days-to-fix/79613/8 "2013-05-29T19:52:20Z")
_NOBODY is going to order any parts for a 16 year old vehicle until the vehicle is at the shop and a repair contract signed or you pay for the parts in advance (not returnable)…_ hard to believe they wouldn’t say “they’ll be a re-stocking fee” if the parts aren’t right or something close to that. I guess they have a different attitude since they know in the end they can be rescued by government interference. (: ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-anyone-tell-me-why-this-repair-takes-3-days-to-fix/79613/9 "2013-05-29T20:03:11Z")
You’re taking it to the dealer? I wouldn’t. Like others have mentioned find an independent a/c shop, it’ll be cheaper faster and just as good if not better. ---
**Author:** ![missileman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/missileman/32/1366_2.png) [@missileman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/missileman)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-anyone-tell-me-why-this-repair-takes-3-days-to-fix/79613/10 "2013-05-29T20:23:19Z")
+1 for @texases. A good independent mechanic can do the job just as well and you will also save money. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 9:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-anyone-tell-me-why-this-repair-takes-3-days-to-fix/79613/11 "2013-05-29T21:13:24Z")
Triedaq, thats not funny. That is how the windfarm works. When I was set out to supervise a couple of teams that were doing the installation inspections on the transformers, that is exactly how they wanted it done. I told them that we open them up, inspect and if we find any shipping damage, we would fix it. That didn’t fly. Had to have a pre-inspection plan and a pre-repair plan before we even inspected them. They could not seem to understand that how do you do a pre-repair plan before you even know if a repair will be needed. And then there was the post inspection report. Fortunately they hired a secretary to follow us around and write that report. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-anyone-tell-me-why-this-repair-takes-3-days-to-fix/79613/12 "2013-05-29T22:41:09Z")
I thought Triedaq’s comment was funny and insightful. We humans certainly are a strange species. ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 1:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-anyone-tell-me-why-this-repair-takes-3-days-to-fix/79613/13 "2013-05-30T01:31:22Z")
Such a job will often involve interruptions that would cause the mechanic to move to another vehicle where he might remain until he completes the job. Often a mechanic will have 3 or more vehicles in process at any one time. But a good independent AC specialist might be a better alternative. ---
**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-anyone-tell-me-why-this-repair-takes-3-days-to-fix/79613/14 "2013-05-30T21:25:58Z")
It’s probably to discourage you, because they really don’t want the job anyways.